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Team Lacks ‘Firepower’
by Jared Walch
Last year the Utes had arguably their most talented team since joining the conference, yet they fell short of winning the division all by themselves. Unfortunate injuries and an end of season collapse doomed the Utes’ chances of claiming the outright title.
Senior stars Devontae Booker and Travis Wilson helped the team start off strong– the Utes won their first six games, and they were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation.
The Utes, however, are missing their three best players from last season, as well as a group of their best defenders. Not to say that this Ute team isn’t talented, but it takes time for new players to come in and learn their positions, the plays and the schemes from their coaches.
Starting a season with a couple of wins looks great on paper, but let’s take a closer look at those two games. The offensive line struggled against SUU, and while Utah never seemed to lose control of that game, they didn’t seem to have total control either. Against BYU, the Utes appeared to lose control several times, with six turnovers and nine penalties. Perhaps it was luck that helped the Utes escape an upset.
The question is: How long will that luck last? The Pac-12 isn’t as forgiving as Utah’s first two opponents.
This isn’t to say that Utah doesn’t have a talented team or a great coach, because they do. Head coach Kyle Whittingham is the Rick Carlisle of the Pac-12, meaning that he never has the best or most talented teams in the nation, but he consistently beats more talented teams because of his great coaching.
But if these first two games of the season have taught us anything, it’s that Utah has some serious problems to fix. Playing against two lesser opponents, the Utes had a solid win that should have been a blowout, and a last second victory in a game they almost lost because of turnovers and penalties. You can’t have six turnovers against USC or Arizona State. UCLA is another strong team in the south that Utah has to overcome.
This year’s team isn’t bad by any stretch, but it simply lacks the firepower it had last season. Troy Williams looks impressive so far, but there is a big difference in playing football against two lesser teams and playing in the big leagues of the Pac-12. He has yet to face a defense that will be truly challenging. Without the offensive brilliance of Booker and Britain Covey, the Utes will need to have other players step up and replace that production.
Sometimes, the unfortunate reality is that when you take one step forward, you end up taking two steps back. There’s nothing wrong with that, though, as sometimes you need to take those two steps back in order to progress. If the Utes can get people to step up, and if they fix their mistakes, there’s no doubt they can have success this year and probably take the title next season.
But teams need time to gel, and it is no different for this team. If the Utes had last year’s team back for this season, I wouldn’t dare bet against them winning the south. But this is a new team and a new year with new challenges. I don’t think Utah is far off from reaching the mountaintop, but I don’t think this is the season in which they do.
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Utes Heading for Successful Season
by Blake Marshall
The Utes will win the Pac-12 South. There, I said it. There is a lot of gloom and doom talk on the hill after the first two weeks of the season because of a lackluster offense against an FCS team in Southern Utah and turnovers against BYU. What people don’t want to talk about is the fact that the Southern Utah game was a shutout, and besides Taysom Hill being himself BYU would have only accounted for three points. With USC coming to town on Sept. 23 to kick off Pac-12 play, the Utes have time to fix what needs to be fixed. There are plenty of reasons to believe that Utah can win the South division and compete for a Pac-12 title:
In 2014, it was Sack Lake City. In 2015, it was take away after take away. Utah’s defense has always been strong. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has an eye for defensive talent, and he has a proven track record of sending defensive players, particularly defensive lineman, to the NFL. So far, in the Utes’ first two games, the defense has racked up five sacks resulting in 32 yards lost by opposing offenses and four interceptions, including the pick-six to begin the game against the TDS.
The linebacking corps was thought to be a weakness going into this season, but as Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Sunia Tauteoli proved, coach Morgan Scalley does not intend for there to be any drop off on that side of the ball. They are big, fast and physical.
Going into this season, it was assumed that this would be Joe Williams’ break out year but after announcing his retirement last week, the Utes will have to rely on other backs to carry the load. That includes Troy McCormick, who rushed for 117 yards on 22 carries in the first two games this season. McCormick is listed at 5-feet-9-inches and 178 lbs on the roster, but he plays a lot bigger than he actually is. He is not afraid of being physical, but he can also be the slasher who jukes defenders out of their cleats.
More surprising than Joe Williams’ reitrement? The emergence of Zack Moss. Moss did not get any touches in game one against SUU and only 12 touches against the Cougars, yet he was the third leading rusher on the team following the BYU game. I know that there is no replacing the sainted Devonte Booker, but these backs are out to make their own name.
It seems like forever since Tim Patrick has stepped on the field, but the senior is showing that he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to catching the ball. Touchdown Tim was averaging 20.5 yards a catch and had three touchdowns in the first two games this year. He was averaging 82 receiving yards a game, and had a catch for 57 yards. Not bad for a team who doesn’t throw the ball.
Between the always strong defense, and offensive weapons taking shape, the Utes can only go up from here. Add in the fact that Arizona, a particular thorn in the Utes’ side, struggled offensively against BYU and nearly lost to Grambling State, and USC’s total beating at the hands of the mighty Crimson Tide, the South is wide open. Time will tell, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see Utah vs Stanford on Dec. 2 at Levi’s Stadium.
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