Killer instinct

[Sir Potsdam]

I think one of the main obstacles that keeps Whitt from becoming an elite coach over an elite program is his repeated tendency to protect the lead instead of keeping his foot on the gas. The Utes looked like a completely different team in the second half. When he sets the team on cruise control it never seems to work. I want him to be more like elite coaches whose attitudes seem to be, “We’re going to keep scoring until either the game ends or you stop us.”

[Larry B]

He’s stuck in that “defense wins championships” mindset. So he gets a lead and then just rides his defense.

You’re right, he’s a very good coach but won’t be elite until he changes his mind set and will continue to get outcoached by coaches who are aggressive on O.

[Tednab]

I loved watching the Utes killer instinct back before joining the pac 12 ; when they were the under dogs .. they haven’t had that same instinct since joining the pac12 .. play calling is always predictable and basic.. Football in general has changed over the years, passion for the game isn’t a pure thing; it’s been deluded by the added rules regulations and to much outside interference. Whether that’s good or bad, is in the eye of the beholder.

[noneyadb]

Hmmm, going for it on fourth down is taking the foot off the gas?

Maybe UW stepped up their game after halftime…

[Yergensen]

Calling a QB sneak on 4th and 1 when our line is getting pushed around and our team has no momentum isn’t what I would call aggressive. I can think of other words to describe that decision, but aggressive isn’t one of them.

[Central Coast Ute]

The line wasn’t getting pushed around at that point and they were in 4 down territory. I mean, the Utes gained 215 yards on the ground. This is a bad take.

[Yergensen]

So, you would have made the same call, go for it with a QB sneak? When a defense knows what’s coming and loads the box what is going to mitigate that? The OL had to be the mitigating factor and they haven’t been a mitigating factor. You’re entitled to your take, but my take is still that was a poor combination of decision and play call given the circumstances.

[noneyadb]

If Whitt was trying to protect a lead he wouldn’t have gone for it. He would have punted and forced them a longer field.  Your issue is with Ludwig and calling a QB sneak on a long fourth and one with that Oline and the momentum in UW’s favor.

[Yergensen]

My issue is that someone took the air out of the ball with conservative playcalling in the 2nd half, which contributed to complete loss of momentum and potentially even lost confidence by the offense. We play conservatively leading to the 4th and short. Then we make an “aggressive” decision to go for it, but then call a conservative play. Makes no sense. Did anyone feel very confident we were going to convert in that moment under those circumstances? That call made more sense in the first half, but didn’t in the second. half.

[Central Coast Ute]

The play call was fine. Go back and watch it. Bentley never set his feet and ran into the back of Ford and wasnt able to gain any ground because of that.

Would I have called a QB sneak? Maybe. Of course defenses know they’re coming. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. The O line was playing well last night for the run, hence the yardage.

FWIW, Whitt doesnt make the play calls, he only decides to go for it or punt on 4th down.

[EagleMountainUte]

You call that sneak if Bentley ran it ten times in practice and performed it correctly. That play call looked like the first time he ran it on the season. 

[Central Coast Ute]

Yeah it did. Somehow I doubt it was the first time, just one of those things that didn’t go the Utes way.

[Cesar Chavez]

If you watch the replay carefully, Bently slipped before he even made contact, other wise i think he would have gotten that yard; but I agree, they should have gone around the edge with a lead blocker in fron of Bently.