This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Norm Chow, Utah's newest offensive coordinator, has an idea of what kind of offense he wants to run, but doesn't know Utah's quarterbacks well enough to speculate how they will run it. The Utes could have more of a run game than spread offense if coach Kyle Whittingham gets his wish, but Chow admits that position is a 'big challenge' for the Utes without any starters returning. Yes, there seems to be a lot of uncertainty around Utah football these days. But questions about the roster isn't hampering the enthusiasm of Chow, who met members of the media along with new offensive line coach Tim Davis Monday. "I'm excited, but you have to temper that enthusiasm with the understanding of what we are getting into is extremely difficult," he said. Whittingham wants more of a run game, Chow said, which means the spread could be out. However the Utes will wait until spring ball to see which direction is best for the offense, Chow said. "The spread is a nice offense," Chow said. "For the longest time college football in general was 11 against 10. Think about it, the quarterback doesn't count because he either throws it or hands it off. The spread now makes it 11 versus 11. But he also has a chance of getting hurt. Very few make it through a season." Chow is familiar with returning starter Jordan Wynn only from seeing him on tape. He won't get to see him in spring ball either since he is recovering from shoulder surgery. "That is going to slow our progress down a little bit," he said. "I'll have to go off tape. He is an awfully good thrower and leader. I don't know what others can do, that is what we need to find out as well." Chow said he has met with former co-coordinators Dave Schramm and Aaron Roderick and said both would have major roles on the team. "Aaron will have a major role in what is going on in the passing game," he said. "He knows that."
&n