Utes go undercover in game preparations

Wonder what is going on up on the hill as the Utes get ready for the opener? I wonder too, along with every other media member who covers the Utes. We've entered an abnormally long period of closed practices to the media, which started Thursday. Our only access to players before the opener will be at Monday's press conference so there will be no practice updates. The Utes have taken to closing practice in recent years for the week of the season opener. But this year that period was extended because the opener is on a Thursday, which pushed Utah's game-planning mode back a few days. Normally we have access on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Those days, in Utah's game-planning schedule, would be Sunday and Monday. The Utes don't practice on Sundays and Monday practices are closed, so we, and you, are out of luck when it comes to seeing what is going on in practice. The Utes aren't alone in clamping down on media availability. Teams across the country are making availability harder and harder to get access, not sure that is a good trend to be following. I can just imagine Jordan Wynn and John White colliding in practice and Wynn messing up his shoulder and White breaking an ankle as a result and no one being there to report on it. Nahhh, that wouldn't happen, would it? I'm sure the Utes are probably spending their time just as they were before, installing a bunch of trick plays they'll need to beat Northern Colorado, right?! The Utes might be isolating themselves from us media types, but definitely not shutting out recruits, the Utes have picked up another commitment for their 2013 class. Andrew Ballin, a 5-10, 175-pound running back/corner from Hoover H.S. in Fresno, Calif., has committed to the Utes.

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