Do you think we are going to see Jackson showcase his abilities this game?

[EagleMountainUte]

With TT doing what he has been doing I am kind of wondering if we will see Jackson step up. 

He had a pass catch opportunity against SC that was a drop. I hear about all of his abilities but he seems like a guy with a mental block. I am not a fan of him coming in as “wildcat” because I believe Rising is on fire right now so he needs to handle your snaps. 

What is everyone’s thoughts on Jackson so far? He seems like a Utah guy who they are trying to showcase but can’t justify his reps on gameday to me. 

[belli1976]

I feel for the coaches at RB. They have been juggling TT, while transitioning JJ, developing Glover and managing a banged up Bernard.

I hope JJ is able to take more reps, especially with the potential of rain in Pullman.

[Larry B]

I’ve wanted to see him get involved, especially because we’ve heard how athletic he is, but every time he gets an opportunity he seems to drop the ball… literally. We’ve seen him fumble the ball on the goal line, drop an easy pass, and bobble a snap in his limited time on the field.

[Tednab]

Yeah .. until I actually see it , I ain’t buying the hype .. drank the kool aid way too many times .. TT is the best option they have ; rest are unproven or are hype up to something their not.. part of the reason coaches have been so patient with TT ; there are no other options for his role

[EagleMountainUte]

Bernard looked great against SC. His fumble was an outstanding tackle by SC. I think Bernard looks his healthiest all year and I also believe this bye week helped him out heavily. 

[chinngiskhaan]

Bernard is #1 at this point… JJ is puzzling. I want him to succeed more than anyone on the team. He’s been through sooooo much, but man…. he just can’t keep it together on the field. If he wasn’t such a great kid he wouldn’t be getting these opportunities. He hasn’t proven that he can do anything positive  in an actual game.

I hope he does get a shot again, and I hope he can hold onto the damn ball, because if he can just do that (literally the most basic thing in sports outside of the ability to run and jump) he will do great things. It would be tragic if he never showed his gifts because he never learned to be calm enough to hold onto the ball.

[Yergensen]

As has been said, really pulling for him to succeed.

He’s unselfish, has put team first and has been patient.

Looks to me like he’s overthinking it and putting too much pressure on himself. Hope he is given multiple touches per game to get into a flow and just ball.  

 

[Utesbyfive]

I think it’s gonna be a tight game, and JJ won’t be called upon.

[Central Coast Ute]

Something has got to give. I love Bernard and his passion, but he’s not a guy you can give the ball to on 3rd and 3 and run it straight up the gut. Rising also can’t be the main runner on the team. Curry is out and for whatever reason, Glover isn’t the guy, probably youth issues. I’d love to see JJ step up as the main ball carrier, but he’s only been in the position for a few weeks and probably still needs time. After saying all of that, I don’t think we’ll see much more of him in close games, it will still be Bernard with some sweeps to Dixon and of course, Cam.

[W16Ute]

Glover going to put on some weight, get some experience and be great but this year he seems good to spell the older backs.

[Onlyu]

I think that we need to be better about giving JJ more traditional touches. Allow him to get into a normal flow vs. back out, wildcat and/or specialty packages. He’s a big athletic guy and likely should be our short yardage back moving forward (assuming no TT). Micah is very versatile and should average 15+ touches a game one way or another IMO. Glover is dynamic and really good as a pass catcher so he will still be developed with opportunities but JJ has the size and burst to work between the tackles in short yardage.

That’s still a very athletic RB room with or without Tavion.

Also Cam is a natural runner and he’s very durable. I’m not saying you go full Tebow with the guy but he’s highly capable and can and should carry a portion of the load. He’s 230 lbs. and always falls forward. Cam has to be part of the running game in this offense because defenses need to account for him which opens up other areas we can attack.

[#3bballer]

Whatever happened to Ricky Parks?  For star guy who had been beat out by a walk on??

[Trailgoat]

Maybe stating the obvious here. Tough ask for JJ to step in mid-season and play RB beyond running the ball between the tackles. What gets overlooked is how crtiical being an effective blocker at the RB position is for pass protection, blitz pick-up, when and where to flare out of the backfiled, and find holes on the stretch plays.

At this point, Utes seem to be riding on the back of Micah Bernard, aka, Phillip Lindsay sub-ing in TT, with JJ in for a few plays. JJ had one carry for no gain against USC. I suspect we’ll see more of JJ in the next three games depending how well Utah does. Utes cannot affort to get in shoot outs with WSU, UofA, and Stanford or turn the ball over with the awful front seven talent on defense and giving opposing teams the ball on the 50 yard line every other kick-off.  

[HoosierUte]

I don’t think Stanford could win a shoot-out with a tackling dummy…

[noneyadb]

At this point Ludwig needs to go into the LB room and give practice reps to Medlock, both Calverts, or any other able body. Doesn’t Maxis Tupai still have eligibility? For short yardage situations, get somebody that can hit a hole looking to destroy a LB..

[Jake]

The linebacker group needs to focus on playing linebacker in the first place. It has been one of (if not the) worst position groups on this team this year.

[Charlie]

With the extra days of practice since USC I expect we have been working on RB options.  With Barnard on a pitch count we have to have RB2 developed.  Bringing someone along is less risk than minimizing the run game.  Gunther did have some time to have a mini tryout for RB2 so I expect we will see an option that will be used more than a snap here and there.  If TT was to become an option again I wonder if it will come as a suprise or will we first hear he is back at practice?  Jackson, I think, is the most likely option to see more snaps.

[Tednab]

We’re half way through the season .. we are what we are at this point .. just like holding our breath and praying the kicking game will some how miraculously fix its self .. though it would be nice If TT finally pulls his head out and pulls a joe Williams ; he’d be added nightmare for defenses

[EagleMountainUte]

I seriously doubt things will get fixed on the special teams. Last year is a perfect example it NEVER got fixed even in the Rose Bowl. 35-21 Utah up 12 minutes left in the third quarter. It was the momentum shift in the game. A mistake repeated all year was done in Utah’s first ever Rose Bowl. 

I don’t see TT changing either.

[URow]

I really hope Jackson gets more touches. He comes in at high pressure situations and doesn’t do well… He needs to get the easy run plays early to get a feel for the game. Our schedule should allow us to get him some extra playing time. 

I also think bringing in Logan Kendall for short 3-4 yard runs could be an option. He’s not fast, but he would be hard to bring down. 

RB Depth Chart without TT: Bernard, Glover, JJ, Parks? Vincent?