SALT LAKE CITY -- Troy Williams has made quite the impression in just eight months on the Utah campus. Benito Santiago Cubs Jersey .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 Kris Bryant Cubs Jersey . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Larry Bowa Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2120t-brandon-...ersey-cubs.html . 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.Odion Ighalo has revealed he turned down offers from other Premier League clubs in January and is happy to do the same in the summer to stay at Watford. The Nigeria international striker has enjoyed a fantastic season with the newly-promoted Hornets, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.While there is uncertainty surrounding the club after it was announced manager Quique Sanchez Flores will be leaving, Ighalo is not planning to follow the Spaniard out of the exit door. A lot of clubs were interested in January and I turned down a lot of money from China and even in the Premier League, he told Sky Sports.I decided to stay and I am still happy I stayed. I know offers will come. My agent is going to sit down with Gino (Pozzo, owner of Watford) and talk. I have a four-year contract and I am happy if they want me to stay.We will see how it goes. I love the fans here, they supported me even when things were not going well, thats all you can want. If Gino wants to keep me I am happy to stay.Since his arrival at Watford in 2014, Ighalo has seen plenty of managers come and go, with Slavisa Jokanovic sacked last summer after winning promotion to the Premier League. Quique Sanchez Flores will leave Vicarage Road in the summer The 26-year-old says he was shocked by the news of Flores departure but is backing the club to find the right replacement. Tony Kemp Jersey. .Quique has done a great job, he said. I can remember before the start of the season the target was 40 points to remain in the Premier League. We did that and got to the FA Cup semi-finals.But the Pozzos know best. Gino always gets it right, even last year when he let Jokanovic leave people thought why is this guy leaving who took us to the Premier League, but Quique came in and did the job.They will bring in someone who will do the job. I feel for Quique as he is a nice guy, a calm guy, and I am happy with the way he works. But I still trust the Pozzos, I think they will go for the best and whoever comes in will do a great job. Also See: Flores to leave Watford Watford target Walter Mazzarri Watford fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! ' ' '