Fall camp is right around the corner, which means the football season is close. Breaking down Utah's 2019 football team, position by position, based on burning questions for each spot. We start first with the Utah quarterbacks.

1. Can the Utes keep Huntley healthy?

Given Tyler Huntley's playing style, there comes the natural risk of injuries. Over the last two years, he's suffered one season-ending injury and others that forced him to miss to miss three more games. His two significant injuries (Arizona in '17, ASU in '18) were suffered on pass plays, in rather similar fashions, trying to escape from the pocket. He's a dynamic, instinctual playmaker that can create opportunities with his athleticism, and that is naturally who Huntley is on the field. Heck, he ran a pretty darn impressive wheel route last season, that athleticism is certainly a tool to utilize.

The issue is the amount of bumps and bruises that add up with that type of playing style, combined with the amount of sacks given up with him under center. In the nine games he played, he was sacked 23 times. You'll read that and probably think that's just poor offensive line play, which it is, but they are not solely responsible for that number. In fact, it's interesting looking at the next four games with Jason Shelley under center, because there were only 5 sacks given up in those games.

Now, to be fair, there are three major parts to that, and one is that the offensive line really gelled together towards the end of the year. Another is the offense shifted more towards the rushing attack, but also, Shelley was a calm, cool, and collected pressure-evading wizard inside the pocket.

Extrapolating that and applying it to this team and this season... The offensive line is one of the bigger question marks heading into the camp, but does appear to have the pieces to put a pretty solid wall of protection in front of Huntley. The offensive playcalling will certainly be more run-centric with Andy Ludwig calling the shots, and Zack Moss returning for his final showcase. Which brings us to Huntley, more specifically his pocket awareness, presence, and ability to avoid pressure within the pocket, not escape it, but evade. If Huntley can be a bit more aware of what's going on around him in his immediate circle, and avoid pressure from within that pocket and not immediately look to escape it, that will go a long ways in preserving his health this season.

Add in the fact that Huntley has seemed to put on a fair amount of muscle to his frame as well, it's clear he's doing what he can within his control to address those injury concerns.

2. Will Ludwig be able to replicate Huntley's Red October and maximize his ability?

The Utah offense exploded in the month of October last season, averaging 41 points and 482.8 total yards per game. This is when the offense focused more on the running game, evidenced by the increase of 9 more carries and 80 more rushing yards per game from the previous month.

Huntley evolved as a quarterback in those weeks. There wasn't as much pressure on him, he had more advantageous opportunities because Utah was often ahead of the chains. In his Red October, he averaged 255.3 total yards per game and a ridiculous 7.56 yards per play. This stretch also included the game against Arizona where he threw, ran, and caught a touchdown. Breaking that down further, he averaged 219.8 passing yards (73.3% completion) and 35.5 rushing yards a game. Those seem like very attainable numbers for both Huntley and Ludwig.

At Vanderbilt, he developed Kyle Shurmur into a rather reliable playmaker and helped the Vandy offense put record numbers under his watch. Shurmur averaged 234.6 total yards per game, which came as a result of 240.8 passing yards (62.6% completion overall, 74.0% his best month) and -6.15 rushing per game, because Shurmur is no where near the running threat that Huntley is. That goes without mentioning that Vanderbilt competes in a conference that is a bit more defense-oriented.

And now, Utah has the right skill players to make this work too. From the running backs to receivers and tight ends, there are a quite a few players that can be utilized to maximize Huntley's ability.

3. Will the Utes wish they had Cameron Rising available to play this year?

Make no mistake, it would have been have been a big boost to the depth at the quarterback position to have Rising cleared and eligible to play this season. However, Shelley has definitely proven himself as a quarterback capable of leading this team to crucial victories.

Rising will redshirt this season, he will be working primarily with the scout team, but most importantly he can focus on learning and growing in the mental aspect of the quarterback position and really immerse himself in the playbook. Huntley will remain healthy this season, and Shelley will continue to be the reliable No. 2. And then, before you know it, it will be spring camp 2020 and the quarterback competition will be underway.