A different POV from Pace

[UTE98]

Utah isn’t as horrible as we all felt like last Friday.

We are the Stanford of the North. We play physical football, we are not a prolific passing team, though we certainly had a few really good games this year through the air.

So what is Utah? Utah is a team that will most of the time line up and try to rush the ball down your throat. We will often succeed against teams with upper-middle athletic ability. We will not succeed as often against teams with big fast WRs across the board, and teams that have the ability to bow their necks, get physical and also have the athletic ability to exploit us on spray and pray passing.

Not sure about the rest of you, but when I watch highlights of other teams I often wonder, what was the DB thinking? The elite team’s super athletic WRs always seem to be able to make the 50/50 balls more like 80/20 balls. Great body control and ability to make low percentage passes into completions.

What do i mean? Kuithe’s catch out of bounds was a perfect example, now I love Kuithe, but USC/Oregon receivers are able to not only make the catch but get a foot down. Nacua has had a couple really good catches in the end zone where he made an adjustment on the ball. Not saying he is an elite athlete, but he does adjust to the ball really well on those over the shoulder to the outside throws. However I don’t see him with the ability to make the specatacular plays on the sidelines.

We will always struggle against the USCs/Washingtons/Oregons and their athletic ability. But when things don’t go right for them we can beat them. I’d rather see us play Stanford than any of those three because I think we match up well.

And as I said in chat, Kyle just hasn’t mastered the ability to motivate as the hunted. I think the whole team was shell-shocked at what Oregon did physically that first quarter. And we did nothing to adjust our predictable calls, and I think the desperation of those 4th down plays definitely were deflating for us, and motivating for Oregon. We got away with those failed 4th downs against lesser competition, ASU, Oregon State, Colorado, but not Oregon.

[PlainsUte]

Never say never, it is a process.  Oregon used to be on the outside looking in.   Utah doesn’t have the Nike money nor the USC blue-blood tradition, but year-by-year Utah is improving its reputation — takes many years to build and we’ve been lucky to have stability at Head Coach and DC for awhile.   If Ludwig can stay for awhile and the Utes can build more of a reputation on the oh-fensive side of the ball, more 4-5 star WR, TE and OL recruits will come to Utah.

Interesting stat about this year’s Heisman.  The 3 QB finalists are all transfers.   This is the nature of the recruiting/retention game nowadays.   So many high-profile recruits going to high-profile programs and then transferring if they end-up not being first on the depth chart.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Interesting stat about this year’s Heisman. The 3 QB finalists are all transfers. This is the nature of the recruiting/retention game nowadays.

Hence the reason I say that having coaches who can successfully recruit in the transfer portal is at least as critical as being able to recruit freshmen and Jucos.

Pace says I’m wrong about this, which means I’m right.

[EagleMountainUte]

I have no idea what Pace said. But I am always surprised that an OBVIOUS troll drives discussion on this board. 

Utah lost I have decided because Utah was outcoached and Oregon made plays. Just like the SC game. 

Utah’s team is full of NFL talent this year so you are a damn fool if you think it means we need simply better recruiting. Yes everyone would love more talent. That still isn’t the reason Utah loss. Utah had deficiencies in the kicking game which were exposed finally in that game. Too far in to punt and too far out to kick a FG. That is how far Utah’s offense got all game. 

I would like to replay the game starting from upholding the ejection of Breeze. I would also like to remind Whitt how poor Utah has been on short yardage situations all season. Whitt failed to play the metrics especially on the key attempt late. I would also like the what if Blackmon doesn’t blow out his knee on a no contact play.  That is about it,three what if maybe Utah wins or at least looks better losing. 
 
Considering the interest from nfl scouts in Utah all season talent is just silly. Makes me think of early trolling of Lloyd after Bowen left. Everyone is like oh man a sophomore…well he hasn’t been in the program for years what will we ever do…  guy was nails all season. 

[Stone]

Not to rain on the “we cannot hang with USC, Oregon, UW” parade…but we have beat each of those teams multiple times. Of course it is a challenge to beat the top teams in the conference–just ask all but two teams we played this year how hard it is.

Utah can and does beat every team in the Pac12. Let’s not blow the loss to Oregon out of perspective. Utah was dominant this year in nearly every game. Utah lost to Oregon this year. That does not mean Oregon is sooo much better than Utah in terms of athletes, etc. Utah beat Oregon LAST YEAR.