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Utes 2011 Football Discussion

//r00t 4 Jazz said:
This O-Line is the worst I can remember in some time at the U and has to one of the if not the worst in the PAC 12 and same goes for the QB situation, not to mention the worst LT in the PAC 12. If they had a good one of either it would help hide/mask some of the issues of the other but when they're both bad this is what you get.

With that said, going on the road with out your starting QB, best WR and starting TE not to mention the incumbent starting RB had to "retire" due to concussions left the RB position thin it shouldn't be unexpected to struggle a good deal (also not counting the minor injuries on D and other positions as every team deals with those game to game).

About Chow this was the first game I was disappointed with the play calling, very vanilla no variety and very very conservative. However it's not like Hays or the O-line gave the coaching staff a reason not to be but like I mentioned in other threads you can't coach and play not to lose cause it puts the word "lose" in your mind and that's exactly what you end up doing.
Heck on the first drive for the U they almost hit a Anderson for a TD if Hays would've at least threw the ball in bounds to give him a chance and the coaches never went back to those plays until the 4th Qtr when it was too late. Also since the Cal D was over playing the run and blitzing a lot why not call anything to take advantage of their over aggressiveness, not saying the players could've or would've executed it but it at least shows the coaches are trying and not resided to giving up.
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Pretty much spot on. Scrapping the spread offense in favor of more pro-style sets in an effort to create a downhill running game is never going to work if you don't have the O-line to do it. Utah's depth at O-line was suspect heading into fall camp and all in all, they're just not very good. Once your QB goes down and you can't make defenses pay for constantly stacking 8 men in the box, it's going to get ugly and it most certainly has. Now that he's gone, I think it's fair to say that at least Jordan Wynn had enough ability to keep opposing defenses somewhat honest.

Like I said earlier, Utah coaches have to hit the recruiting trail hard this offseason and get the personnel in here to fit the offense. Chow's X's and O's glory days are well behind him but I still think he can reel in some nice recruits for Utah. You've got a bunch of guys returning on defense next year as well as your skill positions on offense. I still don't think this team is very far away but what they do with the O-line in the offseason is going to be crucial. Either way, I'd still rather be a Ute fan than anything else in this state. Beating up on cupcakes from mid-October on and coasting on the fumes of a 1984 title just seems like a pathetic way to live.

(Colton and all other rational BYU fans on the board please excuse yourself from that last comment).
 
How much pressure is going to be put on Whit if Utah only ends up winning a few Pac games?

The current recruiting probably could have gotten the job done in the MWC (blowout against BYU proved that).

But the current recruiting clearly won't get it done against Pac competition.

The QB situation is a tough one to solve. Unless Utah gets a dynamite JC transfer, next year could be another rough one. You're either going to play Wynn again or play a young kid hoping that he'll develop quickly. I like the Lone Peak kid, I think he's already better than Hays or Wynn. He has the potential to be really good. But that's not saying much right now, being better than Hays or Wynn.....

I think one issue that hopefully Chow will stress, is the recruiting on the offensive side of the ball. It's obvious which side the head coach has concentrated on.... And which side of the ball has been neglected.
 
The Thriller said:
How much pressure is going to be put on Whit if Utah only ends up winning a few Pac games?

The current recruiting probably could have gotten the job done in the MWC (blowout against BYU proved that).

But the current recruiting clearly won't get it done against Pac competition.

The QB situation is a tough one to solve. Unless Utah gets a dynamite JC transfer, next year could be another rough one. You're either going to play Wynn again or play a young kid hoping that he'll develop quickly. I like the Lone Peak kid, I think he's already better than Hays or Wynn. He has the potential to be really good. But that's not saying much right now, being better than Hays or Wynn.....

I think one issue that hopefully Chow will stress, is the recruiting on the offensive side of the ball. It's obvious which side the head coach has concentrated on.... And which side of the ball has been neglected.
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I like Chase Hansen from Lone Peak as well but I think he's a sign and send. Don't think we'll be hearing from him for a few years. That's not a bad thing IMO because Travis Wilson is a better QB recruit and is probably going to end up being the crown jewel of Utah's 2012 recruiting class assuming Utah can get him to keep his verbal. He's good enough that he could probably compete for the job right away.

I actually think that most of Utah's positions currently match-up just fine in the Pac 12. I think the defense up and down is good enough. If they were gettting any help from the offense what so ever they'd be just fine. Offensively, guys like Dres Anderson and Devonte Christopher are just fine IMO. Utah is going to be ok at the skill position spots going forward. They also have a very talented WR transfer from Baylor named Josh Gordan who'll be eligible next year (assuming he can keep his act clean) who's going to a beast.

Shore up the O-line and get some QB depth and that will go a long way towards curing all the ills Utah.
 
As //r00t 4 Jazz pointed out, Utah went on the road without their starting QB, best receiver, and starting tight end. Any team will have difficulties on the road in that scenario (against a pretty good defensive team like Cal).

Having said that, Chow absolutely has to take some of the blame here. When the offense is not working (which it hasn't been all season, even when Utah was healthy) you have to make some changes.

I wan't to see some flea flickers, reverses, misdirection, etc. This super conservative offense 99% of the time with a shot down the field mixed in here and there is just not working.

I think most Ute fans would love to have last year's offense back. We still have the coordinator on staff, and most of the players returned. No way should the offense look this bad.

I understand we have injuries that will take a toll on the offense. But Chow needs to get his act together. He was obviously brought in to help with recruiting and give Utah some legitimacy going into the Pac 12. Maybe it's time to give some others more responsibility in the offensive play calling. Hopefully chow can get it together so Ute fans stop thinking like this, because it's only a matter of time before they start calling for his head the way the offense is looking right now.
 
As disastrous as this conference play has been, basketball will be even worse. At least Ute Fan will always have "1944" to hang their hat on.
 
TroutBum said:
You guys took Third Place that year too?

Bronze, baby, bronze.
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I'm still a bit fuzzy on it, but wasn't the NIT considered the national championship at the time? I don't think there was an NCAA Tourny in place as we currently know it. Either way, it's just about as relevant as the 1984 rehtoric you and your fanboy keep spouting.

You silly *******.
 
CONAN said:
I bet the Pac12 has buyers remorse.
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Actually, it was all planned. Instead of having to play a mid major patsy for a cheap win, now the teams of the PAC-12 can beat up on Utah and claim that it was a BCS caliber team so it should count for more.
 
SaltyDawg said:
USC has tough games ahead of them (Stanford, Washington, Oregon). USC doesn't count anyway as they aren't eligible for postseason play. They will still lose some games though. Utah doesn't have anymore tough games ahead.

Utah has Oregon State, Arizona, UCLA, Washington State, and Colorado. If you think I'm a blind homer for expecting Utah to beat those crappy teams, you're crazy.
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I'll tell you what. Let's put that $25 back up for grabs. I'll bet Utah doesn't go unbeaten from here out. If they win every game, I'll pay up. Utah loses one of them, you pay me. Deal?
 
CONAN said:
I bet the Pac12 has buyers remorse.
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They still got their markets. I'm guessing most in that conference didn't have the same expectations on the football field for Colorado and Utah as maybe their own fan bases did. It certainly would be an added bonus if those teams don't end up crowding the cellar alongside all those other bad teams in that conference eventually though.
 
catratcho said:
I'll tell you what. Let's put that $25 back up for grabs. I'll bet Utah doesn't go unbeaten from here out. If they win every game, I'll pay up. Utah loses one of them, you pay me. Deal?
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We're not talking about the bowl game, right? Just regular season games?
 
Speaking of buyers remorse, I'm sure the Big 12 saw that massive beatdown on Idaho State this last weekend and immediately felt like they invited the wrong team.
 
catratcho said:
I'll tell you what. Let's put that $25 back up for grabs. I'll bet Utah doesn't go unbeaten from here out. If they win every game, I'll pay up. Utah loses one of them, you pay me. Deal?
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I want in on this action too. Salty, do we have a deal?
 
SaltyDawg said:
There is no way I am betting on a game when I don't even know the teams.
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That's what makes it fun, for hell sakes.

Fine, leave the bowl game out, you sissy. You realize that I have the same disadvantage as you re: the unknown team, right?
 
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