Utah Utes, Weber football: Eteuati, Higgins pose Utes some concern

Utah football fans probably aren't worrying too much about their team's opponent on Saturday, but they'll at least feel a little envious when Weber State fields punts and kickoffs.

The Utes have had well-chronicled issues fielding and returning punts this season. That facet of the game has been a strength for the Wildcats since the 2005 season thanks to the play of kick returner Bryant Eteuati.

Eteuati, a senior from Northridge High, is Weber State's all-time leader in all-purpose yards, and the first player in Big Sky Conference history to record more than 1,000 yards in kickoff returns, punt returns and pass receiving. He has returned two punts for touchdowns, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and recorded eight touchdown receptions during his career at Weber State.

The Wildcats will need all the breaks they can get to keep Saturday's game close, and Eteuati is a game-breaking type of player who can provide the Utes with some surprises.

"He's very dangerous and good at what he does," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "He's shifty, he's fast and he's a good receiver as well. But he does a nice job returning kicks for them."

Of course, the Wildcats will need to get some stops and force some punts to get Eteuati involved in Saturday's game. If they can do that, the Wildcats are confident their explosive returner will make some plays.

"He's a factor in every game," said Weber State coach Ron McBride. "It just depends on how much we get the ball to him and all that stuff. But he's always a factor."

Another concern for the Utes is Wildcats quarterback Cameron Higgins. McBride agrees with the notion that Higgins compares favorably to most of the quarterbacks Utah will play against this season. Higgins is the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision leader in passing efficiency. He has completed 80-of-123 passes for 1,232 yards and 12 touchdowns for a 176.49 rating.

Higgins, a sophomore, is fifth on the school's list of career passing touchdowns with 29. He needs just 246 more passing yards to move into Weber State's top-10 list in that category.

"He's doing a nice job with his decision-making, he's doing a nice job running the offense, and to this point he's had a very good year," Whittingham said of Higgins.

The Wildcats hope that their diversity on offense will cause the Utes some problems. Higgins likes to run the offense out of the shotgun and spread his weapons out. But Weber State can also tighten its formations and pound the ball with running back Trevyn Smith, who has led the Big Sky in rushing the last two seasons.