Utah’s Depth At WR, TE Will ‘Warrant The Ball Being In The Air More’

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah has a ton of talent returning at both the wide receiver and tight end positions. That could change the way Utah runs their offense under Andy Ludwig.

As strange as it sounds, the Utes could be in position to throw the ball more even though history has shown Utah being a more run heavy offense.

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig knows that he has plenty of playmakers on the outside and will adjust his offense to compliment those weapons.

“We’re committed to doing whatever it takes to win so if the strength of the offense is on the perimeter, and the quarterbacks are up to the task, then things will open up. I really feel like last year, we played to the strengths of who we were and stayed true to who we were through the course of the season,” Ludwig said. “Every year is different. We take a lot of pride in our ability to adapt and adjust to the personnel within the scheme. First and foremost, that will always start with the quarterback position. But there’s no doubt that the depth and the talent level at the wide receiver and the tight end position is going to warrant the ball being in the air more than it was a year ago.”

.@Utah_Football released their pre-camp depth chart this morning. Here are five thoughts.#GoUtes https://t.co/drsGCsInTa

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 9, 2020

Utah’s WR, TE Depth

The Utes lost two playmakers on the outside from the 2019 season, including Derrick Vickers and Demari Simpkins. They bring back a loaded group of weapons for Ludwig to utilize in his offensive scheme.

At wide receiver, the Utes have Bryan Thompson, Samson Nacua, Britain Covey, Jaylen Dixon, Tyrone Young-Smith and Devaughn Vele. At tight end, the Utes will have dynamic duo Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham.

"We hope we can score a lot of points because we feel we have a lot of talent on that side of the ball. – @UtahCoachWhitt #GoUtes

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 9, 2020

Utah’s Recent History Running/Passing

Over the last three years, Utah has been very run heavy. In 2017, the Utes threw the ball 427 times and picked up 3,242 yards. When they ran the ball 526 times, they racked up 2,132 yards.

The following season in 2018, Utah had 575 rush attempts for 2,603 yards along with 392 pass attempts for 3,012 yards. Last season, Utah threw the ball 321 times for 3,187 yards. They ran the ball 591 times for 2,819 yards.

Put all three of those seasons together and the Utes have thrown the ball 1,140 times for 9,441 yards. On the ground, Utah had 1,692 rush attempts for 7,554 yards.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.