Receiving unit — D
When leading receiver Dres Anderson was announced out for the rest of the season, this unit took a big hit. Not only was Anderson the speedster of the group, he was also the leader. There was a lot of debate about whether the remaining receivers could carry the load without their star, and I think the debate was finally put to rest on Saturday night in Tempe. None of the receivers could shake loose from the Sun Devil secondary as the Utes could only muster up 57 yards through the air. While some of the blame could be put on other areas for that performance, the receivers need to own up to their share of the blame, figure out what is going wrong and fix it.
Devontae Booker — A-
Once again, Booker proved to be the workhorse of the offense as he registered 37 carries for 146 yards and a receiving touchdown. While his yards per carry mark was lower than his average on the season, this game saw more carries by Booker than any other game. On top of that, with the passing game performing terribly, it was up to Booker and the run game to carry this offense to victory. And he nearly did. The running back did have a rough start to the game, however, as it seemed like the ASU defense had him figured out. But it was just a matter of time before Booker found his feet and recorded his fifth consecutive game of 100-plus rushing yards.
Travis Wilson — C+
Let’s get this straight. By no means did Utah quarterback Travis Wilson play a good game. There were a few moments throughout the game that I thought the coaching staff should have considered putting Kendal Thompson in the game, since there were plays better suited for the dual-threat quarterback. All that said, how many chances did Wilson actually get to prove himself this game? Not only were the receivers not getting open on most of the plays, but head coach Kyle Whittingham hardly gave the junior signal caller any chances. Wilson finished with 2.6 yards per attempt and 12 completions, with the longest one being a 13-yard pass to Tim Patrick. Wilson was never given the opportunity to showcase his arm, which is really the only reason he is in there over Thompson, right?
Andy Phillips — B-
It’s hard to give this guy a tough grade. Up until Utah’s final possession of Saturday night’s game, “Automatic Andy” seemed to be just that — automatic. Any time the Utes needed a clutch field goal, Phillips stepped up to the plate and punched it through the uprights. With the game in overtime, there was no reason to believe Phillips wouldn’t hit a 35-yard field goal that would have put Utah up by three points. After missing the practice field goal, thanks to a Whittingham timeout with the play clock winding down, Phillips sent his second attempt at the distance to the left. In the end, the Lou Groza award candidate finished the night 3-for-4, including a 50-yarder that had some extra leg on it. Phillips missed those last two kicks, hence the lower grade, but make no mistake — this guy is a clutch and accurate kicker.
 
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