by (Story via ABC 4 Sports)
SALT LAKE CITY – Just as the Utes earned their way back into the Top-25 for the first time in four years, head coach Kyle Whittingham has himself a true quarterback controversy.
Kendal Thompson (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma) replaced an ineffective Travis Wilson against #8 UCLA, and led the Utes to a stunning 30-28 victory.
Wilson struggled against Michigan and Washington State, leading the offense to just two total touchdowns. So, after three straight three and outs against the Bruins, it was time to make a change.
“We had talked about this earlier in the week,” Whittingham said. “We hadn’t been real consistent, and the plan was if we didn’t see consistency early, we’d give Kendal a shot.”
Whittingham and his coaches will make a decision on which quarterback will start against Oregon State October 16th sometime this week.
“He’s made a real case for himself,” said Whittingham about Thompson. “It’s obviously an important decision. We want to make sure we do everything we should do evaluation-wise and come up with the right answer.”
“That’s for the coaches to decide,” said Thompson when asked about the possibility of becoming the starter. “I’m just going to continue to practice as I have and see how that goes.”
Thompson and the read option offense caught the Bruins completely off guard as he and Devontae Booker combined for 239 yards rushing on 52 carries. Thompson also completed 10 of 13 passes including a touchdown, but threw for just 95 yards. Thompson knows his strength is running the ball, but says opponents should not underestimate his ability to throw the ball downfield.
“Being a talented runner, that’s just the stereotype that comes with it,” said Thompson, a transfer from Oklahoma. “Until you prove to people that you can throw, they’re going to assume you can’t. That’s just something that I embrace, and hopefully opposing defenses will think I can’t throw it as well.”
“He hit at long one to Dres [Anderson],” Whittingham said. “Dres made a spectacular catch, but Kendal put the ball in a place where it gave him an opportunity to make a play, so we’re very confident in his throwing ability.”
Despite not throwing a single interception in his first five games, Wilson appears to be the odd man out. But he is handling his benching with class.
“Me and him are roommates on the road,” Thompson said. “We’re getting pretty tight nit, and he was definitely giving me encouragement.”
