With no future meetings scheduled currently, Utah’s 24-14 win over Utah State on Friday night may have been the last time the two square off for quite some time, if not forever. There was plenty of emotion out there on the field between the squads, and the close score surprised no one, especially if you understand the rich history these two teams have.
Some players stepped up in the spotlight, while others are still trying to work out some early-season jitters. The following are the grades The Daily Utah Chronicle handed out after the Utes took the Aggies to school in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Devontae Booker — B+
It’s hard to give Booker a bad grade, so I won’t. He is the no. 1 focus of every defense, and most opposing coaches’ gameplan is to stop the Utah run game, a.k.a. Booker. So despite just 3.9 yards per carry, Booker receives a B+ for cracking the 100-yard plateau with 120 yards and a touchdown on the ground. We all know Booker is capable of much more, and it’s only a matter of time until he has that Heisman-worthy game, but for now, Booker remains the workhorse that drive this Utah offense.
Britain Covey — A
I mean, what else is there to say about this guy? After taking over every media outlet for the last month or so, Covey continues to impress Utah fans every time he steps on the field. For the second straight week, the true freshman led the Utes in receiving with 61 yards on six catches, including a few more dazzling moves and jukes that left defenders’ ankles on the turf. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Covey even took a shot right to the helmet from a Utah State safety, but he still managed to remain productive. Covey may be the most exciting player on the entire roster as a true, undersized freshman.
Defense — C+
The defense is a mixed bag. On one hand, the Utes have a pretty stout front seven (despite only registering one sack through two games. Come on, “SACK Lake City”) that is great against the run, but on the other hand, the secondary is weak. Utah did come away with two interceptions on the night, but the Ute secondary gave up 256 passing yards and had some blown coverages that allowed for some wide open USU receivers to make plays. Whittingham even submitted the recently-reinstated Dominique Hatfield into the secondary to help improve the unit after giving up big chunks of yardage. Not terrible, but the secondary clearly needs to work to catch up to the production of the front seven.
@GriffDoug