Utes happy to open practice

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson liked what he saw on the opening day of camp. He was joined by 104 other players in divided workouts Saturday morning at the McCarthey Practice Fields.

"It's a great day. I think we came out focused and enthusiastic," Johnson said. "You could tell we had a veteran group out there. There weren't a lot of mistakes made today. It was good to get out and get a jump start."

Maintaining it, he added, is of extreme importance.

Johnson reminded his teammates that while it's easy to be excited on the first day of practice, it's the remaining days that count.

"We've got to keep it moving," Johnson said. "Keep getting better each and every day."

Utah opens the season Aug. 30 at Oregon State.

"It's nice to get things going — especially getting some of these young guys out here," said senior safety Steve Tate. "They did well. They responded well."

Though Tate noted that the first day of camp was more like a dress rehearsal — no pads as per NCAA rules — the Utes do have plenty of talented newcomers.

"We're kind of pleased with what we saw of the young guys today," Tate said.

Tailback Matt Asiata and tight end Dallin Rogers were among the newcomers mentioned by head coach Kyle Whittingham, who noted that this camp opener was about like all other first days.

"A lot of teaching and a lot of learning," he said. "No gear on, so it's a lot of individual work by position group. But we saw some good things."

Headlining the list is Johnson. The junior quarterback is back after missing the entire 2006 season while recovering from knee surgery. As a sophomore, he led the Mountain West Conference in total offense and was ranked fourth nationally.

"Brian looked very solid. He's incredibly intelligent like Alex Smith was — understanding the offense, understanding defenses and understanding what schemes he's facing and so forth," Whittingham said. "That's one of his strengths — the intelligence level at which he plays."

Unlike last year's camp when Johnson battled Brett Ratliff and Tommy Grady for the job, the talented Texan is back in the saddle, again.

"Last year at this time we were very unsettled trying to work our way through a quarterback situation," Whittingham said. "Right now, there is no controversy. No question whatsoever. Brian's our guy."

It's a role Johnson takes seriously.

The 20-year-old told reporters he's determined to keep developing as a quarterback — physically and mentally — with his teammates to make sure things keep rolling to get the Utes where they need to be.