Utenation! My name is Matt Martinez; I was a former linebacker and team captain for the Utes 2006-2012. I was a three year academic all MWC and Pac 12 All academic. Born and raised in SLC, Utah Cottonwood high Colt. I’m excited to contribute to this community and give my perspective from a defensive view for pre-game thoughts and post-game analysis.
Recap of SUU:
A shutout is a shutout! While I also wasn’t overly impressed by our play last game, I thought that we played sound defense and generally played a very basic front. There wasn’t too many stunts or blitzes dialed up so I believe we will see more of that going into this game.
I liked what I saw from the depth of our defensive line and secondary. I thought the linebackers played well for not having any real game experience but I could tell they were trying to catch the speed of the game.
Thoughts on the Holy War:
This game is legendary and heated rivalry. One that I myself felt the deep despair of defeat with and yet the highest of highs crushing this team and capping off a perfect regular season that took us to the Sugar Bowl. It is a game unlike any other and now with a new era lead by Kalani Sitake, I can't wait to watch it.
I know that this game is going to come down to Offense and Special teams; as it always does. Utah and BYU have a dominant defense philosophy from the legend, Fred Whittingham and will be stingy with letting either team establish a run game. The impact plays on offense will change the game for the better or worse for both teams. I believe the team who has 4 or 5 impact plays on offense will control the game.
QB Taysom Hill- Great game manager; has a record of shattering like glass. Slow and controlled football helped BYU beat Arizona last week and I think if they can stay consistent, this might be an advantage.
QB- Troy Williams- 20/35 against a sub-par DAA school. I think Troy’s athleticism is something that Utah hasn’t had for a decade and I’m excited to see what he can do in his leadership role. Troy needs to step up and command the offense in order to win this matchup. The dropped balls and mental errors won’t be acceptable in this game!
Secondary:
BYU- Kai Nacua- This kid can play and understands how to run the defense like a veteran. I believe he can keep the deep balls out of the endzone and play a factor in the run game.
UTAH- Marcus Williams- Watch out for this guy, he will chew you up and spit you out with his big play mentality. He has a keen eye for the ball and always is looking to cause turnovers with not only interceptions but instinctive stripping of the ball.
These two players are ball hawks and I believe these two could be the cause of one or two key turnovers in this game.
Utah’s Edge:
Special Team baby… This is where we win games and don’t skip a beat. Automatic Andy is ice in big games and will come up big when we need him. Even with concerns about a bum foot, I know Andy’s mentality and he won’t feel a thing. Don’t forget the Aussie; Mitch has a steel foot that can change the field position and momentum of the game in a heartbeat. We will need him to put BYU in bad territory where the combination of a defensive flying around and an insanely loud RES stadium will throw these guys off their game.
-Matt Martinez
Recap of SUU:
A shutout is a shutout! While I also wasn’t overly impressed by our play last game, I thought that we played sound defense and generally played a very basic front. There wasn’t too many stunts or blitzes dialed up so I believe we will see more of that going into this game.
I liked what I saw from the depth of our defensive line and secondary. I thought the linebackers played well for not having any real game experience but I could tell they were trying to catch the speed of the game.
Thoughts on the Holy War:
This game is legendary and heated rivalry. One that I myself felt the deep despair of defeat with and yet the highest of highs crushing this team and capping off a perfect regular season that took us to the Sugar Bowl. It is a game unlike any other and now with a new era lead by Kalani Sitake, I can't wait to watch it.
I know that this game is going to come down to Offense and Special teams; as it always does. Utah and BYU have a dominant defense philosophy from the legend, Fred Whittingham and will be stingy with letting either team establish a run game. The impact plays on offense will change the game for the better or worse for both teams. I believe the team who has 4 or 5 impact plays on offense will control the game.
QB Taysom Hill- Great game manager; has a record of shattering like glass. Slow and controlled football helped BYU beat Arizona last week and I think if they can stay consistent, this might be an advantage.
QB- Troy Williams- 20/35 against a sub-par DAA school. I think Troy’s athleticism is something that Utah hasn’t had for a decade and I’m excited to see what he can do in his leadership role. Troy needs to step up and command the offense in order to win this matchup. The dropped balls and mental errors won’t be acceptable in this game!
Secondary:
BYU- Kai Nacua- This kid can play and understands how to run the defense like a veteran. I believe he can keep the deep balls out of the endzone and play a factor in the run game.
UTAH- Marcus Williams- Watch out for this guy, he will chew you up and spit you out with his big play mentality. He has a keen eye for the ball and always is looking to cause turnovers with not only interceptions but instinctive stripping of the ball.
These two players are ball hawks and I believe these two could be the cause of one or two key turnovers in this game.
Utah’s Edge:
Special Team baby… This is where we win games and don’t skip a beat. Automatic Andy is ice in big games and will come up big when we need him. Even with concerns about a bum foot, I know Andy’s mentality and he won’t feel a thing. Don’t forget the Aussie; Mitch has a steel foot that can change the field position and momentum of the game in a heartbeat. We will need him to put BYU in bad territory where the combination of a defensive flying around and an insanely loud RES stadium will throw these guys off their game.
-Matt Martinez
