If a Tree Falls in Rice-Eccles Stadium, 2013: Utah vs. Stanford

[DrumNFeather]

Utah has a little extra time to get ready for #5 Stanford as it tries to put UCLA behind it. Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM, MT on Saturday 10/12.

Stanford is currently getting ready to take on #15 Washington in a big Pac 12 showdown. I like the fact that we're sandwiched in between Washington and UCLA for them. Could be ripe for an upset if we can cut down the turnovers and improve our run defense.

Just getting this thread kicked off as we look forward to next week.

[sancho]

Great thread title.

The game plan for the Pac-12 vs us is certain - blitz like mad. I think Stanford won't have to send more than 5 on most plays. Stanford faces their first good defense this week - should be interesting.

I think the Utes are very close to being very good. I fear that we are also very close to falling into mediocrity. Stanford is a big test.

[Diehard Ute]

Hopefully Travis kicks whatever bug he has and is healthy by the 12th

[LA Ute]

Love the thread title.

I don't think Stanford will boat race us. We'll be in the game but will lose by 10 or less. Then again, crazy things do happen. I'd love to have to eat this post 9 days from now.

[Mormon Red Death]

Why can't we beat Stanford? It's not like their athletes are that much better than ours. We match up well. We have to win the turnover battle.

[LA Ute]

Why can't we beat Stanford? It's not like their athletes are that much better than ours. We match up well. We have to win the turnover battle.

I heard a lot of pretty convincing analysis of our O-line's performance against UCLA. If those problems are fixable, we have a chance. I don't know if they are. Thoughts, anyone?

[UTEopia]

I heard a lot of pretty convincing analysis of our O-line's performance against UCLA. If those problems are fixable, we have a chance. I don't know if they are. Thoughts, anyone?

Most games are won or lost in the trenches and that has been true for the Utes. Our DL vs. UCLA OL was a push. UCLA DL clearly outplayed our OL. I think we will have a hard time winning either side of this battle against Stanford. I don't think it is a problem of x's and o's as much as it is a problem of talent.

[LA Ute]

Most games are won or lost in the trenches and that has been true for the Utes. Our DL vs. UCLA OL was a push. UCLA DL clearly outplayed our OL. I think we will have a hard time winning either side of this battle against Stanford. I don't think it is a problem of x's and o's as much as it is a problem of talent.

Hans Olson was saying that the UCLA d-line and LBs were rushing the inside gaps on the Utah tackles. (Not sure I heard him right.) He seemed to be wondering why that happened. If that's just technique, great, but if you're right it is just talent.

[UTEopia]

Hans Olson was saying that the UCLA d-line and LBs were rushing the inside gaps on the Utah tackles. (Not sure I heard him right.) He seemed to be wondering why that happened. If that's just technique, great, but if you're right it is just talent.


I haven't re-watched the game, but Hans knows what he is talking about. My guess is that the OT were afraid that the speed of the defenders would allow them to speed rush to the outside and they tried to combat that by taking deeper and quicker drops leaving themselves more vulnerable to a fake to the outside and then a strong inside move. It speaks to the athleticism of the defenders and the reality that our tackles are a little short for the position, 6'2" and 6'4" and not as athletic as the opponent. It is also a question of experience. Both of our tackles are young in age and experience and they were going against older, more experienced players. I don't think our guys will get any taller, but hopefully they will be better as they gain experience.

[sancho]

Most games are won or lost in the trenches and that has been true for the Utes. Our DL vs. UCLA OL was a push. UCLA DL clearly outplayed our OL. I think we will have a hard time winning either side of this battle against Stanford. I don't think it is a problem of x's and o's as much as it is a problem of talent.

This is obviously Stanford's secret of success. That O-line is dominant, and the pass rush is brutal. Nothing special in the WRs, RBs, CBs, etc. Not sure about the QB.

[DrumNFeather]

Utah sitting at 7 in the Pac 12 Power rankings:

7. Utah: No, Utes, it doesn't get any easier with Stanford coming to town. The big issue will be how well QB Travis Wilson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/531051/travis-wilson) bounces back after a six-interception game in their tough loss to UCLA. The Cardinal defense is not typically the sort that sends a get-well card.

[sancho]

So does Stanford now have a chip on its shoulder because they won a game they probably should have lost? Or are they ripe for an upset because they will look ahead to UCLA?

[U-Ute]

Stanford is coming off a tough, emotional game against Washington, who beat them last year, and has UCLA next week.
Utah finally has all of the pieces to compete, is playing very well, and is hungry for a statement win.
Stanford's style matches our style. It will be a battle of wills.
Wilson is looking for some redemption.


I smell the potential for a trap game for Stanford.

[LA Ute]

Stanford is coming off a tough, emotional game against Washington, who beat them last year, and has UCLA next week.
Utah finally has all of the pieces to compete, is playing very well, and is hungry for a statement win.
Stanford's style matches our style. It will be a battle of wills.
Wilson is looking for some redemption.


I smell the potential for a trap game for Stanford.

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/hand-gestures/prayer-hands-smiley-emoticon.gif

[Hot Lunch]

Stanford is coming off a tough, emotional game against Washington, who beat them last year, and has UCLA next week.
Utah finally has all of the pieces to compete, is playing very well, and is hungry for a statement win.
Stanford's style matches our style. It will be a battle of wills.
Wilson is looking for some redemption.


I smell the potential for a trap game for Stanford.

I wish that I could agree with this statement. Unfortunately I have a hard time seeing us score vs. Stanford this Saturday. I think that other than Dres, we will have an extremely difficult time with getting receivers open down field. We desperately miss Kenneth Scott right now other than Dres, our wideouts struggle getting open. Even Dres had a difficult time getting open vs. Ucla down field. He made big plays when he got the ball at or near the line of scrimmage. Stanford IMO has a better secondary than the Buirns do. I also see our offensive line struggling with a big physical Stanford front 7. I hope I am wrong.

[SheriffCreg]

Yeah, I heard about this on Saturday. Sounds like he was pretty sick until just a couple days before the game. And on top of that, I also heard that he was pretty emotionally taxed with the UCLA player who had died, who Wilson was apparently pretty close friends with and attended his funeral during the bye week. My buddy said that Wilson was even wearing the UCLA patch that the UCLA team had on to honor his buddy.

I don't know how heavily it affected him, but I think the sickness coupled with everything else probably took its toll.

Hopefully he'll be on his feet and in prime condition for an upset this Saturday.

[LA Ute]

I wish that I could agree with this statement. Unfortunately I have a hard time seeing us score vs. Stanford this Saturday. I think that other than Dres, we will have an extremely difficult time with getting receivers open down field. We desperately miss Kenneth Scott right now other than Dres, our wideouts struggle getting open. Even Dres had a difficult time getting open vs. Ucla down field. He made big plays when he got the ball at or near the line of scrimmage. Stanford IMO has a better secondary than the Buirns do. I also see our offensive line struggling with a big physical Stanford front 7. I hope I am wrong.

I don't have the eye for football that you do, but from what I've heard, in the second half against UCLA our receivers couldn't get open because of the Bruins' pass rush, which gave Wilson little time to throw and allowed their DBs to press our receivers, who didn't have time to get separation. Does that seem right to you? If so, it could be a long day against Stanford, who will try to do all game long what UCLA did in the second half.

[Diehard Ute]

Yeah, I heard about this on Saturday. Sounds like he was pretty sick until just a couple days before the game. And on top of that, I also heard that he was pretty emotionally taxed with the UCLA player who had died, who Wilson was apparently pretty close friends with and attended his funeral during the bye week. My buddy said that Wilson was even wearing the UCLA patch that the UCLA team had on to honor his buddy.

I don't know how heavily it affected him, but I think the sickness coupled with everything else probably took its toll.

Hopefully he'll be on his feet and in prime condition for an upset this Saturday.

He actually got sick Wednesday night and was in bed all day Thursday. He's been in bed since, although Whit was hopeful he'd practice today.

The UCLA player was actually Travis' best friend, they'd grown up together

[Jarid in Cedar]

Per Dale on twitter, Jake played second half with a broken wrist. Surgery today. Hostile would knows better, but this is most likely a season ender.

[LA Ute]

Per Dale on twitter, Jake played second half with a broken wrist. Surgery today. Hostile would knows better, but this is most likely a season ender.

What rotten news. Makes me love the guy for almost making that terrific catch with a broken wrist.

[hostile]

Per Dale on twitter, Jake played second half with a broken wrist. Surgery today. Hostile would knows better, but this is most likely a season ender.

Depends on what bone was broken. Surgery, in general, puts you out 6 weeks minimum. If it was the scaphoid he'll be out longer. I suspect this will be the last we see him this year.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Depends on what bone was broken. Surgery, in general, puts you out 6 weeks minimum. If it was the scaphoid he'll be out longer. I suspect this will be the last we see him this year.

Thanks. It was good seeing you Thursday night. I now know why I didn't remember you from medical school when we met last year: Your hair was short and you didn't have your ski cap on.

This year, you were back in character!

[DrumNFeather]

No. 5 Stanford (5-0, 3-0) at Utah (3-2, 0-2) 6 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Stanford leads the series 3-2, but this will be the teams’ first meetings with the Utes being Pac-12 members. Utah won the most recent game 17-10 at Stanford in 1996, but the Utes are 0-2 against Stanford in Salt Lake City. In the last meeting Utah’s defense, under the direction of then-defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, shut out the Cardinal for three and a half quarters in a 17-10 win. The Utes led 17-0 entering the fourth quarter. Juan Johnson (http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/553573/juan-johnson) rushed for 114 yards and Jeff Kaufusi had two sacks to lead the Utes. Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, Utah is 0-4 against ranked conference opponents and 1-4 overall (the win was against No. 25 BYU in 2012). Stanford and Utah both average 39 points per game. Utah leads the Pac-12 with 18 sacks. Stanford has yielded just five, second fewest in the conference. Utah has forced just six turnovers. Stanford has forced seven. Those are the two lowest totals in the Pac-12. Stanford and Utah are tied for first in the Pac-12 in red zone offense. The Utes have 12 TDs in 18 red zone trips. The Cardinal has 11 in the same number of penetrations.

[U-Ute]

I wish that I could agree with this statement. Unfortunately I have a hard time seeing us score vs. Stanford this Saturday. I think that other than Dres, we will have an extremely difficult time with getting receivers open down field. We desperately miss Kenneth Scott right now other than Dres, our wideouts struggle getting open. Even Dres had a difficult time getting open vs. Ucla down field. He made big plays when he got the ball at or near the line of scrimmage. Stanford IMO has a better secondary than the Buirns do. I also see our offensive line struggling with a big physical Stanford front 7. I hope I am wrong.

By "being able to compete", I meant in the context of the PAC-12 in general, not with the top teams in the PAC-12. I still think it will take a bit of Stanford overlooking us for us to win this game.

For some context, I don't think we would win two years ago even if they did overlook us.

[OrangeUte]

I was just about to type that we need a big game from Jake Murphy. Sounds like he's out. That's a bummer and I wish him well, poor kid just keeps getting hurt.

Time for Fitzgerald and Tonga to step it up and make some big plays over the middle so we can keep Skov honest against the pass.

OLine needs to give Travis time so plays can develop. That's going to be huge.

[OrangeUte]

Can we send another tight end, a kid that had originally signed with USC?

[Diehard Ute]

I was just about to type that we need a big game from Jake Murphy. Sounds like he's out. That's a bummer and I wish him well, poor kid just keeps getting hurt.

Time for Fitzgerald and Tonga to step it up and make some big plays over the middle so we can keep Skov honest against the pass.

OLine needs to give Travis time so plays can develop. That's going to be huge.

Tonga is questionable at best, wasn't in uniform for UCLA

[UTEopia]

I don't have the eye for football that you do, but from what I've heard, in the second half against UCLA our receivers couldn't get open because of the Bruins' pass rush, which gave Wilson little time to throw and allowed their DBs to press our receivers, who didn't have time to get separation. Does that seem right to you? If so, it could be a long day against Stanford, who will try to do all game long what UCLA did in the second half.

I think it is a combination of a good rush and that we simply lack guys who have the speed or quickness to gain separation.

[utebehindenemylines]

Tonga is questionable at best, wasn't in uniform for UCLA


So does that mean we see more 4 wr or 2 rb sets? It seems like we saw more 4 wr sets last week than we have all year.

[Hot Lunch]

Tonga is questionable at best, wasn't in uniform for UCLA

I have it on pretty good authority that Tonga is not playing this week. Unfortunately, we might not see him for the rest of the season as well.

Is this the week we finally see what Andre Lewis can do?

[Diehard Ute]

I have it on pretty good authority that Tonga is not playing this week. Unfortunately, we might not see him for the rest of the season as well.

Is this the week we finally see what Andre Lewis can do?

Doubt it. He's not a TE and we need the blocking of that position

[Hot Lunch]

I think it is a combination of a good rush and that we simply lack guys who have the speed or quickness to gain separation.

This right here. Sorry LAUte, for the late response. Right now, we have Dres who has the speed but lacks ideal size, and a couple of others that have good size but lack the speed that Dres has to separate. I suspect that here on out, the remaining teams will play us the same way that Ucla did. There are a couple of teams that won't be able to do it as effectively as Ucla did. There will also be two, Stanford and Oregon, that will be able to do it better.

[Hot Lunch]

Doubt it. He's not a TE and we need the blocking of that position

I know he won't play TE. I wonder if we see him because we are down our two top TE's and we need someone that has the athleticism to get open vs. good corners.

[LA Ute]

This right here. Sorry LAUte, for the late response. Right now, we have Dres who has the speed but lacks ideal size, and a couple of others that have good size but lack the speed that Dres has to separate. I suspect that here on out, the remaining teams will play us the same way that Ucla did. There are a couple of teams that won't be able to do it as effectively as Ucla did. There will also be two, Stanford and Oregon, that will be able to do it better.

Thanks. So if you are Dennis Erickson and you're just a realist, trying to play the hand you're dealt, how do you try to make the most of what you have?

[Hot Lunch]

Thanks. So if you are Dennis Erickson and you're just a realist, trying to play the hand you're dealt, how do you try to make the most of what you have?

I want to see what Andre Lewis can do. Great size and better speed that Fitz and Denham. Obviously there is a reason as to whye we haven't seen him yet. I think you also run a lot of quick crossing routes in order to create mismatches and confusion in coverage. Poole who is a great athlete will be a big part of the game plan going forward IMO. I think it was mentioned in this thread, Erickson did a great job utilizing his RB's at ASU in a number of different areas. We will see this going forward. I think we see a lot of York and poole in the game at the same time.

[DrumNFeather]

Speaking of TEs, is Greg Reese redshirting this year?

[Hot Lunch]

Speaking of TEs, is Greg Reese redshirting this year?

No. He played against BYU.

[Solon]

I want to see what Andre Lewis can do. Great size and better speed that Fitz and Denham. Obviously there is a reason as to whye we haven't seen him yet. I think you also run a lot of quick crossing routes in order to create mismatches and confusion in coverage. Poole who is a great athlete will be a big part of the game plan going forward IMO. I think it was mentioned in this thread, Erickson did a great job utilizing his RB's at ASU in a number of different areas. We will see this going forward. I think we see a lot of York and poole in the game at the same time.

I agree. I think Erickson will try to run the ball more, esp. coming off a 6-int game.
Play-action could help guys get open.

It's not going to matter, though, if the Utes fall far behind.

[sancho]

It took us 3 years and as many coordinators to figure out how to beat soft cushion coverage combined with a blitz. Now we get to figure out press coverage combined with a blitz. Hopefully, this one comes more easily. The good news is that we only have to beat their press coverage a few times before they go back to giving us a cushion.

I think Radley and/or Norwood will be lined up in more and more places as the season goes on. Try to let them become our Tavon Austin.

[UTEopia]

Thanks. So if you are Dennis Erickson and you're just a realist, trying to play the hand you're dealt, how do you try to make the most of what you have?


I don't think you can change who you are at this point in the season. What you can do is change the way you get to what you do. I think we will see more motion and more two back. Motion does a couple of things. First, it causes the defense to tip its hand at coverage. Second, it allows the receiver some momentum off the line of scrimmage because the defender cannot be in his face. Two back will give more help in pass protection. I think we will move Dres around and try to get him the ball more and use him as a decoy. They need to account for him.

I am more worried about special teams and defense. That No. 7 is a special player.

[sancho]

I bought my tix in a group of 5. Turns out, I only need 4. If anyone wants a single to the game, let me know. I paid $50, but I may have overpaid. We can negotiate a price.

Almost time for this die hard Utah Utes fan to drive to the Salt Lake City stadium.

[SoCalPat]

I don't think you can change who you are at this point in the season. What you can do is change the way you get to what you do. I think we will see more motion and more two back. Motion does a couple of things. First, it causes the defense to tip its hand at coverage. Second, it allows the receiver some momentum off the line of scrimmage because the defender cannot be in his face. Two back will give more help in pass protection. I think we will move Dres around and try to get him the ball more and use him as a decoy. They need to account for him.

I am more worried about special teams and defense. That No. 7 is a special player.

Motion, I agree with. Two back? Here's why I'm skeptical about that. First, it's never been Erickson's cup of tea on offense. His offensive legacy is built around the one-back offense. Second, we don't have a fullback on the roster that can block. There's no Shawn Asiata on the roster.

[Senioritis]

Stanford University sounds cool. Leland Stanford University sounds like a sister school to Stevens-Henager College. Why, then, do we dignify our entitled, enlightened, black turtleneck wearing brethren to the west by calling them something that sounds cool? I think we should call them by their first name, like Mrs. Cunningham did with the Fonz. We should call them Leland. Or, in more formal settings, Leland Stanford University.

We should do this for three reasons:

1) It will show to everybody how awesome we are that we are on a first-name basis with a University that is just so totally amazing.
2) It is stupid and childish.
3) It has the potential of annoying any pompous blowhards in your own personal sphere of influence that graduated from Stanford.

I encourage you to join me. We may not have their reputation, their endowment, their influence, their location, their alumni base, their success in virtually every industry, their history, their questionable hygiene, or their general excellence in pretty much everything.

But we can call them Leland.

[Scratch]

I need to understand why Stanford grads have yet to develop the habit of mentioning, in a manner designed to appear off-handed and conversational, various activities that they participated in in Palo Alto. You know, so when they're talking about something that has nothing to do with the location of the event, they manage to say "one summer in Palo Alto," or "I was driving in Palo Alto," or something like that. This is one area where Harvard grads totally annihilate Standford grads. You can't go 30 seconds without a Harvard grad working Cambridge into the conversation.

[LA Ute]

Stanford University sounds cool. Leland Stanford University sounds like a sister school to Stevens-Henager College. Why, then, do we dignify our entitled, enlightened, black turtleneck wearing brethren to the west by calling them something that sounds cool? I think we should call them by their first name, like Mrs. Cunningham did with the Fonz. We should call them Leland. Or, in more formal settings, Leland Stanford University.

We should do this for three reasons:

1) It will show to everybody how awesome we are that we are on a first-name basis with a University that is just so totally amazing.
2) It is stupid and childish.
3) It has the potential of annoying any pompous blowhards in your own personal sphere of influence that graduated from Stanford.

I encourage you to join me. We may not have their reputation, their endowment, their influence, their location, their alumni base, their success in virtually every industry, their history, their questionable hygiene, or their general excellence in pretty much everything.

But we can call them Leland.

It is actually the Leland Stanford Jr. University. We could call them Junior. (Except the tragic circumstances of how that came to be the name might come back to bite us. When Leland Junior -- his parents' only child -- died at age 16, his mom and dad decided that "the children of California will be our children," and they founded Stanford.) Maybe just Leland will work. I think the Stanford Band still calls itself the Leland Stanford Jr. University Marching Band, or some such name.

[DrumNFeather]

I'll be boarding a plane here in a few hours to come out to this game. Win or lose, it'll be nice to be back in Rice-Eccles Stadium! Go Utes!

[Senioritis]

It is actually the Leland Stanford Jr. University. We could call them Junior. (Except the tragic circumstances of how that came to be the name might come back to bite us. When Leland Junior -- his parents' only child -- died at age 16, his mom and dad decided that "the children of California will be our children," and they founded Stanford.) Maybe just Leland will work. I think the Stanford Band still calls itself the Leland Stanford Jr. University Marching Band, or some such name.

Exactly! The band gets it. The band uses it. We can put ourselves on the level of the Leland band. Other than a Rose Bowl, what could possibly be better than getting squared up with the ubershmarms in the Leland Stanford Jr University Marching Band?!!

Leland!

[Senioritis]

I'll be boarding a plane here in a few hours to come out to this game. Win or lose, it'll be nice to be back in Rice-Eccles Stadium! Go Utes!

Beautiful day. Awesome opponent. QB who is 6'6" 245 and gives up interceptions like James Hunt gave out communicable diseases.

Gonna be a great day!

[Scratch]

Beautiful day. Awesome opponent. QB who is 6'6" 245 and gives up interceptions like James Hunt gave out communicable diseases.

Gonna be a great day!

For the last time, can't we get a James Hunt forum on the board? I feel like all the James Hunt talk is taking over the board.

[DrumNFeather]

Game day! Let's hope I'm the good luck charm. I've got a feeling...closer than the experts think!

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2

[LA Ute]

Game day! Let's hope I'm the good luck charm. I've got a feeling...closer than the experts think!

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Jealous. Have fun, DNF!

[Crimsonute]

Pregame with Hans and CC is on http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KALL.

[U-Ute]

The U is holding an on campus party before the game. It goes from 1 until 4. I'm heading up with the kids now.

http://www.utah.edu/blockuparty/

[OrangeUte]

Just sat down for this game. Yee haw!!!!

[SeattleUte]

Is this the highest ranked visitor ever in RES?

[OrangeUte]

Only Jamal giving the Utes love during the pregame show. Neuheissel not a believer. I want to smear it in his face.

[OrangeUte]

Is this the highest ranked visitor ever in RES?

As far as I know.

[OrangeUte]

What the hell - looks like a lot of empty seats.

[OrangeUte]

Defense looking porous and out of position early.

[OrangeUte]

Poole coming up big. I love the use of 2 backs.

[OrangeUte]

West side full. East side has lots of gaps.

Sweet touch down!

[OrangeUte]

Terrible coverage. Terrible.

[LA Ute]

Maybe not smart to kick it to the most dangerous kickoff returner in the league.

[OrangeUte]

Not a good time to have a 3 and out. Hopefully the defense has settled down now.

[OrangeUte]

Stupid hold negates a great run.

[OrangeUte]

Dres!!!!!!!! 14-14!!!!!

[Jarid in Cedar]

Great adjustment in the air by Anderson. Good start. We have been playing with fire on kick coverage, and it finally bit us.

[Mormon Red Death]

Is it illegal for the refs to call holding on Stanford? ??

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[OrangeUte]

We absolutely need better OLine play. Wow. They completely ruined that opportunity.

[OrangeUte]

Damn! 2 misses on turnovers there! We need one so badly.

[Mormon Red Death]

Is it illegal for the refs to call holding on Stanford? ??

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

False st art!!!

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[OrangeUte]

Crowd comes up huge w 2 false starts! I hope that punt gets reviewed. Wow.

[Mormon Red Death]

False st art!!!

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I wrote that before the 2 false starts we got.

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[hostile]

O-line looking much better

[OrangeUte]

Amazing drive and score. We need to kick away from Montgomery.

[OrangeUte]

Massive turnover on downs for the Utes!!! Enough time to put more points on the board here.

[OrangeUte]

I don't like this run the clock down approach. We need to want blood.

[OrangeUte]

I hope leaving points on the field here doesn't come back to haunt us. Now our offense has no momentum from this drive to carry into the second half.

[LA Ute]

Now we have to be ready for their 2nd half adjustments and make some of our own.

[LA Ute]

I hope leaving points on the field here doesn't come back to haunt us. Now our offense has no momentum from this drive to carry into the second half.

I think they'll have pretty good mo. Think about it: Standorf's offense has scored only once in this game.

I imagine we'll be kicking away from whatshisname for the rest if the game.

[OrangeUte]

I think they'll have pretty good mo. Think about it: Standorf's offense has scored only once in this game.

I imagine we'll be kicking away from whatshisname for the rest if the game.

According to Whit we will be or we are idiots! Montgomery should not have any touches on special teams for the rest of the game.

[OrangeUte]

Chewing up clock with screens. I love this.

[OrangeUte]

Crap. That turnover hurts.

[LA Ute]

Love Dres. Don't love it when Dres plays volleyball. Maybe the D can get a TO.

[LA Ute]

Holy cow! A turnover!!!

[OrangeUte]

I hope that strip stands. What a great defensive effort!

[LA Ute]

A score here would be awesome. Beyond awesome.

[OrangeUte]

I love Wilson w the spin move. Nice!

[OrangeUte]

2 score lead. We can really start cinching this as a win with a big defensive stop here.

KEEP THE BALL AWAY FROM MONTGOMERY!!!!

[OrangeUte]

Big opportunity for the defense here. I'm on the edge of my seat. That crowd better go NUTS!!!!!

[OrangeUte]

Time to go away from screens and mix it up.

Sweet kick Phillips!!!!

[OrangeUte]

This is so exciting!!!!! Come on Utes!!!!

[OrangeUte]

Shoot. We needed to run more time off the clock. Stanford has good field position. Huge huge huge set of downs here.

[OrangeUte]

Huge mismatch 2 plays in a row. Got to make the adjustment there.

[OrangeUte]

We have GOT to put the ball in the end zone here. Go for the kill not some kind of protective gameplay where we want to defense to win this game.

[LA Ute]

That was a big 3rd down to give up. Rats. How about another TO?

[LA Ute]

Biggest 3rd down of the season here. And they made it again. Maybe we are giving Hogan too much time.

[GarthUte]

Back to back 3 and outs in the 4th quarter against Stanford = a loss.

Utes should never have stopped throwing the little swing/screen pass, as Stanford hasn't been able to stop it all game.

[LA Ute]

We really need some big plays here. We have to keep them out of the end zone.

[OrangeUte]

This is excruciating.

[OrangeUte]

Back to back 3 and outs in the 4th quarter against Stanford = a loss.

Utes should never have stopped throwing the little swing/screen pass, as Stanford hasn't been able to stop it all game.

Bingo.

[LA Ute]

Unfortunately this is a textbook drive by Standord. We need one more big play .

[LA Ute]

Ballgame!!!!!

[GarthUte]

Back to back 3 and outs in the 4th quarter against Stanford = a loss.

Utes should never have stopped throwing the little swing/screen pass, as Stanford hasn't been able to stop it all game.

I'm happily eating crow right now and it tastes fantastic!

[LA Ute]

I'm happily eating crow right now and it tastes fantastic!

Save some for me, Garth!!!

[hostile]

I'm happily eating crow right now and it tastes fantastic!
Me too. I'll have seconds

[OrangeUte]

Me too. I'll have seconds

I will dine on it for the rest of the season!!!!!

It is a great day to be a Ute!!!!!

[OrangeUte]

That 4th quarter was absolutely horrible offensively. Wow. I am stunned.

[OrangeUte]

We just did nothing in the 4 th quarter to put the game away.

[LA Ute]

That 4th quarter was absolutely horrible offensively. Wow. I am stunned.

I'm looking forward to the various breakdowns we'll get from the board's football minds.

I'm very proud if these Utes. Especially of the D.

[OrangeUte]

Poole is the player of the game.

[LA Ute]

Poole is the player of the game.

How many yards did he wind up with?

I think the O-line deserves some gold stars too. We couldn't have gashed Stanford that way without them.

[OrangeUte]

How many yards did he wind up with?

I think the O-line deserves some gold stars too. We couldn't have gashed Stanford that way without them.

111 rushing yards.

[OrangeUte]

D Line got a lot of pressure. Orchard had a good game as did Reilly

[LA Ute]

Utah got over 100 yards of offense more than Standorff's D has been averaging. Utes gave up only 13 1st downs, same as Weber got against us. Lots of good stats, even though we lost the 4th quarter in every statistical category but the most important one.

[DrumNFeather]

That. Was. Awesome.

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2

[LA Ute]

That. Was. Awesome.

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2

You need to go to the rest of the games this year, DNF. You're obviously a lucky talisman. We'll take up a collection for the airfare.

[OrangeUte]

Didn't sancho call this upset?

[OrangeUte]

Just listened to Shaw's post season press conference. He is all class.

[LA Ute]

Didn't sancho call this upset?

Yes. We owe a lot to his lucky button, and we never should have doubted. Both he and DNF must attend all future games.

[chrisrenrut]

What a great night at RES. Perfect football weather, and a very satisfying win. So many things done well by this team tonight. They put together an almost-complete game. I'm just going to bask in this feeling tonight, and fall asleep watching UCLA-Cal and OrSU-Wazzu.

[SoCalPat]

This wasn't a fluke. We kicked Stanford's ass tonight. I'm not distraught at all tonight over lost opportunities, but I suspect this win will lose some luster as the season goes on. Hogan does not look like a QB that can keep pace with Oregon's offensive attack, and the Cardinal's reliance on being physical will pay a toll as well. My guess is Stanford loses at least two more games this regular season and finishes 9-3. The bowl will determine where it finishes in the Top 25.

[UBlender]

This wasn't a fluke. We kicked Stanford's ass tonight. I'm not distraught at all tonight over lost opportunities, but I suspect this win will lose some luster as the season goes on. Hogan does not look like a QB that can keep pace with Oregon's offensive attack, and the Cardinal's reliance on being physical will pay a toll as well. My guess is Stanford loses at least two more games this regular season and finishes 9-3. The bowl will determine where it finishes in the Top 25.

I agree. Great win for Utah, we did what we needed.

BUT....I was underwhelmed with Hogan. He's not awful but he's not the QB for a top 5 team. Stanford as a whole seemed a little overrated. They are good, legit top 20, but not top 5. UW kind of kicked their asses last week but just whiffed on enough big plays to lose the game. We almost did the same thing, but apparently made just enough plays to pull it off.

Stanford will lose to Oregon and possibly UCLA depending on where that game is played. A few other PAC teams are capable of jumping up and getting them too. I agree that they lose at least two more before their bowl.

Still a great win for the Utes on every possible level. We simply needed that.

[wuapinmon]

Congrats, yall. That's got to feel good.

[LA Ute]

Congrats, yall. That's got to feel good.

Thanks, wuap, it does. And how!

EDIT: Looks like BYU had a fun homecoming win too. Good for you guys.

[GarthUte]

Congrats, yall. That's got to feel good.

Thanks, wuap. It is a great feeling to see the team play a great game against a team like Stanford.

[LA Ute]

I was just remembering how I felt during Leland's final drive. It looked like we were going to lose another heartbreaker and end up with another really bitter moral victory. So glad the defense held. What Riley, Hans, et al. are saying now is that the Utes have been learning and improving all season,and what they need to learn next is to finish teams off. Sounds right to me, but this is a sweet, sweet win.

Bubba had 200 total yards.

[LA Ute]

Check out this from ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=frontpage&pollId=3986015

[LA Ute]

Just watching the DVR (we had road shows tonight) and Dres's tip doesn't look that bad. He was hit hard just as he was catching the ball. I'm not even sure it was really a tip. Looks like a good tough play by Standorf.

[LA Ute]

Jamal Anderson was hilarious on the PAC-12 Network post-game show.

[mpfunk]

That was sure an enjoyable win. It is nice to finally get a quality win in Pac-12 play. Now go out and do it again.

[LA Ute]

I've never seen Whitt do this:

http://chrisshelley.com/images/whit.gif

[chrisrenrut]

I don't think you can change who you are at this point in the season. What you can do is change the way you get to what you do. I think we will see more motion and more two back. Motion does a couple of things. First, it causes the defense to tip its hand at coverage. Second, it allows the receiver some momentum off the line of scrimmage because the defender cannot be in his face. Two back will give more help in pass protection. I think we will move Dres around and try to get him the ball more and use him as a decoy. They need to account for him.

I am more worried about special teams and defense. That No. 7 is a special player.

UTEopia nailed it.

The Comet Swing pass really opened things up. Kudos to Wilson for executing them. The swing pass is perceived as an easy pass, just an extension of the running game. However, Wilson did a great job of hitting the receiver in stride, allowing the to carry their momentum. How many times in past years have we seen receivers have to adjust to swing passes too high or at their feet, which limited YAC.

[Snowman]

I'm very happy.

[sancho]

UTEopia nailed it.

The Comet Swing pass really opened things up. Kudos to Wilson for executing them. The swing pass is perceived as an easy pass, just an extension of the running game. However, Wilson did a great job of hitting the receiver in stride, allowing the to carry their momentum. How many times in past years have we seen receivers have to adjust to swing passes too high or at their feet, which limited YAC.

Well, I had the time of my life. First game in SLC for me since 2000! Had my 6-year-old there yelling his lungs out. My voice is shot. From my opening, "You think you're better than me?" to my very last "You can't hear your QB!", I left it all at the stadium.

I would love someone to compile stats on the swing pass. How many times did we run it? What was our average yardage on it? They had no answer for it, and we went back over and over again. Wilson hit it in stride every time, and the WRs blocked it like Utah men should.

I was in the northeast corner, so I had a perfect view of the two offensive plays of the game:

(1) Dres' catch. What can be said? Amazing play.

(2) Conversion on 3rd and 9 to Sean Fitzgerald. We were backed up. Stuffed on 1st and 2nd down. That completion kick-started the 99 yard TD drive to put us up 21-14.

Feels great to be a Ute today.

[U-Ute]

BUT....I was underwhelmed with Hogan. He's not awful but he's not the QB for a top 5 team. Stanford as a whole seemed a little overrated. They are good, legit top 20, but not top 5. UW kind of kicked their asses last week but just whiffed on enough big plays to lose the game. We almost did the same thing, but apparently made just enough plays to pull it off.

One thing I will say is that, outside of Mannion and Keeton, we have made every QB since look human. The D line has stepped up big since the OSU game. Look at what Hundley did to Cal yesterday.

I am starting to get a glimmer of hope that we can keep Oregon under 50.

[LA Ute]

Well, I had the time of my life. First game in SLC for me since 2000! Had my 6-year-old there yelling his lungs out. My voice is shot. From my opening, "You think you're better than me?" to my very last "You can't hear your QB!", I left it all at the stadium.

I would love someone to compile stats on the swing pass. How many times did we run it? What was our average yardage on it? They had no answer for it, and we went back over and over again. Wilson hit it in stride every time, and the WRs blocked it like Utah men should.

I was in the northeast corner, so I had a perfect view of the two offensive plays of the game:

(1) Dres' catch. What can be said? Amazing play.

(2) Conversion on 3rd and 9 to Sean Fitzgerald. We were backed up. Stuffed on 1st and 2nd down. That completion kick-started the 99 yard TD drive to put us up 21-14.

Feels great to be a Ute today.

Do you think you could have copies made of your lucky button? I know several people here would buy one.

[LA Ute]

"On fourth down, we had single cover or cover zero," [David Shaw] said. "We could have changed the play but we didn’t, and we still had a chance, but they got to the quarterback."

Norris' blitz on that final play sealed the deal for us. If Hogan has a few seconds, he finds someone open. Instead he had to throw or get creamed. Nobody even touched Norris and he had an open lane to Hogan.

[U-Ute]

I missed the blitz because I was watching 89. To my horror, he was lined up against 5-10" #12 (Thomas?) again, who struggled against him on those fade throws.

As the play unfolded, 89 fake the fade and ram an in route at the back of the end zone. The play was for him the whole way. He had separation too. If that blitz doesn't hit home, we are singing a different tune today.

I heard Orchard say on the post game show that Stanford's guards/center were blocking outward at the end of the game. Big time kudos for Sitaki to call that blitz at that time.

[Solon]

Just watching the DVR (we had road shows tonight) and Dres's tip doesn't look that bad. He was hit hard just as he was catching the ball. I'm not even sure it was really a tip. Looks like a good tough play by Standorf.

The most significant thing in this thread is the knowledge that people are still putting on road shows.

I was impressed as hell with the LBs. They've come a long ways.
I like it when the Utes run it up the gut with Poole & York. Reminds me a little of the great running of the McBride Years (when we had Tate, Hunter, Jamal Anderson, Mike Anderson, Juan Johnson, Fuamatu Ma'afala, etc.) but without the random incomplete bomb down the sideline and the inevitable 3-and-out.

[LA Ute]

The most significant thing in this thread is the knowledge that people are still putting on road shows.

I was impressed as hell with the LBs. They've come a long ways.
I like it when the Utes run it up the gut with Poole & York. Reminds me a little of the great running of the McBride Years (when we had Tate, Hunter, Jamal Anderson, Mike Anderson, Juan Johnson, Fuamatu Ma'afala, etc.) but without the random incomplete bomb down the sideline and the inevitable 3-and-out.

Not really road shows. We called them one-act plays and they were all in one building - there was no traveling. The kids really loved it, though.

[Viking]

Congrats on the huge win. My daughter will be attending Stanford, but I was cheering for you guys.

I think in a few years, you won't have to rush the field anymore as big wins will hopefully become much more routine for the Utes.

Nice job.

[LA Ute]

It just occurred to me (I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes) that both 2nd half field goals - and the margin of victory - came as the direct result of Utah takeaways. Shows how important TOs are. Nice to see the Utes getting them at last.

[Mormon Red Death]

The most significant thing in this thread is the knowledge that people are still putting on road shows.

I was impressed as hell with the LBs. They've come a long ways.
I like it when the Utes run it up the gut with Poole & York. Reminds me a little of the great running of the McBride Years (when we had Tate, Hunter, Jamal Anderson, Mike Anderson, Juan Johnson, Fuamatu Ma'afala, etc.) but without the random incomplete bomb down the sideline and the inevitable 3-and-out.

Those were called:
"Pull... bang.... shit"

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[Hadrian]

I love this change

http://s9.postimg.org/tro14jk5b/Mantra_Evolution_years.png

[Scorcho]

874

sans our scoreboard operator, was a perfect night:rofl:

https://twitter.com/DavidMLombardi/status/389113154476580864/photo/1

[Moliere]

874

sans our scoreboard operator, was a perfect night:rofl:

https://twitter.com/DavidMLombardi/status/389113154476580864/photo/1

You aren't using "sans" correctly.

[LA Ute]

From the locker room right after the game:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAx_12QtcJo

[Freaky Girl]

I've never seen Whitt do this:

http://chrisshelley.com/images/whit.gif

Smile? Or put the game plans down the front of his pants? Guess he wanted to keep them
safe. lol

[LA Ute]

Smile? Or put the game plans down the front of his pants? Guess he wanted to keep them
safe. lol

I was thinking of the smile but now that you mention it....

[Solon]

You aren't using "sans" correctly.

What a Misanthrope.
Alceste was honest, sure, but he was also a tactless ass.

You should become a student of your own work.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Well, I finally got to watch the 4th quarter! I wasn't able to go to the game because I was in charge of a 20th anniversary for my Sigma Chi Chapter here at SUU over the weekend. We always have our big alumni event on Homecoming(which was the 12th).

I wish I was able to put some of my thoughts out before the game, but after watching the UW-Stanford game, My first thought was that UCLA was a better than the Trees. I particularly thought that we would be able to contain their offense. I was concerned that we would be able to do anything on the offensive side of the ball against the stout front 7 of Stanford.

1. DE's experience won this game. The use of running screens to players in motion really attacked the OLB's for Stanford and slowly pulled them laterally. Once that happened, the Zone read just killed it. I think this was the best game that the OLine has played all year.

2. Dres Anderson is a dynamic player. I really hope he comes back for his senior season. Pairing him with KScott makes my heart palpitate. But I fear that he is just killing it too much to pass on the draft.

3. Since the USU game, the linebackers have not had a bad game. Norris and Whittingham have mastered the positions to the degree that Matt Martinez and Chaz Walker did, but are much more athletic. With these two only being Soph's, Jionni Paul, and Hale(hopefully he can stay healthy), next year this group will challenge as the best unit in the Pac-12.

4. Reilly and Orchard played a dominant game. The forced fumbles and sacks were game changers.

5. We need to clone Phillips and figure out how to get him 12-20 years of eligibility.

6. Kick coverage scares me and needs to get better.

7. Many people were complaining that the offense went too vanilla in the 4th, but I really didn't see it. Stanford basically played keep away. We only had the ball 2 times and went 3 and out on both possessions, but it wasn't because of being conservative:

Possession at 12:00(ish)
1st and 10- Radley rush for 8
2nd and 2- Radley rushed for 5 and a 1st but a holding brought it back.
2nd and 12-Screen to Norwood for 7.
3rd and 5- Incomplete to Norwood. Techincally a drop, but would have been a great catch for a first down.

Possession 2 at 9:30

1st and 10-Screen to Poole for 7 yards
2nd and 3-Poole loss for -1 on zone read
3rd and 4- Incomplete to the sideline. Good coverage on the play. It looked like Stanford covered the play well and TW threw it away.

And that was it. We ran the same plays that we were able to move the ball all game long. The holding call was killer as we had a first down and would have kept marching and at least killed another 2-3 minutes off the clock, flipped the field position, which would have made the ending a little less stressful.

Overall, it was a great game, but it loses some luster if we go out an lay an egg in the desert on Saturday. I think the team leaders won't let that happen. We have had several opportunities to succumb to pressure and haven't done it. Reilly, Palepoi, JT, and especially TW won't let us come out flat.

[LA Ute]

Nice video summary here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAQ-tOcCpo0#t=41

[SoCalPat]

Nice video summary here:

Bubba Poole stopped stutter-stepping on his big plays. He cut, hit the hole and ran hard. Love it.

Wilson's numbers are inflated a tad. Two wide receiver screens credited to Dres were clearly laterals. The intent may have been to throw it forward, but I hope our coaches are drilling the point in our guys' heads -- if we run that play and it's incomplete, get on the ball. That's a call (incomplete pass) that can be overturned on replay.

With the money that the school gets for TV broadcasts, the athletic department has an obligation to present us more than the most optimal plays that favor Utah. Show the Wilson interception. Show the breakdown on Stanford's penultimate drive that allowed Montgomery to go for 45 yards on a screen pass. Fans want to see that, and you're first in the business of sports information, not protecting people's feelings.

[Applejack]

I just rewatched the game in about 45 minutes (thanks Pac-12.com!). My thoughts:

- Offensive changes: Uncle Dennis called a great game with Murph and Tonga out. With only one deep threat, he spread the field with that weird comet screen. Arizona will obviously prep for this play. Our problem going forward will be that teams will know that we have only Dres as a deep threat: you get up tight on Fitz and Denham and make sure you have coverage on the motion man. I thought that the midget Geoff Norwood had a nice game. He's surprisingly hard to tackle for a guy who is 4''8'. We will definitely see a blending of roles with Radley/Poole/Norwood all coming out of the backfield and lining up wide to give us more speed.
- Offensive line: This seems like the exact opposite of what we've seen all year: the big guys were amazing at run blocking, but had trouble containing the pass rush. Wilson rarely had time to throw, which is partly the result of not having a TE out there. We are going to have to protect our QB, but if we get run blocking like that all year, we're in good shape.
- -Red Zone: The real problem with not having Murphy/Tonga was in the red zone. We looked pretty anemic in close all night. We scored the first TD on the swing pass to Karl W, and Dres scored on the end around (but only after the suspect roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive). With no tight ends and no bull rushers (York?) we have to use trickery to score. The brain trust of Johnson and Erickson will have to figure this one out.
- Running Back Depth Chart: Apparently York has dropped behind Lucky? I don't think York had a single carry - not sure if he even played. Lucky looked fine out there, but I still would like to see York to mix things up on occasion.

- Dres: I doubt that Dres fulfills Jarid's prophecy of leaving early for one reason: drops. He had three drops that I counted. One led to the killer interception and the other was late in the first half on a crossing pattern that would have put us near midfield with the chance to take a shot at one more pass and a field goal try. He needs to catch the ball when he's open.

- Kickoff coverage: Just terrible. Even our pouch kicks were nerve rattling. Why don't we run the kickoff formation that everyone is using these days where you shift everyone to one side of the field, kick the ball to that side, and have two guys contain the reverse. That cuts the field down by a third. I guarantee we adopt this by next year, but we need it now.

- Jared Norris: He has made huge strides this year. He was in the backfield all night and made some great plays on runs as well. I'm not sure he can cover anyone in the open field, but he is a solid MLB. Michael Walker has been a pleasant tackling surprise as well.

- Ty Montgomery: I really hope that guy leaves early.

[LA Ute]

Bubba Poole stopped stutter-stepping on his big plays. He cut, hit the hole and ran hard. Love it.

Wilson's numbers are inflated a tad. Two wide receiver screens credited to Dres were clearly laterals. The intent may have been to throw it forward, but I hope our coaches are drilling the point in our guys' heads -- if we run that play and it's incomplete, get on the ball. That's a call (incomplete pass) that can be overturned on replay.

With the money that the school gets for TV broadcasts, the athletic department has an obligation to present us more than the most optimal plays that favor Utah. Show the Wilson interception. Show the breakdown on Stanford's penultimate drive that allowed Montgomery to go for 45 yards on a screen pass. Fans want to see that, and you're first in the business of sports information, not protecting people's feelings.

I think that video was put together by a Utah fan.

[SoCalPat]

I think that video was put together by a Utah fan.

I stand corrected. It looks like something an athletic department would put together. This ex-media professional has had a jaundiced view of how we present our athletes in tough moments after Coleman Peterson wasn't interviewed after 2011 Colorado.

[LA Ute]

I stand corrected. It looks like something an athletic department would put together. This ex-media professional has had a jaundiced view of how we present our athletes in tough moments after Coleman Peterson wasn't interviewed after 2011 Colorado.

I agree with you, though, I also want to see the plays that went wrong. The coaches have all said there is a lot to correct after the Stanford game. No shame in that.

[U-Ute]

A fluff/recruiting piece, but slick and highly entertaining.

Let's go slay us a giant - Kyle Whittingham.


http://vimeo.com/76820393