Travis Wilson — A+
What a difference a season makes. After showing signs that he can be a great quarterback with each passing year, the senior Wilson is finally putting together a season for Ute fans to remember. Wilson finished the game 18-for-30 for 227 yards and four touchdowns through the air to go with his 100 yards rushing on six carries and a touchdown. He was making the right reads at the right times and dropping dimes, and Wilson was a big reason why the Utes left Eugene with a win.
Devontae Booker — B+
It’s not that Booker didn’t deserve an A — he played a great game, and though he didn’t crack the century mark in rushing yards (he finished the game with 98), he certainly aided Utah in the win. Because Booker is so talented out of the backfield, opposing teams zero-in on the tailback to try to make Wilson and company beat them through the air. While it didn’t work out for Oregon, who has allowed 28-plus points in every game this season, on Saturday the Utes benefited from the Ducks shadowing Booker the entire day. His presence alone forces defenders to react and with how his offense looked on Saturday, it won’t be long before Booker has his breakout game of 2015.
Defense — A-
The only reason the defense, who looked its best all season on Saturday, isn’t getting an A-plus is because there were 400 yards of offense by the Ducks. Given, Oregon is typically a team of high-powered offenses, and holding it to just 400 yards can nearly be considered a victory in itself. There were times when the secondary looked a bit lost, however, or when the front seven couldn’t stop the big, physical backs of Oregon, which is easier said than done. But all in all, this unit may be the strongest on the team and continues to improve weekly.
Special teams — A+
Has there ever been a special teams unit as exciting as the one Utah has right now? We thought last year was good. The defending Ray Guy Award winner Tom Hackett has glue on his hands and apparently some speed too, Britain Covey is running fake punt returns (or actual ones) like a seasoned veteran and Andy Phillips is back to keeping the football in between the uprights. Utah may have been able to win the game on Saturday without these big plays, but with how much talent lies within this special teams, the Utes hold an advantage over pretty much every team they will go up against in this category.
@GriffDoug