RB/running is the key to a Whitt team, so why so much NIL for QBs?

[UTE98]

One of my biggest frustrations this year is Whitt forgot what gets his desired results.

TOP – need a great running game.
Tire out the opposing defense – need a good running game.
Long sustained drives – need a good running game.
Score TDs – need a good running game.

So let’s looks at a few stats over the years.

Top running backs/yardage
2024 (Thus far)- MB 922 yards, MM 156 yards, Total rushing 1480,
2023 – JJ 797, Glover 562, Vaki 317, Barnes 265, NJ 235, Total 2373
2022 – TT 687 , MB 533 , JJ 531, Rising 465, Glover 360, Total 3047
2021 – TT 1108, Pledger 694 , Bernard 523, Rising 499, Total 3035
2020 – (COVID 5 games) Ty Jordan 597, Bentley 113, Total 970
2019 – Moss 1416, Snoop 290, Brumfield 263, Wilmore 194, DHC 188, Total 2819
2018 – Moss 1096, Shyne 512, Snoop 304, Shelley 192, TJ Green 190, Covey 172, Total 2520
2017 – Moss 1173, Snoop 573, DHC 279, Total 2132
2016 – Joe Williams 1407, Moss 382, Shyne 373, Total 2782
2015 – Booker 1261, Wilson 490, Williams 477,Total 2379
2014 – Booker 1512, Wilson 309, Poole 211 , Thompson 192, Total 2475
2013 – Poole 607, York 463, Wilson 386, Radley 284, Total 1924
2012 – White 1041, York 273, Total 1605
2011 – White 1519, Dunn 173 , Vakapuna 104, Total 1789
2010 – Wide (don’t remember him) 717, Asiata 695, Total 1988
2009 – Wide 1069, Asiata 330, Total 2084
2008 – Asiata 707, Mack 541, Total 2034
2007 – Mack 1204, Stowers 261, Total 2177
2006 – Poston 555, Casteel 264, Ratliff 256, Weddle 203, Total 1826
2005 – Ganther 1120, Johnson 478, Casteel 208, Mack 147, Total 2142

# of rushing TDs
2024 – 7 (thus far)
2023 – 19
2022 – 38
2021 – 37
2020 – 9 (in 5 games)
2019 – 34
2018 – 23
2017 – 22
2016 – 26
2015 – 24
2014 – 21
2013 – 19
2012 – 17
2011 – 16
2010 – 27
2009 – 23
2008 – 24
2007 – 20
2006 – 14
2005 – 18

I believe Whitt got allured to the shiny QB NIL money and went after the shiny object. Whitt is about the RB, to set up a game manager to win. We missed on a few RBs this year in the portal, and if we’d spent the money there, or better yet kept JJ we are playing in the Big XII championship game in spite of being on our fiftieth QB for the season.

[2008 National Champ]

Good stuff. It’s pretty hard to ignore 2019, 2021 & 2022 though which were the 3 best QB years of his tenure and also the 3 best running. So when Utah finally got complimentary football between run/pass and offense/defense, great things happened.

2008 was good but not outside the range of it’s surrounding years.

[Utah]

Whitt’s problem is he knows to win a national title, he needs a QB.

But once the QB has a bad game, he reverts back to his old school philosophy of shorten the game and try to win 3-0.

He won’t allow an offense to operate properly. He needs to admit to himself that he doesn’t really want to win a national title, he just wants to win 9+ games a year and be left alone.

Go get a rushing OC, like what Boise State has, don’t pay a QB, go get 2-3 RB’s and just make the most god awful, boring, fast football games known to man, beat every team that has equal or worse talent, pull off 1 or 2 upsets and lose to every team more talented than you.

That’s where Whitt excels.

[UTE98]

@Utah, well put. You succinctly said exactly what a Whitt coached team is. Good, but never ever going to be great. If Utah wins 8-10 games a year and makes the playoffs every four or five years is that good enough? If so go out get some quality RBs, coach up your QB, but make sure the RB room is full every year to compliment the good SR QB we’ll have every four or five years for a playoff berth. And get to 8 wins the other years.

[DataUte]

In addition to some workhorse RBs, I’d position that it’s better to pay a little less and get 3 medium/3-star backs but pay money to OL. Some systems can plug and play decent RBs with a great line rather than having to have a good line with an outstanding RB (which are in high demand and have to stay healthy).

If you build from the trenches out, get some good RBs and then add a game manager QB (a running/RPO QB would be a good fit), I think you can keep the 8-10 win with an occasional conf championship/playoff year in the running. I think that’s probably a very good and real goal for a program like Utah. There are only a small handful of schools that can keep reloading and buying the very best players and they are in the SEC and top of the B1G.

[Author]

Posts