Charlie

To me, Smith plays with a point guard, a combo guard and wing or two wings, a four and a center. The small forward seems gone as the wings play offense more like a two guard. The four moves in and out of the post so often plays with his back to the basket. A better hint of who is who is when they are on defense since those classic rolls are most…[Read more]

Utah was 83% at the free throw line last night which felt better than last year. Watching to see what Mason Madsen is like. He was ordinary his first 2 years but last year was something like 95% but over only 20 something attempts. Either way, he could be the best we have had since Jeff Jonas back in my day if he can repeat that success. Get the…[Read more]

The Utes do not have a single player as good as Smith or Carlson last year, however, the first part of the team 1 thru 10 likely is better. And this is the case before the centers are added to the team. My question is how much better can the team get with time playing together? Carlson seems to be hard to replace, Smith may possibly be replaced…[Read more]

This isn’t that complicated. Anyone that has missed 2 years has to compete for a roll on game day. Absolutely we do everything possible to have as many options and the best possible options in the QB room. If Cam wants to be one of the 4 great options and compete for playing time, so be it. As for NIL, he is already ahead of delivering value,…[Read more]

Actually, not a bad idea. Huard has experience on the field beyond HS. I have always thought it was an adventure to defend a QB that you have not prepared for. We have two weeks and we always have the other two options. Ready several plays to run against a stacked box. It can’t get worse.

I don’t recall losing this many wheels off the wagon in such a short period of time.

There absolutely can be a Urban Meyer waiting to come to Utah. However, are the odds better or worse than 10%? We could take the chance and repeat until we find one. Would the chance of talking Urban into returning to Utah be better than finding another Urban? Could the odds of finding a quality OC be better than finding a better HC? Even with our…[Read more]

Ryan Day should be limited to bad ‘Just For Men’ adds.

The story is right. Rick and Whitt have had both the best of times and the times that tried men’s soles. For me the guys that can get us to the top level even when it can’t be every year are more interesting than the guys that may be shiny but it is a roll of the dice to see if they can improve on the status quo. Those really consistent guys will…[Read more]

Outside of Oregon, maybe Washington all the old Pac schools would love to have Whitt join them. Same for the Big 12 schools. We have watched Pac teams with greater resources than Utah envy Utah’s success while failing to catch us despite turning over coaching staffs. Schools with winning teams hoping to contend for the championship learned that a…[Read more]

I am sorry for the lack of clarity in context. My head drifted to the binary choice of giving up on Whitt to start over or continuing with Whitt and hope for the best. Continuing on and hoping for the best can and should include doing everything possible to win. In this context, sticking with Whitt has actually led to championships and I think…[Read more]

I do boo refs but have often thought I need to quit. Years ago my wife was the referee coordinator for Sandy Youth Soccer. She would hire what seemed to be a hundred middle school and HS kids each year after they took a test for rules. $5 per game. However, every week 8 or 10 quit and the reason was always the same, could not take bitching from…[Read more]

To me the Utes are like family. I have had sons play football and in no world could I find myself booing their teams. Even in very disappointing losses. As for visiting teams or teams that I have no connection, booing seems natural and easy. In no way would I consider players entitled brats simply because they are not currently successful.

The reality is simple, even very good football programs at all levels will have down years where they drop out of competition for the championship by midseason. Even the best. At the Power level we should recognize that Utah is not at that top elite level, not in the Pac and too early to say related to the Big 12. If you want to follow college…[Read more]

I honestly have not looked closely enough to assess the OL. I do know that an OL can break down for many reasons beyond the control of the OL and OL coach. Forcing a defensive front to defend multiple possibilities is an OL key and is deeply seeded in play calling. When a defensive front gets on a roll, again, play calling is important to break up…[Read more]

I don’t know he was fired. I expect he did not respond well to something he was asked to do. More likely he did not accept a change Whitt wanted to do related to play calling and responsibilities. I think he would still be here if he would have said ‘how can I help the changes you want to make’ to Whitt. I expect Whitt will have the best person…[Read more]

I have meant to look at this more closely but Utah does not do well in gaining WR separation. I know almost every player, line or secondary, offense or defense, looks to confuse or mislead the opponent for a second in the first seconds after a snap. I know receivers make moves in previous plays to set up other moves later. I know receiver coaches…[Read more]

No worries.

Actually, I have had time off and Ute Nation seemed to go somewhere. Recently I had my prostrate removed by the roots to hopefully resolve prostrate cancer. If needed, I can make health recommendations for our adult men health topic. For now just get an annual PSA. I also weaved in some back surgery since they were feeding off each other. A friend…[Read more]

The OL is a big issue, I am just wondering if bad OL play is the cause or the result of other issues or both. However the current state is bad enough to lose our best recruit for next year. First, Defense 101 will tell you to attack a young freshman QB relentlessly until they give you a clear reason to rebalance the defense. Last years experience…[Read more]