Utah Utes football: Utes' offense lagging behind defense this spring

Utah's second spring scrimmage had a little of this and a little of that.

What it didn't have, however, was a lot of touchdowns.

"The bottom line is we've just got to put drives together and get in the end zone, which we weren't able to do," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who added that it's quite obvious that the defense is ahead of the offense at this point.

"We've got to be more productive on offense. That's really the major issue right now, just being more productive."

A 1-yard run by Sausan Shakerin and a 5-yard pass from Terrance Cain to DeVonte Christopher accounted for the only touchdowns Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"We didn't handle the situational part of the scrimmage today," said offensive coordinator Dave Schramm. "... It was a learning day. We'll get better from the film and we'll go from there."

Things weren't all that bad. Shakerin rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries, including a 42-yard run. The redshirt freshman was one of several playmakers identified by Whittingham. Others on offense include receivers David Reed, DeVonte Christopher and Shaky Smithson, as well as running back Eddie Wide.

"Things are cleaning up on offense. We are becoming better with our execution," said Whittingham. "We're doing some things better, but we're not getting the ball in the end zone, and that's what we've got to do."

Smithson, who led the Utes with five catches, agreed.

"It could be better," said the junior college transfer. "We've just got to work harder."

And that's exactly what quarterbacks Corbin Louks and Cain vow to do.

"It was pretty sloppy," said Cain, who completed 15-of-22 passes for 119 yards. "Like coach says, 'It's never as bad as you think or never as good as you think,' but I'm not satisfied. I've just got to get better."

Louks, who was 13-of-24 for 104 yards, is confident the offense will improve with more reps. He said they took some steps forward in the scrimmage, but must continue to improve.

"It's just a lot of little things," he explained of the need to be more consistent and more crisp.

Such is the case with the competition for the starting job.