Utah Utes football: Players motivated for spring game

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham said there are two objectives in today's Red-White Game at Rice-Eccles Stadium: entertain the fans and provide work for the players.

"It's serious," he explained. "We're still trying to find out who our playmakers are; that's an ongoing process."

Even so, several projected starters and contributors will be held out of the spring football finale to give others a chance to showcase their talents. The defense will be limited to what its structure will be, Whittingham added, and all of the reserves will get a chance to play.

Quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and safeties coach Morgan Scalley will serve as head coaches.

And there's plenty of motivation to succeed. The losing team (coaches and players) is required to clean the football facility on Monday.

"It's all in good fun," Scalley said. "If you're going to do it, do it right. If you're going to compete, go for the win. So we're going for the win. We feel like we've got a good team. We're excited."

So, too, is Johnson and his side of the roster.

"It's a fun deal," he said, while noting the quarterbacks plan to throw the ball all around the park. "The guys enjoy it."

The game will be played with the following twists:

The first two quarters will be 10 minutes long with a normal clock.

The last two quarters will be 10 minutes long with a running clock.

Each team will have two timeouts per half.

If a team trails by more than 10 points, it will get the ball back after a score.

No punt or kickoff returns. All punts will be treated as a fair catch. The ball will be placed at the 35-yard line in place of kickoffs.

All quarterbacks are off-limits to would-be tacklers.

A busy day up on the hill begins at 6 a.m. That's when the parking lot opens for the "Ultimate Tailgating Competition."

Activity inside the stadium kicks off with the MUSS game at 11 a.m. The first 500 Crimson Club members will receive free hot dogs, while all fans will be treated to complimentary popcorn. The Alumni game follows at noon, one hour prior to the spring finale.

Parking and admission is free.

e-mail: dirk@desnews.com