Before anyone starts making travel arrangements to the Rose Bowl after Utah’s 70-7 beatdown of Weber State on Saturday, one thing needs to be kept in mind: the Utes were playing an FCS that only won two games a year ago and gave up 40 points to Stephen F. Austin State a week ago. It’s not like a BCS-caliber school was occupying the opposite sideline at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Still, Utah’s performance was pretty impressive and another step in the right direction as it looks forward to this weekend’s conference opener against Oregon State.
Though Weber State gave up 40 points in its season opener last week, it also put up 50 in victory. Against the Utes on Saturday, that offense was held to just a single touchdown as Utah’s defense dominated, and that single touchdown was against the Utes’ second unit.
From the beginning, Utah’s defensive line controlled the trench and only allowed the Wildcats 90 total yards in the first half, including just eight in the second quarter. Yes, eight.
Senior defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi in particular made his presence felt, living up to the hype that he’d be a nice replacement for Star Lotulelei. Weber State did not score until 7:17 remaining in the third quarter. That was the last time they’d enter Utah territory.
Going forward, the play of the Utes’ front four on defense will be huge, particularly as the young secondary still tries to get up to speed. If there was any unit that didn’t look like a group of All-Americans Saturday, it was Utah’s defensive backfield. Though they looked much improved from its performance against the Aggies.
As much of a statement as the Utes’ defense made, the offense made a bigger one. Again, the Wildcats were pretty awful, but Utah looked like a team that can survive in the Pac-12 this season.
Such was a bit uncertain after the season opener last week against Utah State, but Dennis Erickson’s crew looked good Saturday. Not only did the Utes put up 70 points, but multiple players had nice outings.
First, in only two quarters of play, Travis Wilson looked outstanding. Only five of his 19 pass attempts were incomplete, and three of those were because the intended receiver dropped the ball. In addition, Wilson reminded viewers that he can also get the job done with his feet, as he tallied 93 yards rushing in the first half. That included touchdown runs of 51 and 38 yards.
In two games, Wilson has shown some nice poise, an attribute that will be crucial for Utah’s success as the season progresses. His dual threat ability will also go a long way in helping the Utes put points on the scoreboard against more sound defenses than the Wildcats’.
Next, Dres Anderson finally woke up from a slumber that has stretched back to early last season. In the absence of Kenneth Scott, Anderson finished with 103 yards. It helped that Wilson got him the ball, but Anderson also made some good plays after the catch. That playmaking ability is something Utah lacked a season ago, and it’s what will turn their offense from good to potent.
Lastly, James Poole continued to make his case for being Utah’s feature back. The sophomore provided more versatility than starter Kelvin York, who finished with just 28 yards on four carries. Poole posted 44 yards on just three carries.
No, the Utes weren’t challenged at all on Saturday, so only a measured amount of stock should be put into their dominating performance. But just like the season opener, there’s reason to think Utah will be able to compete in conference play. We’ll find out for sure this Saturday.