Who will step up at safety if Nate Ritchie is out?

Utah came out of the win at West Virginia with numerous injuries.

Defensive end Paul Fitzgerald and starting defensive tackle Aliki Vimahi were out for the West Virginia game, while two-way player Jackson Bennee, defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi and safety Nate Ritchie all suffered injuries during it.

That made last week’s bye all the more important for the Utes, who have already lost receiver Daidren Zipperer, tight end Hunter Andrews and starting safety Rabbit Evans for the season.

“He’s a tough kid. He threw it in there on the run two or three times and didn’t turn anything down.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on safety Nate Tilmon after victory over West Virginia

Ritchie’s leg injury, in particular, looked nasty and potentially season-ending. He left the game on crutches and wearing a brace on his leg, but coach Kyle Whittingham said that Ritchie’s injury — or any of the others — are not season-ending.

“Fortunately, not season-ending,” Whittingham said. “But we’ll see who we have available this week and who we don’t.”

Utah’s initial availability report will be released Wednesday night.

It’s likely that Ritchie will have to miss some time, starting with Utah’s game against No. 21 Arizona State this Saturday. With Evans and Ritchie both out, who will the Utes turn to to start alongside Tao Johnson at safety?

Whittingham didn’t specifically say who will be starting at the position on Saturday, but when Ritchie has gone out for a few plays due to injury before, it’s been freshman Nate Tilmon filling in.

Tilmon has played 89 defensive snaps in his first season, with the bulk of those coming against West Virginia after Ritchie went down.

He received a grade of 44.8 from Pro Football Focus and totaled seven tackles and two quarterback hurries against the Mountaineers. He was targeted twice, allowing two receptions.

“He did some good things. He did some things that he’ll get better at,” Whittingham said after the game. “He didn’t quite overlap enough in that cover-two, the ball up the boundary, the hole shot. Some days he can intercept that ball instead of having it be completed.

“But he’s a tough kid. He threw it in there on the run two or three times and didn’t turn anything down. Wasn’t perfect in his tackling, but I don’t think anybody was. But he’s got a bright future. He’s got all the tools to succeed at that position.”

Ups and downs are expected for a true freshman in the first extended run of his collegiate career, but as Utah enters a crucial stretch in its schedule, the Utes will need him to grow up fast if he starts.

“We have Nate Tilmon who came in and did some, he’s another true freshman, played well in his snaps. He did make a few errors last Saturday but did some good things,” Whittingham said.

Whittingham also mentioned the possibility of cornerback Jackson Bennee moving back to his old position. Bennee started his Ute career as a safety last season, playing just eight snaps at the position.

This year, Bennee has emerged at nickel, where he’s helped shoulder the load with Smith Snowden, totaling 20 tackles, three interceptions and three pass breakups. He’s also played a role on offense with two carries for 15 yards and three receptions for 18 yards.

“Jackson Bennee also has experience at safety. In fact that’s where he spent most of his time up until this year when we moved him to nickel. And so we have some options there,” Whittingham said.

Yet another option at the safety position could be cornerback Rock Caldwell, who transferred to Utah from Garden City Community College, where he played safety and cornerback.

Caldwell, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, has logged 35 defensive snaps this season with three tackles and a pass breakups.

“We’ve got some corners that are good size. Might look at moving one of those guys inside and seeing how he does this week and yeah, probably be the Caldwell kid if we go that direction,” Whittingham said.

Whichever player, or players, the Utes put at strong safety on Saturday will be tested.

ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt hasn’t quite lived up to the preseason hype, but will be the best, or second-best quarterback the Utes have faced this season.

He enters the showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium with a stat line of 1,039 yards and eight touchdowns on 63.1% completion, adding 281 yards and five scores on the ground.

“He’s so dangerous when he breaks the pocket. If you look at the big plays he’s made this year, most of them have been with his legs and breaking the pocket at critical times,” Whittingham said.