My thoughts on next season

[ProudUte]

Utah posted below that we will be a 9+ win team.  I hope he is right, I would love that.  However, there are a few things that make me believe otherwise.

Utah said we only lose Moss and Huntley on offense.  Losing these two guys is huge, but we do lose two other starters in Paulo and Simpkins.  Simpkins is indeed replaceable IMO.  Utah claims that Huntley has some weaknesses.  This may be true, but he had an amazing season.  I would say that he will go down as one of the top three QBs in Utah history.  He did not pass for 25 TDs, mostly because we are a run-first team.  Moss is the BEST RB in Utah history.  Thes losses are huge.  That being said, I think our offense will be good with an apparent talented QB and the return of Covey.  You can not overstate the value of the experience that Huntley and Moss had.  By season’s end we may be in good shape, but I think we may lose some games along the way.

We lose a ton on defense including:

3 All Pac defensive lineman (Anae was AA)

1 All Pac Linebacker

1 All Pac corner and another starter

1 All American Safety and the other great safety as well

Utah may indeed be right that we will have more raw talent on the field than we have ever had, but not the experience.  These guys will need to learn to play together.  This year’s defense is the best defense we have ever seen at Utah.  This will not happen next year and maybe never again.  This defense is very special.

I believe we will have a good team next year that will need time to gel.  We should be competitive in every game, but I suspect we will lose some close games because of the lack of experience.

In the end – this is all premature because it’s difficult to know what kind of teams our opposition will have and we need to see how these young defensive players will develop.  

[McBride of Frankenstein]

Next year is playing with dealer’s money anyway.  It is an ‘off year’ to focus on developing players.  The year after is where we should be aiming.

[ProudUte]

I agree 100%.

[UtTroutHunter]

I don’t necessarily agree with the belief that next year’s team will be more talented than this year’s team. Johnson, Blackmon, Fotu, Moss, Huntley and Anae are some of the best players Utah has ever had at those positions. I’m not about to say any of the guys replacing those I mentioned are more talented. 

[Utah]

I hate talking about this because fans will fan. I don’t know everything. I know QB’s. When a lot of fans were hyping up Heaps and Nelson and Mangum and Hill, I was telling you guys that they were no better than Wynn and Wilson and I was right. 

When people were hyping up Love and Wilson this past offseason, I was telling you guys that Huntley was heads and shoulders better than they were and when the season ended, Huntley would be a top 2 QB in the PAC-12. I was right. When people where licking Jaden Daniels balls at ASU, I told everyone Utah would crush him because he has huge holes in his game. How did Daniels do? 4/18, 25 yards. I was right. 

I don’t want to criticize Huntley, because it is COMPLETELY nitpicking. But, the flaws are there. There are reasons why he was so great for us, but won’t be drafted until late, if at all. 

We are bringing in Rising and Bentley to take Huntley’s spot. Go look at Bentley’s stats as a JR and Huntley’s. Other than Bentley being used more, they are identical. Go look at film of Bentley and Huntley. THEY ARE THE SAME PLAYER. 

It’s crazy. You can see why Ludwig brought Bentley in. He and Huntley have very similar skill sets (although Huntley is a better runner, but Ludwig isn’t as worried about that). 

If he can take Huntley’s mediocre JR season and do big things with them, I’m sure he can take a QB with 3000+ yards and 27 TD’s and do big things with him as well IF HE WINS THE JOB. 

Rising has been here a year, learning the offense. 

Huntley didn’t have 27 TD’s for a few reasons. None of them are because we are a run first team. He just missed WR’s deep. Enis should have had 5+ TD receptions this year. Enis was wide open for 3 TD’s vs BYU. Like WIDE OPEN. Ludwig had a 1,000+ yard rusher and 20+ TD QB the last two seasons at Vanderbilt. It is what he does. Huntley just chose not to throw deep. 

Bentley will. 

I don’t think we will be as efficient next year. That is where Huntley and Moss were great. BUT, I do think we will be more explosive with Bentley/Rising and Covey and another year of development for Thompson/Enis/Kuithe. 

I think a lot of fans are being way too senstive about Huntley. 

I do think he was the third best QB in Utah’s history, behind Smith and Mitchell. 

I do think in 15 years, he won’t be in the top 5 of Utah’s best all time QB’s. 

[ProudUte]

I hope you are right that we will have even better QBs in the future.  Based off what I saw in previous seasons, I did not think Huntley was going to have a great season.  However, this kid went to work on his body and his ability to read defenses.  I am super impressed with what he did this year.  I don’t think he has the “long arm” that some great QBs do, but wow was he efficient.  

There are those in the know (I am not one) who say that there is nothing more valuable than a good, experienced QB for your offense.  We benefited from this in 2019.  Maybe Rising or Bentley is better, but I highly doubt that they will be as successful as Huntley was this year.  I know Bentley is a senior QB, but has no experience with this offense or these wide receivers.  I hope whoever starts at QB has a great season and proves to be better than Huntley.  If so, I will gladly eat crow, because I can admit when I am wrong.

[Utah]

I think us Utah fans have too much PTSD with the QB position, too many “media” people are clueless about QB’s and we are all a little traumatized when it comes to the throw game. 

Why is everyone discounting Bentley so much? I don’t understand it. Huntley had zero experience with this offense coming into this year. Rising has a year’s experience (more than Huntley) and has been with the WR’s for the last year and has been with Covey on the scout team working side by side for a year. 

Bentley was a very successful QB in the SEC. He’s seen it all. Rising has been here a year and knows the offense. Rising sat with Ludwig in the booth in the games this year. He has been partnered with Covey on the scout team all year long. 

Utah, BY FAR, has the best QB situation in the state of Utah next fall. And in the PAC-12? Who is better? 

UW: New QB with no experience and new coaches. Oregon: New QB, new OC. WSU: New QB. OSU: New QB. Stanford: New QB. Cal: Returning, but not great. USC: better than Utah. ASU: Good situation with Daniels, but Bentley is more proven. Arizona: New QB. Colorado: New QB. UCLA: who knows. 

Only USC has a better QB situation than Bentley. 

That’s it. 

Be excited. We are finally in good hands on offense. Best case, Rising wins and we are awesome. Worst case, Bentley wins and we have a very similar output to Huntley, but with more yards and TD’s. 

 

[BulgieUte]

With this season still in progress talking about next year is a very strange exercise. It’s right up there with watching a game with your cell phone because you want to record the good time you were having at the game.

[EagleMountainUte]

7 win unranked Texas?  Utah’s best win in 2019? ASU? For all intents and purposes the season is over. Oregon choking against ASU really stinks. 

[BulgieUte]

You’re very sad and I feel bad for you. As for me, I’m going to have a great time watching our guys one more time this year.

 

[Charlie]

How many times in the recent past have some felt like we have had an all time high only to see a new high shortly after? I guess it is natural to feel a high point can not be repeated. However, as we have been raising the ceiling on what the FB team can do, we have also been raising the floor even more related to where we start again. No reason to feel we will not be as good again in the near future, particularly when we know so little about so many new players next year. Answers wont trickle in until spring practice with better hints in fall camp. Maybe we fall back in the south, maybe not. Why guess with so little seen from the new guys?