What to expect this Saturday night?

[ProudUte]

I honestly don’t know what to expect.  We were led to believe that this was one of Utah’s best football teams ever.  I admit that I drank the Koolaid.  Like most Ute fans, I have been disappointed in our offensive line.  We did not see a great team last Saturday night.  But, are they better than they showed?  Was it just a sloppy game with mistakes that can be fixed?

There are a few of possibilities.

1.  They are very good and things will fall into place Saturday and we will play like we did against Stanford a few years ago when they were 5th in thr nation.

2.  It’s all about defense and we keep in the game with an unbeleivable defensive effort and inspite of our offense.

3.  This is like 2010 when we faced TCU.  We were led to believe that we were a top ten team.  But, most of us saw some weaknesses.  TCU totally exposed our vulnerabilities and took us to the woodshed.  This possibility scares me because of what I have seen so far.

I honestly do not know what to expect.  Our defense has looked very good.  But, they have not played even an average offense yet.  So, can they keep us in the game?  I hope we see this team put it all together this Saturday.

Go Utes!!!

 

[Duhwayne]

We have the talent but mentally we looked erratic. QB has been tight, WRs are dropping balls that bounce off their facemasks, OL is getting whipped. UDub has already cleared out the cobwebs. I am not optimistic.

[Chidojuan]

Browning throwing 2 picks and Gaskin being held to 53 rushing yards against North Dakota shows me they haven’t cleared out the cobwebs.

[User Suspended]

Saturdays game will define the season for Utah.  “They” say the biggest change/correction occurs between week 1 and 2..if this is the case, then there should be some concern ( Like TCU black out game concern). 

I have a feeling the Ute denfense will be on the field a lot more then they should be on Saturday.  It will be curious to see what the depth of the Ute Dline will look like in the 4qtr. 

[Wilson’s Mustache]

People are so negative. Yes Utah has not looked like a great team thus far but that happens to a lot of teams that are playing against inferior competition to begin the season and still working out some kinks the first few games.

Our best team so far in the PAC-12, the 2015 team, lookd pretty mediocre against Michigan, Utah State, and Fresno State to begin the season. We didn’t know at the time how good that Michigan team would be (finished 10-3). However, Utah went into their next game @ Oregon, a game most people thought we would lose by a consderable margin, and obliterated Oregon to the tune of 62-20.

Good teams have bad games. The 2008 squad edged a BAD New Mexico team 13-10. Just be thankful Utah avoided an upset against a tough defensive team on the road. Move on.

I have no idea if this Utah team will be great, good, or bad, but damn the negativity is tiresome. It seems like some fans have already consigned this team to the garbage heap.

Yes, we as fans can talk about the negatives of the football team and they appear to have many, but lets enjoy the season. Especially since its young and we are still undefeated.

Go Utes!

p.s. this isn’t directed any one individual and may have been better to have been posted in its own thread.

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Reasons Utah will win Saturday:

1. We have an outstanding defense and are deep at every level. I don’t think we’ve ever had a defense this deep with talent at every position. We’ve always had great player makers but we’ve always been in danger of a starter getting injured and our defense taking a huge step back. The defensive line, linebackers and secondary all have backups that could step in and the Utes not miss a beat. Francis Bernard is essentially the 4th best linebacker right now and I have confidence he could start and do well. The Utes have also been able to stay without any major injuries. For obvious reasons, the Utes have played better at the beginning of the season when they are the healthiest. We are catching Washington at the perfect time for us.

2. Britain Covey looks like the best slot receiver we’ve had since joining the PAC-12, maybe ever, and I expect he’ll only get better as the season goes on. He dependable catching the ball, which Utah needs, and is always a threat to take it all the way to the house.

3. Tyler Huntley. He took a lot of flak for the offense’s poor performance. However, as the week went on and more information has come out and people have had time to dissect the game a little more, it has been apparent that he wasn’t the issue. He completed 65% of his passes and passed for nearly 300 yards (would have been 300 with 6 WR drops). Another thing that has been overlooked is how good Utah has been on obvious passing downs (2nd, 3rd and long). I think we see Huntley extend a lot of drives on 3rd down with his arms and legs. Washington has struggled to get off the field on third down this season.

4. We have the best kicker and punter combo in the nation. They haven’t been great this year, but they are still the same players of the last two years. I still have a lot of confidence in both of these players. If we get into a defensive battle, I think they give us the edge.

5. We’re home and its a night game. Rice-Eccles, at night, has been a nightmare for opposing teams. It seems like since joining the PAC-12 the Utes have had pretty good luck in their blackout games or night games against big opponents. The past two USC games and the Cal gameday games come to mind here. The team seems ultra focused and juiced for this game.

6. Washington will struggle to take advantage of Utah’s biggest weakness. We’ve struggled with pass protection and gave up a lot of sacks to NIU, but Washington’s pass rush has been inadequate so far and struggled to pressure the QB. The only way they’ve been able to consistently generate pressure is to send an extra rusher from the secondary. I think Utah can take advantage of this with the short passing game that Taylor favors. As mentioned above, look for Huntley to extend a lot of drives with his legs and arm.

7. I think Zach Moss can have a good game against Washington’s defense. They gave up a lot yards against North Dakota. Santiago rushed 18 times for 139 yards. From what I’ve read, the UW linebacker depth is questionable and if Utah can get their ground game going then we might be able to grind out a win. At the very least, keep it respectable to help open passing lanes.

[ProudUte]

I agree with 1 and 2 100%.  Covery is a game changer and we will need him to change the game on Saturday.  I also tend to agree on Huntley.  There is plenty of blame to pass around and it shouldn’t all be on him.  I understand from what Covery said – the WRs made a bunch of mistakes with routes and dropped balls.  We have the best kicking combo, but neither has shown us that so far this year.

My original post was not meant to be negative.  It was meant to to express my feelings of I just don’t know what to expect. I really don’t have a strong feeling about how this game will turn out.  There are too many unknowns for both teams.  I hope we see a much different Utah offense this Saturday and a great win.

 

Go Utes

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Thats why I wanted to mention that it wasn’t directed at you. Just between here and social media there have been a lot of negativity abou the team and upcoming game.

[TheJuggernaut]

The concerns with the offense are justified, and we’re going up against the best defense we’ll see this season. Vegas is predicting a 27-21 UW win, can an offense that only scored 10 points a week ago against Northern Illinois put 28 on the board vs UW?

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Can a QB that threw 2 interceptions against North Dakota play better against Utah’s Defense?

Can a RB that ran for 53 yards (3.5 ypc) do better against Utah?

How can an O-line that couldn’t move North Dakota’s front seven, hope to open holes and pass protect against Utah’s front seven?

Point is, Washington looks like they are having their own offensive issues, but this is a different team, different competition and a different game.

[Utahute72]

It’s really all about the offensive line. If they have corrected the issues and can block effectively I think Utah wins a very competitive game. If the issues continue we will get curb stomped.

[Micah Montgomery]

UW I think is a lot more talented but they lost Tre Adams for the season again 

[Distantute]

Washington isn’t more talented than this team.  Utah’s o line plays well and we win turnover battle and don’t get stupid penalties and we win.  

[RiseasUtes]

Washington is a more talented team overall.  Our Defenses are about equal.  Their O is better than ours, but we still have the talent to beat them.

[Micah Montgomery]

They’re vastly more talented but Utah is always tough at home. They probably have the nations top secondary

[Wilson’s Mustache]

I don’t see how you can say they are “vastly more talented”. More talented yes, but its not like UW has been bringing in top10 recruiting classes over the past 5 years.

[Micah Montgomery]

I believe they were 2nd in the PAC in recruiting last year and almost every year with only USC getting more 5 stars

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Then by comparison, USC is vastly more talented than UW.

In fact, if you go back the last 4 years. UW is MAYBE the 4th best team in the PAC12 recruiting. USC, Stanford, Oregon, and UCLA having much better classes.

[Micah Montgomery]

I don’t see that anywhere can you back it up with a reputable link?

[Micah Montgomery]

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.si.com/college-football/2018/02/07/national-signing-day-2018-college-football-class-rankings

[Micah Montgomery]

Says #2 in the Pac 12 right here bro^^^ 

[Wilson’s Mustache]

“if you go back the last 4 years”

So if you combine the last 4 recruiting periods and average them out. UW is 5th in the PAC12.

Old article, but it still holds true. Rivals’ top 50 recruiting teams of the past five years
In fact both Rivals & 247sports has you ranked behind Oregon for the 2018 recruiting class.

[RiseasUtes]

https://247sports.com/Season/2015-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/

2015-2017-USC, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford, and even Arizona St was ahead in recruiting rankings.  2018 Washington was 2nd in the Pac.  You have a more talented roster than we do, but not “vastly” better by any means.  Your O(especially Oline even without Adams)is what the difference is.  Our D is right there with yours.  Should be a crazy game on Saturday and the team with the fewest TOs should win.

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Basically out recruited ASU, UCLA, and Oregon due to them losing their head coaches.

[Micah Montgomery]

I said reputable not from a website someone created on their cell phone in a college dorm somewhere lol

[Wilson’s Mustache]

Are you inferring that Rivals & 247/Scout is an ireptuable source when it comes to football recruiting? lol

[RiseasUtes]

247sports is scout.com, which is more reputable than ESPN/SI or any of the big names when it comes to recruiting.  If you haven’t heard of it then you don’t follow recruiting much and shouldn’t be commenting on it.

[TheJuggernaut]

I wouldn’t say UW is “vastly more talented”. Last four years recruiting rankings, per Rivals:
UW
2015 30
2016 37
2017 23
2018 15
Average – 26
Utah
2015 41
2016 33
2017 25
2018 38
Average – 34

[Micah Montgomery]

Speed kills 

[St George Ute]

I know exactly what I’m expecting Saturday night. After a long day of working on Halloween decorations in my garage, I expect I’ll sit on my couch with a cold drink and a snack, and watch two teams battle in a Blackout game at a raucous Rice-Eccles stadium!

I have no idea what to expect in the game itself. All I know is that I’ll have fun watching it (while I try not to get so emotionally involved in the result, but likely fail in my efforts once again). 😉

Go UTES!!!

[SkinyUte]

I think it’s all about how we start. If we come out fired up and don’t stupidly spot them 10 points in the first quarter, then I think it will be a competitive game. Not sure if we win, but it’ll be close.

If we come out flat again, we’re going to get steamrolled.

[Micah Montgomery]

If you can’t contain Salvon Ahmed, who’s been getting more touches in practice, it could be a blowout but if you can lock up Udub’s run game it will be another conference nail biter. Our record against Utah is great I know but the games are usually tight. Utah is a legit pac 12 squad. Probably the best in the PAC south

[rbmw263]

the talent is probably as deep across the board as weve ever had but that doesnt mean its the best team every. We could have the highest talent level weve ever had, but a lot more than talent goes in to actually being great. We see multiple examples of this every year.

The cieling for this team remains incredibly high

[Micah Montgomery]

What Utah lacks in talent they usually make up for in heart. You guys play with heart which I like

[tarheelute]

Four things for me

1. Ute Linemen -vs- the UW Linemen – Who’s pushes who, better, in the trenches
2. Throw and Catch – Speed on the ball, accuracy, anticipation, positioning, soft hands
3. Field position – Utah’s special teams
4. Xs and Os – Which coaching staff has the better game-plan, and half-time adjustment

After a week of prep, I give the advantage to the Utes on 1 and 3, and UW on 2 & 4, a close game, won by UW 24-17.

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