2018 Utah Utes football team

American college football season

2018 Utah Utes football

Pac-12 South Division champion

Pac-12 Championship Game,
L 3–10 vs. Washington

Holiday Bowl, L 20–31 vs. Northwestern

Conference| Pac-12 Conference
Division| South Division
Record| 9–5 (6–3 Pac-12)
Head coach|

* Kyle Whittingham (14th season)

Offensive coordinator| Troy Taylor (2nd season)
Offensive scheme| Multiple
Defensive coordinator| Morgan Scalley (3rd season)
Base defense| 4–3
Home stadium| Rice–Eccles Stadium[1]

Uniform

Seasons

<- 2017

2019 ->

2018 Pac-12 Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
North Division
No. 13 Washington xy$  |  | 7  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 4  |
No. 10 Washington State x  |  | 7  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 11  | - | 2  |
Stanford |  | 6  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 4  |
Oregon |  | 5  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 4  |
California |  | 4  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 6  |
Oregon State |  | 1  | - | 8  |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 10  |
South Division
Utah xy  |  | 6  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 9  | - | 5  |
Arizona State |  | 5  | - | 4  |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 6  |
USC |  | 4  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 7  |
Arizona |  | 4  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 7  |
UCLA |  | 3  | - | 6  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 9  |
Colorado |  | 2  | - | 7  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 7  |
Championship: Washington 10, Utah 3

* $ - Conference champion
* x - Division champion/co-champions
* y - Championship game participant

Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Utes were led by 14th-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT. They were members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Utes completed the regular season with a 6–3 record in conference play, winning the South Division for the first time since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. In the Pac-12 Championship Game, the team lost to North Division champion Washington by a score of 10–3. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl to play Big Ten Conference runner-up Northwestern, where the Utes lost by a score of 31–20 to end the year at 9–5 overall.

Utah was led on offense by quarterback Tyler Huntley until he suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture in the game against Arizona State on November 3. Redshirt freshman Jason Shelley started for the rest of the season.[2] Running back Zack Moss compiled 1,096 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Two members of the Utah offensive line earned first-team all-conference honors, Jordan Agasiva and Jackson Barton. Utah's defense featured four members of the first-team All-Pac-12: defensive linemen Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu, linebacker Chase Hansen, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Hansen led the conference in tackles for loss with 22, and Anae tied for the conference lead in sacks with 8.[3]

## Preseason

[edit]

### Position key

[edit]

Back | B |  | Center | C |  | Cornerback | CB |  | Defensive back | DB

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Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E
Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K
Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB
Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB
Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR

### Recruits

[edit]

The Utes signed a total of 20 recruits.

College recruiting information (2018)

Name  | Hometown  | High school / college  | Height  | Weight  | Commit date
Hunter Lotulelei
OG | Salt Lake City, Utah | Highland High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)  | 213 lb (97 kg)  | Jun 17, 2016
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jack Tuttle
QB | San Marcos, California | Mission Hills High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 195 lb (88 kg)  | Dec 16, 2016
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Malone Mataele
DB | Rancho Santa Margarita, California | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)  | 170 lb (77 kg)  | Apr 21, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tevita Fotu
TE | Herriman, Utah | Herriman High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 250 lb (110 kg)  | Oct 8, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Terrell Perriman
WR | Miami, Florida | Miami Central High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)  | 176 lb (80 kg)  | Nov 3, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Braeden Daniels
OL | Carrollton, Texas | Hebron High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 260 lb (120 kg)  | Dec 17, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jeremiah Jordan
DE | Stone Mountain, Georgia | Mt. San Jacinto College | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)  | 250 lb (110 kg)  | Dec 17, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Bryant Pirtle
LB | Louisville, Kentucky | Pima Community College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 235 lb (107 kg)  | Dec 20, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Paul Maile
DT | Salt Lake City, Utah | East High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 250 lb (110 kg)  | Dec 23, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Andrew Mataafa
LB | San Diego, California | San Diego High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 205 lb (93 kg)  | Dec 29, 2017
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Vonte Davis
CB | Rosenberg, Texas | Blinn College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)  | 180 lb (82 kg)  | Jan 14, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Blake Kuithe
DE | Katy, Texas | Cinco Ranch High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)  | 230 lb (100 kg)  | Jan 14, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brant Kuithe
WR | Katy, Texas | Cinco Ranch High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 212 lb (96 kg)  | Jan 14, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jackson Cravens
DT | Provo, Utah | Timpview High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 285 lb (129 kg)  | Feb 3, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Thomas Yassmin
TE | New South Wales, Australia | The Scots College | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 230 lb (100 kg)  | Feb 6, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Devin Brumfield
RB | Covington, Louisiana | Covington High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)  | 219 lb (99 kg)  | Feb 7, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Solomon Enis
WR | Phoenix, Arizona | North Canyon High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)  | 190 lb (86 kg)  | Feb 7, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Simi Moala
DE | Hawthorne, California | Cathedral High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)  | 250 lb (110 kg)  | Feb 7, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Mika Tafua
DE | Maui, Hawaii | Kamehameha Schools | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)  | 210 lb (95 kg)  | Feb 7, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tareke Lewis
CB | Palatka, Florida | Riverside City College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)  | 170 lb (77 kg)  | Feb 7, 2018
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:

*   * Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
* In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

* "Utah Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
*   *   *   * "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

### Award watch lists

[edit]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award  | Player  | Position  | Year

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Lott Trophy[4] | Chase Hansen | LB  | SR
Rimington Trophy[5] | Lo Falemaka  | C  | SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[6] | Julian Blackmon | CB  | JR
Bradlee Anae | DE  | JR
Maxwell Award[7] | Zack Moss | RB  | JR
Doak Walker Award[8] | Zack Moss  | RB  | JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[9] | Julian Blackmon  | CB  | JR
Outland Trophy[10] | Lo Falemaka  | C  | SR
Lou Groza Award[11] | Matt Gay | K  | SR
Ray Guy Award[12] | Mitch Wishnowsky | P  | SR
Wuerffel Trophy[13] | Chase Hansen  | DB  | SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[14] | Tyler Huntley | QB  | JR

### Pac-12 Media Days

[edit]

The 2018 Pac-12 media days are set for July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Kyle Whittingham (HC), Chase Hanson (LB) & Lo Falemaka (OL) at Pac-12 Media Days. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Utes predicted to finish in second place at Pac-12 South division.[15]

Media poll (South)

Predicted finish  | Team  | Votes (1st place)
1 | USC | 225 (22)
2 | Utah | 209 (14)
3 | Arizona | 178 (3)
4 | UCLA | 116 (2)
5 | Colorado | 80 (1)
6 | Arizona State | 72

## Schedule

[edit]

Utah announced their 2018 football schedule on November 16, 2017.[16] The Utes will play FCS Weber State and Northern Illinois and returning to the traditional last game of the year spot, Utah will play in-state rival BYU Cougars football in out-of-conference play. In Pac-12 conference play, the Utes will not play cross-divisional foes California and Oregon State.

Date| Time| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

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August 30| 6:00 p.m.| No. 8 (FCS) Weber State*| |

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT

| P12N| W 41–10| 45,988
September 8| 5:30 p.m.| at Northern Illinois*| |

* Huskie Stadium
* DeKalb, IL

| ESPNews| W 17–6| 16,762
September 15| 8:00 p.m.| No. 10 Washington| |

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT

| ESPN| L 7–21| 47,445
September 29| 4:00 p.m.| at Washington State| |

* Martin Stadium
* Pullman, WA

| P12N| L 24–28| 30,088
October 6| 8:30 p.m.| at No. 14 Stanford| |

* Stanford Stadium
* Stanford, CA

| ESPN| W 40–21| 37,244
October 12| 8:00 p.m.| Arizona| |

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT

| ESPN| W 42–10| 45,862
October 20| 6:00 p.m.| USC| |

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT

| P12N| W 41–28| 46,405
October 26| 8:30 p.m.| at UCLA| No. 23|

* Rose Bowl
* Pasadena, CA

| ESPN| W 41–10| 41,848
November 3| 2:00 p.m.| at Arizona State| No. 15|

* Sun Devil Stadium
* Tempe, AZ

| P12N| L 20–38| 46,445
November 10| 3:30 p.m.| Oregon| |

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT

| P12N| W 32–25| 46,275
November 17| 11:30 a.m.| at Colorado| No. 19|

* Folsom Field
* Boulder, CO (Rumble in the Rockies)

| P12N| W 30–7| 39,360
November 24| 8:00 p.m.| BYU*| No. 17|

* Rice–Eccles Stadium
* Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War/Beehive Boot)

| FS1| W 35–27| 46,017
November 30| 6:00 p.m.| vs. No. 11 Washington| No. 17|

* Levi's Stadium
* Santa Clara, CA (Pac-12 Championship Game)

| FOX| L 3–10| 35,134
December 31| 5:00 p.m.| vs. No. 22 Northwestern*| No. 17|

* SDCCU Stadium
* San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)

| FS1| L 20–31| 47,007

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to game
* All times are in Mountain time

Source:[17]

## Game summaries

[edit]

### Weber State

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 8 (FCS) Wildcats  | 10  | 0  | 0  | 0 | 10
Utes | 7  | 10  | 14  | 10 | 41

See also: 2018 Weber State Wildcats football team

### At Northern Illinois

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Utes | 0  | 0  | 7  | 10 | 17
Huskies  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3 | 6

See also: 2018 Northern Illinois Huskies football team

### Washington

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 10 Huskies | 7  | 7  | 7  | 0 | 21
Utes  | 7  | 0  | 0  | 0 | 7

See also: 2018 Washington Huskies football team

### At Washington State

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Utes  | 14  | 7  | 3  | 0 | 24
Cougars | 7  | 14  | 0  | 7 | 28

See also: 2018 Washington State Cougars football team

### At Stanford

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Utes | 7  | 17  | 3  | 13 | 40
No. 14 Cardinal  | 0  | 7  | 14  | 0 | 21

See also: 2018 Stanford Cardinal football team

### Arizona

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Wildcats  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 7 | 10
Utes | 14  | 14  | 7  | 7 | 42

See also: 2018 Arizona Wildcats football team

### USC

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Trojans  | 14  | 0  | 0  | 14 | 28
Utes | 7  | 13  | 14  | 7 | 41

See also: 2018 USC Trojans football team

### At UCLA

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 23 Utes | 3  | 14  | 21  | 3 | 41
Bruins  | 7  | 0  | 3  | 0 | 10

See also: 2018 UCLA Bruins football team

### At Arizona State

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 16 Utes  | 7  | 10  | 3  | 0 | 20
Sun Devils | 14  | 7  | 0  | 17 | 38

See also: 2018 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

### Oregon

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Ducks  | 0  | 7  | 10  | 8 | 25
Utes | 10  | 9  | 3  | 10 | 32

See also: 2018 Oregon Ducks football team

### At Colorado

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 21 Utes | 0  | 7  | 17  | 6 | 30
Buffaloes  | 7  | 0  | 0  | 0 | 7

See also: 2018 Colorado Buffaloes football team and Rumble in the Rockies

### BYU

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Cougars  | 13  | 7  | 7  | 0 | 27
No. 18 Utes | 0  | 0  | 14  | 21 | 35

See also: 2018 BYU Cougars football team, Holy War (BYU–Utah), and Beehive Boot

The Utes scored 28 unanswered points and overcame a 27–7 deficit in the third quarter to defeat their in-state rival, the BYU Cougars, for the eighth consecutive time.

### Vs. Washington (Pac-12 Championship game)

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 17 Utes  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0 | 3
No. 10 Huskies | 0  | 3  | 7  | 0 | 10

See also: 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game and 2018 Washington Huskies football team

### Vs. Northwestern (Holiday Bowl)

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 20 Utes  | 14  | 6  | 0  | 0 | 20
Wildcats | 0  | 3  | 28  | 0 | 31

See also: 2018 Holiday Bowl and 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team

## Rankings

[edit]

Further information: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes| Week

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Poll| Pre| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| Final
AP| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| —| RV| RV| 23| 16| RV| 21| 18| 17| 20| RV
Coaches| RV| RV| RV| RV| RV| —| RV| RV| 24| 16| 24| 19| 17| 17| 19| RV
CFP| Not released| 15| —| 19| 17| 17| 17| Not released

## Players drafted into the NFL

[edit]

The Utes had five players drafted in the 2019 NFL draft.[18]

See also: 2019 NFL draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | NFL Club

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2 | 47 | Marquise Blair | S | Seattle Seahawks
3 | 88 | Cody Barton | LB | Seattle Seahawks
4 | 110 | Mitch Wishnowsky | P | San Francisco 49ers
5 | 145 | Matt Gay | K | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7 | 240 | Jackson Barton | OT | Indianapolis Colts

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rice-Eccles Stadium. The University of Utah. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
2. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (November 5, 2018). "Utes QB Tyler Huntley officially is out for the season, but he may play in a bowl game". The Salt Lake Tribune.
3. ^ "2018 Pac-12 Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
4. ^ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
5. ^ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
6. ^ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
7. ^ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
8. ^ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
9. ^ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
10. ^ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
11. ^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
12. ^ "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". Augusta Chronicle. July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
13. ^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
14. ^ "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
15. ^ "Washington picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.[dead link‍]
16. ^ Facer, Dirk (November 16, 2017). "Utah's 2018 football schedule released by Pac-12; Utes to face BYU last week of season". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
17. ^ 2018 Utah Utes football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Retrieved Dec 4, 2017.
18. ^ "2019 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Utah Utes football

Venues|

* Cummings Field (1903–1926)
* Robert Rice Stadium (1927–1997)
* Rice–Eccles Stadium (1998–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* BYU: Holy War (Beehive Boot)
* Colorado: Rumble in the Rockies
* Utah State: Battle of the Brothers (Beehive Boot)

Culture & lore|

* Swoop
* "Utah Man"
* Pride of Utah
* Utah pass

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1892
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National championship seasons in bold
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number