Well that was... interesting. It's hard to be too critical for the defense for pitching a shutout and for only allowing SUU's offense across the 50 yard line twice. There are definitely some holes that need to be filled before the BYU game, but Utah fans shouldn't fret too much in a home opener against a team meant to work out the kinks. There's 9 days to work out the kinks before the BYU game, and there were enough positives out of this game to ease Utah fans' worries about this team.
Recap of position groups:
Offense:
Recap of position groups:
Offense:
- QB: A- grade. Troy Williams showed up to play, passing for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns. With Huntley's 26 yards in the fourth quarter, the game total reached just under 300 yards, around my expectations of production out of these two. Troy looked poised in the pocket and has the fundamentals--he stepped up into the pocket and took shots downfield. There were maybe one or two head scratcher throws, but overall was accurate and knew when to make a play and when to throw it away. He also ran when he needed to, earning a couple first downs when his receivers couldn't get open for him. For a comparison, all of last season the Utes had 3 plays 50+ yards. Today, Williams had 2. He was taking shots downfield and trusted his receivers to make a play. Overall, a stellar performance out of our new QB.
- RB: C+ grade. This position group is officially open. Joe Williams struggled this game, especially when he tried to finesse rather than power through his opponents. I really liked what I saw out of McCormick--he had 55 rushing and 55 receiving yards in the slot and outlet, and was the fastest guy on the field despite his knee injury. Armand Shyne also got a lot of carries toward the end of the game and was a bruiser by seeking out contact. I expected more out of this group, but look for those three backs to continue to split reps until there is obvious separation.
- TE: B- grade. If I recall correctly, Handley had a huge gain called back on a penalty, and Moeai and Wallace Gonzalez both had a reception for 18 and 11 yards, respectively. They could use some work on their blocking for the running backs and pass protection in the next week, but all three guys looked solid.
- WR: B grade. Holliday's group looked great. There were few confusing crossing routes--receivers were mostly going downfield and beating guys 1 on 1. There were a few too many drops, but this group looked solid. Tim Patrick totaled 105 yards, a feat rarely seen last year (Ute Nation's own K Scott had a 100+ game). We saw A LOT of receivers--11 Utes had a reception in the game. Besides Patrick's great performance (he caught jump balls and timely 3rd down receptions), I was mostly impressed with Raelon Singleton and Tyronne Smith, who combined for 87 yards. McCormick was stellar in the slot, and Fulks was blocking great downfield, but wasn't utilized much otherwise. Terrell Burgess, who was recruited as DB, also had a catch. This group will turn into something special this year.
- OL: C- grade. Most of the frustration from this game will come from this group, which may be warranted, but keep in mind this was a game meant for gluing together and working out kinks. I will say there were too many arms raised and shrugs at each other on missed blocks, and they didn't always finish their block until the end. JJ Dielman had a few too many low snaps for comfort, but that can be worked out in practice. Also, Bolles got beat a few times more than he should've, but Jackson Barton came in as a solid backup to both him and Sam Tevi. Tevi struggled in the first half as right tackle. The guard spot looked adequate with Uhatafe and Asiata, both are giants. This group will be the most scrutinized this coming week, but I am confident in their talent.
- DL: B+ grade. They allowed over 100 yards rushing, but were constantly in the backfield forcing the QB out of the pocket and hurrying the pass. Malik Brown, the SUU running back, had a solid game, but the Utah D looked good otherwise. I was especially impressed with Pita T and Kylie Fitts. Pita was in the backfield more than most on the end. Also, Filipo Mokofisi was stout in keeping the run game in check and had a great game out of tackle. The Utes mostly played 4-2, but there were some blitz packages with a 6 man line with 3 tackles, 2 defensive ends and Cody Barton on an end rushing the quarterback. It backfired once for a run up the middle, but worked one or two times for an incompletion and TFL.
- LB: B grade. Sunia and Barton both played great games. The only thing holding them back from an A is a missed coverage assignment that resulted in a big gain for SUU and a missed tackle here and there. Other than that, they played poised and didn't allow SUU's tight ends to make any plays and kept them quiet. Barton ended with 11 tackles, and like I said, was blitzing on the end and eating up blockers for the other guys like Dimick, Fitts and Pita T to swarm the QB. Overall, great game by these two.
- DB: A grade. Only 42 yards in the air given up by the unit. Marcus Williams picked up where he left off last season with an interception and a fumble recovery. J Thomas had a great game in the nickel. Did everyone else see Julian Blackmon with a couple PBU's at corner? Brian Allen, Porter, Thomas, Hansen, Williams all were in the right place at the right time. Look for the same performance next week against BYU's receivers.
- Kicking: C grade. Andy Phillips was 1 for 2 from FG with a make of about 25 yarder. He limped of the field after a PAT and seemed to have enough discomfort to force the backup (Hayes Hickens) to kick off, who was booming his kickoffs for touchbacks.
- Punt: A+ grade. Tom Hackett who?? Mitch Wishnowsky went golfing today, with 6 punts for 333 yards and 55 yard average. He has the rugby style down, and if you noticed, was hitting them where they ain't, in the words of Yogi Berra. If a returner was leaning one direction when he started running with the ball, he'd still boom the kick the other direction for a no return and his rushers would be waiting for him downfield. He had one punt that was nearly 65 yards before tumbling into the end zone for a touchback. There is no drop off in the punting game.
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