Utah Utes 2017 football pre-season

[Utah]

Stanford has consistently brought in top talent. They are in a re-load mode, especially on the lines.

Absolutely. How many programs can say 8 wins is a down year? It's impressive. But 14th? No way.

[UTEopia]

I know a lot of people are siting the selection of Huntley as QB as further evidence that KW has changed his philosophy. I will wait to make that determination when the following event occurs. Utah has the ball and is up by 4 with 5 or fewer minutes left in the game and the offense has the ball but does not try to win the game by running the ball, burning clock and then punting to pin the opposition deep in its own territory. Instead, the offense attacks the opposition and scores a TD with 2 minutes left to go up by 11. Another thing I will be interested to see is how KW responds if the Utes go into halftime trailing BYU or Arizona 14-10 or 10-7 and Huntley has thrown two interceptions, including a pick 6.

[Utah]

I know a lot of people are siting the selection of Huntley as QB as further evidence that KW has changed his philosophy. I will wait to make that determination when the following event occurs. Utah has the ball and is up by 4 with 5 or fewer minutes left in the game and the offense has the ball but does not try to win the game by running the ball, burning clock and then punting to pin the opposition deep in its own territory. Instead, the offense attacks the opposition and scores a TD with 2 minutes left to go up by 11. Another thing I will be interested to see is how KW responds if the Utes go into halftime trailing BYU or Arizona 14-10 or 10-7 and Huntley has thrown two interceptions, including a pick 6.

This is true. I hope he sticks with Huntley. We have seen Troy, and it was awful. It was a failure. We should have won the south, if not the PAC-12 last year. And we fell on our faces because our passing game was terrible. It's time to do better.

I don't get why everyone is so enamored with Troy.

[Utebiquitous]

Utah,
I don't have a favorite at quarterback. I hope Huntley is a success, but I've tired of your tearing down of Williams. I won't disagree with you that he had some bad throws and made some bad decisions but let's not call Troy a failure. What is the play we remember most from the California game that led to the loss? I'd say Moss missing the hole that my couch potato body could have run through on the last play of the game. You've referenced Colorado and pinned the loss on terrible quarterback play. Troy struggled at times. I do remember him hitting Patrick in the hands in the end zone with one of the prettiest throws I've seen. Patrick dropped it. Our red zone failures at Colorado can be blamed equally on Joe Williams who had at least one red zone fumble. Hopefully, you get my point.

I think a player elected a team captain doesn't deserve to be excoriated like you have done to him today. Most likely, he'll be called on to make some plays this season - perhaps even lead the team throughout a game or two. I'll be confident that he can do that if the situation arises. In the meantime, go Tyler Huntley.

[Ma'ake]

This is true. I hope he sticks with Huntley. We have seen Troy, and it was awful. It was a failure. We should have won the south, if not the PAC-12 last year. And we fell on our faces because our passing game was terrible. It's time to do better.

I don't get why everyone is so enamored with Troy.

It's going to be interesting...

The players respect Troy enough to make him a captain, again, so it's not as though they don't think he's capable. If he was truly horrible, Bateman would be the 2, and Troy would be thinking about MBA school.

By all accounts, Taylor is somewhat of a QB guru who has re-invented the position, at least compared to the more traditional thinking. He may interchange these guys more quickly than we think, and it may not be that big of a deal.

Aaron Roderick was interviewed last night, and though I think it's impossible to do 100%, he's been pretty objective the last two weeks he's been on the radio. For example, last week he was praising Whitt for instilling toughness in the program that has led to our being respected, among other observations that bore no sign of being an angry ex-assistant. Roderick seems like a pretty level headed football analyst... but the way he left Utah, I'll add a couple of grains of salt to what he says. (Human nature, nothing against A-Rod)

Yesterday, A-Rod said he hasn't seen the last 40 practices, so Huntley may have made great strides in working out some of his deficiencies, and got to the point where he edged out Troy Williams... but Roderick also said he thought Williams is one of the 5 best QBs in the PAC-12. My sense is if you count up all the drops from last year, Troy's completion percentage is closer to 60%, and we probably win another game.

If the reports are true that Huntley had a great last 10 days of practice, that he has really been putting it all together, it may mean that the Taylor era will be a move upward.

Or it may mean Taylor's system is more flexible with the QBs than we're used to, and while Huntley has the hot hand now, he won't hesitate to put Williams in, if the situation dictates, and that kind of change isn't a big deal, doesn't signal a wholesale move away from one QB to another.

Hopefully Taylor doesn't start his stint at Utah with the traditional kind of QB controversy. We don't need that.

From his history of being an ex-NFL QB who was toiling away in mediocrity coaching HS ball before deciding to re-invent his approach to offense, picking the minds of the great ones (Walsh, Meyer, etc), I'm optimistic Taylor won't be stubborn if things aren't going well. Urban Meyer and his staff were quick to throw out some plays that worked well at Utah but got stuffed by the quicker defenses in the SEC. The triple-option was short-lived when UM went to Florida.

It's definitely going to be interesting...

[tooblue]

It's going to be interesting...

The players respect Troy enough to make him a captain, again, so it's not as though they don't think he's capable. If he was truly horrible, Bateman would be the 2, and Troy would be thinking about MBA school.

By all accounts, Taylor is somewhat of a QB guru who has re-invented the position, at least compared to the more traditional thinking. He may interchange these guys more quickly than we think, and it may not be that big of a deal.

Aaron Roderick was interviewed last night, and though I think it's impossible to do 100%, he's been pretty objective the last two weeks he's been on the radio. For example, last week he was praising Whitt for instilling toughness in the program that has led to our being respected, among other observations that bore no sign of being an angry ex-assistant. Roderick seems like a pretty level headed football analyst... but the way he left Utah, I'll add a couple of grains of salt to what he says. (Human nature, nothing against A-Rod)

Yesterday, A-Rod said he hasn't seen the last 40 practices, so Huntley may have made great strides in working out some of his deficiencies, and got to the point where he edged out Troy Williams... but Roderick also said he thought Williams is one of the 5 best QBs in the PAC-12. My sense is if you count up all the drops from last year, Troy's completion percentage is closer to 60%, and we probably win another game.

If the reports are true that Huntley had a great last 10 days of practice, that he has really been putting it all together, it may mean that the Taylor era will be a move upward.

Or it may mean Taylor's system is more flexible with the QBs than we're used to, and while Huntley has the hot hand now, he won't hesitate to put Williams in, if the situation dictates, and that kind of change isn't a big deal, doesn't signal a wholesale move away from one QB to another.

Hopefully Taylor doesn't start his stint at Utah with the traditional kind of QB controversy. We don't need that.

From his history of being an ex-NFL QB who was toiling away in mediocrity coaching HS ball before deciding to re-invent his approach to offense, picking the minds of the great ones (Walsh, Meyer, etc), I'm optimistic Taylor won't be stubborn if things aren't going well. Urban Meyer and his staff were quick to throw out some plays that worked well at Utah but got stuffed by the quicker defenses in the SEC. The triple-option was short-lived when UM went to Florida.

It's definitely going to be interesting...

Guru you say ... a guru who will triumph despite ignoring one of the most significant truisms in football: If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.

[Scorcho]

Guru you say ... a guru who will triumph despite ignoring one of the most significant truisms in football: If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.

you got that all wrong. I think I've heard Whitt say, if you got two QB's you actually have a future safety and a possible corner

[mUUser]

you got that all wrong. I think I've heard Whitt say, if you got two QB's you actually have a future safety and a possible corner

Classic.

[tooblue]

you got that all wrong. I think I've heard Whitt say, if you got two QB's you actually have a future safety and a possible corner

That made me laugh out loud ... but seriously, that is in large part why the defense is as good as it is Year in and year out ... but lol

[Sullyute]

Roderick seems like a pretty level headed football analyst... but the way he left Utah, I'll add a couple of grains of salt to what he says. (Human nature, nothing against A-Rod) ...

Maybe I missed it, but I don't remember any big dust up when Roderick was let go. Did he say something behind closed doors or did I just miss something out in the open?

I like Roderick but all I know is the friendly "ah shucks" demeanor I heard on radio interviews and such.

[Utah]

I haven't heard any bad blood between Roderick and Utah. He is getting paid almost half a million dollars from Utah this year. His buddy Kalani, a Utah product, will give him a job next year.

ARod has no reason to be pissed at Utah.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Whoa. Not good.

[USS Utah]

This is true. I hope he sticks with Huntley. We have seen Troy, and it was awful. It was a failure. We should have won the south, if not the PAC-12 last year. And we fell on our faces because our passing game was terrible. It's time to do better.

I don't get why everyone is so enamored with Troy.

One wonders, then, why Williams was not pulled in favor of Huntley, particularly after Troy was hurt.

It's not that I am "so enamored" by Troy. It's that starting an inexperienced True Soph over an experienced Senior to battled through injury to start all 13 games seems like a risk.

[sancho]

Utah has the ball and is up by 4 with 5 or fewer minutes left in the game and the offense has the ball but does not try to win the game by running the ball, burning clock and then punting to pin the opposition deep in its own territory.

If we lose that game because the incomplete pass stops the clock for them, does Whitt say he'd rather win by 11 than by 4 in the post game?

[Utah]

I fully expect Whitt to shut it down up 4 with four minutes left. There is no reason for him to change what has worked.

What I want to see is less of that scenario and more up 11 with four minutes left.

[UTEopia]

I fully expect Whitt to shut it down up 4 with four minutes left. There is no reason for him to change what has worked.

What I want to see is less of that scenario and more up 11 with four minutes left.

Expect to be disappointed. The talent in the PAC is too even to expect many games decided by fewer than 10 points.

[SoCalPat]

Expect to be disappointed. The talent in the PAC is too even to expect many games decided by fewer than 10 points.

I think you meant more than 10 points.

[USS Utah]

I know a lot of people are siting the selection of Huntley as QB as further evidence that KW has changed his philosophy. I will wait to make that determination when the following event occurs. Utah has the ball and is up by 4 with 5 or fewer minutes left in the game and the offense has the ball but does not try to win the game by running the ball, burning clock and then punting to pin the opposition deep in its own territory. Instead, the offense attacks the opposition and scores a TD with 2 minutes left to go up by 11. Another thing I will be interested to see is how KW responds if the Utes go into halftime trailing BYU or Arizona 14-10 or 10-7 and Huntley has thrown two interceptions, including a pick 6.

If your running game is continually gashing the opposition, is it considered attacking if you continue running the ball with five to go up 4?