Thursday, August 06, 2009

Getting back from the first day of camp and settling in to write several stories, but here are some first impressions:

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was happy with how the team looked:

"They came out with a good mentality about them," he said. "Apparently they made a lot of progress this summer. Things were a lot sharper going into this fall camp than they were going into spring ball."

As for the quarterback battle, the first of what is going to be many updates is there was no separation, he said. "It's neck and neck, no separation at all," Whittingham said. "All three had good practices today. We got off to a good start, of course there were no pads on so there was not a lot going on, but all three are working hard. It's going to be interesting to see how this thing unfolds."

Asked if he thought the job was his and returner Corbin Louks gave a definitive "yes" as a response.

Whittingham, who has seen his time go from just being a football coach to being a talk show circuit regular, seemed relieved to be talking football, not BCS or polls.

"It's great to be back on the field," he said. "In a way it seems like we just played the Sugar Bow and in other ways it seems like a year. We're just excited to be out here and particularly excited to get back to work."

Speaking of polls, the USA Today poll is released Friday morning. Whittingham wasn't asked to vote again.

What he is looking for in the team in the first few days is seeing at what level all the players are on before they get down to the business of two-a-days. "We want to see how they hustle and the mental toughness, that type of thing."

Everyone reported to camp except for JC transfers Ray Magee and Maxwell Lacy. Their status won't be known for a couple of weeks.

Who will be Matt Asiata's backup at running back is unknown, but Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin are the front runners, Whittingham said. "We won't know who that second guy is for another 10 days or so."

Whittingham said Sean Sellwood punted well, while "usual suspects" Zane Beadles, Zane Taylor and Koa Misi" looked strong, as did QB Terrance Cain.

 Whittingham also singled out freshman Latu Heimuli, who he predicts could have a big impact at defensive tackle this season.

Linebacker Mo Neal was taken off the field because of cramps, but everyone else is healthy, Whittingham said.

The linebackers sported blond hair, some with mohawks, while some of the defensive backs had "ATC" cut into their hair, standing for Air Traffic Control.

Former kicker Louie Sakoda, who is back in school after failing to make an NFL team, watched part of Thursday's practice. He and roommate Beadles have hopes of opening up their own clothing store one day, called "Man Wear." It would be part sports bar and part clothing store, so guys could do one-stop shopping by getting a beer and new threads.

More in a bit!