Why does Utah start games slowly?

[ProudUte]

Especially of defense.  I have thought this for years.  Example this year:

– BYU moved the ball in the first half – not so much in the second.

– NIU score two early and easy TDs

– USC came out fast and strong

– Cal never scored, but the only time they crossed the 50 was their first drive

– WSU moved the ball well early and didn’t score in the second half

– UCLA looked great in their first drive until they goy to the red zone

– UW moved the ball at will early and took a 14-3 lead

I feel this has been a trend for years.  Why do we start slower on defense?  

 

 

[jamarcus24]

I think the coaching staff is playing chess, not checkers.  They feel the other team out a bit and and make great adjustments, especially at half time.

[ProudUte]

No doubt, outside of USC the team has made great adjustments.  The defense has been amazing this season.  It just seems odd to me that we typically have a bit of a slow start on defense.

[UteFanatic]

This isn’t a Utah only phenomenon.  It seems like it’s very common for defenses to struggle for a few drives until adjustments are made.  Just as a really random example, Liberty scored on their very first drive against BYU…and Liberty is…not good.

I did find it odd, though, that UCLA moved the ball fairly well against Utah even after the first drive. Their problem was they struggled mightily in the red zone.  Of course a lot of that had to do with the quality of Utah’s defense. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned with how easily UCLA moved the ball between the 20s.  Honestly, if UCLA had connected on a few of their big passes (in which WRs were wide open) and had a couple of less fumbles, the game would have been much more competitive.

[ProudUte]

UCLA threw a few new wrinkles at our D that caught us off guard; i.e. option, etc.  We adjusted well.

[UteFanatic]

Agreed, I was not very concerned after the first quarter.  Morgan Scalley and Co. have been making great adjustments all year.

[EagleMountainUte]

Well fUCLA and Washington run that multiple tight end set which Scalley goes back to a 4-3 base and plays Lund. Both teams had success because it could be unfamiliarity with the scheme, lack of reps etc.

Utah has an elite Dline and Elite DB’s though I am not worried about any teams offense the rest of the way. 

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

I think it has to do with the nature of football. Remember, these teams scheme, plan, and practice all week (and sometimes two weeks in UCLA’s case) to come out and beat their opponent’s defense. You can get an idea of how an offense is going to attack you from watching their game tapes, but the opponent also knows you are watching their game tapes. So, they intentionally scheme to try to catch you off guard with things you haven’t seen before. The other teams are trying to win the game too.

You can get an idea of what they might do to you, but you truly won’t know until you play them on the field. Once you figure out what they’re trying to do to beat you, you adjust accordingly. Explaining Utah’s “slow starts” on defense, but then gradually becoming more dominant as the game goes on.

[WyoUte]

BYU had an entire offseason to prepare for the only game on their schedule that matters to them.

NIU played Illinois State in week 1 and I guarantee they spent 2 months preparing for the Utes and 2 hours preparing for the Redbirds.

USC was ALWAYS going to be a tough matchup for us and they were essentially playing for Helton’s job. The fact that we refused to adjust our coverage is the only head-scratcher moment for me all season.

UCLA and Washington both had bye weeks to prepare and ran a very scripted offense that was designed specifically for our tendencies. We adapted well in each game.

The thing that I think is ironic is that we are perceived as slow starters due to our overwhelming success. Even the commentators during the UCLA game talked about how we allow less than 70 yards rushing in a game on average and the Bruins were almost there midway through the first quarter. In the end, we gave up 50 yards rushing total.