Right on cue, defense steps up in second session

All that talk about the offense dominating? Yeah, well, the defense got a bit of payback.

In the p.m. session of the two-a-days, the defense was vastly improved and won the night over an offense that, at times, sputtered. It happens. The offense has been improving solidly over the first week of fall camp and was bound for a weakened performance, especially after their initial success earlier in the day.

I'm glad the defense was able to grab a bit of the limelight because I do think they deserve a great deal of hype heading into the season. Still, you'd like to see the offense perform at a high-level consistently, even if that isn't a realistic expectation. All around, though, it appears the offense was just plain warn out by the time the evening session rolled around.

So, no big deal.

Even though the defense got the better end of the practice, I want to point out that the linebackers continue to be a vulnerability - but we knew of this possibility long before fall camp rolled around.

One of the more important story lines to develop out of fall camp has been the special teams. Coleman Petersen has been pushed by Nick Marsh as his field goal kicking hasn't been all that good. It's a concern, and probably the biggest concern right now, because the kicking game is so important to the success of a season (just re-watch the Colorado game).

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Marsh, not Petersen, lining up to kick field goals when the season rolls around. In fact, with the way he's played this fall camp, Marsh might be the favorite at the moment.

We'll see if it sticks or if Petersen can rebound.

Today is a pretty big day for the Utes, as they hold their first scrimmage. We should get a better indication of where the team is both offensively and defensively from the results.