Utah Football: Lewis appears close to a return

One of the more highly anticipated debuts of fall camp hasn't happened thus far.

That is, if you count being in the pit all week as a debut.

Becauase of a strained hamstring, that's where Andre Lewis has been. The wide receiver is impressive to look at, with long arms and a 6-foot-4 build that leaves one thinking how his size and speed could be incorporated into the Utes offense.

On Saturday, Lewis ran off the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium with a bit of a pep in his step. When asked, he said that he expects to practice for the first time as a Ute on Monday.

Then offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson put a bit of a stop to all of the optimism, saying that it will be more like Wednesday before Lewis returns to action.

When he does, he is expected to immediately add a dimension to Utah's passing game.

"He's big and he can run and he runs routes well," Erickson said. "We need him in there and we need to get him out there and caught up with what we're doing."

Lewis was expected to challenge Kenneth Scott and Dres Anderson for a starting spot. That's not going to happen. At the same time, he's good enough to win the third receiver spot and that would get him on the field plenty and will give him ample opportunity to make an impact.

Tony Jones