Thoughts on the up coming bowl

[Jim Vanderhoof]

What should we expect from the Vegas bowl? Should we start Rose and get a feel for his abilities? (My vote) or showcase Barnes so he can get picked by another team.

It would be nice to see everyone coming back next year play unless they are not fully healthy. We have lots of backups that will be in the mix for starting rolls next year. (OL safety corner WR) Get some momentum going in to next year. Put some pressure on the young guys.

Throw the ball! Be aggressive on offense. Let’s see if we have anyone that can catch it. If we are going to have any chance of a playoff run next year we need a win and to see some holes filled. Any thoughts?

[Utesbyfive]

It’s already been announced that Barnes is the starter. There will be a bunch of new faces all over the field. It will give them a bit of experience.

[concerned]

Its an early spring game.

[EagleMountainUte]

Rose won’t play as they are preserving his medical redshirt year.

It is a scrimmage game that Northwestern will take way more seriously than Utah. I don’t know if it sets up Utah for anything next year as the majority of this team will be completely different come Fall.

[Larry B]

I thought Whitt said Rose could play without burning his RS.

[concerned]

Yes, Whit said he could play and will play some

[EagleMountainUte]

I guess I haven’t been paying attention to press releases as we all talked about it counting.

Another inexplicable decision of keeping Barnes around and wasting reps. Extra Practices are so valuable for the bowl season as Whitt has said. Yet they keep Barnes around to allow him to start and practice for his future team.

Edit: Also if you are Rose how in the hell do you take that decision and stay on the team?

[ProudUte]

I don’t get it. Barnes will be gone after the game and hopefully Rose will still be around. Whitt said Rose could play without eligibility issues. So, why don’t we give Rose the practice reps and let him play? I have nothing against Barnes, but he will not be a Ute next year. Give Rose the reps.

[EagleMountainUte]

If this is going to be some dual quarterback nonsense I will probably not even watch. Which is the most fair weather thing I have ever said. I don’t want to watch Barnes again. I don’t want to watch Barnes split every other offensive possession again.

[GunthersRevenge]

Tin foil hat stuff and maybe completely wrong. Based on how the coaches have handled the qb situation towards the end of the year, it sure seems like they are doing everything they can to create a good situation for Isaac Wilson to make sure he doesn’t de-commit.

Wilson seems super committed to Utah, but with the way he blew up this year he’s bound to get a lot of attention from some blue bloods. Not having an established young qb and having Cam come back for just one more year is the perfect situation for Wilson.

Like I said, probably wrong and the coaches just love Barnes, but just an idea.

[Utah]

I don’t think Wilson cares one bit what happened this year. Nothing has changed for him.

Since day 1, Wilson’s goal has been to have surgery, get healthy, backup and Rising and try to take Rising’s job. If he does, great. If he doesn’t, he will then compete for Utah’s starting job in 2025.

Nothing that happened this year changes anything for Wilson.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Proud Ute posted 12/08 that Whitt said in his presser that Rose could play without losing eligibility. Barnes would start Rose and Bottari would back up. Seems to be some confusion.

I don’t see this game as a scrimmage. I see the young guys out to prove they are ready to start next year. Northwestern will be pumped so we better be ready to answer. Our young safeties and dbs are slated to start next year. I don’t see portal guys making a huge difference next year other than depth. I like our young guns. They will be ready to go.

[EagleMountainUte]

Probably because it makes no sense in why you keep Barnes around.

[beaslad]

Unfortunately, Barnes has all the power in the situation. He’s already 75 percent out the door and if Whitt says Rose is starting the bowl game then Barnes might as well leave now. Then Utah has 1 QB (honestly, I’m not counting Bottari) for the game and if Rose gets hurt or is just terrible then we just run wildcat the whole rest of the game?

[EagleMountainUte]

The situation that Whitt is putting forward is basically a Spring game scrimmage.
Barnes has zero leverage. He already cast his lots with the portal. Let him go and move on give the reps to Rose.
As far as injury go. Don’t think about it too hard Utah is thin at many positions across the board. I doubt that is even in consideration. The main goal for this bowl is to not have season ending injury. Making it nothing more than a scrimmage.

[The Miami Ute]

Personally, I’d move on from Barnes the moment he said he was entering the portal. However, I can see why Whitt is using him as his presence probably gives the Utes the best chance to win. In addition, playing Barnes even though he’s leaving is technically no different than starting a senior QB who’s playing his last game. It’s definitely a tough situation to be in but I believe that Whitt’s just doing the thing that he thinks will give him the best competitive advantage.

[EagleMountainUte]

Except some Seniors are playing for Drafts spots potentially. Barnes is playing for transfer destinations? So I guess he has interest to do well.
I just don’t see the pros for Utah. Grateful for Barnes against USC but I feel like giving Rose a chance is the smarter decision just to see what you have next year behind Rising.

[The Miami Ute]

The only pro I see is that Barnes is the most experienced QB on the roster. But, like I said, I would have moved on from him the moment he entered the portal. I mean, what happens if he suffers a Rising type injury? You’re stuck with another hurt QB for another two years? There’s also the fact that even if Barnes lights up Northwestern, it won’t move the needle much with regards to his portal recruitment. All programs are way more sophisticated to base their personnel decisions on just one performance.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I might agree more with you eagle if everyone was coming back. I see 6-8 open spots next year. Second on the depth chart move up. They will be hungry to prove to the coaches they are ready. Barnes I agree unless he is considering staying.

I’d rather have everyone back next year and not take a chance on injury. They are gone and need replaced. We have plenty of talent waiting in the wings to take over. I want to see how they react in a bowl game.

[EagleMountainUte]

Seeing how Rose reacts will definitely make me feel more at ease considering QB health Utah has experience lately. Seeing what you have behind Rising.

[Charlie]

At some point I would think we would learn to wait and see what happens rather than be told what to expect. The one consistent thing I have seen from Whitt is he will play the best available player letting practice reps determine spots. And that assessment is later more than earlier. Barnes will accept a chance to be the bowl QB and likely may begin the process from a point of advantage. Rose will be given the opportunity to get the spot which may not have been real before given the choice to redshirt ’23. Goodness knows what may happen if Rising is actually available. Whitt knows he has to balance not laying an egg in the bowl game with maximizing his position going forward. Myself, I won’t look for hints in comments that could even be meant to motivate someone. What ever Whitt is planning, he is way down the road from our observation point. In situations that Whitt and Lud have control they have a very good record of good choices. I expect that at the end of this week they will go from spring practice mode to game prep. They will know what they are doing, I wonder how much they will give us heads up. Whitt will probably let Northwestern get ready for everybody.

[EagleMountainUte]

This whole concept of letting your opponent get ready for a mystery QB has been so demonstratively false this season that I never want to hear it again.

Whitt came to this realization I felt after Oregon St but if he thinks this tired old trick work…like seriously wtf?

[DataUte]

Just had a thought. Rose is available and it won’t hurt medical redshirt (which, don’t they either until you are out of regular eligibility to apply for?). Does that mean Rising is still not ready? Or just not taking any chances on a meaningless exhibition (even though getting back to winning bowls would be nice)? He was hurt last time in the bowl game, but trot him out there for a token handoff?

[The Miami Ute]

You could make the same argument for Kuithe. Personally, I think that neither is physically ready to strap on the pads in a real game. That speaks to the severity of both of their injuries. Hopefully, they’ll both be ready to go in 2024.

[concerned]

Yes. I assume Barnes is playing because they asked him to. I am guessing that Whit doesnt want to lose a fifth or sixth consecutive bowl game and is taking this serously.

[enigami344]

man why are so many people upset with Barnes playing. He led the team to 8-4 through this challenging season. He parted with us with good terms and wanted to play with his teammates one last time before he leaves. This team preaches family and we get upset when they are actually doing what they preach?

[EagleMountainUte]

Barnes didn’t lead the team to 8-4. Barnes is transferring. So yeah preaching family to him doesn’t matter.

Utah won some games in spite of Barnes.

[DataUte]

He’s the ‘best’ we have left and I’m fine with him playing since we need to make sure we have someone to play QB. I’m guessing he was asked since others that entered the portal are not playing. Barnes, Bottari, and now we are hearing more that Rose might play some.

But to be fair, Barnes can be given the Florida game, Nate came in to win Baylor, then Barnes was 3-3 from Cal through Arizona (Bottari was CU). So really he would credited with 4-3 + win against WSU last year.

[Tony (admin)]

My thoughts on the bowl is that the team will be nearly unrecognizable from before! “Next Team Up!”

[The Miami Ute]

This might be the one game where you’ll really need a program.

[Sanders]

Whitt is going to play to win…the end. He’s not playing a QB as a learning scrimmage in a bowl game. Too many guys have busted their butts all year (even those that didn’t play) to throw in the towel for the sake of more practice time. Winning a bowl game comes first for his team and everything else is secondary. His history is pretty obvious despite the level of a particular bowl

[Oldskool]

100% what Sanders said. Whittingham, as well as every good coach will tell you, you play the game to win the game. Barnes gives you the best shot at winning. If the game is in hand or Barnes struggles, you may see Rose or you may see Botarri. I understand building for the future, but that is what practice is for not games. It’s a sad day that college football has gotten to the point when we need to stroke our freshman or redshirt freshman players so they wont leave. Obviously the portal has made this worse. Immediate gratification seems to be the norm in all aspects of life instead of the idea working for something. Bring back the days where all college freshman were redshirted.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I agree. I keep hearing scrimmage and nobody is playing. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least 15 of the starters in the Vegas bowl start next year. It’s a head start for next for some of new starters to get some playing time and impress their position coaches. I’m anxious to see how they play.