Have we finally cracked the code on our offensive identity going forward? Ever since Whitt got Ludwig to return to Utah we’ve had great offensive teams IMO. However, this past season it seems that the 3 tight end sets Ludwig was able to scheme around have opened up something very exciting and new for Utah football going forward. And seeing that we are reloading on TEs leaves me thinking this wasn’t just a 1 year experiment where Ludwig maximized on the personnel we had this year. But rather, this year’s offense was so successful it leads me to wonder if Utah has found its true offensive identity going forward to compliment our longstanding defensive identity.
One of the reasons why I pose this question has to do with recruiting. Many of us in the past have expressed frustration with the “throw game” and not being able to attract better talent at WR. Then in year’s past where our passing game was below average and/or we opted for a run-heavy offense, we all admitted it must be difficult to convince talented WRs to come to Utah where they wouldn’t get targeted as much as at other programs. But now with our TE heavy sets, it seems to me that this takes a lot of pressure off of recruiting and needing to compete with the USC’s, Oregon’s, Washington’s, etc for high level WR talent. It’s not to say that we don’t still want as highly talented of WRs as we can get because obviously we want as many weapons as we can bring to Utah. Not to mention, Ludwig has proven he’ll find a way to utilize the talent he’s given. But I’m thinking this year has shown that we don’t necessarily have to be loaded with 4* WRs and a deep vertical threat in order to compete at the highest levels.
With a TE focused scheme we’re able to more effectively run the ball down people’s throats. And this also sets us up to be highly effective in the play action passing game. In terms of production, the results have been outstanding this year and super balanced, making it very difficult for teams to stop us. This is the first year I can remember where Whitt was so confident in our offense he elected to go on offense every time we won the coin toss to start a game. Ever since Urban Meyer brought us the spread offense it seems like we’ve tried to continue to make the spread work. I realize we aren’t moving entirely away from the spread but I’m wondering if maybe we are backing away from it a bit in favor of our new TE heavy offense? Because it sure seems to fit really nicely with the type of personnel we are able to consistently attract/recruit to Utah. And assuming this year’s offense continues to produce at this level YoY, it will only allow us to keep upgrading the talent levels on the perimeter. In any event, I have absolutely loved watching our offense dominate teams this year. This not only feels like Utah’s new offensive identity to me going foward but it also seems a bit unique. Maybe I’m mistaken but I haven’t seen any other teams around the country running anything like it.
We’ve heard it over and over for years that if Utah just had an elite offense to go along with our elite defense, we would be in the mix for the playoff. Utah was on the cusp of this in 2019. And this year’s team would’ve been right there as well had we not started off slow. Who knows…maybe this year’s milestone of winning our 1st conference title and going to the Rose Bowl is the prelude to a CFP run in 2022?? Whatever happens, Ludwig and our offense this year have shown us a very bright and exciting future for Utah football. Go Utes!!
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