The Crazy Pirate Comes to Rice-Eccles: Utah v. Wazzu, 2014

[DrumNFeather]

Welp, all of my fears came to fruition in this one. We got up big early, and then sat on our lead for much of the game and got very little out of our offense. Horrible games from Dres, Wilson, and Blechen in coverage letting #21 keep WSU drives alive, the O-Line allowing their D-Line to dictate much of what happened in the second half...what else here? We also lost out on a lot of the effort plays. Those last couple of drives by Wazzu included runs where they picked up 3-4-5 extra yards on effort alone and we didn't wrap up.

No. Killer. Instinct.

[LA Ute]

Did Anderson have any catches at all tonight?

[mpfunk]

Truly a team loss. It is hard to point the finger at any individual. Still, I wish that Dres Anderson would make clutch catches. Especially when the ball hits him in the hands.

I disagree. It is really easy to point the finger at one individual with this loss.

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[DrumNFeather]

Did Anderson have any catches at all tonight?

Nope. It was basically Scott and Clay.

[LA Ute]

Welp, all of my fears came to fruition in this one. We got up big early, and then sat on our lead for much of the game and got very little out of our offense. Horrible games from Dres, Wilson, and Blechen in coverage letting #21 keep WSU drives alive, the O-Line allowing their D-Line to dictate much of what happened in the second half...what else here? We also lost out on a lot of the effort plays. Those last couple of drives by Wazzu included runs where they picked up 3-4-5 extra yards on effort alone and we didn't wrap up.

No. Killer. Instinct.

The one statistic no one can argue with: two touchdowns by the offense in the last two games.

[utefan]

Well. It was great run for Whittingham, but it is time to move on. We blew a 21 point lead at home to a bad team.

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I want to defend him, but that decision to punt on 4th and inches was questionable at best.

Midway through the 4th quarter, midfield, up 6, against a team that had been moving the ball very well the second half, and you punt it on 4th and inches?

I'm not really surprised Washington State scored the game winning touchdown on the ensuing possession.

[AnestheUte]

Did Anderson have any catches at all tonight?

None

[USS Utah]

That didn't look like a team with nothing to play for. WSU, I mean. Utah, OTOH, did look like they had nothing to play for.

[Old Standing ute]

UCLA scored 62 at ASU, what will do against this mess next week--do I hear 100?

[Solon]

That didn't look like a team with nothing to play for. WSU, I mean. Utah, OTOH, did look like they had nothing to play for.

This feels like a McBride loss.
We really needed this win.

[DrumNFeather]

UCLA scored 62 at ASU, what will do against this mess next week--do I hear 100?

We play those guys relatively tough, so I suspect it'll be closer than the experts think.

[LA Ute]

Riley noted in the post game show that the Utes did not get to the Red zone on offense once tonight. Wow.

[Mormon Red Death]

I want to defend him, but that decision to punt on 4th and inches was questionable at best.

Midway through the 4th quarter, midfield, up 6, against a team that had been moving the ball very well the second half, and you punt it on 4th and inches?

I'm not really surprised Washington State scored the game winning touchdown on the ensuing possession.

He should have called time out. Got In the face of all the offensive lineman and said "ichallenge you to win this game"

Instead we fraidy cat punted it

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[concerned]

Riley noted in the post game show that the Utes did not get to the Red zone on offense once tonight. Wow.

Well, Booker's TD. But to have that horrific offensive performance when Booker gets 178 yards is mind boggling. Could be the most discouraging game I've ever watched. I don't know how a program recovers from that. Wilson is a head case. Dres is a head case. the offensive line is atrocious. The play calling is atrocious. It is hard for me to imagine how we ever get more competitive in the conference as is.

As bad as Dres's drop was, he was open several times in the first half on the same route essentially and Wilson missed the throw every time. The last pass that was short on 4th and 8 (to Scott???) was horrific too.

[concerned]

He should have called time out. Got In the face of all the offensive lineman and said "ichallenge you to win this game"

Instead we fraidy cat punted it

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He couldnt call time out because we had already wasted one when the defense was out of position earlier. The only thing I can think is that he thought if they score, we only have to get Phillips in position to get the win. We didnt do that either. No way in a million years Urban Meyer would have punted there. No way he wold not have got it.

[jrj84105]

Utah needs to get our ducks in a row for Whittingham's firing. We need to get Chris Hill's "retirement" taken care of soon.

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I agree.

I even miss BJ as OC. What I wonder is why DC didn't get the ball to Dres with something other than the long ball. It's like a basketball player who just has to get to the line a few times to get out of the slump. Get Dres some easy catches- get him a reverse even if they are no gainers. Just get him the first catch. You can't let your best weapon finish with no catches.

[utefan]

He couldnt call time out because we had already wasted one when the defense was out of position earlier. The only thing I can think is that he thought if they score, we only have to get Phillips in position to get the win. We didnt do that either. No way in a million years Urban Meyer would have punted there. No way he wold not have got it.

No way in a million years 75% or more of the college coaches would have punted there.

The defense had been getting killed the entire second half. Up by less than a touchdown with time becoming more of a factor, he killed what little confidence the offense may have had. They only needed 1 foot. Instead he gave the ball to the Washington State offense, who promptly scored the game winning touchdown.

That's a blunder of epic proportions. I hope Kyle mentions it and takes responsibility.

[hostile]

Well, that was a kick in the nuts. I was running late from work and by the time a got to my seat we were up 21-0. It was all downhill from there. Very frustrating game to watch. So many things to be upset about. Ugh!

[concerned]

UCLA scored 62 at ASU, what will do against this mess next week--do I hear 100?

Nope. It will be just like every other game we play. The defense will keep us competitive and in the game for a while, then fall apart because they have been on the field
far too long and the offense hasn't done its share at all.

[LA Ute]

6 dropped passes. Where's the killer instinct? We punt on 4th and 6 inches. Same question.

[Homer Crimson]

There's still a lot of football to be played, but I think Kyle has to know he's out of here if he only gets 2 conference wins again. Where's the urgency?!

[Devildog]

I am so sick of losing conference games. I love Kyle... I wish he could win. But he can't. Losing at home to Washington State? You gotta be fawkin' kidding me. Nope... we suck this bad. We belong in the basement with Colorado. Fawkin' sad this is.

[SoCalPat]

This is the second year in a row in which Kyle has totally screwed the pooch on a fourth down decision that a Pop Warner coach would get right 100 percent of the time, in a loss that foreshadowed worse things to come.

These are the decisions for which we pay Kyle $2.5 million to get right and he keeps screwing them up. I need an immediate bounceback to change my mind on this.

[Jarid in Cedar]

This is the second year in a row in which Kyle has totally screwed the pooch on a fourth down decision that a Pop Warner coach would get right 100 percent of the time, in a loss that foreshadowed worse things to come.

These are the decisions for which we pay Kyle $2.5 million to get right and he keeps screwing them up. I need an immediate bounceback to change my mind on this.

This will be written on Coach Whitt ' s Utah tombstone:

Lost 5 4th quarter leads since joining Pac-12:

Arizona 2012
Oregon State 2013
Arizona 2013
Arizona State 2013
Washington State 2014

Of note, only games we have win after being behind in the 4th

Georgia Tech 2011 and Colorado 2012

[LA Ute]

It looks like we are who we feared we were.

[NorthwestUteFan]

WSU found a stout defense to match their video game Offense. Oregon won in Pullman based on the heroic efforts of a Heisman candidate and a number of home run plays.

One graphic stood out last night. In Leach's 12 years as a Head Coach, his teams have been the #1 offense team in the nation 11 times. That is impressive. However this isn't the late-1980s WAC where a team could sell out to build the offense. WSU has also put together a tough defense to match.

Kudos to the Cougars and to Leach. They gritted out this win based on talent, determination, and by executing a scheme to perfection

[concerned]

This will be written on Coach Whitt ' s Utah tombstone:

Lost 5 4th quarter leads since joining Pac-12:

Arizona 2012
Oregon State 2013
Arizona 2013
Arizona State 2013
Washington State 2014

Of note, only games we have win after being behind in the 4th

Georgia Tech 2011 and Colorado 2012

I didn't realize it was that many. You are absolutely right.

And it is the way we lose those leads--by not being able to generate any 4th q offense and collapsing on defense.

[Solon]

WSU found a stout defense to match their video game Offense. Oregon won in Pullman based on the heroic efforts of a Heisman candidate and a number of home run plays.

One graphic stood out last night. In Leach's 12 years as a Head Coach, his teams have been the #1 offense team in the nation 11 times. That is impressive. However this isn't the late-1980s WAC where a team could sell out to build the offense. WSU has also put together a tough defense to match.

Kudos to the Cougars and to Leach. They gritted out this win based on talent, determination, and by executing a scheme to perfection

This game wasn't as close as the score - Washington State outplayed the Utes. The big run, the pick-6, and the punt return were fantastic, but they obscure the offensive struggles just a bit. As at Michigan, the Utes struggled to run consistent offense. Sure, the big plays are great, but the 4-yards-at-a-time drives are the way to rest the defense & grind out wins.

WSU racked up nearly 500 yards of offense.
WSU was 10-20 on 3rd down conversions (that might be all we need to know right there).
The Utes had 78 yards in penalties.
Wilson was 18-40 for only 165 yards, right around 4 yards per attempt.

Interestingly, Utah was even on rushes & passes, at 40 of each.

I think the Fire Whittingham chants are still premature, but - like SoCalPat suggests, it might all depend on how the Utes bounce back. Momentum & trajectory mean a lot. This, IMO, is the kind of loss that can lose a staff the locker room. It's still early enough in the season to turn it around, but this one hurts. As MRD pointed out to me earlier, the Utes have never been above .500 in Pac-12 play.

[sancho]

This game wasn't as close as the score

Yes, we just were not (are not) the better team. They outplayed us. Change any number of individual plays (a 3rd down stop, Dres' drop, the 4th and inches), and we might win that game. But it would be a somewhat undeserving win.

The offense has returned to form. It's been years since we've been able to get into a crisp rhythm on offense. This time, there are no excuses. No hurt QB, no missing starters. Just the same poor throws, the same drops, the same bad decisions, and the same approach from our opponents - rush 5, pressure the WRs. Like a broken record.

It really is a strong reminder that QB is the most important position. Give Michigan a good QB, and they are conference contenders. They just whiffed on their recent QB recruits. I think the same is true for us. There are only two things that matter for a college QB - accuracy and decision making. Whatever the style, whatever the offense, those two things are not optional. I don't think Wilson has either. He has never had accuracy, and he has always made poor decisions. In the 2 minute offense last night, he was panicky (again). The dump off to Booker was a panic throw that cost us 20 seconds. He repeatedly threw before he needed to because he was afraid the pocket was collapsing.

In a horrible twist of events, the one accurate downfield throw Wilson managed all game was dropped by our star WR.

We are 3-1, so we will write this off as a bad game for Wilson. He will start against UCLA. But I think it is his last chance. If he plays like this again, KT will get his shot. Thing is, I don't think Thompson or Cox have the accuracy we need either.

I feel like we have always been close with Whittingham. I think we are close again. Give us an accurate passer, and we can reach our potential of becoming the OSU of the south division - a team that regularly finishes with 6-8 wins and occasionally makes noise in the title race. We are close enough that I hate the idea of entering rebuild mode. Fire Whittingham, and we are looking at a 3 year rebuild. If that rebuild fails, we are looking at a decade long rebuild with potential to never be relevant again (like the Vandy, Kansas, Indiana of the Pac-12).

That said, it's all in play now. We may not be favored again in a game this year. Colorado/Arizona can score, and we can't. I think we may be underdogs going to Boulder. 0-9 in the conference is a possibility. We now have to beat OSU, Zona, and CU to go bowling, or we need to upset an actually good team. That seems unlikely.

[concerned]

BTW, somebody tweeted last night that we are now 0-4 in conference with red jerseys black pants.