OK I watched the first half of the game on PAC 12 Football in 60 last night while grilling some ribeye steaks and waiting for the wife to get home. Oh boy!
Up until the first INT, the momentum was clearly going Utah’s way. They were up 14-7 and had the chance to put their foot on USC’s throat by going up 21-7. Then TW’s disastrous decision making in the face of pressure kicked in. Honestly, TW just appeared afraid to get hit. There was a play just before the Pick 6 where TW rolled to his left, briefly considered cutting up field (where he would have got the needed 2 yards and then crushed), but he hastily threw an awkward 5 yard lateral pass on the run to Covey at the sideline who had two defenders on him. The pass sailed over Covey’s head, but TW was clearly trying to complete it. Even if the pass was completed, there was nothing to be gained. I saw this at the game and thought “the wheels are coming off right now.” Sadly, I was right.
Well, we only have 5 Conference games and a Bowl Game left in the TW era. Hopefully, they can right this ship and get this under control
On another subject, there has been talk that opponents have figured out how defend Hackett on his rugby style punts. USC just put three guys over to his right and smashed him because he was outside the tackle box. I’m not so concerned because Hackett can and does punt straight on, so he can adjust. It also creates the opportunity to burn such a defense with a fake along the lines of the Covey fake on the Booby Hobbs punt return against Oregon. Hackett just sucks the defense to one side, then dumps a lateral pass to a speedster on the other side of the field. Only issue is preventing illegal receivers from going down field while executing this.
Utah @ 
Baylor .
