This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The white jerseys worn to practice by some Utah quarterbacks signify "hands off": They are not to be tackled.
But there's sometimes more to the story.
Travis Wilson wears white because he's viewed as a "proven commodity," and there's no point risking his injury.
Kendal Thompson wears white because he HAS an injury, and he's still recovering from it.
At Saturday's scrimmage, Utah's first of spring, Chase Hansen wore white for an altogether new reason: He's gotten too darn comfortable in red.
"I know why I'm wearing it," said Hansen afterward, with evident frustration in himself. "Because that's the part of my game that needs to improve, is throwing with a white jersey on and not just taking off and running all the time."
Hansen and Wilson combined to go 19-for-39 for 188 yards and one touchdown Saturday — Wilson leading the No. 1 offense against an experienced group of likely defensive starters, Hansen marshaling the second-stringers and wincing when he was whistled down for a loss six times.
Prior to Saturday, Hansen's live sessions had typically included a half-dozen broken tackles.
Sometimes he'd bait the contact, sidestepping the pass rusher like a toreador and dashing into the open field.
This day, the redshirt freshman from Lone Peak was forced to rely on his arm — and his receivers.
On third and long, he hit Harrison Handley in stride deep down the left sideline, only to watch the ball fall through Handley's hands.
Later, Chase Loftin dropped a bullet from Hansen thrown slightly behind him in the back of the end zone.
Hansen blamed himself for misreads and for not making accurate throws.
But it has to be said, he didn't look all that bad in white.
And Hansen's competitors, Conner Manning and Donovan Isom, were limited to the final 15 minutes of work with Utah's third-stringers.
So Saturday's scrimmage seemed to speak volumes about Utah's backup quarterback hierarchy.
Said Kyle Whittingham: "If spring were over today, it would be those top three: Travis, Kendal and Chase."
Whittingham anticipates that Hansen will continue to improve, acknowledging that he needs to strengthen his arm.
"But his real strength is his leadership and the way he runs the football," he said.
The unquestioned No. 1 is still Wilson, who avoided turnovers and hit Kenneth Scott in the left corner of the end zone during two-minute work.
That Wilson's stats were pedestrian is understandable, given Utah's 2015 defense returns eight starters and the offense is currently minus running back Devontae Booker (precaution), running back/slot receiver Troy McCormick (season-ending injury) and wideout Tim Patrick (recovering from injury) in live work.
Whittingham said that all told, he feels better about his team at this point of spring than in any previous year since joining the Pac-12.
"We're exactly where we want to be at this point," he said.
The goal now for Wilson is to continue playing mistake-free and to avoid injuries.
The goal for Hansen is unusually specific: He wants to wear a red jersey.
To do that, he'll have to prove that he can operate at a high level without constantly challenging defenders.
At one point Saturday, Hansen was yanked to the turf by cornerback Brian Allen, who was then advised by co-offensive coordinator Jim Harding that Hansen is in a white jersey.
"He fell! He fell! He fell!" said a hyped-up Allen.
He did not fall.
But Utah's defense wants Hansen back in red, too.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Scrimmage stats
• Passing - Wilson, 10-19, 98 yards, TD; Hansen, 9-20, 90 yards
• Rushing - Le'hauli, 7 carries, 19 yards, TD; Fletcher, 5 carries, 17 yards, TD; Poole, 5 carries, 13 yards; Wilson, 2 carries, 10 yards; Seabrook, 3 carries, 10 yards; Hansen, six carries, -19 yards
• Receiving - Scott, 3 catches, 36 yards, TD; Singleton, 1 catch, 33 yards; Handley, 1 catch, 22 yards; Moeai, 2 catches, 20 yards; Poole, 2 catches, 17 yards; T. Smith, 2 catches, 12 yards; Loftin, 1 catch, 12 yards; Loomis, 3 catches, 10 yards; Field, 1 catch, 8 yards; Fletcher, 1 catch, 5 yards
• Kicking - Phillips good from 40, 37; Halliday good from 38, no good from 46, 50 (blocked, Tauteoli)
Defensive standouts - Tauteoli, 3 TFL, blocked FG; Masina, sack; Taumoepenu, sack; pass breakups from Hatfield, Allen, J. Thompson