How Utah creatively utilized its tight ends vs. Utah State, plus clarity at RB and a special teams bounce back

There’s a reason why Utah listed six tight ends on its two-deep ahead of the season — the Utes planned to use all of them.

Through three games, that’s been the case.

Three of them — Dallen Bentley, Brant Kuithe and Miki Suguturaga — have played over 70 snaps, while three others — Carsen Ryan, Caleb Lohner and Landen King — have played 23 or more.

In Utah’s 38-21 win over Utah State, receivers Dorian Singer and Money Parks led Utah in targets — Singer had his best game as a Ute with five catches for 66 yards and Parks had four catches for 49 yards and a score — but the impact of the tight ends was felt throughout the game.

All six Ute tight ends saw the field in the win, with Kuithe leading the way with three catches for 68 yards, including two chunk plays — a 28-yard completion in the first quarter and a 33-yard completion in the second quarter.

After just one target in the previous week’s game against Baylor, there was a concerted effort to get Kuithe the ball against USU, and it paid off.

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig got creative with Kuithe, direct snapping the ball to him under center in the early fourth quarter for a five-yard gain on first-and-10 in the red zone.

Earlier, on a two-point conversion, Ludwig dialed up a shovel pass — former Ute quarterback Lee Grosscup is credited with inventing it — that looked exactly like something out of Andy Reid’s playbook with the Kansas City Chiefs.

After Micah Bernard powered his way to the end zone to put Utah up 26-14 late in the third quarter, the Utes opted to go for two to make it a 14-point game.

Initially lined up like he was going to block, Kuithe instead took two steps to his right, directly in front of quarterback Isaac Wilson, and as two Aggies converged on Utah’s quarterback, he quickly shoveled it to his tight end, who had a lane to the end zone.

Lohner was only on the field for three offensive snaps but made the most of them, with Ludwig drawing up a end zone jump ball for the basketball-turned-football player.

Matched up on 5-foot-11 USU cornerback JD Drew, there was a significant size advantage for the 6-foot-7 Lohner, and Wilson threw it accordingly, tossing it to where only Lohner could reach it for a touchdown that gave Utah back the lead, 17-14, and helped change the momentum of the game after the Utes faced an early 14-3 deficit.

“Caleb Lohner is a weapon and I think we need to find more ways to use him. I’m sure Coach Ludwig will. He’s got a big body and when he goes up on that jump ball at 6-7, he’s literally what, 13 feet up in the air? I mean he’s way up there, tough to defend\, and you saw him make that nice catch tonight,” Whittingham said.

Lohner’s contribution wasn’t just limited to offense, either. He got a hand on USU kicker Elliott Nimrod’s 35-yard field goal attempt, blocking it.

Another key moment from a Ute tight end came early in the fourth quarter. Rahsul Faison had just gashed the Utes twice — a gain of 13 yards on third-and-18 and a gain of 17 on fourth-and-5 — to set up a Bryson Barnes QB sneak touchdown that drew the Aggies within seven points with 0:56 left in the third quarter.

Then Wilson threw an interception on the next drive — the ball bounced off Kuithe’s hands and into the arms of Jordan Vincent — and the Aggies had a chance to tie.

Utah’s defense forced a three-and-out, and Nimrod missed a 43-yard field goal, but the pressure was on Wilson and Co. to make it a two-score game again.

Micah Bernard ran for 64 yards with a couple of stiff arms mixed in, and on the next play, that’s when Kuithe took the direct snap for a five-yard gain. The next two runs, by Mike Mitchell, were short of first-down yardage, setting up fourth-and-goal from the USU two-yard line.

Once again, a Utah tight end was called upon to make a big play.

Utah went I formation with Ryan and Mitchell lined up in the backfield. Ryan immediately leaked out to the right as Wilson faked the handoff to Mitchell and sprung open in the end zone. Wilson’s pass was a little too far, but Ryan stretched out his arm and made an incredible one-handed grab for his first touchdown as a Ute.

Ludwig is excited about the talent in the tight end room, and he has utilized it well through the first three games.

Micah Bernard with another 100-plus-yard performance and Mike Mitchell’s emergence

Heading into Saturday’s game, Whittingham called Bernard “the closest thing to an RB1 we have right now,” and the senior continued to make his case against Utah State.

For the second straight game, Bernard went over the century mark with 123 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. It was an average game for Bernard until he broke off the longest run or his career at the most opportune time, a 64-yard rush that set the Utes up at the Aggie 10-yard-line, and Wilson would convert on a fourth-and-2 with a play-action pass to Ryan to give Utah a 14-point lead with 11:54 left in the game.

Bernard stiff armed not one, not two, but three Aggies as he streaked down the field.

“It felt pretty good. Everything was slow in the run game and just to break one for a big gain, it felt pretty good to get our offense in a good situation and we just went down there and he (Wilson) put it in the end zone,” Bernard said.

While Bernard is making his case to be RB1, and Utah will give him plenty of carries, Whittingham still doesn’t see him as a 30-plus-carry type of running back due to his size, but instead someone who can give the Utes 20 good carries, much like he’s done the last couple of weeks.

To that end, there has to be a secondary running back. Jaylon Glover assumed that role last season behind Ja’Quinden Jackson, toting the ball 137 times for 562 yards and two scores. He had four carries for 15 yards against Southern Utah, but not only has he not ran the ball once in Utah’s last two games, he hasn’t even been on the field for a single snap.

“I’d like to see Jaylon Glover back in the mix. It’s all about practicing Monday through Friday and doing the things you need to do,” Whittingham said.

Mike Mitchell, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, stepped up with his best game as a Ute on Saturday with 14 carries for 75 yards, including two third-and-short conversions — a scenario that Utah loves to bring him in for.

“Mike Mitchell gives us some great supplemental carries,” Whittingham said.

Unless something changes with Glover, it seems like Utah has its running back hierarchy figured out heading into Big 12 play, with Bernard at RB1, Mitchell at RB2 and Dijon Stanley making an occasional appearance.

Utah passed the 200-yard rushing mark for the first time this season, racking up 221 yards on 41 carries to complement 239 passing yards.

Cole Becker, Utah’s special teams bounce back after rough week

Whittingham voiced his displeasure with Utah’s special teams performance in the win over Baylor.

Kicker Cole Becker was 1 for 3 on field goals against Baylor, missing from 45 and 43 yards out, and punter Jack Bouwmeester bobbled a snap that led to a failed PAT, plus had two touchbacks on punts.

“Special teams was disappointing. We need to be better on special teams. Missed two very makeable field goals. We botched a PAT,” Whittingham said last week.

Utah’s specialists had to be better moving forward, and they knew it.

On Saturday, Becker delivered, making three field goals from 39, 25 and 18 yards out, while making all of his PATs. Becker’s bounce back performance was a contrast to USU’s Nimrod, who missed both of his field goal attempts — a 35-yarder was blocked by Lohner and a 43-yarder was wide.

Bouwmeester, meanwhile, had four punts for 156 yards, including a booming 51-yard punt. His average was brought down because Utah punted from the USU 43-yard-line, but he didn’t have a touchback on Saturday.

Utah’s special teams got back on track against Utah State, something that’s important heading into Big 12 play against No. 14 Oklahoma State this Saturday.