Throw vs run

How much Utah throws would seem to depend on how much confidence Kyle has in the QB and the throw game. With Brian Johnson, Huntley and Rising, his confidence was relatively high. With other QBs, not so much.

One good thing about opening up with a good pac12 team like UCLA is that Beck should be able to call any and all the plays they have practiced, including RPO, designed QB runs, and passes. It would be a mistake to base play calls on protecting Dampier from injury. He is a solid built football player, and his running ability is what makes him special, not his passing.

Watching replays of last years New Mexico game vs Arizona, Dampier is very good at passing, especially on the run, but at this point I would not say he is elite with fitting the ball into tight spaces. This year is going to be all about Dampier improving his pocket passing, decision making, and passing accuracy. He is 5′ 10″ so he almost always needs a passing lane to see the receiver, and get the pass off. This is where we will find out if the O-line is as hyped at protecting the QB, as well as run blocking.

I went and watched the full game of New Mexico vs Utah St last year. Jason Beck/Devon Dampier basically just make the call based on the numbers in the box. There were 2-3 times on 3rd and long Utah St was protecting against the throw and they called a QB draw and DD picked up the 1st down.

I don’t expect DD to be an elite thrower, but he doesn’t need to, he just needs to be able to read the defense and understand where the advantage is.

I’m trying not to drink the kool-aid but man, if DD’s execution pans out, Utahs offense combined with a Scalley defense is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Utah’s offense will only be successful with a credible passing attack. The defenses Utah will face are good enough to stymie the running game if they don’t have to worry about the passing attack.

I have no idea if he will pass well enough. I’m looking forward to finding out and hoping for a stellar offense.