We have ballers on defense - Vaki, Barton, Ellis, Tanuvasa, Bishop, Reid etc.

That said our corners are average. Room to improve at that position.

The offense on the other hand…

1. OL is solid but nothing more than that.
2. The WR group is still underperforming. Too many drops, no real YAC threats, Pittman has been MIA.
3. Jaylon Glover ain’t it at RB. Doesn’t make guys miss or break tackles and lacks speed to get to the edge. We need a healthy JJ stat.
4. The QB position is a hot mess. Huge opportunity for someone to step forward while Cam recovers and it hasn’t happened. Not much to point to at this point to expect much different.
5. All of the playmakers are shelved, Cam, Kuithe, JJ, Micah, Pittman. Doubtful the offense will just flip a switch.

Ok, I’m not diving into the Cam saga….there’s enough threads already on that. But what about the #2 QB and depth at this position?

My friend told me weeks ago “it is hard for every team to recruit a solid #2”. I figured with Cam pretty much engrained that he might be right. Getting a transfer would be hard, especially if they’re hearing Cam will be back.

But then I just watched Arizona take USC to a third overtime where he throws for 300 yards and 5 TD’s. I watched as the ASU QB throws for over 300 yards and a TD. So….how is it they can get an offense and a QB who can still throw the ball but Utah looks absolutely inept in the “throw game” with anyone but Cam? The QB and throw game are a HUGE liability.

So the question that remains to be answered….how come Utah and it’s coaches don’t have a capable QB other than Cam on the roster and why is our offensive scheme so bad that we can’t compete on offense unless Cam is there? It’s a pretty glaring weakness as you watch college football around the country…

…. Next year at quarterback between he and Rose. Kid has been playing like this all year. Elite skills. I do believe, as some have suggested, that many high school kids look good against weak competition. Not here. It’s the way he plays…. He doesn’t simply stand in the pocket and put up gaudy numbers against poor competition. Here is one example of why he is the real deal.

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I think everyone will go nuts over what they’re announcing:

https://x.com/utahcrimson/status/1709279862618550587?s=46&t=rCeydSjlZpEXuJwsvf6X2A

Damm the Cats had them!!!

I’m being candid here, I get that everyone is frustrated over the timelines that have been given, but this tells everyone that his injury recovery can be unpredictable. I really hope this quiets everyone questioning Cam’s effort —and honestly I’m floored and a bit annoyed over the last couple weeks that I even need to say that with some of the ridiculous rumors out there. If you listen to his voice on this, what fans have said about him has clearly affected him.

Everyone just needs to support their guy who has sacrificed his body and brought the Utah program to absolutely unheard of heights.

I hope this ends all arguments.

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Halloween Concept Helmets

A look at the top guys:

Are we adding Logan and Spencer Fano to the list of injuries? Both brothers left the game back to back with apparent knee injuries a few plays apart.

*Jonah Ellis has been amazing.* Logan Fano was developing on the opposite side at DE. What's his status going to be moving forward? He was crying.

Other than Jonah Ellis, the DEs have been decimated by injuries effecting Connor O'Toole, Van Fillinger and now Logan Fano.

As the season progresses and eventually ends, I wonder if all we have left to talk about will be a discussion on injuries and what might have been in 2023 with a very promising team to start the season. This could be the all time worst injury season ever.

Updates on Kuithe?

I saved this to put out a little later tonight, knowing that Davis Andrews was committing. Here is how the current Utah commits fared last weekend.:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/tracking-utah-2024-commit-games-jeilani-davis-gets-3rd-int-of-season

Ute fans are going to love his play as well as his off-the-field attitude. He’ll serve an LDS mission first, though…




https://utah.rivals.com/news/what-it-means-andrews-stays-home-to-live-utah-dream

So many injuries. I feel terrible for the hurt players and the team.

I am no QB guru, but it looks to me like Nate Johnson is getting worse. His throws are mostly off target and he looks uncomfortable. Teams don't fear his arm so there are lots of jail break blitzes and Nate has to run for his life. After the Baylor 4th quarter I thought the team had a gamer on the rise and now it looks like a downward spiral. He needed another year to prepare for this.

I hope I am missing something. Someone, anyone, give me a reason to be optimistic.

A Utah mention in this article

https://n.rivals.com/news/recruiting-rumor-mill-another-busy-weekend-in-the-books-3

As great as this coaching staff is, it’s not perfect. Their track record of developing quarterbacks is not good. So thinking out loud, does Utah go after a seasoned quarterback, in the transfer portal in January? If they do, it would say so much about the QB situation at Utah. Cam would be gone, and lacking confidence in Nate Johnson, B. Rose, Bryson Barnes and the incoming freshman Wilson. The coaching staff would feel better with another experience quarterback on the roster entering their first season in the big 12.

This is what I’m expecting when he makes his announcement tomorrow. I expect it to be Utah:

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From Wacky to Weird: The Untold Stories Behind U.S. Sports Team Names​

If you have watched football for any amount of time what happened last night was 100% predictable and shouldn’t have come as any shock to anybody.

Coming into this game Utah was 4-0 in spite of it offense. Take away Weber because well they are Weber and Utah has beaten Florida, Baylor, and UCLA with defense and special teams.

Nate’s first start on the road in a hostile environment against a fired up team with a gigantic chip on there shoulders out to prove they belonged in the conference expansion talk.

Injuries have destroyed continuity or any semblance of a gameplan offensively.

Take the bye week off. Nobody touches a football at all. Just send the whole team for treatment and rehab.

If Cam comes back(which I have my doubts)remember “He’s so close”(no he’s not)and gets healthy they will be fine.

If Cam doesn’t come back Nate will be the QB going forward and Utah will just have to take their lumps with him. He was never meant to be QB1 or 2 this season. Cam is a definite maybe for the rest of the season and I’m hearing Barnes suffered a bruised heart muscle and will be out indefinitely.

Injuries suck

OSU is a good team who’s healthy and well coached. A depleted team is not going into Corvallis and winning.

I was told he was rushed to the hospital. Something potentially with his sternum. Just puts life and sports into perspective. I can’t go any further in-depth. I’ll let the program say more.

Let’s get this thing rollin’…

Connor O’Toole is back tonight, Ja’Quinden Jackson is out. The team is getting healthier. You guys have already been clued in on Rising.

Here’s hoping for a breakout game for Nate tonight. They need just Nate be Nate.

Game balls for this week are a little unique compared to most games:

Credit to the program, they know there’s been justifiable concern on Barnes’ status. They’ve let me know he left with the team and that it’s okay to have out there. No other updates will be given until Whittingham chooses otherwise.

Here’s Cole’s article on a tough road loss:


https://utah.rivals.com/news/takeaways-utah-s-struggles-catch-up-to-them-in-loss