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There's no guess work involved here: Mike Riley will be prepared for the Utes' starting quarterback on Thursday night.
That's because Oregon State is preparing for both. If Utah won't name a starter, he won't take a chance.
"Obviously we have to prepare for both if they're not going to name the starter," Riley said during Tuesday's Pac-12 conference call. "They certainly have two very good players to pick from. We played against Travis [Wilson] last year, and he gave us all sorts of fits. The new guy [Kendal Thompson] has come in there and has done a good job. It's probably a good problem for Utah to deal with."
Riley said he understands the situation Utah's coaching staff finds itself in: It was only about a year-and-a-half ago when he was having his own quarterback battle. Sean Mannion prevailed, and Riley said he believed it made Mannion a better player.
Between Wilson and Thompson, Riley said he thinks the Utes have "unique and very nice" depth at quarterback. While he respects Thompson's running ability, he noted that Wilson had a field day last year running the ball as well against the Beavers.
One thing both have done relatively well is take care of the football: There's only one pick between them, a Thompson pick-six, but the Utes haven't thrown the ball to the other team much this year.
"That's a great statistic: It basically means the quarterback makes good choices, and not giving the defensive backs or linebackers a chance to make a play," Riley said. "So he's putting the ball in the right spots, making a good choice of where we go with it. What we have to do is obviously be disruptive up front and then be in good position on whatever your coverage is, zone or man, to be in position to make a play."
The Utes would like to force Mannion into making some uncomfortable throws, and Utah's defense has thrived off turnovers in the past three games. When asked if Oregon State would use max protection schemes for much of the game to give Mannion time, Riley sounded non-committal.
He understands why reporters are asking, however.
" The question is a good one considering they lead the nation in sacks," he said. "I think in general you have to be very careful. We're going to have to play real well and block whatever the protection is."
Mannion's numbers are not quite as astronomical as last year: He's averaging 261 yards passing as opposed to 333 last year. Fingers point to his receivers, sans the departed Brandin Cooks, as one of the weaker links. His best option, Victor Bolden, has been hurt during the season, and no receiver has more than 230 yards.
With a decent run game going, and tight ends playing fairly well, Riley sees the receiving corps as one of the pieces still being fitted into place.
"That's going to be a big, big factor for us as the season develops," he said. "We're continuing to try to grow that group, and it's very important we get some production out there so we can stretch the field a little bit."
Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon