This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Kendal Thompson has made eight appearances for the Utes, starting just twice. He at least knew he'd likely see action before games against Idaho State and Fresno State last season. The other four times, including Friday against Utah State, he came in completely cold.
Three of those times — UCLA excluded — he got lukewarm results.
He felt he did "OK" in guiding No. 21 Utah to a 24-14 win against Utah State last Friday. After settling down, he marched 69 yards on 12 plays for the game's go-ahead score, and "after that, we went a little conservative," he said.
"I think that was more [because of] the way our defense was playing, and not because we didn't feel like we could move the ball."
Thompson finished 8-of-10 for 56 yards and a rushing touchdown. With a little help from sophomore Utah State cornerback Jalen Davis, who played hot potato with one of his sideline passes, he managed to avoid turnovers.
He felt adequately prepared.
But as the depth chart again showed an "OR" between his name and Travis Wilson's on Monday, the senior from Oklahoma stands to get a fairer shake during the buildup to Fresno State.
It wasn't easy, he admits, to hear for the second straight fall camp that he'd lost the battle between him and Wilson, who is now nursing a sprained left shoulder.
"There's a moment when you're kind of disappointed, just as any competitor would be," he said. "But I came in the next day, shook it off, and came to work just like I did every other day before that."
Except he now had fewer reps with the starters, who were practicing a game plan tailored to Wilson's strengths.
The last time Thompson started, before tearing his ACL in the first quarter against Oregon, "the game had finally slowed down for me," he said. "I was making the correct reads, and things like that. The game plan was built more toward my skill set. I think coming off the sidelines is a little different."
Nobody's saying he will start against Fresno State. As in Thompson's other two starts, the identity of the starter will be guarded like a state secret until kickoff Saturday.
That Thompson appeared at Monday's news conference is either a clue, a red herring or, more likely, neither. The press likes to talk to quarterbacks, and Utah doesn't like to talk about injuries, so it was Thompson by default.
But after No. 15 Ole Miss hung 73 on Fresno State last week, is it necessary to rush Wilson back to service?
It helps both him and Wilson, Thompson said, that they can play as aggressively as they want — taking contact instead of sliding — with the knowledge that the other can pick up the torch if they're injured.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feels there's much "common ground" between the quarterbacks, and that Utah's starter doesn't dramatically affect the offense's approach.
Asked if he can sling it like Wilson can, Thompson said teammates and coaches know he's capable.
To people outside the building, "I can't really say anything because I have to go out there and show it," he said.
If he doesn't, the cries will ring out for the apparent successor, redshirt freshman Chase Hansen, who Whittingham said Monday "probably should have played more" than the lone snap he took against USU.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
No. 21 Utah at Fresno State
P Saturday, 8:30 p.m. TV • CBS Sports Network Radio • 700 AM