#SUUvsUTAH Report: Utes Prep for T-Birds

8/23/2016 7:34 PM | Football

Utah readies for Week 1 matchup.

With #CampKyle16 complete, the 2016 season opener against Southern Utah is nine days away and UtahUtes.com gives you the inside scoop on the @Utah_Football team as it prepares for its Sept. 1 contest against the Thunderbirds in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Today was the final media availability of this week along with select Ute coaches --- Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach Morgan Scalley and Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Aaron Roderick --- so be sure to keep using #SUUvsUTAH for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Utes are gearing up for the Thunderbirds.

Video, photos, quotes, social media reaction and behind-the-scenes tidbits can be found here to get you ready before the Utes face the T-Birds on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. MDT on Pac-12 Network.

9 days out from #SUUvsUTAH. Every second counts. #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/QSQUgNdoyT
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 23, 2016

Practice Highlights
• Utah held its second on-field workout of its Southern Utah prep Tuesday at the Eccles Football Center Practice Field.
• The Utes were in full pads for their second on-field workout of the week with limited contact in accordance with the team's thud drill policy.
• The 20-minute media observation segment began with 11-on-11 live work from the offense's own 35-yard line.
• Players designated for the scout team were in white jerseys with red numbers to emulate Southern Utah.
• Raelon Singleton made a nice downfield catch along the far sideline in the south end.
• Caleb Repp picked up an impressive chunk of yardage on a slant route.
• Tyler Cooperwood caught a pass on a smash route to move the Ute offense.
• Armand Shyne made a reception out of the backfield on a swing route.

Ready to turn some heads.#MyTeamIn5Words #goutes pic.twitter.com/tkvAS7Tskz
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) August 23, 2016

Post-Practice Impressions form the Utes ...

Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach Morgan Scalley
• Lowell Lotulelei can be as good as he wants to be. He possesses a great deal of athleticism.
• Kavika Luafatasaga has been much better and is picking up the defense. He can't be quiet as a linebacker in the defense, calling out alignments and ordering teammates where to line up. He has to be loud.
• Donavan Thompson loves football. He studies the game all of the time. He is instinctive, physical and long-levered.
• A majority of the players on the team love the game and put in a lot of extra work.

Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Aaron Roderick
• "Today was a good practice. It was a Tuesday practice [during a regular game week], we were in full pads. We got a lot of good work done."
• "It's fun to change it up and play a real game. No matter who you play, you want to have a core identity, a core offense that you run every week no matter who you're playing against. There are always going to be plays that you carry over from week to week. Each week, you have to have some window dressing. You have to add some things to keep your stuff fresh and you have to have some wrinkles based on the opponent you're playing. Every team has a weakness or two that you want to try to exploit, which might be different than the team you played the week before. You have to have some ways to generate some big plays based on what you're seeing, but if you're running a whole new offense every week, you're probably not very good at what you're doing. We're trying to master what we do and then have a couple of new things for each week."
• "No one is more deserving [to be a captain] than J.J. Dielman. In the 12 years that I've been here, he's as good of a leader, and as solid of a leader and player, as we've ever had. Personally, I wasn't surprised at all that the players voted for Troy [Williams]. He's played so well in practice that they guys have definitely taken notice of how he played, but more than that, I think they noticed that he performs well out on the field because of how hard he works. He's the last guy off the field every day. He's the first guy in the building every day. He spends hours and hours watching film. We have to literally kick him out of the building at night. He's earned a lot of respect from his teammates in the short time that he's been here and they voted him captain. "
• "[Troy Williams] is a pure passer. He has very good mechanics. When he throws the ball, it's effortless. I'm sure he'll have a few growing pains. I don't want to set the expectations too high, but I think he's prepared for this opportunity. With the experiences he's had, from being at Washington and with different coaching staffs and the tough times that he went through to get here, I think he really appreciates this opportunity. He's doing everything he can to be prepared for it. I really hope it comes to fruition for him because he's prepared as hard as anyone I've ever seen."
• The receivers have become more competitive and all about improving their toughness.
• It makes a big difference for the receivers to have that kind of height. They can win a lot of 50/50 balls so the offense will be inclined to take shots down field.
• Successful offenses need to make explosive plays to take the next step toward being a great unit. You need to make chunk plays of 20, 25 or even 50 yards to score the amount of points you need to win. It's difficult to string together 11 or 12-play drives.
• A balanced offense is not only concerned about the number of runs and passes, it also includes using the whole field with short, immediate and long passing routes and running up the middle and on the perimeter.
• Tight end Harrison Handley is a reliable and smart guy who we can trust.

Wide Receiver Kyle Fulks
• Practice has been pretty good so far.
• Troy Williams being named the starting quarterback has helped the entire offense as one unit.
• Taking extra reps and running extra routes to build continuity between the receivers and quarterbacks went on throughout the entire offseason.

Cornerback Dominique Hatfield
• Grateful to be a captain and having a chance to play football.
• Being selected to be a leader has made a huge difference for me this season.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley
• The competition for the starting quarterback job has been a competitive situation.
• As the backup at the moment, I have to be prepared at all times and careful with every chance I get.
• The coaching staff wants him to put more weight on. He's been eating more to put on healthy mass.
• He has a good relationship with Troy Williams and they hang out together during off time.

Safety Chase Hansen
• Concentrated solely on playing safety right now.
• He has a lot of work to do at his current position.

Cornerback Reginald Porter
• Likes to work out, write and read in his free time.
• His best attribute as a football players is his speed.

Quarterback Troy Williams
• Always takes extra reps after practice and runs laps to keep his body in shape.
• His polished technique has given him consistent footwork and release point.
• He was a little bit surprised he was named a captain, but he knows his work does not stop there.

#SUUvsUTAH BTS ...
• A scout from the Buffalo Bills observed practice.