If you need to vent about Utah football, this is the place.

[UTEopia]

The loss to Wazzu gave me a lot to vent about and nobody to vent to who gives a shit. This loss felt a lot like the loss to CU in 2011 and USU in 2012. What do they have in common?

1. Expectations. I went into those games and this game 99% confident and expecting a win. Even against Wazzu a year ago, I did not feel that we had more than a 50% chance at victory given injuries and Shultz starting at QB.

2. Drinking the Kool Aid. Although my eyes told me that the offense was not very good against Michigan, my heart told me that the offense had improved. Obviously it has not.

3. Going to a Bowl. In all honesty, my preseason picks had us at 3-1 at this stage of the season, but with the win over Michigan (not that great of a win), I thought we could get ahead of the curve in anticipation of a tough remaining schedule that did not look like it held a bunch of wins in it before last week and looks even more daunting given the performance from this past week.

4. Game changing mistakes by our captains. I really thought Blechen had turned the corner when he made the textbook hit against Michigan instead of targeting with his helmet and getting a penalty, but the old Blechen returned on the first 4th and 15 touchdown pass when he left pass coverage anticipating a sack? or the opportunity to lay the wood to Halliday only to have the pass sail over his head and his zone to a guy standing in the end zone. Has Dres ever made a clutch play in clutch time? Devontae Christopher made more clutch plays in clutch time (BYU TD and Ga. Tech long pass) come to mind and we know how his senior season ended. It is hard for me to bag on Captain Phillips, but 66% obviously isn't going to get it done with this team. He needs to be perfect. Can't Nate Orchard shave a millisecond of his rush and sack Halliday on either of the 4th down touchdowns?

The last two are a little harsh, but teams need their captains to step up and make clutch plays at clutch time and our captains did not.

I have a hard time blaming #20 for being out of position or taking the wrong angle after all he is a true freshman, making his first start, and the guy who he is supposed to look up to, who has been here for 5 years can't seem to stay in pass coverage to save his life. I also have a hard time blaming Hatfield for slipping. Those are the breaks.

I will be in SoCal this week and had been planning to attend the UCLA game, but right now the drive from Newport doesn't seem to be worth it to more or to my wife (who did sit through the entire game in the rain). She is a good sport.

I don't expect the Utes to beat UCLA. I hope they don't implode and can hang together and pick up an unexpected win along the way.

[DrumNFeather]

The loss to Wazzu gave me a lot to vent about and nobody to vent to who gives a shit. This loss felt a lot like the loss to CU in 2011 and USU in 2012. What do they have in common?

1. Expectations. I went into those games and this game 99% confident and expecting a win. Even against Wazzu a year ago, I did not feel that we had more than a 50% chance at victory given injuries and Shultz starting at QB.

2. Drinking the Kool Aid. Although my eyes told me that the offense was not very good against Michigan, my heart told me that the offense had improved. Obviously it has not.

3. Going to a Bowl. In all honesty, my preseason picks had us at 3-1 at this stage of the season, but with the win over Michigan (not that great of a win), I thought we could get ahead of the curve in anticipation of a tough remaining schedule that did not look like it held a bunch of wins in it before last week and looks even more daunting given the performance from this past week.

4. Game changing mistakes by our captains. I really thought Blechen had turned the corner when he made the textbook hit against Michigan instead of targeting with his helmet and getting a penalty, but the old Blechen returned on the first 4th and 15 touchdown pass when he left pass coverage anticipating a sack? or the opportunity to lay the wood to Halliday only to have the pass sail over his head and his zone to a guy standing in the end zone. Has Dres ever made a clutch play in clutch time? Devontae Christopher made more clutch plays in clutch time (BYU TD and Ga. Tech long pass) come to mind and we know how his senior season ended. It is hard for me to bag on Captain Phillips, but 66% obviously isn't going to get it done with this team. He needs to be perfect. Can't Nate Orchard shave a millisecond of his rush and sack Halliday on either of the 4th down touchdowns?

The last two are a little harsh, but teams need their captains to step up and make clutch plays at clutch time and our captains did not.

I have a hard time blaming #20 for being out of position or taking the wrong angle after all he is a true freshman, making his first start, and the guy who he is supposed to look up to, who has been here for 5 years can't seem to stay in pass coverage to save his life. I also have a hard time blaming Hatfield for slipping. Those are the breaks.

I will be in SoCal this week and had been planning to attend the UCLA game, but right now the drive from Newport doesn't seem to be worth it to more or to my wife (who did sit through the entire game in the rain). She is a good sport.

I don't expect the Utes to beat UCLA. I hope they don't implode and can hang together and pick up an unexpected win along the way.

This one...

If you go back to the Stanford game last year, the only reason the result is any different was...? You guessed it! Pressure. We had a guy running straight at Kevin Hogan and he sailed the pass over his intended receiver's head. On both 4th down TDs against Wazzu, we went right back to Beck to Harline, he had a ton of time to throw and didn't really feel any pressure. Sure, Dimmick was close on the one, but he didn't get there. On these type of plays, you have flat out got to be disruptive, especially when you know your secondary can't cover for more than a few seconds.

[concerned]

This one...

If you go back to the Stanford game last year, the only reason the result is any different was...? You guessed it! Pressure. We had a guy running straight at Kevin Hogan and he sailed the pass over his intended receiver's head. On both 4th down TDs against Wazzu, we went right back to Beck to Harline, he had a ton of time to throw and didn't really feel any pressure. Sure, Dimmick was close on the one, but he didn't get there. On these type of plays, you have flat out got to be disruptive, especially when you know your secondary can't cover for more than a few seconds.


on both 4th down touchdowns, our group said "Harline is still open. Same endzone. Similar plays." Deja vu all over again.

[sancho]

4. Game changing mistakes by our captains. I really thought Blechen had turned the corner when he made the textbook hit against Michigan instead of targeting with his helmet and getting a penalty, but the old Blechen returned on the first 4th and 15 touchdown pass when he left pass coverage anticipating a sack?

I don't blame the secondary for any of the first 3 TDs. The coverage was good for a long time on each of those plays. No coverage can last forever. Even I, a slow old guy, could get open vs Revis island if I had enough time. Coverage will eventually break down. That's just how it is.

When you rush three, eventually one of the three has to arrive to force a throw. The three man rush is a useful approach that has worked for us many times. It worked for us in the first half. We typically use it as a change of pace to surprise teams. Here we used it all game long. I wanted to see some 4-5 man rushes in the 2nd half, especially on those 4th downs. On 4th and 14, you have to get in there and make sure that the QB has only a couple of options.

So, on those Beck to Harline's (which is exactly what I thought as they happened), I blame the staff and the 3 rushers more than the secondary.

[Applejack]

I don't blame the secondary for any of the first 3 TDs. The coverage was good for a long time on each of those plays. No coverage can last forever. Even I, a slow old guy, could get open vs Revis island if I had enough time. Coverage will eventually break down. That's just how it is.

When you rush three, eventually one of the three has to arrive to force a throw. The three man rush is a useful approach that has worked for us many times. It worked for us in the first half. We typically use it as a change of pace to surprise teams. Here we used it all game long. I wanted to see some 4-5 man rushes in the 2nd half, especially on those 4th downs. On 4th and 14, you have to get in there and make sure that the QB has only a couple of options.

So, on those Beck to Harline's (which is exactly what I thought as they happened), I blame the staff and the 3 rushers more than the secondary.

I don't blame the defense at all for the game on Saturday. We were missing our starting safety and playing a freshman in his place. We were playing a team that is the #1 passing offense in the country and took away our strength (d-line). And we only gave up 28 points after being on the field ALL DAY LONG.

This loss goes squarely on the offense - particularly the O-line, Dres, and Travis. The O-line is just a little bit soft, I fear. They rarely open up holes in the run game and for seem to never win the 3rd and short battles.

Travis is a decent QB, but that's about his ceiling. He has learned how to not hurt the team, but he really can't win a game for you.

And Dres. If he wants to play in the NFL, he needs to start catching game winning passes that hit his hands in stride.

[sancho]

Is this a vent question or a UCLA thread question:

Does Travis Wilson enter this game on a short leash? If we go 3 and out for the first quarter, do we see KT?

[Applejack]

Is this a vent question or a UCLA thread question:

Does Travis Wilson enter this game on a short leash? If we go 3 and out for the first quarter, do we see KT?

Ugh, I hope not. I'm the world's smallest Travis Wilson fan, but from what I've seen he is clearly our best option.

Thompson is the first running quarterback I've ever seen who regularly loses yards when he runs.

[sancho]

I don't blame the defense at all for the game on Saturday.

Oh yes, you are 100% correct. If you had told me that we could hold WSU to 28 points, I'd take the deal. I'd take that deal now on Oregon, ASU, UCLA, Arizona, and maybe CU.

Inexcusable for the offense to manage zero drives into the red zone.

[sancho]

Thompson is the first running quarterback I've ever seen who regularly loses yards when he runs.

I know! I was going to look up the percentage of how many of his runs have lost yards, but I am too lazy.

Travis is the hope. All we need is accuracy and decision making. I don't know if he can do it, but he has to.

On the line - I thought they gave Wilson enough time on plenty of throws last week. That's the first time in years I have thought that. Maybe I am wrong. I would love it if one of those people who re-watch games would tell me. I think Wilson is so used to everything collapsing that he rushed a number of throws when he didn't have to.

[LA Ute]

Travis is the hope. All we need is accuracy and decision making. I don't know if he can do it, but he has to.

So far he's shown himself to be what AJ calls him: a decent QB. He's better than he played last Saturday, but we'll see if he's good enough to win us any games. I kind of wonder if he learns. He has learned not to make stupid throws, and I think he's learned not to leave his feet and put himself at needless risk (but shouldn't he have learned that last season against ASU?). Will he learn not to throw bullets when it's not necessary? Can he get the ball where it needs to be when he's got an open receiver? We'll see. He was pretty good against Stanford last year. Maybe that version of Travis will emerge on a consistent basis.

[Applejack]

So far he's shown himself to be what AJ calls him: a decent QB. He's better than he played last Saturday, but we'll see if he's good enough to win us any games. I kind of wonder if he learns. He has learned not to make stupid throws, and I think he's learned not to leave his feet and put himself at needless risk (but shouldn't he have learned that last season against ASU?). Will he learn not to throw bullets when it's not necessary? Can he get the ball where it needs to be when he's got an open receiver? We'll see. He was pretty good against Stanford last year. Maybe that version of Travis will emerge on a consistent basis.

Was he that good against Stanfurd? As I recall, we made a lot of hay in the first half with our weird jet screens that seemed to have their defense off-balance. Travis got a lot of his yards by throwing to the flat (Bubba) and letting guys run. He also had that crazy double-move to Dres at the end of the half. Stanfurd took a lot of that away in the second half.

[LA Ute]

Was he that good against Stanfurd? As I recall, we made a lot of hay in the first half with our weird jet screens that seemed to half their defense off-balance. Travis got a lot of his yards by throwing to the flat (Bubba) and letting guys run. He also had that crazy double-move to Dres at the end of the half. Stanfurd took a lot of that away in the second half.

"Pretty good," I guess. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Travis booster. Stanford was also a game in which our offense shut down after getting a lead and that time we hung on to win on the last play of the game. There's just too much of that on KW-coached teams to think it is coincidental and has nothing to do with him.

[sancho]

"Pretty good," I guess. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Travis booster. Stanford was also a game in which our offense shut down after getting a lead and that time we hung on to win on the last play of the game. There's just too much of that on KW-coached teams to think it is coincidental and has nothing to do with him.

That's not fair to KW and staff. The whole reason we had a lead to hang on to was their brilliant game plan. So it only worked in the first half and not the 2nd? We still beat a top 10 team. No complaining allowed about the Stanford game. There are plenty of other games more worthy of our complaints.

[LA Ute]

That's not fair to KW and staff. The whole reason we had a lead to hang on to was their brilliant game plan. So it only worked in the first half and not the 2nd? We still beat a top 10 team. No complaining allowed about the Stanford game. There are plenty of other games more worthy of our complaints.

Not complaining, just noting the similarity in outcome. love that win, but there we were, on the last play of the game, after a second half in which we were pretty much unable to stop them, fighting to hang on. That time we did.

[Homer Crimson]

I think he's learned not to leave his feet and put himself at needless risk

Sadly, I'm almost certain that Travis will get injured again this season. I fear he's still too much of a fearless baller at heart to not do something reckless. It would be a great quality if he were indestructible.

[sancho]

Just turned on a game, thought it was a Utes replay, but it was San Diego state.

[Applejack]

Just turned on a game, thought it was a Utes replay, but it was San Diego state.

Why? Are they choking away a 21 point lead?

(Too soon?)

[Ma'ake]

I decided to go into media lockdown after last Saturday, and things were more tolerable, but it took until Tuesday to get some positivity back.

Wazzu is clearly better than previously believed, Oregon is not that great, Arizona is good, but on any given Saturday in this league, you have to believe that anything can happen.

I hope we're resilient, and I hope our offensive coaches show why they're better than the various mixes in previous years.

[justaute]

I also did the media lockdown and avoided Utes sports (football & volleyball). The only thing I watched was our soccer team versus the #1 ranked UCLA, which we lost 0-1 -- we did well. I also quit the UteNation on Facebook; there are too many melodramatic characters who have unrealistic expectations, have used shallow and useless data, and behave poorly. I left utefans a few months ago.


I decided to go into media lockdown after last Saturday, and things were more tolerable, but it took until Tuesday to get some positivity back.

Wazzu is clearly better than previously believed, Oregon is not that great, Arizona is good, but on any given Saturday in this league, you have to believe that anything can happen.

I hope we're resilient, and I hope our offensive coaches show why they're better than the various mixes in previous years.