Utah’s hopes for a Pac-12 South title took a hit with the news that star wide receiver Dres Anderson will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Anderson (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) is a senior and the injury means his college career is over. Anderson is the son of former NFL wide receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson.
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Coach Kyle Whittingham is expected to talk about Anderson’s injury — including the severity — after practice Wednesday afternoon.
Utah is a run-first team — the Utes have run the ball on 62 percent of their offensive plays — but Anderson’s loss means the Utes have lost their main deep threat. Anderson has 22 catches for 355 yards (16.1 yards per reception) and four touchdowns. Utah has just three wide receivers with more than 10 receptions.
Anderson finishes his career with 2,077 receiving yards, fifth-most in school history.
Last season, Anderson tied for the national lead with seven catches of at least 50 yards and 10 receptions of at least 40 yards. His per-catch average was 18.91 yards, third-best among players with at least 50 receptions (Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr. were first and second). Three of his seven TD receptions covered at least 50 yards and another was a 49-yarder.
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In early September, one NFL personnel evaluator told NFL media analysts that Anderson was a “sleeper prospect” with “impressive straight-line speed.”
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
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