⚡ CFB Dashboard

Projecting how the Utah tight ends would perform this fall was not an easy task. With Hunter Andrews injured early last season and Dallen Bentley graduating, the Utes tight ends were mostly an unknown. Even a returner like Semi Taulanga did not play a big role in the passing game. Now, with the first game of the season behind us, we got to see which tight ends saw the field and how Kevin McGiven would use them. It was also the first game for Utah's new tight end coach Luke Wells. The former Kansas State tight end coach liked what he saw from his guys. "I was pleased with the effort in game one," said Wells. "I thought our guys came out and competed. We played a number of them in the game, which I was glad to do. There are a lot of technique things we can clean up, especially footwork in the run game. But we caught the ball when we got the opportunity to do so, and I was pleased with how we blocked the perimeter." Noah Bennee, Hunter Andrews and the Rhinos were expected to see the field frequently, but it was a welcome surprise to see Will Monney get some snaps. Monney missed most of the spring but, despite the setback, worked his way onto the field in the Utes season opener. "Will's done a nice job and had really good fall camp," said Wells. "Will's a pretty consistent guy, and he had a good start to the season." When Wells took over the room, he wasn't sure how they would look come game day, but he's pleased with how his guys have rounded into form. "We have more depth in our room than I thought we would have when I first showed up," said Wells. "I'm excited about the amount of guys that we can win with at that tight end position. I'm glad that we brought in Will and Noah, and I'm glad that we were able to roll a good number of guys from our room out there to be productive in game one." Wells liked what he saw from his tight ends in the opener but believes there's always room for improvement. "I think the inline blocking is something that we can be better at technique-wise," said Wells. "We've got to do a better job with our footwork. We've got to be on the same page with the tackles, and the communication can be cleaner. Overall pad level can also be better." One noticeable thing in the Utes' first game was their decision to use an unbalanced offensive line. On a few select plays, Utah would have one of their offensive tackles line up on the opposite side and had one of the Rhinos take their place. Wells liked what he saw from Taulanga and Sione Motuapuaka in these formations and is excited to see how they perform vs the Razorbacks. "It'll be a good challenge," said Wells. "Arkansas has got some really good defensive linemen. They're twitchy, and they're physical. Their guys are solid, so I'm excited to see how our guys play." One of the other Utah tight ends who's going to be challenged is Hunter Andrews. The Utes versatile tight end can be used in a lot of ways, which is a big x-factor for the offense. "Hunter's one of those guys that you can get him the ball in multiple ways," said Wells. "You can get it to him on the edge, and you can hand it to him.  He's got a very unique skill set. So it's fun to game plan those touches for him. We talked about it as a staff that we want to find a way with this offense to spread the ball out to our playmakers, and he's one of those guys." Arkansas is a big step up for the Utes in competition, but based on what the Utes tight ends showed in week one, they should be up for the challenge.