You're right Sancho - it's just me the fan. Like SigmaUte said, I didn't like the angle he took either that knocked Hadfield off of the receiver. I'm just bitter at any mistake. I'm with you though. It's been a while since I had this much fun watching our defense play. We really have a terrific group of players - both starters and back-ups - who are making plays for us. I hope we'll see Carter and Whittingham back over the next few weeks.
Last edited by SigmaUte; 10-21-2014 at 04:09 PM.
"This isn't a gentlemen's sport. This isn't tennis. This isn't an old-fashioned duel. This is football, it's a physical game." - Tony Bergstrom
Utah's super-aggressive defense prepares to meet the Pac-12's best teamsGood article.The Utes defense has set up camp in opposing backfield all season long. But the schedule's about to put those eye-popping numbers to a serious test....
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
does anybody remember the name of the recruit who had committed to Utah a couple of years ago and at the last second switched to USC? I looked on their roster and none of the names rang a bell. He was either a WR or db, and had set some sort of socal sprint record in track?
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
Nice ESPN article on Andy Phillips. I learned some things about Automatic Andy:
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_...automatic-andy
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I agree with Brian Griese:
UtahvsUSC2014.jpg
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
This is a fun vid to watch. Trevor Matich shows no sign of his inner zoob:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11749538
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Not sure about that last part about dirt though...haha
I know this probably doesn't mean much, but I've called our Trevor multiple times on twitter and his responses have always been, surprisingly, friendly & professional.
Unlike some others on ESPN that seem to be easily irritated and will fire back at fans.
"This isn't a gentlemen's sport. This isn't tennis. This isn't an old-fashioned duel. This is football, it's a physical game." - Tony Bergstrom
ESPN article.
Decent read about the stadium environment in SLC.
http://espn.go.com/blog/colleges/usc...h-wont-be-easy
[Warning: Negativity]
I'm petrified about the game on Saturday. People are talking Utah up; the game is a pick-em in Vegas; there is talk of Utah being the most complete team in the South, etc. All of that bodes poorly for us.
Kyle's teams perform their best as underdogs. He leverages the "no one believes in us" mantra better than any coach we've ever had at Utah. All the big wins of his tenure (Stanford 13, UCLA 14, Alabama 08-09, TCU 08, etc) we were slaying giants. Kyle gets his defense to fly around like crazy people to prove a point - that we're as good as the other team.
So now people are saying that we're as good as USC. The problem is, USC is the most talented team in the South by a mile. We've survived six games with poor QB play because of the strength of our special teams, defense, and run game, in that order. I don't know if that will be enough against the Trojans. Travis needs to step up and play the game of his life on Saturday for us to win.
I had that thought. The difference is in 2010 I really thought we were a paper tiger. We had literally played nobody and had beaten up on teams like Iowa State with fluke plays and Shaky.
This year I think we have a great defense and amazing special teams. Plus, Devontae and the O-line have really clicked in the last two games.
But if you told me at the start of the year that in Week 8 we'd be a pick'em against USC despite being in the midst of a raging QB controversy, I would have immediately driven to Atlantic City to put money on USC.
One difference: our defense got steamrolled against TCU, but has played USC well every year, esp. 2011 and 2013. Last year it kept us in the game until halftime even though our offense did absolutely nothing and undermined the defense. If our offense can do anything tomorrow (ie Booker), our defense should uphold its end of the bargain.
I don't know why everyone in the media is siding with Utah in this game. USC clobbered OSU, and we were lucky to win in 2OT. USC's offense is clicking, and their defense is always good. We do have better special teams and coaching, though.
I agree that we need a much better game out of TW than we have had all year. Not impossible. Like many have said, we have seen an offense go from sputtering to clicking before. I don't know how that happens, but if there is a switch for this offense, now is the time to turn it on.
There is something to all the USC defensive depth talk. They were in control of ASU until the 4th quarter, and they looked completely spent against BC. If we can put together a handful of long drives in the first half and keep it close, I think we can run in the 4th. But those sustained 1st quarter drives aren't coming on the ground alone. That's a recipe for 3 and out.
Watching the Broncos the last two weeks, I was reminded how much a successful offense changes things. On 3rd and short, they are just as likely to go long as to try for the 1st down. They know if they have to punt, they will get the ball back and will probably score next time. Every time we have a 3rd and short, it feels like the whole game depends on picking up that yard. We would be crazy to try anything other than a handoff. It's really limiting in terms of play calls to have a struggling offense. I think first down is the only down we've tried to go long with all season. And we've never tried anything long on a 3rd and short - first downs are just too rare and precious to us.
I have had the same sense of déjà vu, but as Applejack notes, in that year we had not played anyone, really. Still, I am worried about the absence of a chip on the team's collective shoulder. I am just a worry wart, I guess. (SCP, please don't call me self-hating.)
All that said, I am more excited for this game than for any other in recent memory. Why? Because this team has shown that it has what it takes to win. Against Alabama, for example, we knew the Utes were good, but not how good, until we saw them play that game. Against TCU, we simply were not sure the Utah team really was good at all, and we know how that turned out.
I'll be there wearing black and screaming -- I hope joyfully.
Last edited by LA Ute; 10-24-2014 at 10:12 AM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I think this is a bit of a "house money" type game for us.
When given the opportunity to fold up shop after another bitter defeat against WSU, the team rallied and won back to back (with a bye in the middle) games over UCLA and Oregon St on the road. The defense is playing lights out, and though it has holes in the secondary, you have to have a guy that can get through the pressure and get the ball down field. Of the three QBs we faced, Connor Halliday probably did this most effectively...but we were only rushing three. I think if our guys can get to Keller and disrupt him, then we'll be able to keep this game close.
On the offensive side of the ball, obviously Wilson needs to play better, but I can't help but think that in some ways, we're just not calling pass plays to help him get in a rhythm and be successful. I'd like to see a lot more crossing patterns, and opportunities for guys in space, and of course, they need to catch the damn ball. If I were Whit & Co., that is where my challenge would be to these WRs and TEs, simply put, go make a play. Ken Scott has big play ability and good hands, throw it to him. Dres has speed and can get loose (same with Clay) get him the ball and let him work (I know, his hands suck at times), and Tonga is a tough match up from a size perspective for most LBs and Safeties I would think... All of this should be opened up by Booker's ability, because USC is going to make us throw to beat them. Wilson's challenge is between the ears. He has the arm, and he can make all the throws. As Whit said, it is time for someone to step up and take this job. If Wilson can do that on Saturday, I think we win.
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”
Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
I freaking love being a Utah fan. I don't think I know a single fan who is entirely comfortable with claiming that Utah will definitely be bowl eligible. We've got to be the only fanbase in the top 20 who is still quietly wondering if our HC will get canned this year. The pain of putting on our big boy pants in the PAC12 has totally eradicated all the "Utah's Bitches Conference" from our collective being, and if anything, has strengthened our skepticism forged in the fires of Chuck Stobart, Tom Lovat, and Jim Fassell. The diehards are calloused in the nether regions and will never pre-celebrate anything, or even believe that anything good is going to happen until it has already occurred. The bandwagoners that joined during Urban are either cheering for Oregon now (after stops with the Zoobs and the Aggies), or have been converted and endowed with calloused nether regions. The old timers like my overly-cynical father still wonder if Utah will ever have another passing first down in a regular season football contest.
All of that said, winning is more fun than losing, and winning in the PAC is more fun than winning in the MWC. Having a game like the one this weekend has brought back stirrings in my soul not felt since Andy Dalton did his best Scut Farkus on us. Yes, I'm a diehard so I know the inevitable outcome, but still!
I have four thoughts about the Little Bunny Foo Foos coming into town:
1. My cousin lives in Tustin, and he will not abide hearing the Trojans referred to as Southern Cal.
2. I went to the first game at Southern Cal three years ago, and it was completely rad. Great fans, awesome environment, seven freaking Heisman Trophies, dumpy but remarkably impressive venue. Southern Cal is probably the only other team in the south that I don't hate with the white hot fire of the muffler on a school bus. With Sarkisian there, I am heading that way, but they are currently my least hated common divisioner.
3. Due to my experience at Southern Cal, I equate their entire fanbase with Lucille Bluth.
4. Related to number 2, USC fans are absolutely the worst at chanting in rhythm. The worst. They are so, so bad. There's this part of one of their myriad of cool marching band songs where they spell out Southern California as a group, which I admit is not an easy thing to do in unison. S-O-U-T-H-E-R-N C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A is a lot of letters, even for people who haven't had eyelid reduction surgery. But to hear them attempt this as a group is almost identical to hearing the Junior Primary scream/sing the 13th Article of Faith Song. It's like a zombie choir. A lot of pulsating noise, the hum of vocal activity, but virtually nothing that you would recognize as approaching even basic Cro-Magnon communication. It is the one area where I feel Utah is clearly superior to Southern Cal. Sure, our offense is simple, but so is our U-T-A-H cheer.
5. Even when they do the Little Bunny Foo Foo thing, there is no uniform understanding of when the bunny ears should rise, and when the bunny ears should fall. It's just a mass of bouncing ears, with no real intention. But the thing is, they don't seem to care. I guess when you win a lot and you're better than everybody else you can chant in utter chaos and flash your fingers with little thought of pattern, and what the hell are you gonna do about it, Utah?
Last edited by LA Ute; 10-24-2014 at 11:02 AM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell