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Utah's first scrimmage is coming up on Thursday morning at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and there's probably a couple things fans would like to know from the last two days of practice before the Utes get to all-important live work.

Here's a few notes and quotes from the last two days that will be relevant to the scrimmage:

• "Some consistent patterns are showing up" at quarterback. http://bit.ly/2aUqUqW";>Kyle Whittingham apparently is starting to divine a pecking order at signal-caller, but he hasn't quite shared his thoughts with the media. He did acknowledge that he's starting to see "patterns" between Troy Williams, Tyler Huntley and Brandon Cox that are helping him get to deciding who will actually start.

The strongest hint Whittingham has dropped so far came Tuesday. When asked about the quarterback competition, he said he'd have to review film but, "Troy Williams right now is playing very well overall. Again, no pecking order yet, but we're getting close to that."

Internally, Williams has been the favorite to win it http://bit.ly/2aUsGq6";>since before camp began, coming in as a high-level prospect with both DI and junior college experience. Whittingham's unprompted mention of Williams playing well implies that the Utes are closer to naming him the starter.

The Utes will play roughly 70-80 snaps on Thursday, and Whittingham said all three quarterbacks will receive equal snaps. He added he wouldn't mind coming out of the first scrimmage with a defined order: "The sooner the better."

• The offensive line looks firmed up. The Utes have been playinghttp://bit.ly/2aUUwEr";> with the same first-string line for the last four practice sessions in which media could watch: right tackle Sam Tevi, right guard Salesi Uhatafe, center J.J. Dielman, left guard Isaac Asiata and left tackle Garett Bolles.

Dielman has struggled at times with high snaps in media sessions, but the blocking overall has been solid (if not perfect). Whittingham complemented the line on their improvement from Tuesday, when he said the offense got "hit in the mouth." It doesn't look like the Utes want to experiment much more: Look for that first-string lineup to hold, and Lo Falemaka to back up Dielman at center.

"We've been going with that same five for about 3-4 days now," Whittingham said. "Don't foresee that changing anytime soon."

• Pita Taumoepenu and Pasoni Tasini are getting a lot of reps on defensive line. While they won't be listed at the top of the depth chart, think of them as "1B" to the starters' "1A."

Said Whittingham: "Pasoni is like a one. We feel like we have three starting defensive tackles with Lowell [Lotulelei] , Filipo [Mokofisi] and Pasoni. They're on equal footing. And the same with Pita: He, Kylie Fitts and Hunter Dimick are the ones who get the majority of the snaps."

The reason why the Utes want to bring in those guys was apparent on Wednesday, as Taumoepenu whipped inside against Garett Bolles on one particular passing play to sack Cox. Tasini has strength and is playing solid football, coaches say, and Taumoepenu's speed makes him a great pass rush threat.

• The Utes like how Sunia Tauteoli is playing. Speaking of pass rush threats, Tauteoli tore through the line on a two-minute drill rep that blew up an offensive drive, getting lots of props from teammates.

That's an ideal use of Tauteoli from a coaching perspective. While undersized, he plays fast and instinctively — http://bit.ly/2aghgiB";>different from Gionni Paul, but with some common qualities. One of his best attributes is that he's tough to block on a pass rush.

"Great blitzer. He's got a great feel for blitzing," Whittingham said. He's a physical blitzer as well — not afraid to lower his shoulder and collapse the pocket. He's going to be a guy we're going to utilize aggressively."

If the season started today, Whittingham said Tauteoli might also be the dime package linebacker for pass-heavy defenses. But Kavika Luafatasaga may also qualify for that role given his length and range.

• Zack Moss could be the third running back. While running back has certainly looked deep to this point and Joe Williams appears much improved, there's a lot of buzz about http://bit.ly/1NMtrvf";>Florida freshman Moss — the third installment http://bit.ly/1Sorfwj";>of the Hallandale trio — who showed up to Utah in tremendous physical condition.

Said Joe Williams: "I don't know how he gets that big as a true freshman."

Williams has added weight, but it remains to be seen if he's a goal-line back — a job that his fumbles last season add further question marks for. Moss could be in the mix given his size and power. He's looked solid banging with the defense, and maybe be able to get a few yards past contact in tough situations. Whittingham has named-checked him a few times as well, which is always a little fuzzy, but it might mean he has the coaches' attention.

• Special teams revelations ahead? I know I personally haven't delved much into special teams, and the truth is the media hasn't seen much of it. But that could change after Thursday.

Receiver and possible kick returner Kyle Fulks said the team worked on returns yesterday. Right now Fulks and Tavaris Williams are in line to get some kick return reps potentially in competition with Troy McCormick. Boobie Hobbs is currently the front-runner for punt returns, but he could get pushed at that job.

Whittingham said a good chunk of Thursday's scrimmage will be devoted to special teams work.

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon