What Utah football’s offense will look like with Jason Beck calling plays

Things are going to look a little different at Rice-Eccles Stadium this fall.

New offensive coordinator Jason Beck will be calling the plays after the departure of longtime OC Andy Ludwig — and Utes coach Kyle Whittingham knows there will need to be some adjustments.

“It is a different way to operate,” the veteran Utes coach said. “This is Coach Beck’s system, and it’s what he’s used to. We’re going with it.”

So what will that look like on the field?

1. Spreading things out

Under Ludwig, Utah ran a complex, pro-style offense.

Beck’s system will be much different than his predecessor’s. It utilizes a spread formation, run-pass options (RPOs) and the read option.

“We really just want to put the right guys in the right places to make plays,” Beck said said. “We want to adapt to what our strengths are and play to those strengths. … We’re going to be moving guys around in kind of spread [formation]. The quarterback reads and RPOs (run-pass options) are in there.”

2. No huddle

The Utes will change how they get into each play.

“We’re going to go, not at a fast tempo, but we’re going no-huddle,” Beck said.

Added Whittingham, “It’s going to be a little more up-tempo, but it’s not ridiculously fast. We’re [not] going to snap the ball with 25 to 30 seconds left on the play call.”

3. The offensive strengths

Beck’s offense with New Mexico had 453 rushing attempts for 3,080 rushing yards. The Lobos also attempted 391 passes.

But Beck says Utah’s offense could be different from New Mexico’s last year.

“Year to year, that thing always shifts to who’s your personnel and what are their strengths,” Beck said. “In some years, there’s more passing; some years, there’s more running. So you know that will vary, because we want to play to our strengths.”

So what are Utah’s strengths heading into the season?

Beck said junior quarterback Devon Dampier and Utah’s offensive line — led by All-American tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — are his building blocks.

4. Is Dampier a run-first QB?

Dampier, while unproven at the Power Four level, was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football a season ago.

He passed for 2,768 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions at New Mexico. But he also led the Lobos with 155 rushes for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Dampier was the No. 1 option on the ground for the Lobos.

But that could evolve for the quarterback in Salt Lake City, according to the new Utes coordinator.

“He’ll continue to progress and develop,” Beck said of Dampier’s passing ability. “It was not a thing where we were running more because he was not capable as a passer.

“It was really just the pieces around him [at New Mexico] ... that led to him being more involved in the run game.”

Last season Dampier was only sacked four times with the Lobos.

Forty of his rushing attempts came from scrambles, which resulted in 287 yards. The rest were designed quarterback runs or read options.

So, how could that look — following the template of Beck’s offense in Albuquerque — for the Utes this fall?

Well, Dampier could be set up for a heavy dosage of outside runs. Last season, the junior quarterback ran 36 times on the left edge and 33 times on the right edge. That could be a strength for the Utes this year since Lomu and Fano are projected to be two of the best tackles in college football this season.

5. Looking for playmakers

Despite having the No. 4 offense in the country, there were deficiencies in the Lobos’ offense.

New Mexico’s offensive line was graded at No. 50 in pass blocking.

And the Lobos’ wide receiver corps ranked 99th in the FBS with a 71.3 grade on PFF. New Mexico’s receivers also had 22 drops.

This season, Utah doesn’t have an established No. 1 and No. 2 wide receiver following Zach Williams’ transfer to USC.

Transfer pass-catchers Larry Simmons and Tobias Merriweather are potential options to fill the starting receiver roles.

“We’re looking for guys who can consistently win, get open, catch the ball,” Beck said of the wide receiver competition.

Beck says Utah will play to its strengths.

“Devon and the O-line, that’s the most predictable right now,” Beck said. “It’s the other spots that are more that, ‘What direction is this going to take’ with the dependable playmaker, guys you trust, and kind of the offense molding in that direction.”

And if the Utes don’t have consistent pass catchers, Dampier could be set for any run-heavy season.

“We’re still in that process of that playing out. For instance, when we started New Mexico last year, we had five, six skilled receivers that we thought were going to be some of our better players,” Beck said.

“Well, as we got early into the season, some of those guys were struggling to consistently ... so that thing really shifted course.”