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A lot of starters will be sitting and the play-calling will be heavily flavored with vanilla during Utah's Red-White Game on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Still, there will be some things worth keeping an eye on.

Watching from a San Francisco studio, Pac-12 Network analyst Yogi Roth won't be dissecting schemes or what the first-stringers will look like, but he'll be looking for a few other things — starting with some inner fire. A year after the Utes finished one win short of a Pac-12 Championship Game berth, he's searching for signs that the program is still hungry.

"Championship teams are ridiculous competitors at twos and threes, because that's the environment of 'Hey, if I don't compete, I'm gonna lost my job,' " Roth said. "If it's a lay-down, fun spring session, that's one thing. But if guys go out and really compete, that tells me, 'These guys are pushing.'"

Fans, meanwhile, will be looking to see if the Utes are addressing some of their liabilities from last season, particularly in the passing game.

Will they come away knowing a lot about what will happen this fall? Maybe not. But Utah's staff knows the spring game isn't meaningless. The Utes who play will want to make a good impression.

"We're gonna run really simple stuff, so I'm just warning everybody now, it's not going to be anything fancy," offensive co-coordinator Aaron Roderick said. "But we want to look good and execute our base stuff."

At least that much is up for public review: Coach Kyle Whittingham said this week he expects starting quarterback contenders Brandon Cox, a junior, and Tyler Huntley, a freshman, to play virtually the whole game as the only two healthy scholarship quarterbacks. Cox is looking to build on two solid scrimmage performances in which he had seven combined touchdown passes, while Huntley hopes to show better mastery of the offense than when he started this spring.

The receiving group — also one of the most scrutinized positions — should also get a good look. Throughout spring, Tyrone Smith and Caleb Repp have been among the more promising wideouts given their size, while slot receiver Kyle Fulks has been making an impression as well.

While there's no telling how different schemes will work, Roth suggests the audience look for certain aspects. Are the quarterbacks making on-time and on-target throws? Are they responding well to pressure? Are the receivers attacking the ball and making plays in space? The spring game can offer insight to these questions.

"To me, if I start seeing some positive things like that from the offense, Utah is my pick to win the South based on what we know now," he said. "Last year they couldn't push the ball down the field when they wanted to, and they still won 10 games. It's really the one thing missing from their team."

Other areas of interest include the linebacker position, which lost arguably the most talent of any position group after Gionni Paul, Jared Norris and Jason Whittingham used up their eligibility. Fans will be getting a good look at depth down the offensive and defensive fronts, given that the established starters are unlikely to play.

While the coaches plan on reaching deep into the depth chart partly as "a reward" for a strong spring session, it's not easy-breezy. The spring game also offers a chance for evaluation — and given that spring has been "watered down" over several years from 20 live sessions to 15 (of which only eight are full-tackle), Kyle Whittingham said every snap is meaningful.

"We still haven't seen some things yet," he said. "Every practice is crucial."

Even if it doesn't always appear that way.

Twitter: @kylegoon —

Red-White Game schedule

At Rice-Eccles Stadium

6 a.m. • Tailgating opens in the West Lot

10 a.m. • MUSS football game

11 a.m. • Alumni football game

Noon • Red-White game

Rosters available at utahutes.com —

Red-White Game storylines

Utah's Spring Game won't feature some of the team's best players, but will offer glimpses into some outstanding questions headed into fall:

Quarterback question • Junior Brandon Cox and freshman Tyler Huntley are expected to get plenty of reps as fellow competitor Troy Williams sits out with a sore arm.

Receivers in spotlight • Without four of its top five returning receivers, the Utes have plenty of holes to fill for playmaking pass-catchers.

Linebackers locking down • Junior Sunia Tauteoli, sophomore Cody Barton and junior Evan Eggiman can make an impression before competition gets hotter in fall.

Strategic reserves • With several starters expected to sit out, back-ups on offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary may get a lot of reps.