Utah held its second scrimmage, a tune-up before the Red & White game Saturday, Friday afternoon. It offered a glimpse into Utah's ground game, which was dominant at times last season and propelled the team to some key victories down the stretch.
Quarterback Corbin Louks, who had a solid line during Utah's last scrimmage, again played well, leading the number one and two offenses with 100-yards on the ground. Those 100-yards running on 7 rush attempts was tops on the day.
Louks, who will most likely back-up Johnson this season, continues to impress the coaching staff, especially Kyle Whittingham. "Corbin Louks continues to make plays out there," Whittingham said, also adding, though, that Louks needed work on his read progression.
Other than Louks, Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide also rolled up the yards on the ground. Asiata finished with 47-yards on four carries, including breaking a run for 24-yards against the first team defense. Wide, on five carries, rushed for 44-yards and one touchdown, a 12-yard run during the red zone drills.
Brian Johnson, running the number one offense, went for 6-for-12 for 71-yards and a touchdown pass, a 12-yard completion to Freddie Brown, the lone touchdown pass of the day. Receiver Jereme Brooks had three catches for 41-yards, while Brent Casteel had two for 21-yards.
Utah will wrap up spring play this weekend with the Red & White game, which is free to the public at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Right now, it looks like the offense is producing well, though it should be noted Johnson is still only around 70-80% and it's not clear how close to 100% he'll be at the start of fall camp later this summer. But for now, Johnson seems to be on the mend, at least at a reasonable pace.