Running nowhere
The Utes’ coaching staff still isn’t happy with the production of the running game, and who can blame them? In two games, Utah has amassed only 91 total rushing yards. Leading the Utes is junior Ray Stowers, who has rushed the ball 17 times for 47 yards.
“The separation that we hoped to see in that football game (against Air Force) did not occur,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Darrell Mack is probably going to be our starter (against UCLA). It’s not definitive right now but that’s probably the direction we’re going to head. It’s unfortunate that we have not been able to get that thing sorted out yet but we’ve got a lot of football left and we’re hoping to get some separation there.”
Mack had the best average-per-carry (3.6 yards per rush) of all the Utah running backs against Air Force, finishing the game with 25 yards on seven attempts.
Whittingham has also voiced displeasure with the offensive line’s performance.
“We’re not functioning at a high-enough level on the offensive line right now,” Whittingham said. “Usually of our five guys, four do the right thing and one won’t. The offensive line has got to be a cohesive unit. We thought they were shaping up, but it has not shaped up as quick as we had hoped.”
Kicking it with the best in the country
Utah placekicker and punter “Sweet” Louie Sakoda has been one of the few positives on the team this year, pinning teams deep in their own territory with his punts and hitting two of three attempted field goals.
Sakoda currently ranks 17th in the nation in average yards-per-punt with 44.78 per kick. The junior, who is a Ray Guy (top-punter) and Lou Groza (top-kicker) candidate, has landed seven of his 18 punts inside the opposing team’s 20-yard line this year.
“Louie Sakoda is a bright spot on this team,” Whittingham said. “He averaged close to 50 yards punting and nailed both field goals (against Air Force) and really continues to be a bright spot for us.”
Stop the bleeding
For the second consecutive week, the Utes allowed an ungainlyamount of rushing yards against the Falcons. Utah conceded 334 yards on the ground and allowed Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney to run over them for 113 yards.
“We’ve got to win the line of scrimmage and knock them back,” Whittingham said. “We got pushed around in the Air Force game and we need to lower our pad level. We’ve got to be more stout up front so our linebackers can find the football.”
Coming into the season, the Utes’ front seven defensive players were regarded as some of the best in the conference and the secondary was in question. In the first two games, the opposite has been true. The Utes have allowed a paltry 92.5 passing yards per game while giving away an average of 287.5 yards on the ground. With that being said, both Air Force and Oregon State boast run-happy offenses.
“Defensively, it was the same old option attack that we’ve seen for years, but just different formations,” Whittingham said. “It turned out to be double and triple option. That’s what they hung their hat on.”
Offensively uncoordinated
Many Utah fans were questioning the play calling of offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig last Saturday, particularly when the Utes couldn’t punch the ball in with two opportunities from the one-yard line. The failure to score either of those touchdowns ended any chance of a Utah win.
“It’s kind of human nature to second-guess when you are struggling,” Whittingham said. “We don’t do that. We’ll evaluate everyone’s performance at the end of the year. That means coaches, players and everyone else involved with the program.”
The Utah offense performed better against Air Force on Saturday than against Oregon State, gaining a total of 313 yards.
Any gas left in the tank?
Following two consecutive losses and a number of crippling injuries to open the season, the Utes are taking on national powerhouse No. 11 UCLA this Saturday.
But after the loss to Air Force, Utah coaches, players and fans alike are in a state of disillusionment.
“Guys are looking around like ‘What’s going on,'” Whittingham said. “It’s not a situation that we expected ourselves to be in at this point, but we’re going to try to fight our way out.”
The Utes’ one saving grace for this season could be the return of Brian Johnson, who is estimated to play as early as next week against UNLV.
“Brian is progressing,” Whittingham said. “He will not play this week. I can say that with relative certainty, but we hope to get him back for UNLV. That’s the course he’s on right now, and we hope to have him available for the UNLV game in two weeks.”
Tyler CobbBradon Godfrey pulls in a pass in Saturday’s loss.