This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dave Christensen arrived on the University of Utah campus, and the Utes' quarterbacking carousel started. It has not stopped.
The series of switches began in October 2009 when Christensen (now the Utes' offensive coordinator) brought his Wyoming Cowboys to Rice-Eccles Stadium. Most of the changes have been due to injury, but that one was performance-based — just like Utah's repeated substitutions this month.
Jordan Wynn came out of redshirt status to replace Terrance Cain at halftime of that "Blackout" game and led the Utes to a comeback victory, preserving their national ranking and somehow ensuring that Utah's QB continuity would be gone forever.
The temptation is to say the changes have reached an absurd level in October, but that would ignore how the Utes produced two of the program's biggest wins in the Pac-12 era. Has this ever happened in college football? In consecutive conference games, Utah's designated backup QB — a different guy, each night — played the entire second half and joined in a comeback after the Utes fell behind in the fourth quarter on the road.
In the snowboarding world, that would be described as some sick stuff.
So now, as the No. 19 Utes prepare for a very challenging stretch of the schedule, the question becomes: Is this pattern sustainable? Logically, no. The Utes can't beat the likes of USC, Arizona State or Oregon unless Travis Wilson or Kendal Thompson establishes himself once and for all as a consistent, productive quarterback, can they?
Of course, anyone would have believed the same thing prior to the UCLA and Oregon State games.
All I can say is this is the craziest season of quarterbacking in the state's football history. Utah State lost Chuckie Keeton in the third game of his return from last year's season-ending injury. Darell Garretson then exited Saturday's game at Colorado State with an injury to his throwing hand. So the Aggies are back to Craig Harrison, after Garretson was activated to replace him as Keeton's initial replacement last October.
BYU lost Taysom Hill in the first half against USU this month, ruining the Cougars' season. Christian Stewart passed for 408 yards against Nevada, but fumbled as the Cougars were threatening to force a Sunday morning overtime session. Ammon Olsen (Southern Utah) and Billy Green (Weber State), who both transferred from BYU, are a combined 1-14 this season, even though Olsen passed for a school-record 528 yards in Saturday's loss to Idaho State.
And the Utes just keep defying the theory that elite-level quarterbacking is required to win games in the Pac-12. They're succeeding via the Stanford method — the 2012-13 version, anyway — of winning with great defense and special teams, emphasizing the running of Devontae Booker and getting by at the quarterback position.
The No. 2 guy has been serviceable for the Utes, anyway. So who's No. 2 now? Based on the same logic as last week, when Wilson lost his starting job, he should be reinstated against USC after his second-half performance at Oregon State. If Wilson struggles, then Thompson can come off the bench, as he did against UCLA. Thompson's skills also can make him effective as change-up guy for a series or two.
Christensen and the other offensive coaches should just be very happy that the defense and special teams are so good. If the Utes had lost the last two games, the quarterbacking would be blamed and coach Kyle Whittingham's empire would be crumbling.
But the Utes (5-1) are winning, and their QB dilemma continually solves itself, with a different answer each week. This unscripted, unfavorable, seeming unworkable staffing situation just might keep succeeding, somehow. It's that kind of season around here.
Utah State coach Matt Wells' young son, Wyatt, walked into Colorado State's venue Saturday wearing his No. 10 (Garretson) replica jersey. He'd apparently outgrown the No. 16 (Keeton) model that once was his traditional game-day look. To stay current, Wyatt will have to find a No. 12 (Harrison) jersey for Saturday's game vs. UNLV in Logan.
These days, even a 6-year-old knows that quarterback staffing at Utah schools is temporary, at best.
Twitter: @tribkurt