The Utes have plenty of options, ranging from the current depth chart to shuffling the deck up front. About the only thing Whittingham dismissed was the possibility of moving tight end Neli A'asa back to the defensive line where he played last season.

There will be no offense to defense moves, he added, to fix the problem.

Whittingham said for the time being they plan to take a look at moving defensive end Koa Misi inside or going with freshmen Derrick Shelby or David Kruger. Shelby saw action last week and played well, while Kruger is likely to be pulled out of a planned redshirt year.

The latter isn't absolute, Whittingham noted, but will be looked at in practice this week.

Another possibility is moving defensive end Koa Misi inside, where he has some experience, and putting Kruger on the opposite end of his older brother Paul. Whittingham explained that the younger Kruger's current body type (265 pounds) is more suited to play end instead of tackle.

Then again ...

"One possibility is to leave the ends as they are because they're very effective and try to find another combination inside that will work out for us," said Whittingham, who noted that linebacker Nai Fotu also has experience at defensive end.

The Utes, obviously, have plenty of options to explore.

EXTRA POINTS: Safety Robert Johnson (hamstring), left tackle Zane Beadles (knee) and quarterback Corbin Louks (shoulder) are probable this week after missing the UNLV game ... Whittingham said that David Reed and John Peel have solidified kickoff and punt return duties, respectively ... USU has lost seven straight home games and has prevailed just once over their past 12 outings at Romney Stadium.

Battle of the brothers

No. 22 Utah (2-0) at Utah State (0-2)

Saturday, 6 p.m.

TV: KJZZ, Ch. 14

Radio: 700AM

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com