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Utah's quarterback battles through fall camp were between Nos. 1 and 1A and Nos. 3 and 3A.
With Kendal Thompson's season-ending knee injury, Travis Wilson is dueling no longer: He's the clear starter.
But this week saw another skirmish for the new No. 2, and redshirt freshman Conner Manning reversed the order of that competition at the end of fall camp.
It's Wilson, Manning, and then Brandon Cox.
"Conner's a fighter," said head coach Kyle Whittingham after the decision was announced at practice Wednesday. "He just keeps studying and working and trying to get better, and it's nothing against Brandon. Brandon is doing a nice job, too. It was a tough call. It wasn't like it was cut and dry."
It's the second consecutive season that Manning has found himself one play away from seeing the field.
Last year, that was due to a season-ending injury to Travis Wilson, with coaches opting to preserve Manning's redshirt and let junior Adam Schulz finish the season.
This year, with Thompson entering the mix, the first- and second-team reps again dried up for Manning and Cox. Manning said he's enjoyed his time on the scout team, trying to emulate other Pac-12 passers and to prepare Utah's defense, but "getting some reps feels good. It feels good being out there with the guys, and just gotta be ready if my opportunity's called."
For those who haven't followed closely: The scouting report on Manning is that he has a lightning-quick release — among the best in recent memory for running backs coach Dennis Erickson — and is exceptionally smart — the quickest Utah quarterback to identify a defense, according to senior safety Brian Blechen.
Cox is no slouch, either. Quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick has praised him for his intelligence, and he blends Thompson-like running ability with a smooth lefty passing motion.
Scott seeks opportunities • Asked about Whittingham's comment Monday that with the loss of wideout Tim Patrick for the season, he has to "step up," Kenneth Scott disputed the word choice.
"It's not about stepping up, it's about opportunities," Scott said. When the opportunities present themselves, then I'll make those plays. ... It's hard to be more productive as a receiver when you're not getting that many balls."
Scott has 29 receptions for 280 yards and three touchdowns, but just 9.7 yards per reception — a far cry from the 17.6 he averaged when, a handful of times, he electrified fans as a freshman deep threat in 2011.
This season, most of his routes have been to the sticks, on the sidelines.
"If they want me to run 10-yard comebacks the whole game, then I guess that's what I'm going to do," Scott said. "And it's crazy, because even though everybody knows I'm running it, they still can't stop it, which is funny, because if you know it's happening, then how come you can't stop it?"
For now, Scott said, he's trying to be a complete receiver by blocking downfield. It's for that reason, he said — his physicality — that he's "banged up," as Whittingham said Monday.
"That's just football."
Kick coverage woes • When special teams coverage is at its best, it often goes unnoticed.
When coaches start talking about it, more often than not, there's an issue.
It's therefore notable that Kyle Whittingham has gone out of his way to mention his disappointment with special teams against Oregon, specifically in punt coverage. Tom Hackett may be an All-American candidate with the way he's punted this year, but last Saturday, the punt unit looked average — at best. At worst, Hackett had to make a shoestring tackle to prevent a punt return touchdown.
Hackett is still second in the nation with a 47.2 punt average, but Utah gave up 87 yards on punt returns against the Ducks.
"We allowed two retunrs out of the gate, which is uncharacteristic for us," Whittingham said. "We just didn't get much underway. The real glaring downer was the punt team not flipping the field like they usually do for us."
Kicker Andy Phillips said he met with Hackett "at length" on Sunday, talking about their preparation. Though specialists are often ribbed by the rest of the team, their legs wear down as well in Week 12 of a long season. With standout returner Ty Montgomery sitting back for punts and kicks — he ran one back on Utah last year — they understand they can't afford another letdown.
"We made a pact with each other to recover the legs," he said. "We need to stay focused throughout meetings and throughout practice."
On the bright side, Hackett did make the tackle.
Phillips said both specialists work on tackling and being prepared to be the last line of defense if necessary. While he was frustrated with the return by Jonathan Loyd, he said he was cheering Hackett's decidedly clutch takedown.
"That's something Tom, Chase [Dominguez] and I all bring to the table," he said. "Tom's an athlete, and he's played Aussie Rules his whole life, so he's able to read the returner and take the right angle. He laid out and made that tackle and I was really pumped for him."
There's also the issue of Phillips' missed field goals: He's missed two of his last four attempts, including dinging the upright on a 48-yard attempt.
While he's still 19-for-23 on the year, Phillips said he expects better from himself.
"I haven't missed one this week," he said of his practice attempts. "I'm hitting the ball well, so why change something that's working well? The last two misses, I've learned a lot about myself, and how to deal with emotions and momentum. As disappointing and frustrating these misses have been for me, it's motivation to do better."
Erickson on two backs and Booker • Dennis Erickson was made available Tuesday, and media took their first opportunity in months to ask about junior running back Devontae Booker, who has 1,055 yards and is within 464 of John White IV's single-season record with three games remaining in the regular season.
"He's a talent, let's face it," Erickson said. "Because of him, I've all of a sudden become a really good coach. That's happened to me a time or two."
Erickson reiterated what he's said since spring ball, when Utah media caught their first glimpse of Booker: He's fast, he can catch, he can pass protect, and most of all, he's strong.
Asked about a draft report that cited Booker's propensity for fumbling this season, Erickson said he doesn't believe it's necessarily a problem Booker has. He can improve, but "sometimes, they just get knocked out," even when backs do what they're taught, as Booker did against Oregon.
Erickson also said he was pleased that the two-back offense Utah showed against the Ducks allowed the Utes to return junior running back Bubba Poole to the field, "because he's also a good football player. Booker has played better, or else he wouldn't be starting, but he's a good player."
As a parting thought, Erickson was asked if he missed speaking to the media since Whittingham imposed a moratorium on his assistants early in the season:
"I've only done 4,580,000 interviews in my coaching career. But I do miss them, because I can BS with the best of them."
— Matthew Piper and Kyle Goon
Twitter: @matthew_piper and @kylegoon