ASU Game and Beyond

[Trailgoat]

We all kind of knew this game was coming considering the trend and history of the program in the P12 under KW. Seven years in the P12 Utah has 32-38 (including this season) with a rough average of 4th place standing in the P12. The bowl win record is a nice accomplishment although most of the bowl game victories were against teams Utah was favored to win and we’re lesser opponents. 

If Utah loses against Oregon and CU they will be right on average with a 4-5 record. If the Utes win one or both games it should be considered a successful season above their standard. It will be a tall order to win both games with a back up QB. If CU gets Shenault back, Utah will not beat CU at home. 4-5 is exactly where Utah should be based on P12 history and will likely end up.

1. Utah under KW for whatever reason historically struggles to play well as a target team in 1st place. The ASU game was a reflection of similar situations where the team played unprepared, undisciplined football. IMO-the difference between great and good coaches with winning programs. The great coaches just know how to coach up their teams up to play like winners when other teams are fired up to play them. Not taking anything away from ASU. They were the better coached team. I actually enjoy Herm Edwards. The guy has a ton of positive spirit/energy and the players love to play for him. Ahh…he’s also a damn good coach.

2. Undisiplined football = poor coaching: the leading with the head tackles need to stop. We all love the hard hitting aggressive play. The anonymous coach statement regarding Utah plays undisciplined football is spot on. Missed goal line catch, muffed punt, goal line hit, etc.

3. KW is not going anywhere. As long as the stadium sells out and the standard of success is the gold standard mentioned above, KW is Utah’s guy until her retires. All KW has to do is win four P12 games and two meaningless non-conference games and he’s given a thumbs up from administration. He says all the scripted right things after losses deflecting losses on injuries, a few mistakes etc. Has everybody believing Utah is lucky to have him. Never mind getting out coached by Herm Edwards the first year P12 coach clearly creating a culture of a hard working team that looks like they’re having fun out playing Utah with better athletes in key positions.

4. Offense: Utah may have their best system in place minus the athletic talent to run it well. Utah WRs struggled all day to get open against ASU’s young athletic DBs. There are some promising young players that need to step up next year. 

5. QB situation: Huntley’s injury was the result of poor line blocking not running down the field as a duel threat QB at risk in the open field. Kid has been playing hard with little help from his WRs who can’t seem to get open while he’s given a brief window of time to get a pass off. I hope Shelley gets some protection next weekend. Utes desparately need to recruit a solid QB this year. 

Oregon game will be very interesting and hopefully Utah can rally and play like a first place program. I doubt ASU wins out.

Go Utes!

 

[GameForAnyFuss]

I would say #1 is because Utah has to win games to get into first place, and usually those are against the less good teams in the conference. At that point there’s no one left to face but the better teams. We’re just regressing to the mean is all. 

It just has to do with the quality of the opponents and when we play them. I’m not prepared to say it’s a coaching deficiency. 

[EagleMountainUte]

When are we prepared to lay this at Whitt’s feet?  Not prepared do you need more information on Whitt that hasn’t been demonstrated for 7 seasons now?  

[GameForAnyFuss]

The only thing I’m taking off Whit’s shoulders is the tendency to lose when he’s in first place. I bet you’d see the same trend in almost every team in the country. If you’re in first place, it’s probably because you played a lot of bad teams early… eventually you’ll lose because all you’ve got left to play are good teams.

I’m not giving Whit a pass for anything else.

It’s not black and white, so don’t paint my comment that way (which is something I’ve noticed you tend to do in this board). Saying that one thing is not his fault does NOT mean I’m saying that something else is not his fault. 

[Utesbyfive]

I’m ready to accept that this game is not his fault. Weird s**t happened. It’s how the team responds from here that I will be able to gauge his ability to coach.

[EagleMountainUte]

We really are masochists at Utah. It is the deluded ability to get your hopes and then crushed I still won’t ever understand. 

 

[Duhwayne]

Any grump can call for the coach’s job. I mean, Florida and Texas go through coaches faster than players in the richest recruiting beds in America and they still suck. Utah has finally become what it can be but you know what, based on recruiting potential we outperform and that is just the way it is.

There was never a playoff shot this year. We showed we can contend and then all the targeting bulls**t started again and Huntley got hurt. Next year there could be if we finish strong and start 10-15 spots higher than we usually start. That and have everything bounce Utah’s way. That hasn’t happened. We are a once in every 10 years a Rose Bowl school. Ohio State fandom is available for people who don’t like it I guess.

Firing Whitt is the beginning of a long rebuild. I don’t understand some fans’ entitlement. We’ve had a world changing run over 10 years. The next step is way less likely to be another advance and way more likely to be mean reversion.

[pedro]

Amen! 

[Puget Ute]

I didn’t perform an exhaustive check but I don’t recall Huskies fans calling for Petersen to get fired after losing to Cal. I watched UW and WSU go through a decade of rebuilding. It is a very ugly process. Their fans went through some serious s**t and many of my Coug and Husky friends with season tickets have a tough time convincing their (now adult) kids to go to games with them. The kids got sick of losing every game they saw, year after year.

I have zero trust that Utah could replace Whittingham before his contract is up, bring in somebody better who would be willing to follow a legend, and actually improve both the short-term and long-term health of the program. And that is assuming most of the Talented players don’t transfer under the new transfer rules.  Talented coaches don’t grow on trees, and a bad hire or two could easily set us back many years. We would regress to the mean, and be very similar to Oregon State. Sure we could be in the verge of the Rose Bowl every 10-15 years, but more likely than not we will win 4 games a year and lose to  FCS schools every other year.

Basketball is much easier to rebuild than is football, and it still took us over a decade to get back to where Majerus had us when he left.  Football would be very much uglier. 

[EagleMountainUte]

My expectation was never a CFP. My expectation was Utah was in the driver seat for the south despite absolute s**t start against Washington and Wazzu. Against ASU they s**t the bed again. Defense came out absolutely flat and Whitt arrogantly did nothing to stop Harry. Blair suspension but that’s coaching against isn’t it?  Why does he keep doing it?  Then Afia?  That’s coaching. Blame it on whatever you want call me a delusional fan. This was Utah’s year to win the south and Whitt blew it again. 

[Utahute72]

During that 4 game winning streak we constantly started slowly, but had enough to over come that. Part of that was playing good teams at home and worse teams on the road. Now we hit a team hitting their stride at their place and couldn’t overcome the poor start. Couple that with the injury to Huntley and you get the blow out.

Now we’ll see how we overcome that for the rest of the year, but more importantly, do we see a tweak to how we recruit.

[Tony (admin)]

The poor first quarters have to stop.

[EagleMountainUte]

Arizona was the only exception this season. 14 first quarter points. Started fairly quickly and ended the game quickly.