Comfort zone, security blanket, whatever you want to call it, the addition of Darren Carrington II continues to pay off and ease whatever nerves may exist for quarterback Tyler Huntley.
For the third-straight game, the 22-year-old transfer from Oregon finished with at least 100 yards receiving — the first Utah wideout to do so since Dres Anderson did in 2013, a gap of 49 games.
“The defense has just been giving us a great opportunity to get the ball to him,” Huntley said, “and that’s how everything’s been playing out.”
The Huntley-Carrington II connection combined for 256 yards in the first two weeks of the season. That trend extended in Utah’s 54-16 win over San Jose State Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Carrington’s 153 yards and three touchdowns against the Spartans showed yet again the importance of the the former Duck’s impact in this new Utah offense.
“We’ve got a ton of good receivers,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said, “but [Huntley] and Darren obviously have some chemistry right now.”
Saturday was Carrington’s first three-touchdown game of his career and the second-most in his career. His career high of 165 yards came in Oregon’s 59-20 Rose Bowl win over Florida State in January 2015 during his freshman year with the Ducks.
Asked after Saturday’s win if this is the best groove he’s found himself in during his collegiate career, Carrington said, “Yeah, I do. Most definitely.”
How the sophomore quarterback and the senior transfer receiver have developed such a rapport early in the season, they say, isn’t complicated. Huntley has developed a radar of where No. 9 is, no matter the play or route.
“He just likes to play,” Carrington said of his relationship with Huntley. “I told him I was going to be a big part for him. … I think our connection’s getting better and better as we go on.”
That much was evident when Huntley lofted a 26-yard pass into triple coverage — only to have Carrington be the only player in the scrum to locate the ball.
Whittingham said Carrington has made Huntley’s adjustment to life as a starting quarterback much easier.
“It’s very, very good for Tyler,” Whittingham said. “He’s obviously made the most of it. Darren’s got a bunch of catches, a bunch of yards.”
Indeed, he does. Carrington now has 409 yards on 26 receptions and five touchdowns. And three games in, Carrington is already on pace for a record-setting season in his one-and-only season as a Ute.
“You put it within 12-foot circle,” Whittingham said, “and he’s going to come away with it.”