QB, RB, WRs, Defense won’t be the weak spot on this team. Oline needs to step up

[Trailgoat]

and IMO, this is a make or break year for Harding. He has to be in the same shoes as Holiday was if the Oline does not perform this year. We hear every year how solid the Oline is going to be and they get man handeled by the upper level teams in the P12. 

As mentioned several times in this forum, there was at least four pass plays a defender was standing with their hands up right in Brewer’s face before he got the ball off. Utes will go as far as the Oline can pass block and run block against USC, UO, and ASU. Brewer, Costilli, and JQJ look solid. Pledger and Curry are the real deal as well. Looking forward to the season to start. Go Utes!

[Utesbyfive]

Tired of hearing this narrative. Sorry, I just am. We can discuss it ad nauseam, won’t change what will happen.

[Ute Dub]

I don’t think Harding is on the chapping block at all…and I don’t think you really have a clue as to the strengths and weakness of Utah’s O-line on a player by player basis now or in the history of the last 4-5 years. The support to your argument is that 3rd string OL’s were getting beat in the spring game? OK. Meanwhile several starters and former starters (Ford, Kump, Umana) did not dress.  

You’re like the whiny mom at my sons HS game who stands up and yells, “COME ON O-LINE”, after the qb held the ball in the pocket for 8 seconds and took a sack. Sometimes there’s more to it than that. Sometimes QB’s can’t see the read until it’s too late. Sometimes your starting guard in a spring game is a walk on from Magna via Cyprus.    

[HoosierUte]

Hey take it easy on Cyprus, it is the “home of scholars and champions” afterall. 

[Ute Dub]

I spent 3 years at Brockbank and my sophomore year at Cyprus before moving south. 

[noneyadb]

A position group ranked every year in the bottom 100 of FBS says otherwise. It’s not just a spring game

[Ute Dub]

Ranked in what? Are you talking about the 2020 ranking in which Utah played USC, Washington, Colorado, Oregon st., Wash. St. and played no G5 teams? And you are going to compare Utah’s O-line to let’s say TDS statistically who was playing Georgia southern?

[noneyadb]

footballoutsiders.com breaks down oline and dline stats for the last 7 years. You’re more than welcome to do some research… 

[AZUteFan]

Here to defend Trailgoat a little – I am not an expert on the nuances of OL play.  However, the stats show that recently Utah has one of the worst OL at pass blocking.  Stat from 2019…out of 395 pass-block snaps, Utah OL gave up 119 pressures.  This ranked 6th worst in all of D1 football.  

So I don’t think Trailgoat is basing his analysis on just the Spring Game.  Let’s be honest – over the past couple of years the OL play, especially pass blocking, has been an issue. 

[Charlie]

The O line had a tough time during COVID where they practiced individually before the USC game, which produces only a cluster****. They had no preseason games to get settled, they lost the center that was calling the line plays. The backup QB that was expected to be serviceable was not. Myself, I think the WRs could do a better job gaining separation, hopefully the new coach helps that. Outside of Ford and the original starting center, they are mostly young.

I think last year is a poor data set for analysis. As mentioned previously, the spring game is only useful to evaluate twos and threes. There is clearly nothing to talk about until we get started next fall because there is nothing to review. You need to go back to 2019 and guess where we have moved since then.

[AZUteFan]

Totally agree – throw out 2020 completely. 

I am talking about 2019!  Scroll to the #70 ranked OL:

https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-ranking-all-130-college-football-offensive-line-situations

Maybe if Utah had a OL ranked #30-40, we look back at 2019 as Pac 12 Champs and the best Utah football team ever?  We aren’t asking for our OL to be Alabama…just in line with the rest of the position groups on the team.  It’s clear the OL has been the weakest position group on the team over the past couple of season.

 

 

[EagleMountainUte]

Using the Spring as an example is silly. Utah also ranks very high in what matters the most to the Head coach: Rush blocking. Utah is a rush first team. Utah has elite running backs.
I still believe it is mostly on the wide receivers Utah has recruited or coached Especially when an aberration like Covey instantly improves that entire team. Easily the most inconsistent part of the team. Which I lay that at the feet of Whitt because that is his style and has been since he took over. The other side of the coin is Whitt doesn’t like turnovers.

Control the ground game and hold onto the ball. That is the Head coach.

[Ute Dub]

How many times in 2019 were you screaming at Huntley to get rid of the ball, even just throw it out of bounds, but he would hold onto it and take a sack? I’d like to know of those 119 pressures, how many of them came before 3 seconds? Because, I’m sorry, if they’re coming after 3 seconds, then the O-line gets a pass, right? No pun intended. 

So this opens up another question, if Huntley on some of the 119 pressures was holding onto the ball too long, then why is that? Is it because receivers aren’t open? Is it because the HC preaches no turnovers non stop and so the QB is shy to pull the trigger? Is it because the team doesn’t know how to teach the QB to look a defender off to get someone else open. Is it because the QB doesn’t know how to audible and attack the pressure? I think we like to blame the O-line for our passing woes, but I think there’s more to it than what 1 stat on pressures shows. Get back to me on how many of those pressures happened within the first 2-3 seconds and I think it will be telling. 

Here’s my theory. To be a good passing team, I believe 75% of your time on offense, in practice, needs to be spent on passing the ball. I just don’t know if that is our focus, right? We want to run the ball and preserve the defense. 

[AZUteFan]

All valid questions and good points, especially about WRs getting open. Overall, the WRs were underperforming and as a result, Guy Holliday is out.

Fact remains that in 2019 our OL overall (not just pass blocking) graded out poorly and was likely the difference between the CFP and the Alamo Bowl.

I am optimistic we will see an improvement and I think the main point of the OP is that the OL needs to be solid this year or Harding should be held accountable. 

[Ute Dub]

I like your points until you get to the part about the OL did not perform well in run blocking when Utah led the conference in rushing.

[Charlie]

I don’t disagree that coming from 2019 our passing game needed to improve.  Several items figure in including the pass blocking by the O line.  It is just that we have no idea since then what the progress has been and looking at the spring game to figure that out is not productive.  I hope new QB, new WR coach and time has helped that happen.  I am still waiting to see Ludwig’s offense that starts clean since Huntley had formed his good and bad before Ludwig got here.  Last year did not help my understanding but this year will do so.

[ProudUte]

I don’t totally agree with Goat, but I find it interesting that he got 7 thumbs down for voicing his opinion.  I believe in OnlyU and he said the line will not be our problem.  He has never led us wrong.  That being said, our offensive line has NOT been a strong point for the Utes.  Goat has a good reason to have some doubts.  I am hoping that with our experience and size, this group will have a great season.

Go Utes!!!

 

 

 

[AZUteFan]

^^^What he said

[Ute Dub]

Utah led the conference in rushing in 2019. Sounds like a pretty strong point to me.

[noneyadb]

What happened in short yardage situations, because they ranked in the bottom 100… And how much of that “conference leading” was from Zack Moss avoiding the first contact?

[Ute Dub]

Easy answer. Zack Moss was terrible in short yardage and the stats absolutely support another back such as Brumfield being the short yardage back. In short yardage put your head down and go, if you wait, like Moss did, the opportunity and push is gone. Ask Steve Bartle on this one, he’ll back this up.

[noneyadb]

Seems like a lot of finger pointing at the other position groups… QB held on to the ball too long, RB didn’t put his head down and go, WR aren’t running the right routes” blah, blah, blah… but ignore all the defenders in the back field that Moss, Booker, Jordan, Huntley, Bentley, Williams, Rising, and Wilson did avoid tomake a play…

Or ignore the famous Multiple games with 3rd and 40 because of illegal man downfield or false start penalties because Harding can’t adjust the cadence is embarrassingly bad.

For a position coach that makes 7 figures, there’s better options…

[Dallas]

I kinda agree with trailgoat. Our passing game has been our weakness; however, I think it’s not always one group’s fault: sometimes the WR are to blame (you should catch the ball when it hits you in the hands – saw this a couple times during spring game even among starters), sometimes it’s QB play (please don’t overthrow our guys when they’re wide open (this happened once or twice during spring game, but not by Brewer), sometimes it’s OL play (Brewer doesn’t complete every pass if he’s eligible to be hit. Why did the DLs just step aside giving Brewer a clear throwing window when he would’ve been sacked or scrambling. Isn’t there a happy medium? Like bear hug the guy or something?).