Utah Utes football: Quarterback Travis Wilson, Utes seek first road win against Washington Saturday

"It's been a lot better," Wilson said. "He's been there to be able to be face-to-face with me and just be able to communicate with better instead of talking on the phone."

Johnson also likes the arrangement.

"I think it's been a huge help. So much about this game is passion, energy and emotion and demeanor," said Johnson, who believes that having clear, concise, eye-to-eye conversations with Wilson and getting a true feel for situations has been beneficial.

Johnson said Wilson shows great poise and can recall in great detail what he saw in the last series after coming off the field. It's exactly what shows up on tape, Johnson continued.

"I think part of being a great quarterback is being able to describe the picture of all 22 and be able to relay the information to get things adjusted," Johnson said. "And he has all the physical tools."

As if that weren't praise enough, the winningest starting quarterback in team history (26 victories) had even more for the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder from San Clemente, Calif.

"He's going to be a ton better than I was. He's going to be a great player," Johnson said. "For him to show the type of poise that he has for a freshman is actually pretty impressive."

Email: dirk@desnews.com

Twitter: DirkFacer