Devontae Booker — A
Despite rushing for over 100 yards against Utah State, this felt like Booker’s first real breakout performance of 2015. What he did to Fresno State all night long was what Ute fans were expecting to see this season — spinning out of tackles, fighting for yardage and speeding past defenders for touchdowns. He finished the night with 156 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and also had 56 yards through the air (he led the team in both categories). I’m not quite sure Booker has reached the Heisman hype that Utah football has built around him yet, but he’s finally showing just how dangerous he can be for the Utes.
Kendal Thompson — B-
I know, I know. If you look at his stat line, he probably deserves a higher grade. Thompson finished Saturday night’s game 19-for-25, throwing the ball for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also spread the ball out to eight different receivers, and kept the Bulldog defense on its toes with his sneaky run game. But there were too many times in this game where I thought Thompson made a bad read in the option or a bad throw into the secondary (that interception was terrible). Look, he managed the game and got the job done, and for that, he deserves an A+. But the difference between when I watch Thompson play and when I watch Travis WIlson is like night and day, and Ute fans should look forward to having the San Clemente native back next week vs. Oregon.
Special teams — A+
This section is usually filled with love for punter Tom Hackett (who actually had a nice night punting the ball and deserves a high grade himself) and kicker Andy Phillips, but this time, it’s dedicated to the returners. Though the game was never out of hand for Utah, Fresno State did gain a little momentum after scoring a touchdown to cut Utah’s lead to two touchdowns in the third quarter. But thanks to return men Cory Butler-Byrd and Britain Covey, that’s as close as it got. Butler-Byrd took the ensuing kickoff after a Bulldog touchdown 98 yards for a touchdown himself, barrelling through Fresno State defenders on his way. Meanwhile, on the very next possession, Covey took a punt and used his quickness and agility to run past everyone on a 77-yard punt return for a TD. Couldn’t ask for a much better return game if you’re head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Defense — B
This one was tough for me. For much of the game, the defense looked stout, stuffing the Fresno State run game and even returning a fumble for a touchdown early on. But just like they have in their previous games this year, the Utes struggled against the pass, especially late. After an injury to Bulldog starting quarterback Chason Virgil late in the game, backup quarterback Zack Greenlee came in for relief. The Utes had done a good job against Virgil, holding him to an underwhelming 44 percent completion rate. But when Greenlee came in, Utah seemed to think the game was over and suddenly forgot how to defend the pass. Greenlee went 6-for-10 for 144 yards in his limited action, with half of those completions going for touchdowns. I don’t know what they have to do, but it’s clear that the Utes need to work on the secondary with Oregon looming, as it seems to be lagging behind all the other units.
@GriffDoug