Camp Kyle ‘16: Day 5

Fall Football Camp 2016 Marcus Williams, Dominique Hatfield

8/9/2016 2:56 PM | Football

Red zone live work highlights first day in full pads.

The Ute defense kept the upper hand over the offense during red zone live work on Tuesday morning during the Utah football team's fifth official workout, the first in full pads of the 2016 season.

During the Utes' fifth day of on-field activity this season at Ute Baseball Field, Utah was in red helmets and full pads for the last practice session under the NCAA's acclimatization period guidelines.

The Countdown is On ...
The countdown to kickoff from Rice-Eccles Stadium against Southern Utah stands at 23 days. UtahUtes.com has each day of @Utah_Football fall camp covered. Use #CampKyle16 on all social media posts to keep track of the Utes and chime in with your thoughts throughout preseason camp.

LIVE on #Periscope: CIRCLE DRILL!!!! https://t.co/VpgdTf309R
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 9, 2016

UtahUtes.com will be your go-to source for videos, GIFs, Facebook Live sessions, photos, quotes, social media reaction and behind-the-scenes tidbits all the way up to when the Utes face the Thunderbirds on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. MT.

Day 5 Overview ...
• Fifth training session of the season held Tuesday morning at the Utah baseball practice field.
• The focus of the training centered around techniques and timing as the Utes continued to work on fine-tuning their skills for the upcoming campaign.
• Players were in full pads for the first time this season during the final day of the NCAA's acclimatization period.
• Red helmets with either black jerseys and red pants (for the defense) or red jerseys with black pants (for the offense and special teams) were the uniform combinations of the day.

Media Observation Period Highlights ...
• Full-team live work during the media's 20-minute viewing period kicked off with a red zone segment.
• Utah's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage and few Ute receivers were able to get loose against Utah's secondary.
• Defensive end Pita Taumoepenu exploded for a big hit on a ball carrier.
• Tight end Chad Hekking made an impressive back-shoulder catch for the offense's first score.
• The action then moved to 'drive it' mode with the offense taking possession from its own 40-yard line with the chain gang being used to track down and distance.
• Wide receiver Raelon Singleton picked up nice yardage on an out route

LIVE on #Periscope: Speed in space https://t.co/jZz4aZu8vl
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 9, 2016

From Coach Whittingham ...
On today's workout: "It was a good day. Typical of the defense, they hit the offense in the mouth and the offense didn't respond. We have to come back out and respond with a little more resolve and do a lot better job."

On the red zone segment: "The red zone work was pretty good from a defensive standpoint. Again, offensively it was not good enough execution. That was the first time we have done red zone work so that was to be expected from a certain degree. From this point forward, it's going to be situational football every day and we have to be masters of those situations. That's what separates good teams from really good teams when you're in those situations."

On response to first to first day of full pads: "It was pretty good. When you're in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets, you can do just about everything but tackle so it really was just the first day of tackling. We didn't tackle with the firs unit today, but we did with the second. The 1's will get their turn in a few days, but overall it wasn't too bad. We'll see how we progress. Tomorrow is a double day so it gets tougher, it doesn't get easier."

On safety Chase Hansen: "He has looked very good. It's great to see him back out there. He's been very good in the first five days of practice."

On the center position: "J.J. Dielman is still working at center. Same as yesterday, it's not a done deal. It's getting close to being a done deal, but we want to make sure we have the best five out there. That should be solidified in the next five days."

On Pita Taumoepenu and Pasoni Tasini in the defensive line rotation: "[Tasini] is like a starter. We feel like we have three starting defensive tackles with Lowell [Lotulelei] and [Filipo] Mokofisi. They're all on equal footing and the same can be said for [Taumoepenu] with Kylie Fitts and Hunter Dimick. They are the three ends who will get the majority of the snaps."

On the young defensive linemen: "I see a lot of upside. Leki Fotu is going to be a really good player, as are Maxs Tupai and Bradlee Anae. The other two freshmen are returning missionaries so they're not quite as far along as the others. Hauati Pututau and Pita Tong show promise as well. We have five really good true freshmen [defensive] linemen."

On the tight ends: "The veteran guys, Evan Moeai, Harrison Handley and Siale Fakailoatonga, have been solid. When the young guys get their turn, it's been spotty. Some good. Some bad. A few too many drops out of those young guys."

Post-Practice Impressions from the Utah Assistant Coaches and Players ...

Quarterback Troy Williams
"Day 5 was good. It was kind of rough for the offense today, but we'll come out tomorrow with a lot of energy and pick it up.

"I most definitely have a good grasp on the system. I spent extra time in the film room, especially when I was out during the spring, and made sure I had my nose in the playbook and study the film as much as possible to get more comfortable with it every day with more and more reps with the guys on the practice field."

Quarterback Tyler Huntley
"[Camp so far] has been fun. It's fun to be out here every day and get better. We're at the facility and playing football all day [throughout fall camp], that's the great part about it.

"My offense in high school had a similar playbook, but the terminology was way different than what I had.

"I had to work on my poise when I was in ninth grade and starting as a freshman. I've had a lot of experience in that spot so I'm comfortable with it."

#UtesCamp BTS ...
• Former Utah defensive coordinator John Pease was in attendance at practice this morning.

Always love when Coach John Pease stops by practice. #UtahFootballFamily #legend pic.twitter.com/SRuoBPe2HH
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 9, 2016

• A total of 24 Utah football players and coaches were requested by the media for post-practice interviews.