(Red) Late Midseason Grades - #16 Utah Utes (6-1)

QB -Terrance Cain 127/201 ;1502 yards ;63.2% Completion %;11 TDs/5 INTs ;77 rushes 286 yards 2TDs
Grade - B
Cain has been I would say as advertised thus far in the season. Sure there has been some growing pains as the season has progressed and I expected that. I know some people are expecting this kid to pick up where Sugar Bowl MVP and MWC Offensive MVP Brian Johnson left off. He is through 7 games of his Ute career and he has led them to a 6-1 record and is managing the game very well. He has a few fumbles, but he is a running QB that is to be expected at times. Yeah he needs to clean it up a little bit but he is playing very good thus far. I'm satisfied with him and I think he is going to get much much better.

RB - Eddie Wide III (86 rushes 530 yards 6.2 YPC 5TDs  / Matt Asiata 75 rushes 330yrds 4.4 YPC 4TDs)
Grade B+
Matt Asiata started the season on fire. He was running for over 100 yards a game and was running people down. He looked great and was catching the ball out of the backfield. Then against Louisville he ran in a 30+ yard TD on an option play and on that play he tore his ACL and we lost for the season. Things looked scary with our offensive giant going down. Enter Eddie Wide III. Since Asiata's injury Wide has ran for 4 consecutive 100 yard games and is 2nd only to BYU's Harvey Unga, which is remarkable considering Wide rarely saw the ball for the first 3 1/2 games. The coaches have been keeping his carries down to make sure he doesn't get beat up because of his small frame. So with around 17 carries a game he is still averaging a large number of yards. He is playing very well.

WR - David Reed (44 rec 688 yrds 4TDs); Jereme Brooks (28 rec 296 yrds 3 TDs);
Grade - C
David Reed is the best wide out in the conference. Period. He has taken minimal passes and made huge plays (1 slant went 60 yards for a TD and another went for 90 yards and a TD). The rest of the crew has been.. well they have been OK. The blocking by the wide outs has been really good all season freeing each other up for big games. Brooks, outside of maybe the San Jose game and Oregon, has been rather disappointing. He has dropped a number of big passes. Aiona Key, similar situation, he would have much better numbers but, dropped passes. John Peel, dropped passes and FUMBLES. He fights for more yards and always seems to be dropping the ball when he does. If they clean up the dropped balls I would bet Cain would be closer to a 70% completion % and much more yards and first downs. They clean those issues up this offense becomes scary.

O-Line
Grade - B
Early in the season the o-line had a hard time opening holes in the redzone for the RBs to get into the end zone. They have given Cain some good protection all year. He hasn't been sacked much, most of them came in the Air Force game who has been putting pressure on the QB all year. They have been instrumental to helping Wide getting into a groove and getting the yards they have. If they would have been a little better earlier in the year it could be an A.

Overall Offense
B-
Dave Schramm is in his first year as an O Coordinator. He has done pretty good thus far while protecting and developing his young QB. I know fans would like to see it opened up a little bit more but I think we are in good shape as is. We are around #4 in the conference in total offense after a few games of struggling. The biggest problem with this offensive squad is the fumbling problem. Fumbles have continually ended promising drives and have disrupted the rhythm of the offense. They need to start holding onto the ball, if they do this offense could be much more explosive then they are already.
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Defensive Line
Grade - B
Up until the last couple games this grade was easily a C. They have really done a nice job the last couple weeks eliminating the big running plays and making it difficult to run the ball. I wasn't all that worried about the run defense I knew it would come around. I would like to see some more pass pressure however. They are not really getting the sacks that we are used to. They have been getting close but as the season winds down I would like to see some more QBs on their back. The youth here is amazing, this is going to be a good unit for the next 3 to 4 years to come.

Line Backers
Grade - B+
They are the anchor of the defense and they have been playing well. A lot of tackles and just reliable. I would say the best Linebacker core in the MWC. Sly has made some huge plays, especially with the game winning tackle in overtime vs Air Force. I just would like to see them create more turnovers.

Secondary
Grade - A-
Yes the Utes have 2 new corners and have given up a few big plays and some pass interferences. But with the scheme Coach Whitt likes to run this is to be expected. And they are actually one of the best pass defenses in the country statistically. They have just as much speed as anybody in the country. But the real stars of the secondary are the safeties. They have the best safety tandem in the conference hands down. Joe Dale is always around the ball making tackles. He is down right now with a hurt knee but he is still a stud. And the defensive player of the year thus far in the MWC has to be Robert Johnson. He has 5 picks on the season, 2 or so fumble recoveries and a couple of TDs. He was the team leader in tackles against AFA and is everywhere. He has a ton of pass break ups as well. The pretty much eliminates the middle of the field for opposing QBs. Every time a QB has tested him, he has come up big.

Overall Defense Grade
B+
Kalani Sitaki has had a pretty good start to his career as Defensive coordinator thus far. If they eliminate the big plays and get a few more take aways this is an A grade. Defense is never a problem at the U.

Special Teams
B+
This grade would have been a D if after the SJSU game. Vroman missed some FGs.... badly. And against Oregon they gave up a punt for a TD. Overall it has been a solid unit. They are best in the conference in kickoff/punt return yards with Luke Matthews, Devonte Christopher, David Reed, Eli Wesson, and Jereme Brooks busting off some great returns. The kicking game has been solidified with Joe Phillips taking control of being the FG kicker. He has been perfect with FGs since he took over and has some deep kicks (49 yarder). Sean Sellwood has been Louie Sakoda-esk with his punting. He was the special teams player of the week against AFA because he downed some great punts within 20 and 10 yard lines. This kid looks really good. Outside of really 1 game and 1 play this has been a pretty surprising unit.

The team is 6-1, ranked #16 in the BCS poll, and Coach Whitt teams have traditionally gotten better as the season has progressed, so things are looking pretty good thus far for the Utes. It's been a good reloading year thus far. The biggest challenges lie ahead as well.

(Red) Bowl eligible again, and the beat down in P-Town.

If you lose the time of possession battle almost 2 to 1. They have 10+ more first downs than you. More yards, and you lose the turnover battle you lose right? Wrong. Utah lost every statistical category against the Air Force Academy except 2. Passing yards (which is a given) and the most important stat of all, score. The first Utah overtime game since the 2005 Holy War was a weird game to say the least. On the first possession Eddie Wide grabbed a Cain fumble and ran it in for a TD, and Joe Phillips shanked the following PAT. Who would have known that would have a huge impact on the game. AFA only offensive TD came on an 11 yard field after a muffed punt, so the D played great. They gave up 200 yards of rushing but it was on 75 carries, so the yards per carry was very small. And David Reed once again proved he was the best wide out in the MWC. He took a 10 yard slant pattern 90 yards for a TD to change all the momentum of the game. Utah was definitely their own worst enemy in this game. Putting the ball on the ground 6 times (only losing 2) and having drive altering penalties (3rd and 1 and 2s turning into 3rd and longs with false starts). AFA holding onto the ball for extended periods of time doesn't help either. When OT came however the offense got it together and moved the ball into the end zone without any issue. And shutting down AFA on a short field in OT is a great accomplishment as well. So throw out the stats with these 2 teams just take the score.

As for the beat down in P-Town, let's say I am not surprised. I thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt since it was home and I thought they would lose by 10 but watching the game it is apparent BYU is a long ways off from where they want to be, and they won't be getting close anytime soon. BYUs defense is bad, no other way to put it. They thought they got better from last year but I was skeptical. FSU, TCU, and SDSU for that matter exposed them for what they are. A bad secondary, possibly worse than last year and a D line that can't apply pressure as well as a coaching staff that remains stubborn and refuses to accept the obvious. And it is also obvious their offense is not as good as previous years. They have no wide receiver threats. TCU took out the tight ends and their passing game was all but done, not to mention Max Hall can not handle pressure... at all. It is so obvious that without Austin Collie this team has no go to wide out. Sure McKay Jacobson is good and all but he is not a #1 wideout for most teams, he can beat you deep from time to time but he doesn't put fear into a defense. O'Neil Chambers is a poor wide out right now as well. Their running game is strong with Unga but without those wide outs they will be in trouble. And their O line is gelling well but Max Hall has been running around a lot more this year than ever. TCU was in the back field regularly as was FSU, OU, and any other team with athletic lineman. Right now BYU is the 3rd best team in the conference. Even behind Utah, even if Blue hates to admit it. As long as BYU has a bad D and a offense that has Max Hall and not to mention a bad special teams, they are #3 right now. And as of right now I would say yes TCU probably beats Utah in Fort Worth. But I doubt they will get "KILLED" like my compadre pointed out. Utah has speed that can keep up with TCU. You will not see Utah getting beat around the edges and deep like what happened to BYU. Ya I would put them as 14 point dogs right now but thats not bad. If Utah corrects the issues they have right now, turnovers, they will put up a hell of a fight. And although Cain has had a problem with fumbling the ball as of late, he still only has 5 INTs on the season, so he is careful and calculated with his passes. And one other factor why Utah is better than BYU right now and why they can keep it close to TCU, Kyle Whittingham. He is a much better coach than Bronco Mendenhall right now, especially in big games. And since TCU has joined the conference he is 3-1 against the Frogs, so he can get the team up and scheme very well. And truth of the matter is he has pretty much out coached Bronco in every rivalry game since they have been coaching, just those 2 years no doubt BYU had either more talent or was much more healthy. And the way Robert Anae/Jamie Hill calls plays I think it is fair to put them at #3 right now. So much for when BYU has a senior QB they win conference titles, and it appears the mystic of LaVell Edwards Stadium is gone, at least as long as BYU has SWGS (slow white guy syndrome).

(Blue) Well, there goes the neighborhood...

We lost. We lost on all fronts. Defense, offense, special teams. But guess what, I feel fine. First of all, they were the better team. I think they had better coaching schemes, faster and better athletes, and better focus. That's not to diss our coaches, athletes, and focus, but the results tell the story.
I think we are better than Utah, we shall see. But I KNOW that TCU is going to kill them in Texas. The reason why I am so non plussed by the loss is this: BCS. TCU jumped Boise and I hate Boise, so thats good. Additionally, they will best represent the MW nationally. And also, there is more money to be gleaned this way.
For our game, we have no secondary, and our corners are just sad. Play calling was craptastic in certain situations, and we couldn't get anything rolling on offense because TCU's defense got to Hall all the time. All of our glaring weaknesses were exploited and there were no lucky breaks in penalties or turnovers to keep things even. So thats it.
UofU and Air Force. AFA has always given Utah problems. I'm not surprised at this game. Good job for pulling out a close one.
Next week. BYE(Thank goodness)

(Blue) Late, but hey.

San Diego, who knew you would put up such a fight? Lets just say that Last week's game performance defensively didn't exactly put me at ease for this weeks clash with TCU. The brightest spot was that our safety Johnson is starting to pick people, but that's about it.
Utah beat UNLV, no surprise. Nothing much to say there except that they didn't win by as much as I supposed they would.
Seems like there won't be much more to note until after the TCU game. Basically, this is the first of what I am considering the tell-tale games of the MW. The games between the three ranked teams. Honestly, I think we have a good chance of getting through victorious, but I recognize that any of the three could win out without any great stretch of the imagination.
PS, Looks like Collie is doing well with the Colts. Good for him.

(Red) Perseverance on the front range.

This is going to be a smaller post, I want to rewatch the game to get a little better feel. However, I watched pretty much the last quarter and a half and I hope we see that team all the time. Yes Blue was right, the Utes did play lackluster and if it were not for some picks the game would have been different. Same thing if Max Hall had not of thrown all the ints versus FSU. Turnovers are part of the game and RoJos picks were not your typical interceptions. It's not like he was just standing there and him thrown to him. He had to make plays on the ball. With Utahs lackluster effort they did put up 450 yards of total offense, while Terrance Cain threw for 250 yards, 2 TDs, and a 75% completion percentage. And after the 2nd half started Cain was 12/13, and that 1 incompletion was on a drop in the end zone by Aiona Key. So Cain played perfectly in the second half. He also ran for 71 yards. He has showing some very much Brian Johnson like traits in that second half. The key point of the game was right after CSU scores and they are up 17-3. Immediately Utah gets the kick off to around the 40 yard line on a good return. Play one Cain runs for about a 10 yard gain on a scramble. The next play Cain rolls to the left and hits Reed on a 50 yard td pass over the arms of a DB. Just a few plays later Robert Johnson gets his first pick when he doesn't fall for a play action pass to go deep. Right after that Utah goes on a 17 play 70 yard drive to tie the game. A lot of teams down 14 points would have gave up, this Utah team had a lot of fight and basically took over the game and beat down CSU in the last quarter and a half. Really outside of the 2nd quarter and the first half of the 3rd Utah played well. The first quarter they had 140 yards but only 3 points. Had a problem punching one in. But in the last part of the game they had no problems at all. Eddie Wide had 103 yards on 17 carries and between him, Cain, Shaky Smithson, and Sausan Shakerin the Utes will have a solid running game with out Matt Asiata. Cain is a great runner and can throw on the run as well. David Reed 140 yards receiving, some good runs as well. And Cain had his best day yet statistically and helping lead the team back for a win. The defense was good and bad throughout the day. They got to the QB and forced turnovers, they just let a guy run for 100 yards. Which will happen from time to time but something I'd like to see cleaned up a little bit. Yeah they were sloppy at times, thats to be expected off a bye week. But once they got everything together they weren't to be stopped. I figured CSU would fight with it being their homecoming and also like I stated, Steve Fairchild is a damn good coach. But like I predicted, the Utah athletes would win the day. And they did. Basically if the Utah team that played in the 2nd and first part of the 3rd shows up consistently they lose to the upper tier MWC teams. If the team that shows up that fought back. They can win this conference title. Developing consistency is now the key.

As for BYU vs UNLV I wasn't really able to see the game outside of a few highlights, but BYU did what they were supposed to. UNLV has given up it appears on the season and their coach. Hall didn't throw a pick, which is a first this season. I know BYU did struggle on occasion with the UNLV athletes, which is still the achilles heel of BYU.

Prediction and preview of Utah/UNLV to come later. I do think the Utah D will be the best Vegas has seen to this point though.

(Blue) Viva Las Vegas!

Things look grim for head coach of UNLV, Sanford. I think he'd better start exploring the job market. But things went well in the game for us. 611 total offense, double digit scores in all four quarters. Hall kept the ball to himself and people in blue (actually white.) Too bad UNLV gave up over 700 the week before against Nevada, but that's a different story. So pretty much what was expected. A couple of dark spots were the huge punt return that gave them a score and a 70 something yard pass play. So 14 of their points on two plays. But to counter that, we had some picks and our rush game was strong. Unga, Tonga, JJ Pili etc. High five to them. Next week against San Diego in California. I suspect that game will go much like this last one.

Now Utah, I think they played an average game(despite what Red might tell you) while Colorado played an above average game. It was up in Ft Collins and it was COLD. But hey, it gets cold here too so I am not buying that as an excuse. Granted, it was homecoming for the Rams, that probably helped them. But Utah looked a bit lack luster for me, and if it hadn't of been for some fortuitous picks, things could have looked really ugly. Next week, UNLV in Vegas. The U will win. Probably by more than 14. I would guess... 45 to 27. We'll see. Utah needs to stop dragging early as they have been doing, and to get a bit better on sustaining drives.

Interesting other news was the Air Force and TCU game. Interesting stuff.

(Red) Week 6 - Utah (3-1) vs. CSU (3-2) Preview

Utah is 4-0 under Coach Kyle Whittingham after bye weeks as head coach. I really do not expect that trend to change this year. Colorado State comes back home for their homecoming game after a tough loss (for the MWC as well) at the hands of perennial power... Idaho? They did lose 31-29 on the road. They gave up over 300 yards passing and over 100 yards receiving to 2 receivers. They also had a problem on third down, converting only 5-13 on the day while allowing Idaho to convert 50% of their third downs as well as a forth down. So they couldn't stay on the field when they needed and they couldn't get a stop when they needed. Not exactly a good day for the Rams.
If those stats hold true for the next game the Utes should do well. Utah right now is ranked #1 in the conference in total yards averaging over 430 yards a contest. Colorado St is giving up almost 350. CSUs run defense does seem rather stout at averaging about 2.8 yards a rush. However Utah is going to be the fastest team CSU has seen to this point, with a very mobile QB. I think the Utes may meet resistance rushing up the guy but I don't see them having any problem getting to the outside with Eddie Wide, Shaky Smithson, as well as T-Cain. I do see Terrence Cain having a big day through the air however because of the speed of the wide outs, David Reed and Jereme Brooks in particular. Cain is completing 60 percent of his passes on the season, and that is with a really bad Oregon game hurting his stats. So he is efficient with the ball, and he only has 4 picks up to this point. His favorite passes, the slant passes, should be there all day long. I do expect to have CSU game plan for this but I do think Utahs athletes are just to much for the CSU defensive backfield.
On defense Utah has the best third down defense in the country at about 19% conversion against them. CSU struggled with third downs last week against Idaho so I expect the strength of the Utah defense to capitalize on getting off the field and some 3 and outs. They are also starting to make plays with turnovers. They have something like 7 or 8 turnovers in the last 2 games. So the defense is stiffening and playing very well right now. The Utes are also leading the conference in pass efficiency defense. So even with the corners struggling with some routes the Utes have done a good job of getting to the QB and making them shorten their reads. CSUs QB Stucker has a 54% completion percentage so not a huge threat through the air, however he does have the capability to go deep from time to time. CSUs O line is the most experienced in the country so that is a big plus for them. I think the speed of the Utah rush has to get to them to really make Stucker flustered, and I do expect the Utes to make him beat them. They will eliminate the run, which they are doing a great job of right now.
Overall since it is homecoming I do think CSU puts up a fight and they don't want to lose 3 in a row and I expect it to be rather close because Steve Fairchild is a really good coach. But the athletes for Utah are just to good for CSU and Utah is gelling nicely in very positions.

Utah 31 CSU 17

(Blue) One step closer to the edge...

We beat the Aggies. That was good, but we would have lost to Utah, TCU, and a ton of other schools in the world. To keep things brief, there were good runs by Unga and plays by Pitta. Defensively, profited off of a few USU mistakes. But all in all, not so sharp. Hall keeps digging a hole with one hand while filling it with the other. Jacobson (best wide receiver)stretched himself out of a month playing without even touching the ball. Overall, a fairly grim outlook for we who have to play a fairly decent UNLV this week and, passing that, a TCU towards the end of the month that has been doing really well.
UofU, well nothing to say about them this week.
So there you have it, next week we will see if we can stumble ahead a bit further.