Utah Depth Chart Update

Due to several injuries, there have been a few changes to Utah's depth chart. The biggest blow is the season-ending injury to tight end Siale Fakailoatonga. Fakailoatonga was unquestionably Utah's best blocking tight end, and he was becoming a nice threat in the passing game, recording 12 catches for 120 yards through the first six games. On Fakailoatonga, head coach Kyle Whittingham said, "He's a great kid, and [his injury] is unfortunate." Utah already lost tight end Evan Moeai to a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. They will rely on Harrison Handley, Caleb Repp, and Ken Hampel for the rest of the season. None of them are nearly as good at blocking as Fakailoatonga, and Repp is undersized at 205 pounds. He will likely be used only in passing situations as a slot receiver/tight end hybrid.

With an undisclosed, non-season-ending injury to strong safety Andre Godfrey, Chase Hansen got reps at both kick coverage and safety against Arizona State. Hansen, who is still the team's third-string quarterback, is listed as the backup to Tevin Carter at strong safety this week. Whittingham said getting talented players like Hansen on the field to help where they can is important, so Hansen will likely see playing time as Godfrey's replacement until he returns from his injury.

According to Whittingham, the decision on whether senior wide receiver Tim Patrick will play will be up to him and how he feels. Whittingham did not discuss anything about linebacker Jared Norris, who left the game against Arizona State with an injury in the fourth quarter. There is this though:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jared Norris getting treatment today, still unsure of status for game at USC according to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sources?src=hash">#sources</a></p>&mdash; Sean O&#39;Connell (@realOCsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/656168069715267584">October 19, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>