So, I have this kitchen table. It’s not the best. It’s got some wobbles and could use some fixing as I think there’s a loose bolt or a nut out of place somewhere. But, it was free and it is functional so, I keep it. Utah’s defense against USC was a lot like my table; certainly not the best, but enough to get the job done.
With that said, this type of performance is not always going to get the job done in the P12 South. The defense has some corrections to make in addition to getting healthy along the front four.
Tasini showed some flashes of excellence and Pita Taumoepenu showed some stoutness by often setting a hard edge in the run game. This was great to see as he previously had trouble on containment assignments. Look for him to continue to improve through the year. As a whole, the D-Line needs to get better on the ground because 213 yards is too much, regardless of who you are playing. Lowell’s exit was a tremendous loss and one that hopefully won’t be long-lasting. His utility is not limited to his own production because you can basically count on two players from the other team being dedicated to him each play, essentially forcing the bad guys to play a man down.
His absence was felt on the line and possibly even more at 2nd level because those double teams really open up the LB’s to make plays and last night, there simply was not enough greatness coming out of the Kongo. I saw too many plays being made by safeties that could’ve been made somewhere else.
The secondary was pretty much on par with the rest of the D. Improvements could be made but they did enough to come out on top for this game. We missed some opportunities but had some takeaways to even things out. I was mildly impressed with the coverage of Juju Smith-Shuster who had 8 catches for just under 100 yards. Those are good numbers but he is a great player who surely could’ve done more damage. Sometimes I worry about our matchups against bigger, stronger receivers. Domo looked good but I’m not sure he’s at 100% yet.
All in all, the best word I can use to describe last night’s defensive performance: enough. Enough turnovers to give the offense chances to score. Enough pressure to limit quarterback effectiveness. Enough coverage to minimize the big play ability of key offensive threats. The mark of great defense is a “bend but not break” mentality and last night the Utes did quite a bit of bending and still did not break. This is good! However, much like this kitchen table I sit at to make my critiques, if things don’t get tightened up soon, these wobbles are going to prove very costly.
With that said, this type of performance is not always going to get the job done in the P12 South. The defense has some corrections to make in addition to getting healthy along the front four.
Tasini showed some flashes of excellence and Pita Taumoepenu showed some stoutness by often setting a hard edge in the run game. This was great to see as he previously had trouble on containment assignments. Look for him to continue to improve through the year. As a whole, the D-Line needs to get better on the ground because 213 yards is too much, regardless of who you are playing. Lowell’s exit was a tremendous loss and one that hopefully won’t be long-lasting. His utility is not limited to his own production because you can basically count on two players from the other team being dedicated to him each play, essentially forcing the bad guys to play a man down.
His absence was felt on the line and possibly even more at 2nd level because those double teams really open up the LB’s to make plays and last night, there simply was not enough greatness coming out of the Kongo. I saw too many plays being made by safeties that could’ve been made somewhere else.
The secondary was pretty much on par with the rest of the D. Improvements could be made but they did enough to come out on top for this game. We missed some opportunities but had some takeaways to even things out. I was mildly impressed with the coverage of Juju Smith-Shuster who had 8 catches for just under 100 yards. Those are good numbers but he is a great player who surely could’ve done more damage. Sometimes I worry about our matchups against bigger, stronger receivers. Domo looked good but I’m not sure he’s at 100% yet.
All in all, the best word I can use to describe last night’s defensive performance: enough. Enough turnovers to give the offense chances to score. Enough pressure to limit quarterback effectiveness. Enough coverage to minimize the big play ability of key offensive threats. The mark of great defense is a “bend but not break” mentality and last night the Utes did quite a bit of bending and still did not break. This is good! However, much like this kitchen table I sit at to make my critiques, if things don’t get tightened up soon, these wobbles are going to prove very costly.
