Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was pretty pleased with the way his offense moved the ball in the Utes’ opener against Florida. There were obviously some sour moments throughout the game — none more painful than the final play — but there were also things Whittingham and his staff could point to in film review as reason for optimism going forward.

One area the coaching staff wants to see improve moving forward, though, is the play at wideout.

“We’d like to see more production on the outside,” Whittingham said Monday. “But we sure got great production from Brant (Kuithe) and Dalton (Kincaid) added a few catches. Those guys are going to be as much of a focal point in the throw game as the wideouts because they’re so talented.”

Kuithe and Kincaid, both tight ends, provide the Utes with one of the best one-two punches in the pass game in the Pac-12. That they’re both tight ends doesn’t limit what Utah can do with them offensively. And they were heavily featured in the opener.

The leading target in the pass game was Kuithe, who saw 13 targets from quarterback Cameron Rising. He scored the first touchdown of the game and finished with nine receptions for 105 yards. He’ll obviously be featured going forward. Kincaid had only three targets and two receptions, but Rising looked to him with the game on the line even when he perhaps should have gone elsewhere — a signal he’s one of the most trusted the Utes have.

The leading wide receiver had just three catches, though. Devaughn Vele drew six targets, but produced just 36 yards. Solomon Enis had two catches for 11 yards, hauling in both of his targets. Money Parks drew just one target, a catch for four yards.

“Obviously you want them to be more productive in the throw game,” said wideout coach Chad Bumphis earlier this week. “And my thing is, whether you’re open or not, demand the ball — with your separation, with your mentality, the way you play the game. You are way too good to not demand the ball. Cam should look for you every single play.

“We have unbelievable weapons all over the field. But I think Devaughn Vele is one of those guys too, along with Solomon Enis. We’ve got guys that can do it. But that’s been our conversation: demand the football with how you create separation and your body language, your mentality. Go out and dominate people. Embarrass them in the throw game, dominate them in the run game.”

To that end, Bumphis said he was pleased with the physicality his group displayed in the run game against Florida. He said he challenged them to be physical, and they rose to that challenge. Of Enis, he said he saw a side he hadn’t previously seen yet. “He played ticked off,” Bumphis said.

But both Bumphis and Whittingham reiterated they need more from their receivers as receivers.

“Devaughn Vele needs to have more of a presence in the game,” Whittingham said.

Both threw some attention back to Florida, though.

“Credit the Florida DBs,” Whittingham said. “They’re quick, fast DBs. Those corners are outstanding. That’s as good a personnel as we may see all year long. Maybe the best. I’m just telling you right now, they have excellent personnel.”

Added Bumphis: “It puts everything into perspective. We have the team that we need to go do exactly what we want to do.”

We’ll see if the Utes can open things up a bit on Saturday. Kickoff between No. 13 Utah (0-1) and Southern Utah (1-0) is set for 10:30 a.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.