Ludwig didn’t call a great game, but this is 90% Barnes’ fault

[chinngiskhaan]

Two throws that should have been touchdowns were instead picked off because the first was thrown way too late, and the second was thrown 5 yards too far. Countless times there were open players, and he threw the ball way too late. On the 4th and 3 at the end he threw the ball too late.

Same story all year, the plays were there to be made, and Barnes is just not good enough to make those plays.

Defense played great. I liked what I saw out of Jackson, Glover, and Bernard. If those three come back we are going to have a great run game next year.

Barnes will be lucky to be a backup QB at Weber State next year. Just terrible. Even when he knew he was going to get sacked, he would inexplicably run back 5 yards instead of just hitting the ground. SO DUMB!

[uteinzoobcounty]

Barnes threw into a double high safety twice, at some point it’s on the OC we didn’t utilize the middle one time. This is on Ludwig too. W

[chinngiskhaan]

Yes, the playcalling wasn’t great, but there were at least 10 plays that would have been first downs or touchdowns that Barnes completely screwed up on. One of the worst performances for a QB I’ve ever seen.

Boy am I glad I was too busy with law school to watch any of the games this season.

[Rick]

Uteinzoob,
Next level qbs can make some throws into double high safeties. The first interception was a correct read if the ball is thrown a second earlier. Instead, typically late and then picked. I don’t blame Ludwig at all for that one. Barnes simply needs to know his limitations. He knows by now that if he waits and then throws it will be a bad result. At least he should know. What is on Ludwig and Whittingham is that they marched Barnes out somehow expecting a different result. He has no ability to throw the ball on time. You’d think he’d learn – and perhaps they thought he’d learn. He didn’t. Honestly, I wish we’d have gone with a two-qb system (Barnes/Johnson) to see who learned better.

This is a frustrating loss. Barnes is such a tough player but not a good player. I don’t think he can succeed at any collegiate level unless he somehow overcomes the inability to throw on time.

[Ute Dub]

You don’t get it. The middle of the field was called, Ludwig actually called those plays, but Barnes’s timing is too delayed to hit those passes when they’re open.

[2008 National Champ]

And the routes allowed the safety doubling the seam pattern to easily leave his receiver and undercut Parks on the post. Meanwhile, a deep flag route would have resulted in single coverage with presumably Parks having the same gap.

Perhaps Parks made a different read than Barnes was expecting which caused the late throw. More likely, based on seeing route designs all season which allow one defender to cover two receivers, it was just a bad design. I’m pretty sure that it was the same play Huntley threw the pick against Oregon in the 2019 CCG so there is evidence of a flaw.

[Utesbyfive]

Agree. He f**ked up time and again. He didn’t throw the ball away one single time.

[tanute3]

“Barnes is just not good enough to make those plays” … yes, that’s the point. Everyone realizes this yet the coaches still stick with him (even after he bailed on the team to the portal). This loss is 100% on the coaches.

[chinngiskhaan]

who else are they going to play? Bottari can’t make those plays either. Obviously, they felt he was the best option even though he sucks hairyballsack.

[Crow]

Bottari at least sparked the team Barnes not so much painful to watch

[Utesbyfive]

When Bottari escaped pressure and made that screen pass for 18 yards, (was that our longest pass play of the game?) I was thinking, yes! LFG! Then they put Barnes back in. 😩

[pedro]

Like some dude on X pointed out, Ludwig hasn’t called a great game since Cam was last healthy. Nor had he called a great game before Cam played for us. Coincidence? Cam makes Lud.

[EagleMountainUte]

Rising keeps people honest with his legs. (Risk injury) and has had two great targets in his back pocket.

Rising ain’t all that either.

Utah coaching at the QB spot has been non existent. Development is zero. Management is zero.

Relying on Barnes who said he wants to transfer is inexcusable. 100% on coaching for Barnes playing.

[chinngiskhaan]

That just isn’t true. Rising has improved in his time here, as has Barnes, as did Huntley.

Again, who else were they supposed to play other than Barnes???

The coaches deserve blame for not recruiting better QBs to back up Rising. Ludwig deserves some blame for predictable playcalling, but he called enough good plays to win the game by two scores. Those plays were executed poorly. Not his fault. Barnes was late and or inaccurate on nearly every throw he made. Several times, he was so late that he simply didn’t throw the ball at all even when there were open guys.

[Xanthis]

It was a “meaningless” bowl game. Trot out Rose for development or Bottari. Not the guy who is transferring and is “in the way.” Whitts biggest flaw as a coach has always been the man crushes he develops for players that play tough but have little skill.

[uteinzoobcounty]

Our play calling was so slow too. No rhythm, slow, and methodical. It’s 60/40 and that 60 is on Ludwig. Open the playbook.

[chinngiskhaan]

He did open the playbook, and Barnes threw picks each time when they should have been big gains or touchdowns. He could have called a better game, but he wasn’t the reason we lost. Not even close.

[ORute]

it’s 100% the coaches decision to continue to play a guy who cant hit the side of a barn, over developing a qb for next year. Why BB started, wasnt pulled and game-planned for after declaring transfer is 1000% on the coaches.

[chinngiskhaan]

I will ask you like I asked everyone else. Who the hell else were they supposed to play that would have been a better option?

[ORute]

Rose, Bottarri? Both guys who will be on the team next year

[EagleMountainUte]

So Utah is all in on Rising again beyond that you got Wilson. Who will also be coming off surgery and a True frosh.

[Utesbyfive]

No, you have Rose, who is an unknown. Hopefully he has more ability to see the field and read the defense than Barnes.

[EagleMountainUte]

Whitt: Rose isn’t ready.

Rose can’t beat out Barnes. Unless it really is true he never could play because of the medical redshirt.

[uteinzoobcounty]

I can’t speak for most fans, but I’d rather lose doing some unorthodox plays, not the same vanilla offense I’ve seen all year. Northwestern obviously prepared for the inside run.

[2008 National Champ]

It’s easy to blame Barnes and he should be accountable for his part. At the same time, did anyone ever really feel at any time this season like the offense had figured out what it did well and leaned into it?

All I saw for 13 games was the same plays that had been run for the last 4+ years but with personnel incapable of running them competently and consistently.

[ORute]

The offense has been putrid most of the year. Ive been on Ludwig since game 2 and everyone always says ‘oh, its the injuries, he’s our best OC under whit.’ Well, he wmight have been but this year hasnt been inspiring confidence

[Utesbyfive]

Ludwig is quite serviceable if he has talent. I think he would have done great at Notre Dame.

[Utah]

I will always love Barnes for that USC game.

That being said, if he steps on the field for anything other than a “Troy Williams unties his shoe moment” the boos should reign down from on high.

He’s just not good enough. And he shouldn’t ever get a rep in practice again, as that takes away reps from a different, more talented QB.

[Utah]

I think the most disappointing part of the game was when the first quarter ended, Rose went out onto the field and started warming up.

I was so excited.

[DataUte]

Apparently he did that on his own. No coach told him to. Sad

[RUUTES]

Injuries
Transfer Portal
NFL draft

Those things are why we lost. Barnes was not ever going to be our starting QB but he did the best he could…and had an off day.

Ludwig…hell I don’t know what he was supposed to do with what he had to work with that night. I’m not going to blame him for the loss.

I do wanna point out that the NW player ripped off Kings helmet and assaulted him with it and then was allowed to play the rest of the game which did have a material impact on our Offense including some key plays in the 4th quarter. So maybe factor that in.

[EagleMountainUte]

Cope
Cope
Cope
Copium
Cope
More cope.

Barnes should have benched. Barnes should have never played. Coaches made the decision to lose going with Barnes.

[pics]

If Ludwig had nothing to work with it’s his fault. He recruits the offense. He recruits the QB’s. He develops the QB’s. He gave practice reps to Rising all season that should have been given to younger players. If the younger players aren’t ready to go he’s either recruiting the wrong players or his offense needs to be simpler. We’ll have the same problem next year because Ludwig is all in on Rising and he probably won’t make it through the season healthy yet again.

Barnes definitely crapped the bed Saturday and I feel bad. I was hoping for a cinderella ending that would help him get a good landing spot somewhere. Now I’m not sure anyone will want him. The game was very winnable had he made the reads correctly.

I’m usually pretty optimistic about the team but I can certainly see problems next year. The Big XXII isn’t going to be the cakewalk that too many fans think it will.

[RUUTES]

But your assumption is that anyone else available would have won. It was a catch 22 for the coaches. Barnes had a horrid game. But its a total longshot that anyone else we had was going to actually be better at this point.

[EagleMountainUte]

Remember when people said Barnes is 1-0 as a starter.

Well so was Bottari.

The offensive situation at the half they could have direct snapped to anyone else eligible and done better than Barnes. It was so obvious that the Colorado game being the final regular season game can be used as an example.

[Caliman]

TIME FOR A NEW OC. WHO’D WOULD YOU ALL LIKE TO SEE UTAH GO AFTER?