2018 Utah Utes football team

The 2018 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Utes were led by 14th-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. They were members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

2018 Utah Utes football
Pac-12 South Division champion
Pac-12 Championship Game, L 3–10 vs. Washington
Holiday Bowl, L 20–31 vs. Northwestern
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
	South Division
2018 record	9–5 (6–3 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kyle Whittingham (14th season)
Offensive coordinator	Troy Taylor (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Morgan Scalley (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Rice–Eccles Stadium (Capacity: 45,807)[1]
Uniform

2018 Pac-12 Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 13 Washington xy$		7	–	2					10	–	4
No. 10 Washington State x		7	–	2					11	–	2
Stanford		6	–	3					9	–	4
Oregon		5	–	4					9	–	4
California		4	–	5					7	–	6
Oregon State		1	–	8					2	–	10
South Division
Utah xy		6	–	3					9	–	5
Arizona State		5	–	4					7	–	6
USC		4	–	5					5	–	7
Arizona		4	–	5					5	–	7
UCLA		3	–	6					3	–	9
Colorado		2	–	7					5	–	7
Championship: Washington 10, Utah 3
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The Utes completed the regular season with a 6–3 record in conference play, winning the South Division for the first time since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. In the Pac-12 Championship Game, the team lost to North Division champion Washington by a score of 10–3. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl to play Big Ten Conference runner-up Northwestern, where the Utes lost by a score of 31–20 to end the year at 9–5 overall.

Utah was led on offense by quarterback Tyler Huntley until he suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture in the game against Arizona State on November 3. Redshirt freshman Jason Shelley started for the rest of the season.[2] Running back Zack Moss compiled 1,096 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Two members of the Utah offensive line earned first-team all-conference honors, Jordan Agasiva and Jackson Barton. Utah's defense featured four members of the first-team All-Pac-12: defensive linemen Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu, linebacker Chase Hansen, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Hansen led the conference in tackles for loss with 22, and Anae tied for the conference lead in sacks with 8.[3]

Previous season

The Utes finished the 2017 season 7–6, 3–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in fifth place in the South Division. They were invited to the Heart of Dallas Bowl where they defeated West Virginia.

Preseason

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Utes signed a total of 20 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Hunter Lotulelei OG	Salt Lake City, Utah	Highland High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	Jun 17, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jack Tuttle QB	San Marcos, California	Mission Hills High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Dec 16, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Malone Mataele DB	Rancho Santa Margarita, California	Santa Margarita Catholic High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Apr 21, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tevita Fotu TE	Herriman, Utah	Herriman High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Oct 8, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Terrell Perriman WR	Miami, Florida	Miami Central High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	Nov 3, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Braeden Daniels OL	Carrollton, Texas	Hebron High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Dec 17, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jeremiah Jordan DE	Stone Mountain, Georgia	Mt. San Jacinto College	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 17, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Bryant Pirtle LB	Louisville, Kentucky	Pima Community College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Paul Maile DT	Salt Lake City, Utah	East High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Dec 23, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Andrew Mataafa LB	San Diego, California	San Diego High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Dec 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Vonte Davis CB	Rosenberg, Texas	Blinn College	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Blake Kuithe DE	Katy, Texas	Cinco Ranch High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brant Kuithe WR	Katy, Texas	Cinco Ranch High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Jan 14, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jackson Cravens DT	Provo, Utah	Timpview High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Feb 3, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Thomas Yassmin TE	New South Wales, Australia	The Scots College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Feb 6, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Devin Brumfield RB	Covington, Louisiana	Covington High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Solomon Enis WR	Phoenix, Arizona	North Canyon High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Simi Moala DE	Hawthorne, California	Cathedral High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Mika Tafua DE	Maui, Hawaii	Kamehameha Schools	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tareke Lewis CB	Palatka, Florida	Riverside City College	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Utah Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy[4]	Chase Hansen	LB	SR
Rimington Trophy[5]	Lo Falemaka	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[6]	Julian Blackmon	CB	JR
	Bradlee Anae	DE	JR
Maxwell Award[7]	Zack Moss	RB	JR
Doak Walker Award[8]	Zack Moss	RB	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[9]	Julian Blackmon	CB	JR
Outland Trophy[10]	Lo Falemaka	C	SR
Lou Groza Award[11]	Matt Gay	K	SR
Ray Guy Award[12]	Mitch Wishnowsky	P	SR
Wuerffel Trophy[13]	Chase Hansen	DB	SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[14]	Tyler Huntley	QB	JR

Pac-12 Media Days

The 2018 Pac-12 media days are set for July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Kyle Whittingham (HC), Chase Hanson (LB) & Lo Falemaka (OL) at Pac-12 Media Days. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Utes predicted to finish in second place at Pac-12 South division.[15]

Media poll (South)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	USC	225 (22)
2	Utah	209 (14)
3	Arizona	178 (3)
4	UCLA	116 (2)
5	Colorado	80 (1)
6	Arizona State	72

Schedule

Utah announced their 2018 football schedule on November 16, 2017.[16] The Utes will play FCS Weber State and Northern Illinois and returning to the traditional last game of the year spot, Utah will play in-state rival BYU Cougars football in out-of-conference play. In Pac-12 conference play, the Utes will not play cross-divisional foes California and Oregon State.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 p.m.	No. 8 (FCS) Weber State*		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 41–10	45,988
September 8	5:30 p.m.	at Northern Illinois*		Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	ESPNews	W 17–6	16,762
September 15	8:00 p.m.	No. 10 Washington		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	L 7–21	47,445
September 29	4:00 p.m.	at Washington State		Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	P12N	L 24–28	30,088
October 6	8:30 p.m.	at No. 14 Stanford		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	ESPN	W 40–21	37,244
October 12	8:00 p.m.	Arizona		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	W 42–10	45,862
October 20	6:00 p.m.	USC		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 41–28	46,405
October 26	8:30 p.m.	at UCLA	No. 23	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	ESPN	W 41–10	41,848
November 3	2:00 p.m.	at Arizona State	No. 16	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	P12N	L 20–38	46,445
November 10	3:30 p.m.	Oregon		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	P12N	W 32–25	46,275
November 17	11:30 a.m.	at Colorado	No. 21	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (Rumble in the Rockies)	P12N	W 30–7	39,360
November 24	8:00 p.m.	BYU*	No. 18	Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War/Beehive Boot)	FS1	W 35–27	46,017
November 30	6:00 p.m.	vs. No. 10 Washington	No. 17	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game)	FOX	L 3–10	35,134
December 31	5:00 p.m.	vs. Northwestern*	No. 20	SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	FS1	L 20–31	47,007
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Source:[17]

Game summaries

Weber State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 (FCS) Wildcats	10	0	0	0	10
Utes	7	10	14	10	41

at Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	0	0	7	10	17
Huskies	3	0	0	3	6

Washington

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Huskies	7	7	7	0	21
Utes	7	0	0	0	7

at Washington State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	14	7	3	0	24
Cougars	7	14	0	7	28

at Stanford

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	7	17	3	13	40
No. 14 Cardinal	0	7	14	0	21

Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	3	7	10
Utes	14	14	7	7	42

USC

	1	2	3	4	Total
Trojans	14	0	0	14	28
Utes	7	13	14	7	41

at UCLA

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Utes	3	14	21	3	41
Bruins	7	0	3	0	10

at Arizona State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Utes	7	10	3	0	20
Sun Devils	14	7	0	17	38

Oregon

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ducks	0	7	10	8	25
Utes	10	9	3	10	32

at Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Utes	0	7	17	6	30
Buffaloes	7	0	0	0	7

BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	13	7	7	0	27
No. 18 Utes	0	0	14	21	35

The Utes scored 28 unanswered points and overcame a 27–7 deficit in the third quarter to defeat their in-state rival, the BYU Cougars, for the eighth consecutive time.

vs. Washington (Pac-12 Championship Game)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Utes	0	0	3	0	3
No. 10 Huskies	0	3	7	0	10

vs. Northwestern (Holiday Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Utes	14	6	0	0	20
Wildcats	0	3	28	0	31

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	23	16	RV	21	18	17	20	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	24	16	24	19	17	17	19	RV
CFP	Not released									15	NR	19	17	17	17	Not released

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
2	47	Marquise Blair	S	Seattle Seahawks
3	88	Cody Barton	LB	Seattle Seahawks
4	110	Mitch Wishnowsky	P	San Francisco 49ers
5	145	Matt Gay	K	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	240	Jackson Barton	OT	Indianapolis Colts

References

1. Rice-Eccles Stadium. The University of Utah. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
2. Kragthorpe, Kurt (November 5, 2018). "Utes QB Tyler Huntley officially is out for the season, but he may play in a bowl game". The Salt Lake Tribune.
3. "2018 Pac-12 Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
4. "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
5. "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
6. "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
7. "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
8. "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
9. "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
10. "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
11. "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
12. "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
13. "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
14. "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
15. "Washington picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
16. Facer, Dirk (November 16, 2017). "Utah's 2018 football schedule released by Pac-12; Utes to face BYU last week of season". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
17. 2018 Utah Utes football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Retrieved Dec 4, 2017.