Someone try and take off my rose colored goggles for 2023-24, please.

[Ute Dub]

It’s great that Cam, Kuithe, etc. are coming back but the biggest x-factor, to me, is that Jaquindon Jackson averaged 7 YPC this past season and had 9 touchdowns on only 78 carries and was transitioning to a running back late in the summer and getting to peak form later in the season. Good hell, this could be a fun year running the ball, especially through USC’s soft defense. I think the O-line will be solid, losing Daniels and Maile, right? Did Maile get pushed out? That one I can’t figure out…starting center on a conference championship team bails? Anyway, I hope Jackson runs for 1,500 yards. He could be the best player on the field, every game!

And this is what p**sed me off about the Rose Bowl is that he averaged 6.2 YPC and we decided to run a reverse and try to throw back to the QB. Damn it! The end!

[Utah]

I think people are sleeping on Jackson. Tavion Thomas and Joe Williams were in a class of their own, when talking Utah RB’s. Then Zach Moss and Booker were the next level down. 

Jackson has the ability to be better than Thomas and Williams. He is big like Thomas and fast like Joe. 

And, like you said, he was a QB playing RB last year. He will add muscle to parts of his body and take muscle away from other parts. He will have bigger, thicker shoulders next year and be quicker. His shoulder pads will be RB pads and not QB pads. 

And our OL will be better. People talk about being worried about traveling to Baylor. Defense and the run game travels. And our defense will be better Damuni than with Diabete. And Logan Fano was looking like a star at BYU before getting hurt. He should be able to keep up Gabe Reid’s level of play. And Van Filinger will be back. And Barton will be better, etc. 

Our front 7 will be as good as anyone’s. Our defense will be NASTY. 

And our run game will be top notch. 

Damuni and Jackson will take our breath away next year. We will be shocked at how great they are. 

[ReconUte]

What’s with all this Tavion Thomas and Joe Williams were Utahs best running backs and are in “a class of their own.” 
I think Eddie Johnson, Devontae Booker, Zack Moss and Mike Anderson would like a word with y’all! 

[2008 National Champ]

Add John White IV to the list. Anyone who can get 1500 yards while the defense is ignoring Jon Hayes moves up the list in a hurry.

[The Miami Ute]

And don’t forget about Quinton Ganther…I have a soft spot for him because he was at the U at the same time I was. Best memory is having a front row seat to seeing him and Brett Ratliff destroy Georgia Tech in the 2005 Emerald Bowl.

[Dallas]

The wolf man!!!

Love his lady truck driver t-shirt wolf tattoo.

[Yergensen]

Tavion Thomas and Joe Williams top tier Utah RB? 

[Utah]

Just pure talent and ability? Yeah. I get it if someone likes Booker or Moss or Anderson or Johnson better. I understand. 

But Joe and Thomas are just physical specimens. It’s too bad both had their off the field issues. 

Jackson is a five star talent. Coming out of high school, his projection was a first round LB or RB. He’s not as fast as Joe, but close. He’s not as big as Thomas, but close. He is by far the most physically gifted RB we’ve ever had. All of our RB’s go to the NFL and do ok. Jackson could be a first round pick. 

And I made a huge omission as well. Ty Jordan is in that camp as well. 

By the end of next year, Jackson could be the best RB we’ve ever had and not have anyone argue otherwise. 

[prestitute]

Ummm, Jamal Anderson and Mike Anderson were definitely better in college and after. You are being too dismissive of Moss and Booker, too, IMO. They were all better than TT and Joe Williams. Those guys were both gifted, but not on the same level. Jam was one of the best PRO RB’s in modern times. 

[The Miami Ute]

Plus he’s the originator of the “Dirty Bird.”

[Rick]

JJ isn’t even remotely close to Joe’s speed.  Not sure what JJ you are looking at here.  Also, Tavion and Joe are not near the level of running back that Zach, Eddie and Booker were at.  Are you sniffing glue or something?  I love all of these backs but Zach and Booker play in the NFL for a reason.

[Utah]

Joe Williams was drafted in the third round knowing that he would never pan out but SF took him anyways in hopes that he would due to his physical traits. He had issues, but man oh man, do you not remember watching him play when he was locked in? 

Joe unretired the seventh game of the season. He promptly put up 179 yards vs Oregon State. The next week he dropped 332 yards vs UCLA. He then put up 172 yards vs Washington. Then 181 yards vs Arizona State. 149 yards vs Oregon. His worst game of the year was vs Colorado and he still put up 97 yards. And for the bowl game, he ran for 222 yards. 

Dude stepped onto the field after retiring and ran for 1400+ yards in 7 games. He averaged 190 yards a game. 

I love Zach and Booker and Johnson, but they couldn’t do that. Joe Williams was special. 

[Utah]

And Tavion Thomas? He had 12 carries for 107 yards and 2 TD’s vs Weber State. He didn’t play much until USC, where he put up 113 yards and 1 TD averaging 7+ yards a carry. He became our bell cow vs UCLA and ran for 160 yards and 4 TD’s. The next week was 177 yards and 4 TD’s. The next game was vs Oregon and had just under 100 yards and 3 TD’s. Colorado had 142 yards and a TD. He had more than 15 carries in 9 games and still put up 21 TD’s. 

Physically, Thomas is just on another level. 

Eddie Johnson scored 26 TD’s in his entire career. And vs WAC teams. Tavion did 21 in one season vs the PAC-12. Booker scored 21 TD’s in two years. Moss’ highest TD total for a season was 15. 

There is a reason why Whitt was so excited when we got him and compared him to Derrick Henry. Like I said, if you’d rather have Moss or Booker or Johnson, I get it. I understand. But physically, Thomas and Williams were just different. On another level and their play showed that. They did stuff no one else has ever done at Utah. 

 

[Jake]

Despite being much smaller Moss was a much more physical runner than Tavion was, and was faster. Tavion runs like a lineman. Tavion short yardage vision got him his touchdowns, but he vastly underutilized his frame

[EagleMountainUte]

I am really high on JJ as well. He managed to make adjustments and learn midway through the season after he was essentially the QB3 with a few packages.
The way he was using his pads against Stanford was the best we have seen since Ty Jordan.
I am not saying he was Ty Jordan. But JJ has just looked the best with his skill set yet he is big. Once he gets to the linebackers even PSU guys couldn’t take him down.

It will interesting to see Rising with a better run attack.

[concerned]

interesting that neither this thread or the one just below it mention Glover at all.  He was named the starter at the beginning of the season last August.  Over time he sort of disappeared.  Are we writing him off for next year or will there be substantial year to year improvement? 

[concerned]

can glover play the 3rd down receiver role that Micah played?

[Rick]

I think Glover will be a strong changeup for us. Running through contact was my biggest frustration watching him play. I’m sure that gets better with practice and reps. I hope Curry returns from injury as well. He would give us another short-yardage back (Jackson being the other).

[Rick]

A full year in the weight room will help Glover immensely.  He will not be so easy to bring down next year and will provide a nice change up to JJ.

[chinngiskhaan]

Yeah. I was surprised with how easily he went down. If anyone hit him at all he was going down immediately. It was strange. He had good vision, and created room to run if he could just break through a weak arm tackle. He never really did though. Fortunately, that seems to be the most fixable issue related to running back effectiveness. Moss wasn’t always great at that when he first started either.

[Utah]

Glover’s problem was he was a freshman. And Freshman just aren’t as strong. I could easily see Glover becoming the #2 back, doing what Jackson did this year. He shows flashes. He hit the right holes, he did the right things. He just got arm tackled too much. Give him another year and those 2-3 yard runs will become 5-9 yard runs and then he will really take off. 

[Ute Dub]

He got injured, right? I think he’s good but 7 YPC is better.

[GameForAnyFuss]

I’ll take them off for you.

Remember how that secondary looked against Penn St.? That’s how it’s likely to look next year without CPIII.

[Utah]

Nah. Scalley dropped the ball. You don’t get blown out like that unless there was a scheme issue. That will be cleaned up. Isbell, Vaki, Bishop, Ritchie…they won’t make the mistakes that Hubert made. And Vaughn will be a JR and take over Phillips’ spot. He will be an absolute stud. Not Phillips good, but pretty darn close. 

[Dallas]

They’ll make mistakes of their own.

[Whitty]

Not true, because we won’t have Hubert. He single handedly gave up 2 massive TDs in that game, in addition to several other key plays (no disrespect, just the facts). I don’t expect a Bishop/Ritchie duo to make the same mistakes.

[Trailgoat]

The blown coverages were evident in the USC game. Vaki and Hubert when matched on a coverage side did not communicate well. CPIII literally locking down a third of the secondary, not having him at the RB exposed the Utah safetys having to cover more turf. The lack of pass rush didn’t help, especially in the 2nd half. 

 

[Redblood]

Look at the road schedule, then go look
at how we have done against good teams on the road and the glasses will come off. Give me USC’s schedule and I’m with you. Have a few rough home games as well.

[Author]

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