I have had this thought in my head for a couple of weeks about why Utah football fell short this year and I couldn't quite put it into words until now.
When you look at the All-Pac-12 team in reference to Utah, what do you see? 2 kickers on the first team. While I love our kickers and I am beyond excited that they are both back next year, you aren't going to find many successful teams without a few all-conference players.
So what does that really mean? It means that Utah lacked consistent play-makers and on-field leaders with this year's team. This isn't a hit on our guys. No doubt, they did their best and they gave their heart to this team and I applaud them for it and cheer for them. But you can't deny that Utah's top players simply weren't stars.
Who were the candidates before the year began:
Carrington: Started like a world beater but couldn't stay consistent and dealt with injuries
Moss: Too many dud games
Uhatafe: I can't speak to his individual games because I don't have the O-line knowledge, but Utah's line as a hole was it's weak spot for much of the year
Mokofisi/Lotulelei: Our two D-line leaders coming in to the year. There just simply wasn't enough consistent disruption or quality play to earn first team. They both earned honorable mention and there was probably some playing through injury for Lowell.
Hansen: Too many injuries
As for other positions, we thought that Ballard had the chance to step in for Williams without missing a beat. Didn't happen. We thought Huntley showed signs of being special in those early games but he struggled with injuries and consistency. We liked our corners and for the most part, they played solidly, but not enough to earn first team.
The bottom line is that this particular squad simply lacked difference makers. The guys who would put their team on their back and lead them to victory...or at least do that consistently. It's not that the players weren't giving it their all. We just didn't have those types of performances.
If Utah really is ready to break out, then we need to see 4-5 players on the first team squads like USC and Washington (or at least 2-3). So who are those guys going to be if Utah is going to make the leap?
1) Huntley - This is obvious. With only an untested redshirt freshman and a true freshman behind him, we need Huntley to take a leap and stay healthy.
2) Moss - We saw what Moss can do. Can he do it consistently? If he can, he has all-conference written all over him. People ask why a 1,000 yard rusher didn't make all conference honorable mention? 8 games with under 80 yards and 6 games under 55. That's not good enough.
3) Barton - I think he's the most likely candidate on the O-line, but I could be wrong here. Someone is going to have to step up and lead this unit.
4) Singleton - Can he stay healthy and become the #1 target and a difference maker? I am not sure he has the explosiveness and ability to create separation.
5) Fotu - He earned the PT this year and now he needs to make a leap and lead the defensive line
6) Hansen - It's all about his health. The ability is there. Is it possible he retires or leaves for the NFL?
7) Blackmon/Johnson - These corners were pretty solid this year. Now we need them to make difference making plays and create turnovers.
We will also need new guys to step up. Whether those are incoming freshman, redshirts, returned missionaries (looking at you Covey), JC/transfers, or simply players who outworked everyone else and rose to the top.
TL
R version: I believe that in order for Utah to make a leap and become a contender, they need more difference makers and stars and this year's team was lacking those types of players (no offense to their efforts).
When you look at the All-Pac-12 team in reference to Utah, what do you see? 2 kickers on the first team. While I love our kickers and I am beyond excited that they are both back next year, you aren't going to find many successful teams without a few all-conference players.
So what does that really mean? It means that Utah lacked consistent play-makers and on-field leaders with this year's team. This isn't a hit on our guys. No doubt, they did their best and they gave their heart to this team and I applaud them for it and cheer for them. But you can't deny that Utah's top players simply weren't stars.
Who were the candidates before the year began:
Carrington: Started like a world beater but couldn't stay consistent and dealt with injuries
Moss: Too many dud games
Uhatafe: I can't speak to his individual games because I don't have the O-line knowledge, but Utah's line as a hole was it's weak spot for much of the year
Mokofisi/Lotulelei: Our two D-line leaders coming in to the year. There just simply wasn't enough consistent disruption or quality play to earn first team. They both earned honorable mention and there was probably some playing through injury for Lowell.
Hansen: Too many injuries
As for other positions, we thought that Ballard had the chance to step in for Williams without missing a beat. Didn't happen. We thought Huntley showed signs of being special in those early games but he struggled with injuries and consistency. We liked our corners and for the most part, they played solidly, but not enough to earn first team.
The bottom line is that this particular squad simply lacked difference makers. The guys who would put their team on their back and lead them to victory...or at least do that consistently. It's not that the players weren't giving it their all. We just didn't have those types of performances.
If Utah really is ready to break out, then we need to see 4-5 players on the first team squads like USC and Washington (or at least 2-3). So who are those guys going to be if Utah is going to make the leap?
1) Huntley - This is obvious. With only an untested redshirt freshman and a true freshman behind him, we need Huntley to take a leap and stay healthy.
2) Moss - We saw what Moss can do. Can he do it consistently? If he can, he has all-conference written all over him. People ask why a 1,000 yard rusher didn't make all conference honorable mention? 8 games with under 80 yards and 6 games under 55. That's not good enough.
3) Barton - I think he's the most likely candidate on the O-line, but I could be wrong here. Someone is going to have to step up and lead this unit.
4) Singleton - Can he stay healthy and become the #1 target and a difference maker? I am not sure he has the explosiveness and ability to create separation.
5) Fotu - He earned the PT this year and now he needs to make a leap and lead the defensive line
6) Hansen - It's all about his health. The ability is there. Is it possible he retires or leaves for the NFL?
7) Blackmon/Johnson - These corners were pretty solid this year. Now we need them to make difference making plays and create turnovers.
We will also need new guys to step up. Whether those are incoming freshman, redshirts, returned missionaries (looking at you Covey), JC/transfers, or simply players who outworked everyone else and rose to the top.
TL
R version: I believe that in order for Utah to make a leap and become a contender, they need more difference makers and stars and this year's team was lacking those types of players (no offense to their efforts).
