Ute offense redeems itself

Brian Johnson and Utah's offense couldn't wait for Saturday's scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

A week earlier, they had trouble finishing drives and reaching the end zone.

"It was a long week for me personally," said Johnson. "I took it on myself. I wanted to come out and play well today and have the offense play well as a unit. I think we did that."

Johnson and backup quarterback Tommy Grady each threw a pair of touchdown passes in the 75-play situational scrimmage. Eight receivers caught passes as the Utes racked up 303 yards in the air.

They also scored on an 18-yard pass — from Johnson to Derrek Richards — during red-zone work.

"I think the passing game needed to get going," said Richards. "And it got going today."

An 11-yard scoring strike from Grady to Bradon Godfrey got things started. Richards followed with a pair of touchdown receptions. The first was a 26-yard throw from Johnson, the second a 31-yard connection from Grady.

Johnson and Brian Hernandez, who led all receivers with six catches for 124 yards, capped things off by teaming on a 56-yard TD pass.

"Obviously, last week, the offense didn't do so well. The defense was the highlight of the scrimmage," said Richards. "We took it personal as an offense to show that our chemistry is still coming.

"We've got a lot of veteran guys back and we wanted to show that we're still on track to be the best offense there is."

Johnson, who completed 9-of-16 passes for 133 yards. acknowledged it was a huge emphasis for the offense to come out strong. Though not completely satisfied, he said the offense took a huge step forward.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham agreed, while noting that the offense didn't get in the end zone enough last week.

"That was the point of emphasis all week long. Today, the offense did a better job finishing drives. Our execution level was better," he said. "Our defense still played well. I think the defense has played well the entire spring. Those guys keep coming along.

"By no means are we where we need to be to line-up against Oregon State (on Aug. 28)," Whittingham continued. "But we're making progress."

Utah's defense forced a fumble. recorded two sacks, broke up three passes and made six tackles for loss in the scrimmage. The Utes racked up the numbers without starting safety Steve Tate and defensive end Martail Burnett, who are resting sore shoulders.

Defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said that the situation was beneficial for two reasons — it gave younger players a chance to get more reps and it forced them to improve their communication on the field.