Nightmare on Whit Street: #13 Utah vs. Oregon St.

[DrumNFeather]

Turning the page to all Hallows Eve, where the #13 Utes will take on Gary Friggin Andersen and the Oregon St. Beavers.

I anticipate that this will be a bloodbath, it needs to be. Hopefully we'll get a bunch of guys healthy this week because they will be resting well into the 4th quarter.

Gary loves to say "Can't wait to watch you play..." that will once again be tested this week.

[NorthwestUteFan]

AndersEn.

Perhaps Chase Hansen will get reps at QB this week. Joe Williams should also get reps, after Booker gets 160 yds.

Is it too much to ask for a Utah WR to be the PAC-12 Offensive POW? Covey should/could have been in the running last week if not for the USC LB being their difference-maker on Offense...

[Ma'ake]

On paper, this game is the perfect prescription for getting back on the right track.

I watched most of the CU - Oregon State game, and Beaver fans were definitely giving the team the support a young and struggling team needs... but they still lost.

I know Andersen will be pumping up his team, telling them Utah will be hungover from the SC game, and ripe for an upset....but they still just lost to CU, at home, and the Buffs haven't won a league game since 2013.

This is where our coaches and player leadership need to step up and get the team prepped to dust Oregon State early. We could grind out a win with a sluggish start, and a Win is a Win is a Win.

I'm not looking for style points, but it would be best if we can get the young guys engaged early, get them back on board.

[SoCalPat]

On paper, this game is the perfect prescription for getting back on the right track.

I watched most of the CU - Oregon State game, and Beaver fans were definitely giving the team the support a young and struggling team needs... but they still lost.

I know Andersen will be pumping up his team, telling them Utah will be hungover from the SC game, and ripe for an upset....but they still just lost to CU, at home, and the Buffs haven't won a league game since 2013.

This is where our coaches and player leadership need to step up and get the team prepped to dust Oregon State early. We could grind out a win with a sluggish start, and a Win is a Win is a Win.

I'm not looking for style points, but it would be best if we can get the young guys engaged early, get them back on board.

To the bolded points, it's not and I am. I feel confident the pollsters and CFP committee members feel the same way. This team needs to get its mojo back. Sagarin has this as a 27-point Utah victory. Until we get our second loss, we're still very much alive in the playoff hunt. We need to do what's expected. Grinding out a 10-point win against a team everyone else is killing is acceptable only if you're OK with going to the Alamo Bowl. It's also important to note that Michigan beat this same OSU team by 28 points in Ann Arbor. Additionally, an Arizona team that has been our complete nemesis the last three years beat this OSU team 44-7. We're well enough into the season where we can set reasonable expectations on MOV, and we should crush OSU.

[DrumNFeather]

To the bolded points, it's not and I am. I feel confident the pollsters and CFP committee members feel the same way. This team needs to get its mojo back. Sagarin has this as a 27-point Utah victory. Until we get our second loss, we're still very much alive in the playoff hunt. We need to do what's expected. Grinding out a 10-point win against a team everyone else is killing is acceptable only if you're OK with going to the Alamo Bowl. It's also important to note that Michigan beat this same OSU team by 28 points in Ann Arbor. Additionally, an Arizona team that has been our complete nemesis the last three years beat this OSU team 44-7. We're well enough into the season where we can set reasonable expectations on MOV, and we should crush OSU.

I tend to agree. I think I'll feel more of the "just get a win" attitude when we play @Wash and @Arizona (especially @Arizona). This week they need to really open it up. Deep shots, get everyone involved, get Booker his yards on 15-20 carries and get him out of the game, throw some looks at their young QB that he's not ready for. It needs to just be 60 minutes of hell for Oregon St.

[DrumNFeather]

I would also prefer a blowout to a close win, but I would prefer a close win to a loss. I haven't watched one down of Beaver football this season, but I know OSU is not good. Still, we've had a remarkable ability of playing to the level of any P5 opponent over the past few years.

No doubt, which is why we need to buck that trend!

Oregon St. has a few WRs that can give us problems, but I don't think their QB can get it to them consistently. If we can get to Kessler a couple of times (and in my opinion he's the best in the league) then we should really have a field day getting to this kid.

[SoCalPat]

I tend to agree. I think I'll feel more of the "just get a win" attitude when we play @Wash and @Arizona (especially @Arizona). This week they need to really open it up. Deep shots, get everyone involved, get Booker his yards on 15-20 carries and get him out of the game, throw some looks at their young QB that he's not ready for. It needs to just be 60 minutes of hell for Oregon St.

Per Sagarin, Utah would be favored by 3 at Washington and by 7 at Arizona (!?!?!?!?!?!??!). I'm with you -- I'll take wins there any way we can get them in those games. But we need to flex our muscle Saturday and put Gary and Sitake on notice.

[DrumNFeather]

Per Sagarin, Utah would be favored by 3 at Washington and by 7 at Arizona (!?!?!?!?!?!??!). I'm with you -- I'll take wins there any way we can get them in those games. But we need to flex our muscle Saturday and put Gary and Sitake on notice.

Washington is another one that we should win comfortably. Oh sure, they have a nice defense, but their QB should give us the ball a few times too. Still, I'll take those wins however they come.

[DrumNFeather]

UW beat USC, so they are at least dangerous. It's hard to count on TOs.

No doubt. It would be nice to see us respond from this loss by thumping a couple of teams, starting with the Beavers!

[LA Ute]

This Utah team needs to remind itself how dominating they can be. This Saturday's game is the perfect opportunity. Sitake knows Travis Wilson well and will have something cooked up to bother Travis. It doesn't look like OSU has the athletes to pull that off but it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Oh, and I hope Noah Togiai has a perfectly horrible game against us.

[Redbird]

A lot of familiar names on the OSU staff. Andersen and Sitake are obvious, but Chad Kauha'aha'a, Ilaisa Tuiaki, Derrick Odum, and Evan Simon are all former Utah staffers. Kamaron Yancy, a former Utah recruit, is a grad assistant on defense. Dave Baldwin is the OC.

[Applejack]

I watched the end of the osu/cu game after coming home from an outing to have my fingernails plucked. Osu is a total mess on offense: young qb (who is not good), offensive line issues, no direction. But I think they are starting , barely, to buy into what sitake is selling. It was only the buffs, but they still held in key situations.

[NorthwestUteFan]

OSU's qb is an athlete and has a lot of raw talent. But he is very young and inexperienced. He may be a very good qb by the time he graduates but not this year. Right now he is Kendal Thompson without the arm and without the strength.

We need to put on a show, Oh-fensively. We need to get somebody involved, anybody who is willing to make plays. Covey, Booker, and the O line are doing well. But we need somebody else to step up and be a playmaker.

This is the last game where we can expect to put up gaudy numbers on offense. May as well make the best use of things, and maybe get some playing time for underclassmen.

OSU is very young and inexperienced, and we need a morale booster.

[LA Ute]

My Ute Fan PTSD is so active right now that I can't be totally confident about even this game.


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[Devildog]

I might be wrong, but doesn't Kyle consider Gary a friend? I know this is business... but I don't see Kyle hangin' 60 on Gary here.

[DrumNFeather]

OSU's qb is an athlete and has a lot of raw talent. But he is very young and inexperienced. He may be a very good qb by the time he graduates but not this year. Right now he is Kendal Thompson without the arm and without the strength.

We need to put on a show, Oh-fensively. We need to get somebody involved, anybody who is willing to make plays. Covey, Booker, and the O line are doing well. But we need somebody else to step up and be a playmaker.

This is the last game where we can expect to put up gaudy numbers on offense. May as well make the best use of things, and maybe get some playing time for underclassmen.

OSU is very young and inexperienced, and we need a morale booster.

Tyrone Smith was shut out of the USC game reception-wise, and Singleton has three receptions in the last two games. We need to get one or both of those guys going.

[Rocker Ute]

I might be wrong, but doesn't Kyle consider Gary a friend?

I dunno, what category does 'Just Friends' Spooning fall in?

[chrisrenrut]

This quote fits the Halloween theme:

Gionni Paul, looking at OSU: “We believe we gonna eat them quarterbacks alive. They haven't faced pressure like University of Utah.”

[Redbird]

line opened at Utah -21.5, moved to -23.5. O/U of 55.5.

[Diehard Ute]

Captains called a players only meeting today to discuss moving on from USC and focusing on the game ahead.


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[LA Ute]

O'Connell noted today that Utah has laid an egg against inferior competition once during every season in the PAC 12. I hope they come out breathing fire this Saturday. That is what they need to do.


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[UTEopia]

The way the Utes respond this Saturday will tell me a lot about the character and resolve of the players. I hope for a dominating performance. I would not at all be surprised to see Oregon St. come out with some junk defense like Arizona St. runs with a lot of guys moving around and blitzing. They have nothing to lose.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

A lot of familiar names on the OSU staff. Andersen and Sitake are obvious, but Chad Kauha'aha'a, Ilaisa Tuiaki, Derrick Odum, and Evan Simon are all former Utah staffers. Kamaron Yancy, a former Utah recruit, is a grad assistant on defense. Dave Baldwin is the OC.

You forgot Gary Crowton!


My Ute Fan PTSD is so active right now that I can't event be totally confident about this game.


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That's because you remember that I have tickets to this game and have horrible game attendance history. I will say that that bit gave me a tiny bit of silver lining when I considered the low likelihood of playing two crappy games in a row.


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[Ma'ake]

Defensively, the Beavs are struggling, especially with all the packages Kalani "I can't dumb the defense down any more!" Sitake likes to run. I also think they'll move around a ton and try to disguise what they're doing, because if they simply play straight-up, they'll get torched. If Travis gets the protection and makes good reads, we should be able to roll.

Offensively, they run 2 QBs - Seth Collins is athletic, a decent passer, and has gotten most of the snaps this year, but he's gotten rocked. Nick Mitchell is a more typical drop-back QB who throws the ball better, a poor man's Mannion. They have a couple of really nice WRs, Villamin #13 who is big, fast and talented. He was probably their best offensive player vs us last year. Bolden #6 is smaller, but an elite athlete who has been up & down this year. He gets open but has dropped some passes. They announced their starting LT is out for the year. Storm Woods is back at RB, but he's been banged up a bit.

We need to smother their QBs, and keep Villamin and Bolden from getting catches and confidence.

The CU / OSU game was a couple of mediocre teams where it looked like nobody wanted to take the game over. Both kickers missed several FGs.

[LA Ute]

Does anyone know how Norris is doing? I guess if he needs time to heal, this weekend is a good time to rest him.


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[Applejack]

Offensively, they run 2 QBs - Seth Collins is athletic, a decent passer, and has gotten most of the snaps this year, but he's gotten rocked. Nick Mitchell is a more typical drop-back QB who throws the ball better, a poor man's Mannion. They have a couple of really nice WRs, Villamin #13 who is big, fast and talented. He was probably their best offensive player vs us last year. Bolden #6 is smaller, but an elite athlete who has been up & down this year. He gets open but has dropped some passes. They announced their starting LT is out for the year. Storm Woods is back at RB, but he's been banged up a bit.


A well-below poverty level man. Mitchell played the fourth quarter of Saturday's "game." He did not look good.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

A well-below poverty level man. Mitchell played the fourth quarter of Saturday's "game." He did not look good.

Funny enough, I first read it as "a poor man's (Conner) Manning." Probably not that extreme.

[LA Ute]

1671

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

1671

I thought that the frowny faced U from earlier this week was appropriate.

[NorthwestUteFan]

That one works. We will feast on the darkness and use it to destroy our enemies!

[Sullyute]

Funny enough, I first read it as "a poor man's (Conner) Manning." Probably not that extreme.
I thought the same thing!

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[Redbird]

my brother and his wife are stationed in Okinawa, but they're flying back to SLC and going to this game. I hope Utah wins handily for them.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Utah Football just tweeted this picture. Yeah, pretty cool story about a kid that's had a bunch of brain surgeries. But also Norris is sporting pads!

https://twitter.com/Utah_Football/status/659517899145527296

[U-Ute]

Yogi Roth just mentioned on a radio interview that both Kyle and Gary will be miked during the game up for the show.

That'll be cool, especially if we get to see insight from both sides on a specific game situation.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we arrived into the Salt Lake valley safely and 5:30 this morning for Saturday's game. That's right, our crazy caravan left Vegas at 10:15 last night. It would have been an earlier departure if not for my wife's diagnosis of bronchitis followed by her getting stung by a scorpion while packing. So, as you can see, we're already dripping with good luck. Saying nothing of my "recent" game attendance history.

Colorado 2011
TCU 2010
UNLV 2009 (a win!), 2007!

Not sure how we figure out how to lose this one, but it's sure to be epic!




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[Applejack]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we arrived into the Salt Lake valley safely and 5:30 this morning for Saturday's game. That's right, our crazy caravan left Vegas at 10:15 last night. It would have been an earlier departure if not for my wife's diagnosis of bronchitis followed by her getting stung by a scorpion while packing. So, as you can see, we're already dripping with good luck. Saying nothing of my "recent" game attendance history.

Colorado 2011
TCU 2010
UNLV 2009 (a win!), 2007!

Not sure how we figure out how to lose this one, but it's sure to be epic!




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Do you always try for the worst game on our schedule (minus TCU)? Maybe you should have come to the Colosseum last week just to see if you're just bad ju-ju (see what I did there?) for the favorite.

[chrisrenrut]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we arrived into the Salt Lake valley safely and 5:30 this morning for Saturday's game. That's right, our crazy caravan left Vegas at 10:15 last night. It would have been an earlier departure if not for my wife's diagnosis of bronchitis followed by her getting stung by a scorpion while packing. So, as you can see, we're already dripping with good luck. Saying nothing of my "recent" game attendance history.

Colorado 2011
TCU 2010
UNLV 2009 (a win!), 2007!

Not sure how we figure out how to lose this one, but it's sure to be epic!




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If we lose this one, you and Applejack are banned from attending any future games! We'll take up a collection to pay you to stay away.

[LA Ute]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we arrived into the Salt Lake valley safely and 5:30 this morning for Saturday's game. That's right, our crazy caravan left Vegas at 10:15 last night. It would have been an earlier departure if not for my wife's diagnosis of bronchitis followed by her getting stung by a scorpion while packing. So, as you can see, we're already dripping with good luck. Saying nothing of my "recent" game attendance history.

Colorado 2011
TCU 2010
UNLV 2009 (a win!), 2007!

Not sure how we figure out how to lose this one, but it's sure to be epic!

Guys, should we take up a collection to buy Dwight and his family a ticket to a movie far away from RES while the game is going on?

[LA Ute]

Do you always try for the worst game on our schedule (minus TCU)? Maybe you should have come to the Colosseum last week just to see if you're just bad ju-ju (see what I did there?) for the favorite.

Golly, AJ, I wish I'd known you were there. We could have at least shaken hands out by the popcorn stand.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

If we lose this one, you and Applejack are banned from attending any future games! We'll take up a collection to pay you to stay away.

Like farmer subsidies? That sounds like a pretty good gig.

If it makes anyone feel better, I did attend the Utah-Washington conference tourney the year before last and we won that one. So I either broke the curse or it's football specific.



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[Applejack]

If we lose this one, you and Applejack are banned from attending any future games! We'll take up a collection to pay you to stay away.

Hey, at least my degree of difficulty is high. Unlike Dwight (UNLV. Twice!)


Guys, should we take up a collection to buy Dwight and his family a ticket to a movie far away from RES while the game is going on?

I know, I'm sorry. That's the problem with LA; too many people to see and not enough time. It was like half of SLC was there. Maybe we should meet up at a less attractive venue. Pullman?

[U-Ute]

Maybe we should meet up at a less attractive venue. Pullman?

Hey now. Let's not get too crazy.

[chrisrenrut]

Hey, at least my degree of difficulty is high. Unlike Dwight (UNLV. Twice!)

Good point.




I know, I'm sorry. That's the problem with LA; too many people to see and not enough time. It was like half of SLC was there. Maybe we should meet up at a less attractive venue. Pullman?

That sounds very Brokeback Mountain-ish.

[LA Ute]

Hey, at least my degree of difficulty is high. Unlike Dwight (UNLV. Twice!)



I know, I'm sorry. That's the problem with LA; too many people to see and not enough time. It was like half of SLC was there. Maybe we should meet up at a less attractive venue. Pullman?

Football season weather's better in Tucson.

[Diehard Ute]

Beaver QB Seth Collins did not make the trip due to a knee injury.


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[Applejack]

Beaver QB Seth Collins did not make the trip due to a knee injury.


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That is the break we've been waiting for. Dwight's streak ends tonight!

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

That is the break we've been waiting for. Dwight's streak ends tonight!

I have a funny feeling about this!!!


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[LA Ute]

So...is OSU going to hit Hackett every time he punts? Seems like USC was the first team on our schedule to figure out that doing so was legal once he got outside the tackle box. Here's an article on that very subject:

College Football Special Teams Strategy: Show No Mercy to the Rugby-Style Punter (http://www.dawgsports.com/2011/9/29/2459069/college-football-special-teams-rugby-style-punt-brandon-boykin)


"The tackle box is defined by Rule 2-34 as 'the rectangular area enclosed by the neutral zone, the two lines parallel to the sidelines five yards from the snapper, and Team A’s end line.' If he stays behind the line of scrimmage and within five yards on either side of the snapper, the punter is inside the tackle box; if he moves up into the neutral zone, or if he moves more than five yards in the direction of the sideline, he’s a ballcarrier."

What should Hackett do? Can he modify his style to stay within the tackle box without hurting his effectiveness?

[Diehard Ute]

So...is OSU going to hit Hackett every time he punts? Seems like USC was the first team on our schedule to figure out that doing so was legal once he got outside the tackle box. Here's an article on that very subject:

College Football Special Teams Strategy: Show No Mercy to the Rugby-Style Punter (http://www.dawgsports.com/2011/9/29/2459069/college-football-special-teams-rugby-style-punt-brandon-boykin)


"The tackle box is defined by Rule 2-34 as 'the rectangular area enclosed by the neutral zone, the two lines parallel to the sidelines five yards from the snapper, and Team A’s end line.' If he stays behind the line of scrimmage and within five yards on either side of the snapper, the punter is inside the tackle box; if he moves up into the neutral zone, or if he moves more than five yards in the direction of the sideline, he’s a ballcarrier."

What should Hackett do? Can he modify his style to stay within the tackle box without hurting his effectiveness?

Just do his thing.

He's used to that situation because of Aussie Rules Football. That's one of the reasons he's so good at it.


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[LA Ute]

Bear with me as I battle my PTSD. Colorado is beating UCLA right now in the fourth quarter. Imagine that!! I hope our team is ready to play.


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[mpfunk]

Bear with me as I battle my PTSD. Colorado is beating UCLA right now in the fourth quarter. Imagine that!! I hope our team is ready to play.


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Stop being such a wussy. This should just make you more confident about USC. We are not losing to Colorado.

The Pac12 south is going to Utah or USC. It is a 2 team race.

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[LA Ute]

Stop being such a wussy. This should just make you more confident about USC UCLA. We are not losing to Colorado.

The Pac12 south is going to Utah or USC. It is a 2 team race.

I'm actually just a tiny bit worried about Oregon State. (And worrying is not wussiness!) We've laid an egg in a game we should not have lost at lest once in every year we've been in the PAC-12:

2011: Colorado
2012: Utah State
2013: Oregon State or Washington State (take your pick)
2014: Washington State

I believe! I believe! I'm just nervous.

1678

[Devildog]

Relax this is going to be a beatdown.

[LA Ute]

Relax this is going to be a beatdown.

I know. I am just kidding. 95%, anyway.


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[U-Ute]

A "meh" second quarter after cruising in the first.

I think the Ute players expected Oregon State to roll over after those first two drives.

Time to put the hammer down and put this away.

[U-Ute]

Jared Norris Death Stare

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/10/31/179863248d4e7d89148908c4e30d8ad7.jpg

[LA Ute]

I'm at a church Halloween party and haven't been watching. I just checked ESPN and see that it is 14-6 with 5:48 to go in the third. I am glad I am not watching this live.


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[U-Ute]

I'm at a church Halloween party and haven't been watching. I just checked ESPN and see that it is 14-6 with 5:48 to go in the third. I am glad I am not watching this live.


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Oregon State is playing inspired. They just keep hanging around. Not a great sign.

[U-Ute]

Togiai sighting. Norris says hello.

[U-Ute]

Utah wearing them down.

[LA Ute]

My meds are kicking in. I feel better.


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[mpfunk]

Been out trick or treating with the kid. Can't say I'm thrilled with the score.

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[LA Ute]

If our lead holds, after this game we will have won as many games as some of our most knowledgable posters predicted we'd win all season. I recklessly thought we'd win eight.


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[Devildog]

Hard to get pumped up to play the worst team in the conference. Still, the Ute offense looks lame.

[LA Ute]

27-12 already looks lackluster. I hope we stop them on this last drive.


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[Mormon Red Death]

One question...Why did we call timeout so we could punt at the end of the half?

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[NorthwestUteFan]

Wasn't Dave Baldwin at CSU last few years? I wonder how much he has to do with McElwain getting the Florida job. I think he called a good game tonight.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

The curse is broken! (Unless my curse is against the spread.)

Super lame game. JBH.


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[Brian]

Ugh... It was hard to stay excited through that.
I don't know what else to say....

[DrumNFeather]

Watched it mostly in fast forward, which seemed like the right thing to do.

44 carries to 17 passes makes me think that at some point, they just wanted to get through this one and get out.

2 straight games without a takeaway is a bit concerning.

Hackett averaged 54 yards per punt. That's not at all concerning.

7-1, 4-1.

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[Solon]

Watched it mostly in fast forward, which seemed like the right thing to do.

44 carries to 17 passes makes me think that at some point, they just wanted to get through this one and get out.

2 straight games without a takeaway is a bit concerning.

Hackett averaged 54 yards per punt. That's not at all concerning.

7-1, 4-1.

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Wilson was 14-17. Lots of underneath stuff but he aired it out a bit too. I also thought he ran well in the 1st & 4th quarters. Also, I was impressed with the 3rd down conversions in the 4th.

I thought that OSU QB looked great. Kid has a bright future.
The Beavers blocked well too - tough to get pressure. The defense looked vulnerable at times & couldn't get off the field.

I am not surprised by the score. This OSU team is improving and you know that Gary A & Benedict Arnold Sitake wanted this one pretty bad.

[Diehard Ute]

Kyle said after the game they would sit down as a staff and figure out why we didn't throw more especially early.

He said he felt OSU was selling out on the run and we didn't take advantage of that with passing

His main theme was our offense is efficient but we're lacking consistency


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[SeattleUte]

Wilson was 14-17. Lots of underneath stuff but he aired it out a bit too. I also thought he ran well in the 1st & 4th quarters. Also, I was impressed with the 3rd down conversions in the 4th.

I thought that OSU QB looked great. Kid has a bright future.
The Beavers blocked well too - tough to get pressure. The defense looked vulnerable at times & couldn't get off the field.

I am not surprised by the score. This OSU team is improving and you know that Gary A & Benedict Arnold Sitake wanted this one pretty bad.

Well said. They also know us pretty well. This game had me spooked. I'm very happy with this 15 point win.

[Devildog]

Well said. They also know us pretty well. This game had me spooked. I'm very happy with this 15 point win.

Of course you are. Being a douchebag is automatic with you. They are the worst team in the PAC 12 without question, we should have done better.

[Devildog]

Why for fucks sake can we not throw/complete a G.D. downfield pass?

[chrisrenrut]

These comments seem a little uncharacteristic of Kyle. Not the normal "one game at a time" coach-speak. Dare I say, he sounds optimistic?


"Were you impressed by that," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham asked the media at the start of his press conference. "... Bottom line is that we're 7-1 and we're headed to Seattle with sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 South.
"I'm very interested in the College Playoff Rankings. That's what it's all about. The other rankings are just window dressing for the fans and the media. We very, very interested to see where we're at."

[chrisrenrut]

Why for fucks sake can we not throw/complete a G.D. downfield pass?

I counted 7 complete passes for more than 10 yards, including passes for 39, 37, 26, and 25. And one for about 25 that was incomplete but drew a PI.

Intersting that our first drive went 12 plays for 75 yards and a TD, and all 12 plays were rushing plays.

[Mormon Red Death]

We had zero the and outs and zero turnovers.

Who drew the pi? I think Kenny's steak ended last night.
T. Smith

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[Old Standing ute]

The coaches know what everyone in the stands knows that Wilson is 1) the best we have at QB & 2) that he is average--not great & usually not horrible. He just is not very quick physically or mentally--he can't check down to open receivers--he locks in & either throws it there or tries to run. So they get ahead & don't want him to screw up so they drag the game out (take time off the clock) by using a huddle & running plays.
Look at the end of the half---they throw sideways on that horribly slow bubble screen & then almost get Singleton killed by a short route right in front of a defender because they are afraid he will make a mistake. They want to go for it on 4th down with 18 seconds left, so they call time out, but then get scared he might screw up and punt.

Finally in 4th quarter they realize we might not be able to just sit on the lead---which has taken the crowd out of the game, so they go to play action on 1st down & get big gains. But only when forced to use that approach.

Chase Hanson sounded intelligent in the post game interview--he has picked up safety quickly. Hope that is a good sign.

And for a final vent---Bubba Poole is a team guy that they want to get on the field, so he can run in motion & when the timing is right ( a big if), be a diversion, but when this year has he been able to run a route downfield & get open? When he is in we run the ball, when he is out we might pass. Since I can see that from the stands---probably every D coordinator can too.?

Hope we get a split on the road--but not optimistic about Washington game.

[concerned]

The coaches know what everyone in the stands knows that Wilson is 1) the best we have at QB & 2) that he is average--not great & usually not horrible. He just is not very quick physically or mentally--he can't check down to open receivers--he locks in & either throws it there or tries to run. So they get ahead & don't want him to screw up so they drag the game out (take time off the clock) by using a huddle & running plays.
Look at the end of the half---they throw sideways on that horribly slow bubble screen & then almost get Singleton killed by a short route right in front of a defender because they are afraid he will make a mistake. They want to go for it on 4th down with 18 seconds left, so they call time out, but then get scared he might screw up and punt.

Finally in 4th quarter they realize we might not be able to just sit on the lead---which has taken the crowd out of the game, so they go to play action on 1st down & get big gains. But only when forced to use that approach.

Chase Hanson sounded intelligent in the post game interview--he has picked up safety quickly. Hope that is a good sign.

And for a final vent---Bubba Poole is a team guy that they want to get on the field, so he can run in motion & when the timing is right ( a big if), be a diversion, but when this year has he been able to run a route downfield & get open? When he is in we run the ball, when he is out we might pass. Since I can see that from the stands---probably every D coordinator can too.?

Hope we get a split on the road--but not optimistic about Washington game.

My brother told a story last night about the USC game. He attended and sat with the parents and U administrators and former players. He said that when Travis threw the first interception, the collective reaction was not just "what was he thinking," but "OMG its over," because everyone knew that when TW makes a mistake like that he goes into a death spiral, it ruins him for the rest of the game and he never comes out of it.

[LA Ute]

The coaches know what everyone in the stands knows that Wilson is 1) the best we have at QB & 2) that he is average--not great & usually not horrible. He just is not very quick physically or mentally--he can't check down to open receivers--he locks in & either throws it there or tries to run. So they get ahead & don't want him to screw up so they drag the game out (take time off the clock) by using a huddle & running plays.
Look at the end of the half---they throw sideways on that horribly slow bubble screen & then almost get Singleton killed by a short route right in front of a defender because they are afraid he will make a mistake. They want to go for it on 4th down with 18 seconds left, so they call time out, but then get scared he might screw up and punt.

Finally in 4th quarter they realize we might not be able to just sit on the lead---which has taken the crowd out of the game, so they go to play action on 1st down & get big gains. But only when forced to use that approach.

Chase Hanson sounded intelligent in the post game interview--he has picked up safety quickly. Hope that is a good sign.

And for a final vent---Bubba Poole is a team guy that they want to get on the field, so he can run in motion & when the timing is right ( a big if), be a diversion, but when this year has he been able to run a route downfield & get open? When he is in we run the ball, when he is out we might pass. Since I can see that from the stands---probably every D coordinator can too.?

Hope we get a split on the road--but not optimistic about Washington game.

You may be on to something. The offensive play calling that seems hard to understand probably has something to do with the OCs' well-founded lack of confidence in Wilson. Putting it another way, they want him to succeed and want to avoid putting him in situations where he tends not to do well. This time he was 14-17, no picks, just under 200 yards, some nice running yardage. A decent game for him. But you're right, he's an average QB. The coaching staff has done a great job of working with the players it has to win games. ("You go to war with the army you have.") The consistency Kyle wants is what is missing.

I wonder how we'll do against Washington. The next three games will be interesting tests. Then we'll see if we can beat Colorado by more than a touchdown. We could go 4-0, 3-1, or 2-2. Let's get all 4!

[Ma'ake]

After the first drive, where we threw no passes, Oregon State stepped up to counter the run. On the second drive, some really nice play calling, beautiful throw by Travis to Handley for the TD, then the Beavs woke up and we got lazy. We played like we knew they were the worst team in the league.

Disappointed to see how badly Bolden gashed us, especially on the fly sweep.

We'll definitely get up and be focused at Washington.

UW isn't as good as their score indicated, and Arizona isn't as bad as the score indicated, but 49-3?

The Arizona Screamers (Rich Rod and Graham) are both on a serious dive this year. I was looking for us to claw up the PAC-12 South ladder vs one of them this year, but passing both of them seems a good possibility.

CU is a better team than Oregon State - I'm guessing it will be a race in the South down to the last game.

[SeattleUte]

The coaches know what everyone in the stands knows that Wilson is 1) the best we have at QB & 2) that he is average--not great & usually not horrible. He just is not very quick physically or mentally--he can't check down to open receivers--he locks in & either throws it there or tries to run. So they get ahead & don't want him to screw up so they drag the game out (take time off the clock) by using a huddle & running plays.
Look at the end of the half---they throw sideways on that horribly slow bubble screen & then almost get Singleton killed by a short route right in front of a defender because they are afraid he will make a mistake. They want to go for it on 4th down with 18 seconds left, so they call time out, but then get scared he might screw up and punt.


This is Seahawks football. A quarterback who can't look off receivers, too many sacks and ints, stall ball throughout the game. With a great defense and a great running game they came a play from winning two Super Bowls despite such deficiencies.

Our defense needs to get to the Huskies' true freshman qb and rattle him. We need to devour their offense. I think if we win it will be something like 18-14 unless we can get some good short fields and turnovers and big special teams plays. If they get such things we're dead! A Chris Peterson-coached team is always scary to me.

Guys, sorry. It's never going to be easy for the Utes in this conference.

I told my wife before last night's game that that Utes -26 spread was beyond ridiculous, that this is something I actually KNOW, and we should gamble everything against that spread. As usual, she didn't listen to me. Too bad.

[Utebiquitous]

Old Standing,
While I agree with everything you've said I would add a big positive from last night regarding Travis. In at least two of his chunk passes he checked out of what was called and made a terrific call. The Covey pass was a play change as was the Smith catch on the last scoring drive of the game - the field goal. I get frustrated at times with his limitations but appreciate senior experience coming into play a time or two in a game.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

A few thoughts from my first RES experience since Colorado '11.

Crowd. They needed to be passing out Monsters or something as people entered the stadium because RES was suffering from serious sugar coma. Even after the first two scoring drives, everyone was sleep walking through the game. That seemed to spread across the field like a two year old with influenza.

Norris. It was great to have Norris back. Hopefully the week off is enough to get Dimick back to 100%. Seems like we really missed him on the edge. Fitts did a great job filling in for him earlier when he was out with the knee, but I honestly don't even remember seeing anything from him until the last few minutes of the game.

Travis looked good throwing it down field yesterday. He probably should have had a pass picked off in very similar fashion as last week. A throw inside the hashes that the LB tipped up and had it drop right in front of him, had he seen it. My wife thinks that the throw to Covey would have been a TD, had I not stood up and yelled "Covey's wide open!" just before the throw.

Booker had a tough night. It amazes me how resilient that kid is. It's crazy how unproductive any other RB has been for us this year. Not that any of them have had much of a chance to succeed. Makes for a promising offense next year. Why give SUU any scouting film, that's what I say!

The bubble screens need to stop. At least to anyone besides Covey.

The play that accidentally got hiked into Bubba Poole was a perfect summary of his season. Well, except that he turned it into two yards.

I thought that the Beaver QB that was a good runner stayed back in Corvallis?

I don't know why more people don't have tickets on the 50 yard line, six rows up. That's a fine way to watch a ball game. Even an ugly one.

The bike cabbies along Guardsmen Way are a brilliant. Until they try and charge double after the game.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[concerned]

You may be on to something. The offensive play calling that seems hard to understand probably has something to do with the OCs' well-founded lack of confidence in Wilson. Putting it another way, they want him to succeed and want to avoid putting him in situations where he tends not to do well. This time he was 14-17, no picks, just under 200 yards, some nice running yardage. A decent game for him. But you're right, he's an average QB. The coaching staff has done a great job of working with the players it has to win games. ("You go to war with the army you have.") The consistency Kyle wants is what is missing.

I wonder how we'll do against Washington. The next three games will be interesting tests. Then we'll see if we can beat Colorado by more than a touchdown. We could go 4-0, 3-1, or 2-2. Let's get all 4!

It is not a good sign for this team if Donald rumsfeld quotations are apropos

[concerned]

By the way what does it say about Mike Runge that he did not know that Fitts and singleton both wear 11. How many catches did Fitts have anyway.

[Ma'ake]

Guys, sorry. It's never going to be easy for the Utes in this conference.

Truth.

I would rank our remaining games, in terms of difficulty, as Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Colorado. We could win or lose any of the last four.

If we go 4-0, it would be the best year in the history of the U. 3-1 is still an insanely great year. 2-2 would be beyond what anyone here predicted before the season. 1-3 would give us back-to-back winning seasons in the PAC.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

By the way what does it say about Mike Runge that he did not know that Fitts and singleton both wear 11. How many catches did Fitts have anyway.

That's who the PA guy is! I couldn't put my finger on it.

Two more thoughts. The Costa Vida wave?! Oh my. Not quite as embarrassing as how into it the MUSS was.

During one of the time outs, they pulled some poor sap out of the audience to try and kick a 30 yard field goal so that everyone in the crowd could win a free hair cut at participating Great Clips. I was only paying half attention, but it seemed the kick hit one of the uprights before bouncing in. At that point the poor sap took off his helmet revealing his true identity of Louie Sakoda. I couldn't help but wonder if they would have still revealed his identity had he missed the kick.

I'll post a picture of my new hair cut.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[U-Ute]

A few thoughts from my first RES experience since Colorado '11.

Crowd. They needed to be passing out Monsters or something as people entered the stadium because RES was suffering from serious sugar coma. Even after the first two scoring drives, everyone was sleep walking through the game. That seemed to spread across the field like a two year old with influenza.


I have to think that the crowd last night was not the normal crowd. Too many of us with kids stayed home for Halloween festivities and sold/gave our tickets.

[Applejack]

Quick Thoughts:

1. If a see another WR screen to Bubba Poole that loses two yards, I'm going to get mad at the tv just like I have on the previous 287 times we're run that play.

2. Great to have Norris back.

3. I love Pita T, but there is a reason they only play him on obvious passing situations. His 3rd down whiff on OSU's QB was silly.

4. The comments by Whitt (posted above) are a little odd. Even if true, why say them to the press?

5. That OSU Qb most definitely did not look good. His passes look like he blindsided and only got partly behind the throw. Ugly. They need to start over at QB.

6. Didn't notice Togiai except when he was dinged up. Baker Pritchard (former Cougar) looked pretty good.

[LA Ute]

It is not a good sign for this team if Donald rumsfeld quotations are apropos

Well, it's true regarding football teams. We have the personnel we have, including the best QB we've managed to recruit. Travis is so much better than anyone else available that he has started for 4 straight years. So whether you like it or not, he's our guy. I think A-Rod is just trying to make the contraption that is called our offense function.

[Old Standing ute]

Ore St offense was easy to read last night. Stacking 3 on a side they throw the inside screen; empty backfield -QB draw; runner in motion they give it to him or roll that way & throw it to short receiver.

Glad the Utes figured that out in the 2nd half---as we could see it in the stands--

except the 1 play near the goal line where they go in motion right (which was always the direction), but QB faked & then went left to wide open receiver--who also had doubled back, but he dropped the ball in the end zone.

Good, but easy to read OSU game plan, which meant it only worked for a half.

[Devildog]

Truth.

I would rank our remaining games, in terms of difficulty, as Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Colorado. We could win or lose any of the last four.

If we go 4-0, it would be the best year in the history of the U. 3-1 is still an insanely great year. 2-2 would be beyond what anyone here predicted before the season. 1-3 would give us back-to-back winning seasons in the PAC.

Yep... But I want more. I think this year will be the best shot we have at winning the PAC 12 for several years to come. We need to get this done this year, with this team. Travis is who he is, our receivers are who they are. This defense puts us in a position to win every one of the remaining games... which I believe we will need to in order to make the Championship game.

If Utah can win the PAC 12 we will make the college playoff.

[LA Ute]

What does everyone think of the idea that Utah showed only enough offense against OSU to win that game? I'm skeptical but it could be.

[Redbird]

Yep... But I want more. I think this year will be the best shot we have at winning the PAC 12 for several years to come. We need to get this done this year, with this team. Travis is who he is, our receivers are who they are. This defense puts us in a position to win every one of the remaining games... which I believe we will need to in order to make the Championship game.

If Utah can win the PAC 12 we will make the college playoff.

We would need help. Quite a bit of help.

The CFP committee says they won't use the rankings, but based on Sagarin, the following conferences have teams ahead of us: SEC (4), Big 12 (4), Big Ten (3). There's also Stanford, USC, Notre Dame, and Clemson.

SEC: Bama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss
Bama/LSU is this week. LSU still has Ole Miss. If Florida wins the East, they'll play one of those teams. I feel like LSU winning out is best for Utah.
Big 12: Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma St, Oklahoma
All of these teams still need to play each other. OU already has a loss. I feel like we need the Sooners to win out and hope 2nd place has 2 losses.
Big Ten: Ohio St, Michigan, Iowa
Sagarin has Michigan St below Utah, but both polls have Sparty 5+ spots ahead of us. If OSU beats Mich St, and Michigan beats OSU, I'm not sure how the tiebreaker works. Michigan is the best-case scenario for Utah, obviously.

Stanford winning the rest of their regular season games (including Notre Dame) will make for a massive win at the end of the season.

That means we almost certainly need FSU to beat Clemson this week, with potentially another loss for one or both down the road.

[Devildog]

This team has its work cut out for it. There is no easy way into the NCAA playoff. This league is a bitch and the playoff committee will get that. What concerns me now is that Arizona scored 44 against Oregon State, Stanford scored 42 and Wazzo scored 52 against Oregon State.

We need to get some offense going in order to win out.

[LA Ute]

What concerns me now is that Arizona scored 44 against Oregon State, Stanford scored 42 and Wazzo scored 52 against Oregon State.

We need to get some offense going in order to win out.

I am pretty sure the coaching staff is thinking pretty hard about that. The only comforting excuse I have seen is that Utah was showing only the offense it needed to show in order to beat OSU, and is saving up the rest for tougher opponents. That's just a bit too slick for me, though.

[Ma'ake]

What does everyone think of the idea that Utah showed only enough offense against OSU to win that game? I'm skeptical but it could be.

Pros:

1. We ran the ball on every single down in the first drive...and it worked. Nothing says to a defense "we don't respect you" like that. OSU woke up and battled after that point.
2. We've played "simple" before, in the first three games this year.

Cons:

1. We're still in the hunt for the CFB playoffs, and Kyle is keen to find out exactly where we stand in the rankings. Pretty crappy audition.
2. Kyle was visibly torqued about the lack of offensive consistency.

My guess is the command was to be conservative, get the win, but put on a show, too.

[Old Standing ute]

I agree that is too slick. There is enough film now on every team that there is nothing to hide.

Ute coaches do not open it up if they get ahead as they are afraid of mistakes---everyone knew from when the teams came on the field that Ore St just did not have the same quality (size & speed) of athletes to compete with Utah. So once they got ahead they thought only way they could lose was to screw up--turnovers. So they sat on it until they realized they might have a game on their hands.

next week they will not have the same issues.

[Jarid in Cedar]

We ran 61 plays, gain 372 yards(6.1 yards/play) and scored 27 points. We scored on 5 out of the 8 series that we had the ball. Those are good offensive numbers. We had 3 freaking incomplete passes! I honestly can't figure out all of the angst.

Besides, OSU was playing for a moral victory, and played to shorten the game as much as possible(similar to us in 2011-2012).

[Jarid in Cedar]

To my point, the Beavers first two series were:

5 plays 19 yards punt 2:36 of possession

5 plays 10 yards punt 3:06 of possession

So 10 plays, 5:42 of possession; 34.2 seconds of game time per play.

That is the sign of a team that knows they can't hang with another. They were trying to shorten the game, keep it respectable, and hope for a punchers chance at the end.

[concerned]

We ran 61 plays, gain 372 yards(6.1 yards/play) and scored 27 points. We scored on 5 out of the 8 series that we had the ball. Those are good offensive numbers. We had 3 freaking incomplete passes! I honestly can't figure out all of the angst.

Besides, OSU was playing for a moral victory, and played to shorten the game as much as possible(similar to us in 2011-2012).

Did OSU get the moral victory? I would say yes.

[concerned]

To my point, the Beavers first two series were:

5 plays 19 yards punt 2:36 of possession

5 plays 10 yards punt 3:06 of possession

So 10 plays, 5:42 of possession; 34.2 seconds of game time per play.

That is the sign of a team that knows they can't hang with another. They were trying to shorten the game, keep it respectable, and hope for a punchers chance at the end.

The best thing about that game was that it was an hour shorter than Cal or usc. Attribute that in part to PAC 12 network with fewer and shorter TV timeouts.

[Brian]

Ok, good points all around. I feel better about the game now.
I think I underestimated how much the familiarity would impact the game.
And I can probably buy Kyle holding some cards back leading into the 4 game home stretch and push for the crown. If that is true, I think it shows some real confidence in the team that they know what is required for a comfortable win. I never doubted they would win, I was just irritated they never went up 3 scores, then 4.
And it worked, kept their place in the polls, which barring losses ahead of them, is all they could have hoped for. Nobody was voting them up with a 40 point win over a bad team.

I am a little concerned about the in-game adjustments. USC- should have run more, OSU- should have run less.

[SoCalPat]

We ran 61 plays, gain 372 yards(6.1 yards/play) and scored 27 points. We scored on 5 out of the 8 series that we had the ball. Those are good offensive numbers. We had 3 freaking incomplete passes! I honestly can't figure out all of the angst.

Besides, OSU was playing for a moral victory, and played to shorten the game as much as possible(similar to us in 2011-2012).

This, x 1,000,000. Elapsed time of the game was just 3:01, and Utah had only nine possessions (eight if you don't count Victory formation).

Michigan lasted 3:14 with 12 possessions.

Utah State 3:21 and 11

Fresno State 3:27 and 12

Oregon 3:27 and 15

Cal 3:24 and 16

ASU 3:24 and 16 (that's ironic, same time/drives in back-to-back games)

USC 3:18 and 13

I'm not gonna spend too much time researching this, but I'm willing to bet that this was the shortest game in the Kyle era, in both elapsed time and possessions (SIDE NOTE: I spent enough time researching it before posting to see this is half-correct. Read below), and that you would have to go back to McBride and a non-televised game to find a game that would have gone quicker. Nine possessions for a college game has to be very rare.

It's hard for Kyle to complain about the offense when we had two teams that are mirror images of each other on the field, especially with regard to the faith each staff has with their QB. Add that to a game with zero turnovers and very few penalties (only 10 marked off, almost all of the 5-yard variety), and this was not a game for offenses to shine.

This game was the anti-Oklahoma State/Texas Tech, which went 3:53 and had 34 possessions. Both teams had 17 apiece, which means they had as many possessions in a half as Utah did the entire game.

Just before I posted this, I decided to reference JIC's comparison to the 2012 OSU game. Good comparison. Elapsed time was exactly 3:00, although Utah had 12 possessions in that game, OSU 13. A better comparison would've come the week before, vs. UCLA, when elapsed time was 2:59, with 11 possessions for Utah, 10 for UCLA.

[mUUser]

.....If Utah can win the PAC 12 we will make the college playoff.

I'm skeptical any scenario puts us in the playoff. It would require the perfect storm. However, the Rose Bowl is within reach.

[chrisrenrut]

Really, it just takes winning out. But maybe that alone is a perfect storm scenario. I think we will lose again, but until it happens, I'm going to dream big. We won't be in this situation often.

I think it would require not only winning out, but winning out impressively. Style points matter to the CFP committee, see Ohio St last year.

[UBlender]

What does everyone think of the idea that Utah showed only enough offense against OSU to win that game? I'm skeptical but it could be.

Did you watch the Utah State and Fresno State games followed by the Oregon game? I feel like we're seeing a very similar scenario here. It's who Kyle is, he never wants to show more than he needs to win. It's not always fun and exciting. I'm surprised people who watch are still caught off-guard by this.

[LA Ute]

Did you watch the Utah State and Fresno State games followed by the Oregon game? I feel like we're seeing a very similar scenario here. It's who Kyle is, he never wants to show more than he needs to win. It's not always fun and exciting. I'm surprised people who watch are still caught off-guard by this.

I'm getting wiser about it.