GREAT win, but not dearth of negatives

[rbmw263]

We definitely gave our defense the, “very good” label too soon after looking good against 3 terrible offenses. We may have even given them the “good” label too soon. That side of the ball has a LOT to prove going forward. Secondary got smoked, LBs were putrid, and the  D line got obliterated by a bad o line.

 

It would be too perfect if we finally had something of an offense and our defense went to s#*t……

[Anonymous]

Utah fans just need to bitch.  Defense was overmatched in the trenches this game but still only allowed USC to get their average ppg. They forced turnovers they made plays when it mattered. Hell they were even screwed over on a turnover from that Chase Hansen hit. They forced a fg on a fourth and three.  I am not worried as USC was due and the defense did perform admirably.  They only allowed 20 points. Whitt described kickoff coverage as abysmal. Defense just needs some film time and will correct some problems.

[rbmw263]

they ran all over us dude…. Cant rely on TOs. Cant count on them coming consistently. You need to play good defense and that defense I saw yesterday is going to get manhandled in this conference. They would be the first to tell you they need to be better.

[ironman1315]

But, let’s be honest, this is probably one of the few teams to be physically superior to our D-line.

[KiYi-Ute]

The USC O Line is actually one of the better lines in the country, and likely the best O Line we will face all season. That being said, the D Line did look weaker than expected last night. Losing Lotuleilei at half time was huge. I really hope he’s going to be back this year, otherwise our hyped up D Line could start looking pretty bad.

Ironic that we could really use Stevie right about now…

[rbmw263]

USC fans would have told you pregame that they were more worried about the Oline more than any pos group outside of the DL. Really worried about our once incredible line that has now lost 3 key players.

[ironman1315]

A lot of USC fans also discount line play and focus on the flash. Utah fans are a different breed, because as a whole, I think that we have better knowledge or understanding of line play.

[rbmw263]

did you see what Alabamas D line did to them?

[ironman1315]

Yeah, but then again, while we have a great D-line Alabama is in a class all by itself.

Besides that, we had to make mid-game adjustments to losing Lowell. Further, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the LBs were terrible at being gap sound.

[89ute]

Who’s the 3rd? Fitts, Lowell and who else? Or are you counting the transfer of Stevie T?

[rbmw263]

yes

[Torg]

Their O-line was very impressive. Our d-line is still quite good even with injuries.
It’s not reasonable to expect our d-line to dominate every game. They’ve been a huge plus for us in each of our 4 games this year. There were some big holes that USC was able to create, but overall they did a good job when we needed them most down the stretch.

[ironman1315]

Most of the big gains were in the LBs they just whiffed on the holes and got caught in the scrum way too often.

[rbmw263]

Yes. The LBs were probably the worst. Athleticism edge was HUGE here.

[RedRocks]

I think the offensive line may be USC’s best position group.  Combine that with a lackluster outing for the Utah linebackers and you may be able to explain the big running plays. A win is a win: hopefully we will see a return to form for our defensive line next week.

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