Playing BYU-Provo on thanksgiving weekend

[ALUF]

What are the chances this happens and why do we win or lose the game?

[uteman12]

I think the Utes would win this one, and I think it’s close. However, there are too many unanswered questions on offense due to the fact that we haven’t played a game in 2020.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

I couldn’t help but notice that there’s been a swift outbreak of Covid in Arizona, and Ariz plays at UCLA that very same weekend.  If that game gets cancelled, Utah is more likely to want to reschedule the UCLA game than the ybU-p game.  And seeing as how UCLA and Cal had already set a precedence for scheduling another “Pac-12” game — even one that hadn’t been previously scheduled — rather than an OOC game, I gotta think that the probability for the Utah-ybU game would be pretty low.

But if it DOES get played, Utah wins.  Per usual.  And as per usual, the zoobs will blame the “Pac-12 refs” for the loss — even if they were Big XII refs anyway.  Same story, different chapter.

[dystopiamembrane]

Please, no.

[ALUF]

I hope it doesn’t happen either, I’ve seen a growing number of articles about it and the comments generally are pretty optimistic of it happening. However I agree that we would reschedule UCLA or another north team that got canceled on as well

[Tony (admin)]

Our priority is (or should be) conference games. 

[Utah]

Utah would roll BYU. 

[Jay]

I’m not gonna say we would lose, because KWitt owns BYU, but let’s be honest, that would be one of our first games, and that would be their 9-10th game of the season. Also, their two strengths on offense are most likely our two weaknesses on defense this season, pass rush and pass defending. We’re returning one starter on the DLine (Tafua) and he has a measly 5 sacks in two full seasons of starting. Our db’s are young and none have seen any action. They would have a major advantage for the first time in years.

[Crazyforu]

Let’s also be honest. We have literally no idea what this years team looks like. Could be massive changes in scheme, not to mention losing a ton of NFL guys on defense, having a more mature O-line, losing all-timers at QB and RB. Utah might be really damn good, or might be really damn sucky. 

In some ways, Utah playing the Y with only a game or 2 under their belt could be an advantage. 1, the Y will have limited film on Utah. 2, the Y isn’t used the the physicality of a team like Utah this year. Not saying Utah is going to walk in and turn it into an instant street-fight, there is a massive difference between who they have played, and a team like Utah though. Not saying that as a homer, has been mention many times by other coaches that Utah is the most physical team in the PAC. 

 

I hope we get to find out something on Saturday, USC is always a great matchup for the Utes.

[Utah]

Oh man. Don’t do our DL dirty like that. Let’s talk about our DL. Viane Moala is a NFL DT. He is the next plug and play DT. He is by far the best DT on the field in a BYU vs Utah game. And the Pututau’s are both solid at worst. As far as DE goes, we are very, very good there. Not last year good, but two years ago good. 

You bag on Tafua’s sacks, but that wasn’t his job. This is what happens at Utah. We have the star DE role. This goes to our best player. Then we have the dirty work DE. This goes to our young guy. 

Our DE’s start out in the dirty role with less responsibility but less chances to make plays. Then they move into the making plays DE role. Tafua will do that this fall. He will move sides on the DL and he will be a star. He will do what Anae, Fitts, Pita T, Orchard, etc have all done. And Maxs is a solid at worst DE on the other side. Plus we have a ton of raw talent in Carlton and Fillinger and we have experience in Suguturaga and Kafusi. Our DL will be top 3-4 in the P-12 again. 

Lloyd is a very, very good LB and Sewell is a solid P12 starter. 

Our only question on defense is our secondary. Our front 6 are not last year good, but as good as any other year in the P12. 

And we have more talent in our back 5 than we have ever had. We just don’t have experience. And against a team like BYU, talent will win out, because they just don’t have much talent in their receivers. You can line up inexperienced but uber talented guys vs their guys and say “cover them” because our guys are just better. Faster, stronger, quicker. And when Wilson gets pressured, he will toss it up to his guys and we will make plays on those weak floating passes he makes. 

[Jay]

I would love for you to be right, but you’re banking on a lot of inexperience, these guys need time to develop. As for Sewell, I would go watch what he did against Oregon last year, hopefully he has changed, but he played like what he is, a 2* transfer from Nevada. I like our inside guys Moala and Pututau, but our interior lineman traditionally are run stoppers, not pass rushers. Maybe you’re right about tafua, but he has not been impressive yet. I like what we’ve seen from Tupai, but there’s something going on behind the scenes there. And kafusi isn’t going to play much, he didn’t even make the 2 deep, he couldn’t cut it at BYU, why would he make it here? I would love for you to be 100% right, and I’m mostly playing Devils advocate, but BYU would have their best chance at beating us they’ve had this year if we were to play.

[Utah]

I’m not banking on inexperience. Moala is very experienced. So are the Pututua’s. So is Max Tupai and Tafua and Kaufusi. Lloyd and Sewell are experienced as anyone. 

Our secondary is experienced, but Huber isn’t. He has experience, he’s a JR and has played a lot. Davis is a SR and has played a lot. They haven’t started, but all those players have started. Our CB’s are very inexperienced but more talent than we have ever had. And if Ritchie starts, he will have talent as well. 

But our front 6? They are as solid and experienced as any Utah defense not named 2019. 

[Jay]

I agree Moala and Pututau are experienced and very good, but once again they are not pass rushers. Tafua has not yet shown he can continually pass rush and get pressure, although I’m not saying he can’t. You have a loose definition of what experience is, because Vonte Davis and Sewell both have about one game experience with the first team, and both looked absolutely terrible. Sewell missed crucial gaps and tackles against Oregon, and Vonte Davis got smoked twice against Northern Illinois. They have to step it up to be solid starters. Also, Hubert is unlikely to play this year as they do not want to rush him back from injury. Our secondary needs more time to develop, but they are extremely talented. I admit I’m too focused on comparing this years defense to last years defense, which was an amazing unit of NFL talent. This years defense is more comparable to defenses of pre-2018, who were still very good units as we have a great coaching staff that will get the players ready. But our two weaknesses on defense early on will likely be getting to the Quarterback, and pass defense, which is BYU’s strengths. But still, we would likely add another W to the streak.

[Central Coast Ute]

The problem here is you’re saying Utah is completely inexperienced. That’s only true in the secondary. The front 6 have a ton of game play experience and they all played well. Sewell being the only exception. He’s played games, just at a different position.

[Utah]

And even Sewell has three years of starting experience. 

[UteThunder]

Unless we have at least 3 games under our belt by then and/or they have some devastating injuries, we will likely lose to them. Yes, they are beating up on a bunch of garbage teams, but they are running like a well-oiled machine while we will most likely be working out the kinks with a bunch of new starters on defense and new key players on offense. Teams need time to gel. They’ve had plenty of that, while we haven’t even gotten out of the starting blocks yet.

[Utah]

Nah, we would roll them. I just watched a 16 min highlight reel of Zach Wilson. He is the same guy he was last year. He hasn’t made any throws under pressure, he throws balls up for grabs deep and lets his receivers go get them. 

The difference between last year and this year is Wilson thinks he is great now. And that he is somehow proven. He’d toss 3+ interceptions vs us and we’d roll them. We have so much more talent than they do. Our offense would put up 40. Could they do the same? Could they keep up? 

I doubt it. 

We’d roll them this year. And it would be glorious. Let them be a well oiled machine and let them get hit by a team like us. They haven’t faced anyone with half the talent we have. They haven’t faced a Mika Tafua or Max Tupai or Devin Lloyd or Hubert or Phillips III or Moala or an OL like we have. They haven’t faced a RB anywhere near as good as ours or WR’s as good as ours. They haven’t faced a TE like ours. 

We would absolutely destroy BYU this year. The only thing they have proven is that they are at worst, an average G5 team. That’s it. Hell, they aren’t even the best G5 this year. Liberty has proven a lot more than BYU has. 

[Central Coast Ute]

Thank you. Wilson is an average QB. He has benefitted from weak d lines and having a good o line. Not once has he had to make a throw under duress. Once he plays a team with talent, he’ll revert back to his old ways and throw more TD’s to the Utes than he will to his own team. His arrogance will be his undoing. He’ll think he can make throws against the Utes that he can make against his weak schedule and that will be the teams downfall.

In one way I would love for the game to be played so they can be brought back down to earth and we can quit with the ridiculous heisman talk, but on the other hand, I don’t want to legitimize them as an actual football team by playing them.

[Utah]

God I would love to play BYU this year. We. Would. Roll. Them. Why? Because of what you said:

Their arrogance. They actually think they are good. They think they have the talent to hang with anyone. And they don’t. They have the talent to beat up bad teams. But we are so much more talented than they are. Top to bottom, we are just better. 

Who do they have that would start for us? Anyone? Bueller? They have two OL that would compete to start and Tonga would compete to start and that’s it. 

Like you said, they’d come in thinking they could play like they have played vs their schedule and Wilson tries to make a deep throw right off the bat and we take it away. Then he starts forcing throws. Then he tries to run, but whoops, our DE’s and LB’s are just as fast as he is and he gets hit as the throws it away and another pick. 

We would roll them because of their arrogance. 

[Central Coast Ute]

The more I think about it, the more I want it to happen. Normally, I don’t think Utah should play the TDS, especially not on a home and home basis. 2020 has been weird for sure.

[Jay]

Would the Pac-12 even allow this?

[AlaskanUte]

While I do not want to see us play TDS, I think we might have 2 advantages. 1. Superior athletes and coaching staff 2. We would have several game films to study whrere as they have not one on our current team. Other than knocking them down in the polls, I see zero advantage in playing them

[Central Coast Ute]

Is anyone seriously talking about this?

[Utah]

No. BUT, Merton Hanks said the P12 might look into allowing an OOC game. IF enough games get cancelled I could see the P12 allowing Utah to play BYU the 26th or New Year’s Eve IF bowl games got cancelled and both Utah and BYU asked to play a final game as their “bowl” game. 

I’d say a less than 5% chance it happens. But if Utah had only played 4 games and looked good and BYU didn’t have a big bowl game to go to, it could happen. 

The more likely scenario is if Utah ended up with one loss and the tv people were looking for good games to broadcast but didn’t want BYU in a big time bowl game. So, Cincinnati gets into the NY6 games and BYU gets left out. Kind of like what ESPN did to Utah a few years ago having them play BYU in Vegas. 

I could see something like that happening again. 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Just the zoobs.  They ACTUALLY think they’d be able to beat us this year.  Silly zoobs.  Nobody else is talking about it though.  Because it just makes no sense.  Why play ybU-p if there are other Pac-12 teams who would be available to play?

[Jay]

I think we’re not giving BYU credit where credit is due, and yes I know that’s blasphemy and I’ll get downvoted to hell, but this is their best year they’ve had in awhile. And this is because of mostly 2 things: Pass blocking and play calling. Granted they haven’t played anyone, but that O-Line looks great and is the reason for their success. Zach Wilson has all the time in the world to find the open receiver. They also finally have something to play for which they haven’t had in years, and have a lot of confidence. Let’s say they played the schedule they were supposed to play before Covid struck and they lose early on to a P5 team, they would likely go on to have a Meh season, despite having the same players. They’ve built up confidence and experience playing the bottom dwellers of College football, but it has benefited them.

[Utah]

BYU is me playing against my 13 year old and his friends in basketball. I’m six inches taller and 50lbs heavier. I dominate those little s**ts. But put me on a court with the high school basketball team? I’d hold my own, but they would destroy me.

Utah is the high school basketball team, BYU is me and their schedule is my 13 year old and his friends. 

[utefansince79]

Utah playing on Thankgiving weekend (after playing at most one game presuming the USC game takes place) against any opponent with 8 games under their belt would be at a significant disadvantage.  No thanks.

 

 

[Utah]

Not against a mediocre G5 team who would come into the game thinking they will roll Utah by 3 TD’s. 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

You’re mistaken Jay.  Utah fans ARE giving ybU-p the credit that they’re due, and HAVE been for several weeks now!  But is the “credit they’re due” amount to “credit for being a Top-10 team with a Heisman candidate“?

Nope.  The credit THEY’RE due is credit for being the same team they’ve always been:  an above average midmajor who likes to pad their stats by running up big numbers vs. embarrassingly weak SOS.  Just look at the year they went to the Potato Bowl.  That was Zach’s freshman year.  How is his performance now any different than his performance then?  He played weak SOS vs. a team who doesn’t play Defense, and threw for a bunch of TDs.  

Tanner Mangum used to like to throw it up to his 6-6 WRs, but when he ran out of 6-6 WRs, he tanked.  

Jake Heaps THROTTLED…..UTEP.  Idaho and NM St were NO MATCH for Riley Nelson.  And Zach Wilson WILL skunk Northern Alabama.  But NO cougar QB — not even Taysom Hill — had the talent, the scheme, nor the coaching, to beat Utah.

So yeah…we ARE giving them the credit they’re DUE.  We’re just not giving them the credit that they AREN’T due!  Truth. 

[OldAsDirtUte]

Just say No.

[Ghost of the HEB]

BYU will have played 9 games this season by nov 28. Utah will have played, IF we play this weekend,1 game. That is a huge advantage for them — especially when you consider everything Utah is replacing.

Utah is much better than any team they’ve played, but there are a ton of kinks that will need to be worked out for Utah. Trying to work those out versus a team that has 9 games under their belt and it rolling is a tough ask.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

The zoobs will need just about any edge they can get.  But it wouldn’t be enough.  They’re way too WACish and midmajory to beat us.  Had you not seen any of our games from the previous decade?  They have neither the scheme, the coaching, nor the athletes to beat us.  They’ve lost every game over the past decade, and while our recruiting had vastly improved over that span, theirs had gone the other way.  Utah scrimmages against way better teams than anyone they’d faced this year.

#NotWorried

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