Scalley is a stud BUT

[ProudUte]

I have one issue that has caught up with us from time to time. Scalley waits to the very last moment to call the defense and all of the players are looking to the sideline. Opposing coaches know this and try to catch us off-guard occasionally.

The play in the first half when UCLA dropped the pass at the goal line was one of those occasions. The entire D was looking to the sideline waiting for Scalley to make the call. UCLA got the play off before we were set and it almost cost us big-time. It has happened to our D numerous times. Often it is a quick running play when our guys are not set and off-balance.

I know Morgan thinks it is the best way to do things. However, if I was an opposing coach, I would come out of the huddle and immediately hike the ball. I would not do this every play, but you could get the play off while the defensive players were looking at the sideline.

Don’t get my wrong – I completely support Morgan Scalley and I hope he is our next head coach. This is just an observation on my part. Morgan has been asked about this in the past.

[SalUteopia]

Great observation, @Proud. This happened quite a bit last year too, and I think KW addressed a related question at a press conference, but I could be wrong about this. I guess it comes down to risk / reward, and looks like they’re fine with the (calculated) risk. But yes, it makes me very nervous sometimes, especially in low-scoring games.

[chinngiskhaan]

Do you really think you’ve noticed a flaw that every other coach seems to have picked up on and Scalley either doesn’t know about it, doesn’t care, or isn’t capable of fixing it?

I’m sure there is a perfectly valid reason for him calling the D the way he does. Setting up the D late in the play clock also has advantages.

As a (sometimes) rationally thinking person, I cannot believe that one of the best defensive minds in the country isn’t doing something like that understanding that there is a trade off happening that he believes is worth it.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe our fans that constantly whine about coaching decisions really know what’s best and the university is wasting millions of dollars on coaches when they could just peruse UteHub for the answers to all their problems.

[ProudUte]

I never claimed to know what is best. I specifically said that I want Scalley to be our next head coach. You are creating contention when none was intended. We as fans have the right to disagree with a coach. I would never suggest that I know better than Morgan Scalley when it comes to football. It is an observation and something many fans, announcers, and coaches have noticed.

Coach Scalley has spoken to this and he likes the control of calling the defense when he sees the alignment of the opposition. He knows there are risks in doing what he does. I am just pointing out that we have been caught unprepared on more than one occasion. Oregon, USC, and UW will use their experienced QBs to exploit this if they can.

Let me make this perfectly clear, I am not saying we should fire Morgan Scalley nor would I trade his for any other defensive coordinator in the country. I am happy that he is a Ute!!!

[Utehomer42]

Last year, my dad and I went down to Pasadena to see Utah play UCLA and the outcome was not good. DTR and Chip Kelly knew we were always looking to the sidelines so they ran tempo which killed us. I remember one instance Barton and Diabate were looking at the sideline and arguing on which formation. All of the sudden, Bobo rushes by and gets an easy touchdown. With Dante Moore, a true freshman quarterback, it isn’t as effective, but soon as we get into higher caliber quarterback play it is going to scare me.

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