Unlike Utah’s last conference transition, when it made the jump from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference, coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t see a huge amount of difference between the Utes’ former conference home and its new one in the Big 12.
Teams in the Big 12 predominantly run the spread offense, and while there might be more emphasis on the ground nowadays compared to the league’s pass-happy past, Utah’s longtime coach isn’t expecting a huge shift in the kind of offenses the Utes will face in their first year in the Big 12.
“There’s not a ton of difference between the Big 12 and the Pac-12,” Whittingham said Tuesday at Big 12 media days in Las Vegas.
“In fact, there’s not a ton of difference among all the Power Fives. There are subtle differences. Some teams are more committed to running the football.”
No matter what kind of offensive scheme teams are going up against, success on defense always comes back to the fundamentals, and Utah has garnered a reputation for being physical and tough on that side of the ball.
“Overall you’ve got to block, you’ve got to tackle, you’ve got to shed blocks. There’s so much to football that is not scheme oriented that are really the keys to success or the lack of success,” Whittingham said.
On Wednesday, coaches across the Big 12 commented on what Whittingham said was his team’s “calling card” — physicality on defense.
“Tough, reliable, consistent,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said.
“Got a physical brand of football. They play excellent defense,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said.
That physicality starts up front with the defensive line, and the Utes have an experienced unit, led by their only All-Big 12 selection on defense, senior defensive tackle Junior Tafuna.
Tafuna, a three-time All-Pac-12 second team pick, started 11 games last year with three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
Every other projected starter along the defensive line — end Logan Fano, tackle Keanu Tanuvasa and ends Connor O’Toole or Van Fillinger — has starting experience for the Utes.
Add in Aliki Vimahi, Simote Pepa, Tevita Fotu, Paul Fitzgerald, Ka’eo Akana and Jonah Lea’ea, and Utah has some solid depth.
Fano, who transferred from BYU last year, was on pace for a great 2023 season — 14 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass deflection in just five games — before tearing his ACL against Oregon State in late September.
Whittingham said Tuesday that Fano is on pace to play this season.
“Absolutely. Yep, absolutely. He’s doing great right now. No limitations,” the longtime Utah coach said.
After playing in four games in 2022, preserving his redshirt, Tanuvasa burst onto the scene last year, starting all 13 games with 27 tackles (six for loss), a sack and a pass deflection.
If Fano is ready to go to start the year, one of O’Toole or Fillinger will start opposite him, or both will start in his absence. Even if only one of O’Toole or Fillinger start, the other will certainly get plenty of snaps throughout the season.
O’Toole missed the first part of 2023 with an injury but returned to play in the last eight games, starting five. The former wide receiver came on strong at the end of the year with 31 tackles (six for loss), 4.5 sacks, three pass deflections, a forced fumble and even two blocked field goals.
Fillinger started eight games, and played in 11, totaling 31 tackles (five for loss), three sacks and a forced fumble.
Even with the loss of defensive end Jonah Elliss, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos after a sensational season that saw him lead the nation in sacks per game, Utah is still stocked at the position and has three starting-caliber players with only two spots.
While there may not be any one player who replicates Elliss’ production, as a whole there shouldn’t be a drop-off from last season’s defensive line group, which anchored a top-15 defense that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the country (82.8) and was No. 16 in the nation in sacks per game (2.77)
Phil Steele tabs Utah as the third-best defensive line in the nation, and Athlon Sports ranks Utah’s defensive line as the best in the Big 12.
“Defensive line should be a strong suit for us. Defensive end position is loaded. We’ve got four or five, maybe six guys that we feel really good about. Junior Tafuna and his crew inside are two and three deep,” Whittingham said.
The core principle of a Whittingham team and a Morgan Scalley defense — physicality — will show up, no matter which conference the Utes are in.
“I think you go into a new conference, we’re studying new offenses, new players that we haven’t seen, that we’re not used to, but there’s some things in this game that will never change — physicality, the way we prepare. That’ll work in whatever conference you’re in,” linebacker Karene Reid said.
In press conferences, Whittingham often stresses that “it starts up front,” and that’s the message he continues to preach heading to the Utes’ first season in the Big 12.
“If you’re not physical up front, if you’re not winning that line of scrimmage, you won’t win that game,” Tafuna said. “Offense or defensively, one side of the ball can be winning, but if the other side isn’t, then it’s going to be a hard game to win. It’s going to be close.”