Romney - Out
Nacuas hobbled with hamstring issues
and now Neil Pau’u has been seen in a walking boot as of last night.

Im sure the last 3 will play just not at 100%

LSU, Clemson and Miami up to bat. As always NSFW...

LSU: As long as I can watch Nick’s team. I know what a great team looks like.

Clemson: I think the front row at a ladies bingo night would be a better OL

Miami: It looks like we sent our Covid cardboard cutout team to Atlanta

I just looked at the rankings and saw some interesting things (ESPN rankings - AP Top 25):

1. 3 previously non-ranked teams jumped jumped us this week with UCLA debuting at #16
2. UW isn't even in the "Others receiving votes" category
3. Arizona received 5 votes and they are in the "Others receiving votes" category
4. BYU received 10 votes

Oregon is at 12, down one. USC is up one to 14 and UCLA debuted at 16 - well deserved after their performance against LSU. We moved up 3 to 21 while ASU only moved up 2 to 23. We'll know a bit more about teams after this weekend. Go Utes.

Dustin did a nice breakdown of the PFF grades. Check it out:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/inside-the-numbers-utah-s-pff-ratings-vs-weber-state

Well deserved and no surprise…

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utes-lloyd-is-week-1-pac-12-defensive-player-of-the-week

Ducks and Dawgs in a tight one.

Oklahoma gave up a ton of points.

Just bought tickets to the game next week for the whole family. A couple thoughts. The BYU ticket site still has seats available. Really??? That’s pathetic.

Second, last time I went to a game there it was the George is still running game and, I think, the last Utah loss. I also vowed never to go back after an 80 year old man heckled us after the game as we crossed a crosswalk and he was driving by hanging halfway out the car on the passengers side. No joke…I thought he was gonna fall out. I hope me and my family don’t jinx the Utes with our presence.

Hard to gauge much from last night. Defense was vanilla. Offense showed enough - especially a commitment to the pass and teams ALWAY make a huge leap between week 1 and 2. On to TDS....

It is going to be a fun match up with the Utah offense and the BYU defense. Utah is showing that they have their best passing attack in the P12 era. If BYU get's cute with their 3-5 then Utah is bound to crush them in the ground game. Thomas / Bernard is the real deal combo. BYU sticks with the 4-3 then it is going to be fun to see what Brewer will do in the air. Utah has awful match up issues for teams this year and it will be fun to watch.

Utah's D look like a typical Utah D. I don't expect BYU or anyone will score points in the 30's so it comes back to the turnover game and Utah's offense. This looks to be their best offense in a looooooong time on paper. Hopefully they get their rough edges sanded off for next week.

What I would like to see... Gun formation with Bernard and Covey in the backfield. Gun formation with Kuithe and Thomas in the backfield. Seeing more RPO and the run game option out of the backfield would give Utah every wrinkle available and would be a beast to defend. I expect the playbook to open up next week and get a better look under the hood.

Go Utes!

Well, that storm really wrecked what could have been an awesome night. Instead, it seemed like the Utes could never really maintain their momentum.

Dalton Kincaid emerged tonight and is no longer a secret. 4 receptions for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns, now you all see why I’ve been talking so highly of him since the offseason. He might become the best tight end (excluding Kuithe with him being a hybrid) in the Pac-12.

19-27 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, throw out the end of the half Hail Mary INT. Brewer performed well and the guys could have helped him out a little more. They did stall out on impressive drives a lot more than you’d hope against an FCS team. Nice befit for Brewery though.

Cam Rising, man you talk about an instant impact. I’m with the majority that excited to see more from him.

The RB1 is all Tavion Thomas. The fact that he fumbled and wasn’t benched very long means that he’s the horse Whittingham wants to ride. That paid off with a 2 TD and 107 yard effort on 12 carries. Bernard is also going to be a weapon, but that might come more as a receiving threat in 2021.

The Utah defense had its moments. The starters only gave up the field goal, with the first TD coming off the backups. That long drive that ended at the goal line for Weber State would have gotten them a tongue-lashing if it were for the goal line stop.

Those are just some initial thoughts, but let’s hear everyone else…

I’m dropping mine here this week since there’s no opponent Q&A…

Utah 45
Weber State 16

I also view this as Utah not trying tim run up the score, but after Brewer, Rising will put his fair share of points on the board, too.

Lets hear everyone’s predictions…

Here some takeaways from the opener. Let’s hear more from everyone else:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/takeaways-utah-welcomes-back-fans-with-40-17-win

So rewatching the game, I see the promise everybody sees at TE and QB. I think we are all hopeful for better WR production this season, grateful Covey is healthy and that Enis looks ready to step up.

All that said, for me the biggest question is who is going to be RB #1 and RB #2 next week? The easy answer is Micah Bernard and Tavion Thomas but.......

I have question marks on Thomas. He came into camp out of shape and he is not securing the football. Watch the game again. It wasn't just the one fumble (one play type thing). It's a concern. Although Tavion's talent is obvious and he was super productive last night.

Anyway my bitching aside, I think it will end up being Micah Bernard and Tavion Thomas (the top 2 RBs), I do think Curry and Pledger need a little more time to show what they can do though.

My take on Thomas is basically from rewatching ALL of Tavion's carries last night. Yes Tavion had the best stats (over 100 yards rushing, 2 TDs and an impressive YPC, but I worry about future fumble issues. I expect many to say chill, it was just one mistake. But again, rewatch the game and tell me what you think. I submit Thomas holds the ball lose and waves it around in traffic and more importantly even when taking hits. Thomas doesn't secure the ball in general. Good defenses with strong athletes will be coached to expose this flaw. It's a concern to me. You guys?

What does everybody think about the RB depth chart update to come before next week's game?

Does anyone know if the cannon is still part of Utah football ? I don’t see it and didn’t hear it on the field goal score.

Clark Phillips III, Cornerback
On his first game with a crowd…
“This is my first time actually being in a packed house and it was special. It was special, the energy was contagious tonight.”

On the rain delay after going down 7-3 in the game…
“I just love my team because we're super competitive. They jumped out on us and we looked at each other and knew we had been in worse situations. I felt like we came back from it. I was just astounded by how we were excited to attack.”

Charlie Brewer, Quarterback
On how comfortable he was in the offense…
“I felt really good, just kind of like I said, it starts with me. I feel like I can play a little bit better. But, you know, I thought it was good. I thought it was a good start, you know kind of the starting point and now we can kind of figure out exactly what we need to do.”

On the offensive performance…
“I feel like we can be really good in the running game as well as the passing game. We have a naturally explosive offense, one of the top offenses in the Pac-12 and in the country, but we have to keep improving.”

Devin Lloyd, Linebacker
On how Weber State played…
“They are definitely a tough team, a little close at the end. They were very disciplined as far as their schematic plays and stuff.”

On if he still gets butterflies for season openers…
“It happens really before every game but it's not anything too crazy, it's just little butterflies like right before. Like as soon as the ball is kicked off. But you know that your preparation will speak volumes to play and so it's nothing to be scared of anything just, some anxiety.”

The game doesn't kick for four more hours, but we might as well get this going now since I'm finding it impossible to properly focus on school or work.

What do you want to see tonight? For me, the receiver group still has a lot to prove, and I'd like to see someone other than Covey, Dixon, or Kuithe make some big plays. It's nice to know that Utah has those proven playmakers, but I think in order to compete for a Pac-12 title, the Utes will need to have at least a couple of other consistent outside threats. Can that be Theo Howard, Devaughn Vele, or Solomon Enis? Or maybe Cole Fotheringham or Dalton Kincaid can emerge as big-play threats?

That's at the top of my list, and I could name several other items I'll be looking for, but I'd rather hear what everyone else wants to see, so let's get this discussion going prior to the game!

KSL reporting he’s saying he’s at BYU to end Utah’s streak. That’s pretty bold. I wonder how Whitt and his former teammates feel about this?

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Anyone need 2 tickets? I’m not going to make it and can give them away at this point as long as you promise not to resell. They are good seats. I have offer out to a few friends too so they could go anytime. Send me message.

The fellas are ready for all of you. Let’s gooooooooo!

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-is-locked-in-and-ready-for-the-fans

No need for it to be a state secret any longer with kick off around the corner.

A look at Power Five schools here. Who did it best?