[UteNamedOg]

Yeah that sucked. A lot. The failed fourth down knowing Cam couldn’t plant and throw past the sticks was a big coaching blunder. Linebackers are also making uncharacteristically poor decisions; injuries have hurt the position but Lander made a few odd mistakes that hurt us. Jonathan Hall has the physical talents, but he looks to still be getting used to coverage and that led to open receivers.

Stop reading now if you need some time to ponder the season in a state of strict realism, but I’m going to focus on the silver linings and excuses. Not quite to the point of blowing smoke up the programs a**… but maybe in that same ballpark.

– Micah Bernard is an absolute animal. Runs hard and pass blocks harder. ASU knew we had a statue of a QB and he did an excellent job of picking up pressure.

– Secondary played well. Refs aren’t throwing a flag unless the morgue requests a second look, and that resulted in some broken up passes and solid coverage overall downfield.

– Scheme is fine, in my humble opinion. Run game looks good enough to keep the defense honest. Receivers were open enough to stop and catch a ball thrown at their ankles.

– I think we should’ve pulled Cam, but I also don’t know what’s been going on behind the scenes. Before elaborating, I present a recap of the sh*t he’s been through: comes to Utah to sit with Lud in the booth for a year (while not an injury please keep in mind that this is the era of the transfer portal and instant playing time), wins the job from Bentley and is injured on the first drive in 2020 (big injury #1), loses by a hair to Brewer before winning the starting job and stomping to PAC12 before being knocked unconscious in a shootout with CJ Stroud, comes in to 2022 the clear starter and does clear starter things before his knee is injured and then Teddy Bridgewater’s (big injury #2) itself in what was then a 14-14 score where Utah was having success moving the ball against a very good PSU defense, 2023 he sits and waits with what looks like a velcro bear trap on his knee, and then 2024 he comes in and promptly throws 5 easy TDs to all three levels of the field before game two has the tendons in his hand react appropriately to being sandwiched between a Baylor players cleat and the ground (big injury #3). So we reach last night and his one pass with a little air under it can’t even be celebrated because Cams body is contorted so that he’s afforded the opportunity to be looking towards heaven while his ankle waves down at him. OK, maybe I lied and did blow a little smoke there.

– Everyone calm down. Season has been injured, but not dead. In each of the years winning the PAC12 Utah suffered losses early in the year which had us in a similar spot before miraculously Rasputin-ing itself down the stretch. Our next two games are to Houston on the 26th, a team who has been shut out twice and scored a season high 12 points before tallying 30 against TCU, and TCU next week. Following these games we have the two ranked teams in Rice Eccles. ISU makes me nervous so that’s probably a toss-up at the moment. Zoobs weren’t picked by Hinckley, Monson, or Nelson, so I’m picking the Utes here too.

[UteNamedOg]

Paraphrasing, but I remember Saban saying something along the lines of “nobody wants to win more than they do, and nobody feels worse than when they lose”. I try to imagine how nervous I’d be trying to do my job in front of 55k people in person and another few million at home, then add that Hercules Mata’afa dude chasing you the entire time. Or Anthony Barr. Or the memory of a game in 2010 against a purple team that I’ve wiped from my brain.

Utah won’t ever be flashy under Whitt, but everyone will always be bought in to the process of doing things the right way. The injury confidentiality has sucked. “Cam’s status is optimistic, Cam is throwing in pads, aaaaand Cam is in street clothes” can be read as the rug being ripped out from under us, but is very likely Whitt giving Cam every chance to see how well he’s healed and opting to not risk it when his throwing during warm-ups shows he’s not. Not that anyone ever asks for it, but here’s my take:

Yes, Utah’s offense sh*t the bed. Another yard on a run or a little more air under a jump-ball, and it’s probably more of a back and forth punch up of a game. Arizona has a few players who are getting first round grades, and they all (Fifita as well) played up to the hype.

No, the sky is not falling. Utah is a very good team. Next year? Also likely to be very good. Year after? Same deal. I see a consistent trend of recruiting good defense and the number 1 offensive lineman in the state. Wilson has also grown in leaps and bounds from the time he’s been given to play. Defense, the line, and QB are in good shape going forward. Keep showing up to games and donating to NIL, and maybe we can snag a WR or two.

[UteNamedOg]

This still has the makings of a very solid class. Aaron Dunn is an excellent commitment. Remember that these are kids making a decision they’re very excited about, and can take them from a terrible situation to one which they’ve been working their whole lives towards. I feel it’s important to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

Unless it’s about one of Deion’s kids. Their mouths are writing some checks their ribcages might not be too excited to cash.

[UteNamedOg]

With all of the sh*t he went through, and how he handled it so well, I hope nothing but the best for him.

[UteNamedOg]

Utes should be fine. Show up to games, be loud, and support on the road if you can. Utes will have a target simply because many media outlets and personalities have their championship pick as OSU, KSU, or Utah. Plus it could always be worse – imagine how weird it is to be an ASU/BYU fan getting off the plane and seeing you’re the only one walking on all fours.

[UteNamedOg]

There’s quite a bit of time left between now and any signings, but this class is getting commitments WAY ahead of schedule. Cracking the top 50 used to be a October/November tradition.

[UteNamedOg]

Admittedly, not too many, but I think that A) it’s still summer, and Utah has a history of closing strong before the early signing period, and B) just because you’re a highly touted Jake Browning doesn’t mean a 5’10 Gionni Paul can’t catch your pass. A lot happens in life between high school senior year and college sophomore/junior year.

[UteNamedOg]

I wholeheartedly reject the short-term-memory, “what have you done for me lately”, rats jumping off of a ship when they feel a drop of water idea that this staff is inept. The thing about riding or dying is that sometimes you’re riding, and sometimes you’re dying. It’s important to realize you have to give your confidence and support through both. I remember an angry (and paraphrased) Saban rant saying that nobody wants to win more than the players, and nobody feels worse than they do when they lose.

While the staff takes a beating for on the field performances, understand that for every well compensated coordinator or admin there are a dozen people with families who make much less but will be equally unemployed (and looking for jobs, possibly new schools for their kids, different places to live, etc.) should a new regime come in with their own philosophies and staff. Mike Norvell still has a job, so let’s maybe pump the brakes.

Yes, the playcalling on offense has been conservative to bad this year. Playing Cam Rising on a 4th and 9 when he can’t throw to hit the first down marker was the worst. HOWEVER…in their defense, some of the Ludwig hits have included Vaki conversion to offense, Covey (originally played QB – Ute staff said screw it let’s get this guy on the field), picking up a tight end from San Diego University and flipping him to a first rounder, Ja’Quinden Jackson as a very good running back, and Logan Kendall going from a tight end at Idaho to spending 2022 providing CTE researchers with new samples. Ludwig stunk this year, and his mea culpa is that he’s now unemployed.

I’ll end with this: Utah as a program is much more respected across the country and by national media than you would have ever thought ten years ago, and that is because of the “embarrassment” of a coaching staff. Utah got better each year in the PAC12 until they had the players to enforce their identity, and that led to the majority of games being a spectacle of watching both offense and defense absolutely bully more talented teams. “tHe PaC12 wAs SoFt” I hear you say. Cool dude. At the end of the PAC12, four current BIGXII members had winning records against the conference. If you only consider teams with more than 50 games against members, that number falls to Texas Tech at 39-20. Cincy had the best record at 6-2. The Zoobs had the second-to-worst, with a 37% win rate. Worst if you remove UCF, as they only have 3 games on their record.

Go Utes

[UteNamedOg]

USC looks like the favorite, but it would be very nice to have him. Utah has a reputation of being a physically tough team to play. In the past that has resulted in consistency and reeling off some wins against some VERY talented rosters. Ironically… like USC. Same blueprint worked for Wisconsin vs Miami, Iowa vs USC, and even Michigan vs Washington. On the flip side, if you’re some freak WR who’s the fastest kid in the state and happens to be 6’3, you may spend more time blocking than you’d like if you’re racking up several TDs a game and want to keep it that way en route to the NFL.

So in summary: historically we have had a great defense; lots of smart kids who make audibles in paragraph form and keep everyone on the same page throughout, offensive line that very rarely doesn’t give a rush lane or a pocket to step up in, and well… tight ends galore. The con is that you’re going to be a less attractive destination to flashier positions.

[UteNamedOg]

Huntley was the most athletic human on earth who didn’t slide. I recall a bunch of his runs were because a hole opened up and the defender in space wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. No Kincaid this year, but I have cautious optimism for the WR group – ideally this pans out to be an offense where Cam can elevate everyone else with his play and then have the occasional brisk walk for six yards and out of bounds.

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