SALT LAKE CITY -- Troy Williams has made quite the impression in just eight months on the Utah campus.Hes earned the starting quarterback job over a three-year veteran and the 2015 Florida Gatorade Football Player of the Year. The junior college transfer was also voted a captain by teammates despite arriving in January and missing much of spring ball with an injury.Williams will be the first new full-time starting quarterback for the Utes since 2012 when the team with Pac-12 title aspirations opens the season at home against Southern Utah on Thursday night.I havent seen nobody work like that before, honestly, senior receiver Tim Patrick said. Putting in that extra work. He makes me want to work harder ... making me hop on the bandwagon.Patrick raved about Williams doing extra after two-a-day practices and watching film deep into the night. He and cornerback Dominique Hatfield have been impressed with his ball placement and touch on deep passes. Hatfield lived in the same complex as Williams and would drop by in the evenings.The game wasnt on, the TV wasnt on, Hatfield said. Instead film was on or he was writing plays against different coverages and what ball should be thrown first. Wed look at each other and wed do about 500 push-ups at night. Things like that.The passing game has been Utahs biggest weakness since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Utahs pass offense has ranked dead last in the conference three times in five seasons and was No. 11 in 2015. The high point was a No. 9 ranking in 2013. Coach Kyle Whittingham has repeatedly said the throw game will be improved. It must for the Utes to be a legitimate contender.Williams was named the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback recruit by Rivals.com in 2013 and played five games at Washington before transferring for a season at Santa Monica College. He said the experience helped mold his priorities.Knowing that not everythings promised, Williams said. (Life at a junior college) just helps you realize how fortunate we are here. I take every single second as my last and try to make the most of every moment Im here.Things to watch when Utah hosts Southern Utah:TRENCH WORK: The Utah defensive line should be one of the best in the Pac-12, if not the entire country. Tackle Lowell Lotulelei was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2015 and end Hunter Dimicks 15 career sacks are tied for No. 8 in school history. Tackle Filipo Mokofisi and end Pita Taumoepenu are listed as starters, but Whittingham also considers tackle Pasoni Tasini and end Kylie Fitts as starters. Fitts led Utah with 7.0 sacks last season.ROAD GRADERS: While the Utah offense has new starters at every skill position, the offensive line returns four starters and adds a top junior college recruit. Senior J.J. Dielman was second-team All-Pac-12 as a tackle in 2015, but moves to center this season. Senior Sam Tevi started every game at left tackle in 2015, but moves to the right side to make way for Garrett Bolles, the JUCO transfer from Snow College. Whittingham said they may have more depth and ability at the position than at any point in the last 12 years.THE THUNDERBIRDS: Southern Utah is coming off an 8-4 season with the need to replace three players currently on NFL rosters -- Miles Killebrew, LeShaun Sims and James Cowser. The Thunderbirds won a school-record seven consecutive games and finished 7-1 in the Big Sky conference. Southern Utah sits at No. 23 in the preseason FCS coaches poll and finished 2015 ranked No. 18. Former defensive coordinator Demario Warren was promoted to head coach after Ed Lamb took an assistant position at BYU.QUOTABLE: We have to bring a whole new level of concentration and a whole new level of intensity to stay in this ballgame, Warren said. I believe that we can and our players do. You dont have a chance unless you believe. We have the first part down, and now we need to go out there and execute.---AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KareemCopeland Cheap Blue Jays Jerseys . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Toronto Blue Jays Gear . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR:Turn 1: Who will be the next Hendrick Motorsports driver to win a race?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Jimmie Johnson will win a Chase race before the season is over, Im confident of that! Chase Elliott has been the fastest of the group, but having never won adds ?pressure. Jeff Gordon winning at Martinsville would be the ultimate story ... but Im thinking with my heart. And I like the progress we are seeing from Kasey Kahne. That said, brain says Jimmie.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Chase Elliott. Its not just that hes the trendy pick, hes the best they have right now. And he doesnt have a bazillion pit-road penalties (sorry Jimmie).John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Its tempting to say Chase Elliott, but common sense says it has to be Jimmie Johnson. I get the feeling that if the 48 team knocks off the rust with a win, more will soon follow.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Jeff Gordon. He wins at Martinsville and drops the mic on his career as a substitute driver.Turn 2: Ty Dillon and Erik Jones are both outside looking in heading to the final race of the Xfinity Series Round of 12. Is it a blow to the series if theyre both eliminated, or good to show the unpredictability of the Chase?Craven: Its both. You should favor your brand names making it past Round 1, but thats not as important as this format creating intrigue, surprise, and entertaining storylines. Win, lose or draw, this next race has become more valuable because of the the scenarios and discussions leading up to it. The format in its first year for the series has already created added interest. Thats a good thing!McGee: Im still really divided over the Chase in the two lower series, particularly in Xfinity, and this is why. You are trying to establish stars and give youngsters a shot at winning titles. When you add this to a series thats already overrun with Cup Series moonlighters, this feels a bit unfair. I like the Chase format in Cup, but I always felt like the what title are we running for? check box was enough here.Oreovicz: Its a bigger deal if Jones doesnt make the cut, because hes already been appointed as a star of the future and a lot of people have tabbed him as this years Xfinity championship favorite. I dont think Dillon dropping out would move the needle all that much.Pockrass: If it happens -- and I dont think it will -- it would be a blow to the series. They have been among the best drivers -- and the most popular drivers --- in the series all season and for them not to be in the final eight would be a shame.ddddddddddddTurn 3: What do you expect out of Tony Stewart in his last seven Sprint Cup races?Craven: Im concerned that The bloom has fallen from the rose in terms of excitement in the next half dozen races for the three-time champion. Its not going to be a Jeff Gordon-type retirement celebration, but a celebration will exist when we get to Miami because Tony has had a brilliant career. A win in the last seven races would be fitting, but I cant see it happening. Lets hope Tony proves me wrong.McGee: A front bumper that is 30 feet wide and made out of steel.Oreovicz: Not much in the way of results, but 100 percent effort behind the wheel and plenty of smart-ass remarks to his friends in the media. I hope he goes through this final flurry of races with a relaxed attitude and enjoys himself.Pockrass: Expect him to go out with a bunch of finishes between 10th and 20th. Thats the way hes run recently, and he wont do anything to bring attention on himself. Hed rather the spotlight shine on the drivers competing for the title. He won a race this year and hell hang up the Cup firesuit content knowing he earned a win in his final season.Turn 4: At what point do drivers begin worrying about Talladega being this rounds determining event?Craven: The concern began Monday morning as the focus shifted to the second round. These drivers with championship aspirations know they must take care of business in the next two weeks --?a win at Charlotte or Kansas is the only insurance policy they can buy -- to avoid a Talledega calamity. Theres an easy and hard way of doing things at Talledega. The easy way is to not go depending on success, and of course the hard way is just the opposite. The damn place requires near perfection in terms of strategy, timing and teamwork and luck. No driver wants to pin hopes on the latter!McGee: The instant the checkered flag flew last weekend at Dover.Oreovicz: When the green flag waves at Talladega. Theres no sense worrying about it until then; as Juan Montoya so often says, It is what it is. By winning between now and then, one or two drivers can spare themselves that worry.Pockrass: They already started worrying about it since the schedule came out. They really will start worrying after Kansas if they dont have a win. ' ' '