Don’t get Utah football coach Ron McBride wrong?he’d be perfectly ecstatic to go undefeated and win every game by 30 points, but in the obvious absence of such a scenario, he’ll settle for the Utes learning something from a loss.
And after dropping a 19-17 decision to an improving but nonetheless inferior Colorado State team last Saturday, the coach said there’s plenty of opportunity for them to do that.
“I’m not down at all. In some ways, this [loss] might even be good for the team,” McBride said. “Obviously, it’s never good to lose, but we’ve had too many games that were too easy to win. Now we know what it’s like to play a tough game; now we know what we have to do in the fourth quarter.”
Not that the Utes didn’t make plenty of mistakes throughout the rest of the game. Dropped passes in the endzone, a missed and blocked field goal, a fumble on the 1-yard line plagued?and eventually haunted?Utah throughout the contest’s full 60 minutes.
“It’s just a matter of some inexperience and guys not doing the little things,” McBride said.
Ultimately, the players themselves recognize they blew a prime opportunity to stay undefeated in the conference and establish themselves as prime contenders with the MWC crown.
Between the aforementioned miscues and other such mishaps as leaving opposing receivers open, running routes too short on key third-down situations and rushing the two minute offense, they were their own worst enemies against the Rams.
“Everyone kind of knew we beat ourselves,” said offensive lineman Sean Souza. “We could have scored a lot of points in that game.”
But then, what would a season be for the Utah football team without a little bit of adversity thrown in and the necessary gut-check to accompany it.
“It seems everything in my life happens adversely,” McBride said. “I’m wondering why things can’t always be smooth, why we can’t always go out and just kick some ass. I think I’m paying for things I did 10 or 15 years ago.”
On a more serious note, though, while he certainly wishes the Utes had beat CSU, he recognizes the potential that can emanate from the aftermath of the loss.
“Our destiny’s in front of us?not behind us. That game’s over?that’s the attitude the players have to take,” he said. “Now’s the time to show what we can do.”