Game thoughts

[Stone]

– Brewer is going to be fun. He seemed completely in control and confident. I realize it was only one game (against an FCS team), but I am really excited about him. In the past, when a Utah qb drops back to pass, I tend to get uneasy and doubting whether the pass will be completed (unless it is a swing pass). With Brewer, I did not feel that way. Every pass seemed to be to a solid target and catchable. He exudes confidence. I am really stoked about him. And having Rising waiting in the wings is a bonus because I am not terrified of the entire season being lost due to an injury to Brewer.

– Thomas is the kind of guy that the opposing secondary hates to see breaking through the line. He is so big that it is going to hurt tackling him. Especially as games get late, he will be punishment for the opposing team’s defense. He is also fast. That said, I still like and would choose Bernard as RB1 over Thomas (based on game 1). I cannot put my finger on it exactly, but Thomas just seems to run a bit more reckless – maybe it is his size (which is a big advantage, but maybe also a weakness). 

– WR position seems solid. Really excited about combining them with a QB like Brewer. Same for TE group.

– South Division is going to be tough. North looked awful. I am torn sometimes because I love upsets and seeing the little guys win, but also don’t want to the Pac12 to look terrible. Ultimately, I found myself cheering for Montana to win the upset. Too much fun not to. 

[Ute Dub]

I agree with your take which is entirely offense focused. I will add that if Utah’s defense shows up and plays solid…this is a W even if the offense is so so. 

[UteFanatic]

Brewer is the type of QB we’ve been pining over for a decade.

Huntley was very good, and was extremely effective due to his athleticism, but Brewer is a pure passer and is highly accurate both in the pocket and on the run. The way he squared his shoulders up and delivered a TD strike to Enis while on the run gave me the chills. If the o-line can give him solid protection, the game this Saturday might look like 2019 UW-BYU. 

Tuiaki’s defense is highly susceptible to short and midrange passes. Brewer will find his targets. I can’t wait.

[Trailgoat]

Brewer’s face at the line of scrimmage screams confidence, he knows exactly what the defense is showing him and knows where to go with the ball. Hangs in the pocket and delivers. Utah has not had a QB at this level in a long time. Given another year Huntley would have been there as he is starting to show some of it in the pros.

No excuse at the D1 level for dropped passes, does not matter if you’re one of top guys. I hope KW lays the law down, dropped passes equal reduced playing time. Kuthie and Dixon have dropped passes in past games. That s**t needs to be corrected.

[UteFanatic]

A few of the drops were slightly understandable, but the two TD drops were perfect passes from Brewer and not catching them is inexcusable. I hope that was just first game jitters.

 

[EagleMountainUte]

Always felt like a big what if for 2019 was if Huntley didn’t go down in 2018. Lots of wasted time rehabbing and conditioning for 2019.