Utah's Smith deflects credit to teammates

Heisman Trophy finalist Alex Smith received a lot of accolades for the success of Utah's offense, and deservedly so.

The NFL-bound junior was named national player of the year by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News after leading the Utes into the Bowl Championship Series. Smith, the Mountain West Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also rushed for 631 yards and 20 scores as the fourth-ranked Utes went 12-0 and defeated Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

The finale capped the highest-scoring season in Utah football history. The Utes racked up 45.3 points per game, nearly three points better than the 1930 team's 42.5 average.

"Credit goes to all the players. The guys up front, they don't get a lot of the attention, but they are the heart and soul of the offense," said Smith. "They are the reason we've been having so much success. They are the reason we average 40-something points a game and we're 12-0. So it's all the guys up front."

The Utes led the MWC in total offense, pass efficiency and scoring offense — entering the bowl season ranked third nationally in each category. They also ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense.

New offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, who replaces UNLV head coach Mike Sanford, takes control of an offense that finished the season with a team-record 544 points. The Utes converted on 80-of-153 third-down opportunities. Not including three "kneels" to run out the clock, they converted in the red zone 96.8 percent of the time — scoring 55 touchdowns and seven field goals.

A look at the Utah offense next season, by position:

QUARTERBACKS

Starter returning: None.

Starter lost: Alex Smith.

Others returning: Brian Johnson, Fano Tagovailoa, Adam Madsen, Brigham Au.

Replacing Alex Smith, who completed 214-of-317 passes and was intercepted just four times, will be a difficult task. Utah was 21-1 and won 16 consecutive games with No. 11 leading the offense. His early departure for the National Football League has the Utes scrambling for help. Head coach Kyle Whittingham said recruiting efforts would center around finding both a junior college and high school quarterback.