Utah State @ Utah

So I just got done watching the Utah State Aggies put up a noble effort against the Utah Utes. A few thoughts about the game:

Utah State: they are going to be a good WAC team. The offense has some play makers. They are going to score some points when they see WAC defenses. The passing game could use some work as Diondre Borel missed a few open receivers. The O-Line did a good job keeping the blitzing Utah defense off the QB, but the Ute D-line knocked down a lot of passes. Again though, Utah has a better D than pretty much anybody else on the Aggies' schedule. Look at where Utah State is RIGHT NOW: last year they lost AT HOME to Utah 58-10. To start this year, they went on the road to Utah, who is coming off a 13-0 and #2 finish, the place was rocking, and they still played a respectable game. They got a little desperate in the 4th, otherwise the final score would have been closer.

Defensively, it was pretty clear they don't have the horses to compete with the big boys. They couldn't get to the QB, they couldn't cover anybody, and they couldn't figure out the Wildcat formation. With that said, they did as well as they could with the personnel they have. They just don't have the personnel to compete with an upper echelon Mountain West team. But, they don't have to. They only have to compete with Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii.

I give Gary Anderson an A- in his first game. They couldn't capitalize on a Ute turnover early, and I think that is ultimately what turned the tide off the game and cost it. With USU up 3-0, Utah fumbled on its own 30-yard line. The offense went backwards and they missed a long field goal. Utah threw a 65-yard TD on the next play. Anyway, enough about the Aggies. I still think they can get to 6 wins.

Utah: I was looking for a few things today, here they are.

How would the new coordinators do in their first game? The offense came out with a great game plan and executed it perfectly early in the game. They did not allow new QB Cain to make decisions: they stuck with screens, the short passing game, and a power run game. The second half, however, left a lot to be desired on that side of the ball. Defensively, they showed a propensity to give up the big play, but an overall solid effort. I would expect nothing less from Kalani Sitake, a former BYU player. They had a nice mix of blitzes and had some good (sometimes a little too good!) coverage. Good job game-planning. They need to make better halftime adjustments though. This was Utah State, they will play at least 8 teams that are better coached AND have better personnel. They did well for their first game.

How would Terrence Cain's decision making be his first DI game? Well, really, he didn't have to make many decisions because of the gameplan. He did NOT go through reads, he looked at one receiver, maybe 2, and then tried to tuck and run. He did well in the short game, but it's clear HE isn't going to make big plays with his arm: it's up to his receivers to make yards after the catch. When he did have to make decisions (which really was just a handful of times), he got happy feet or took sacks. He was able to escape pressure once and make a positive play, but, overall, there is room for improvement.

Would Utah be able to drive the ball down the field? The answer here is an emphatic NO! All of their scores came on big plays made after the catch. While it is nice to know you have big-play potential, you HAVE to be able to drive the ball, eat up some clock, when you are playing Oregon, TCU, BYU, and even UNLV, Air Force, and CSU. Every drive stalled when they had to take it a few yards at a time.

Would they be able to throw the ball downfield? Again here, emphatic NO. I counted 7 passes thrown more than 10 yards down the field and only one completion. And this was Utah State. The O-line did phenomenal, but they had a HUGE size advantage. They picked up blitzes extremely well, especially RB Matt Asiata. When the protection is that good, you have to be able to go downfield, if nothing else, to keep the defense honest. The San Jose State D will be a good test next week before the trip to Autzen in week 3.

Overall, I still need to see more, particularly offensively, from the Utes. Terrence Cain will probably be allowed to make more decisions with each passing week, but he'll need to do better than he did today. The D needs to shore up a little bit up the middle in the running game. They also didn't hold contain on passing plays and the mobile QB was able to move outside the pocket and make plays. They need to get more pressure on the QB. Their DBs are good coverage guys, but you can't expect them to cover for 5-8 seconds every play. Koa Misi will be back at DE to bring it off the edge next week. That should make a difference. Good game, but they must improve if they expect to win at Autzen. Or even San Jose. I think they will improve, and I look forward to seeing how they use that size and speed at Oregon. Still not convinced they can pull out a close game on the road, like they did twice last year. We'll see.