During the weekend, a few things of interest happened. After consuming a good amount of candy, I now know why the coconut delight in a blue wrapper is called Almond Joy. My friend Steve educated me on the phenomenon of the “Magical Mystery Hour”8212;an hour that we get to relive, thanks to daylight saving time ending, and thus has no consequences for the first 2 a.m. And Kyle Whittingham decided to change quarterbacks.
Like most Ute fans, I was taken by surprise when Jordan Wynn started the second half instead of Terrance Cain in Utah’s 22-10 victory over Wyoming on Saturday night.
This game could easily have been much different if a couple of key plays would have gone the other way.
We all know that the competition between the two quarterbacks was close before the season started, but why make the change?
Some fans might think that Wynn should remain the starter and that Cain has seen his last game as a Ute. To those fans8212;you need to think again.
Cain played well, made good reads and completed 10-of-13 passes with 121 yards when he was pulled for the true freshman Wynn.
In the first quarter, Cain marched the team down the field and on a second and 7, the center snapped the ball while Cain wasn’t looking. With good field position, a second and manageable turned into a third and 25. Then Joe Phillips missed a field goal. Would you blame Cain for this? I wouldn’t.
The next Utah possession, Cain threw strikes of 16 and 33 yards and put Utah in position for an equalizing field goal that was made by Phillips.
Apparently the reason he was benched was that the drive that stalled late in the first half. Cain completed three straight passes and got the Utes to the Wyoming 17-yard line. Then he got sacked, there was a false start on the offensive line, and he got sacked again. It pushed the Utes out of field-goal range, and the first half ended.
Last time I checked, if a quarterback gets sacked, it’s because the offensive line isn’t protecting him.
I understand that Wynn threw a touchdown pass and ultimately led the Utes to a victory, but if Wyoming would have taught its defensive backs how to catch the football, it would have been a different story.
On Wynn’s first drive, the Utes had a third-and-goal from the Cowboys’ 9-yard line. Wynn threw a horrendous pass that hit the Wyoming defender between the numbers who had a wide-open field for a pick-six.
Whittingham would have benched a sobbing Wynn and this topic wouldn’t even be debated.
Bottom line: An individual player (Cain) sometimes has to take the blame for the entire team or coaching staff.
Give Cain the ball back and make sure the offensive line knows how to block and stay in its position until the ball is snapped.
Wynn is a good player, but if Whittingham decides to start the freshman, I guarantee he will make a rookie mistake that will cost Utah.
