Thoughts on UNI game

[Stone]

It can be difficult watching a game on TV (without the full field perspective) to know where the fault lies on an unsuccessful passing down. Did the QB fail to see the open receiver or hold it too long? Did the O line fail to give enough time for the QB to pass? Were the receivers not getting open?

I would guess the problems at UNI were a combination and likely depended on the particular play. Again, without the full field view, it can be hard to know whether any receivers were open, but there were a few replays where different angles were shown and open receivers were visible (of course, that is easier to see when not being chased by large men that want to destroy me). The O-line certainly had some issues, but I also saw plenty of room for improvement from the QB. Many times the sacks and incompletions came about from him holding the ball too long or leaving the pocket too soon. It seemed as though the QB was just not seeing the field well, was too focused on a single receiver, or lost track of his internal clock telling him when the pass needs to be made or thrown away.

Also, I would like to see Shyne come in a few series now and then. The guy was a stud when he was healthy (a long time ago). My impression was that he ran with violence and hit holes quickly. Moss is great, too, but a little more mix-up now and again would seem to be better than just riding Moss the whole game.

I did not watch the LBs close enough, but I have seen some comments that Barton may have had some errors. Did Bernard play? I think Barton is a team leader, warrior, well-liked, strong, high energy guy, but my sense is that he may not be as fundamentally sound, overpursuing, and missing gaps, etc. Curious what others are seeing. He is the type of player that Whitt loves (and has a hard time sitting, even when there may be someone better on the bench).

[Chidojuan]

I didn’t notice Bernard in the game but I could definitely have missed it.  It showed him on the sideline with a huge smile when Hansen got the pick 6.  Barton did bite on a few of the fakes, but he’s fast enough to run through the wash, so he ended up leading the team in tackles.  Sort of felt like the DL lost gap integrity for a good number of plays.  Maybe they were trying too hard to make a play?  Not sure.  Barton seems gap sound, but overly agressive at times, which is coachable.  I don’t know how he is at all in pass coverage, as Blair seems to hang around the box to take care of that when needed.  Alex Whittingham in 2015 was the type of player you described as Whitt having a hard time benching, but I think Barton is bigger and faster, and just needs to keep his cool instead of trying to destroy everything that moves.  I do think Bernard is better though, they’ll probably rotate a lot and it will end up 60/40 in favor of Bernard.

[KoolWhitt]

Whitt indicated that the WR group has to step up, and that they weren’t getting good separation against NIU, or were but not doing it quickly enough.  Drops are also a problem.  Yes, the O-Line needs to play better, but requiring them to pass protect for 6 seconds every time we want to throw is a big ask.  One thing that Ute fans seem to be overlooking: Sutton Smith is a consensus All-American for a very good reason.  It’s not like our O-line was being blown up by a scrub.  He and Ed Oliver are possibly the two best D-Lineman in the country; nevermind that they play for G5 schools.  

Thompson being out is a big blow, and it seems as though the young guys (Enis, Dixon) are going to push for more playing time, even at the expense of Mariner and Simpkins, if necessary.  Covey is going to get more plays called for him too, and that’s a good thing.  Dude cannot be tackled by one man.

Not sure on Bernard, but I don’t remember seeing him.  Do remember seeing Donovan Thompson.  I think Bernard is still learning the scheme somewhat, and may still be working on his fitness a bit.  He full on admitted that he completely blew his coverage on his first play as a Ute (during the Weber State game), which speaks to him needing more time to learn the defense.  My guess is that we don’t see him consistently for at least a few more weeks.  The extra prep provided by the bye week will certainly help. 

[Distantute]

Thompson was in any time it was likely a run and came out when we went to nickel/base.  He played a lot and is better than Bernard. Bernard is distant 4th. 

[WhiteyFisk]

Unfortunately this is what you get with Huntley. I like Huntley, he plays hard and can make big plays. But if your offensive style is read option and you go out and recruit running QBs, this is what you get. These types of QBs are not very good at going through a progression. They also can’t drop in accurate passes. They are explosive, but once teams get film on them and see which routes they like to go to first, all they have to do is take away maybe the first two, but likely just the first option and you force the QB into a scramble. Now maybe he gets a 7 yard scramble, but maybe he also misses a 25 yard pass up the sideline. 

Whitt will say things like the WR have to step up because he knows that in order for Huntley to hit them, they have to have 4-7 yards of separation. It’s simply not enough to get your shoulder pads past the DB. Huntley isn’t accurate enough. The only tight throw he’s pretty good at making is the quick slant, but even then he’s not hitting them in stride very often, he hits them in the knees or the feet of the WR. 

I’m not a Huntley hater, but he is limited. I hope next year Tuttle is ready to play because he seems more like a true QB that can hit a tight seam or drop in a fade on the outside shoulder. We have good running backs and good YAC receivers, we don’t need a running QB in my opinion. 

[UtahHuskie]

UNI? Come on man, know who you play. NIU!