Utah Finally Wins a Pac-12 Game

Utah Wins First Pac 12 Game

Utah Finally Wins a Pac-12 Game

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Congrats to the Utes on finally winning their first Pac-12 game. They essentially blew out Oregon State, 27-8. The game was 24-0 at halftime and already out of question at that point. Running back John White IV had a huge game with 205 yards rushing. Well over half those yards came in the first half.

Knowing Utah was extremely limited in the pass game, it was shocking not to see Oregon State commit more to run defense. The commentators mentioned this numerous times during the broadcast. Stacking 8 or 9 guys in the box had pretty much become the recipe for stopping Utah. For whatever reason Oregon State did not sell out against the run and it cost them dearly. Credit White IV for rising to the occasion and carrying the team. Quarterback, John Hays only threw for 62 yards. No that’s not a typo, he only threw for 62 yards. However, he threw 2 touchdown passes and most importantly, no interceptions. That was the key to the game. 

So what does this win do for their season? Utah showed again they can run the ball against inferior opponents. However, they still don’t have a passing attack. What lies ahead? Can they be taken for real in the Pac-12?

I’m a sucker for watching TV programs on prison life on National Geographic, Discovery or whatever random cable station. Not that I plan to ever spend any time locked up but I know from watching those shows that when you first get on the “inside” you have to fight the first guy that takes a run at you. If you don’t measure up, they say you’re in for a long prison sentence. Utah was heading down that path but fortunately found a way to stand up Saturday and flex a little muscle. Not that beating a 2-6 team is a monumental task but the win at least reminded the team that they can compete in the Pac-12.

As for this year, the win doesn’t change things a whole lot for the Utes. Utah is still a bottom rung Pac-12 team. Their terrible start has indeed cost them a lot of credibility in the newly expanded Pac-12.

That said, the team is 4-4 and very much still in the hunt for bowl eligibility. John Hays is likely not going to throw for 300 yards any game this season. However, if he can continue to avoid the big mistakes and make just a few plays like he did Saturday, the Utes have a chance to win a few more ball games by running the ball and playing solid defense.

You’d hope the Utes could eke out at least two more wins against the other bottom rung teams in the Pac-12. Here’s how their remaining schedule shapes up:

  • @ Arizona: Arizona is 2-6 and their coach was already fired
  • home to UCLA: UCLA is 4-4, talented, but way under-performing. Head Coach, Rick Nueheisel will likely be fired if they don’t make a bowl game
  • @ Washington State: The Cougars are 3-5 and were blown out by Oregon State. Their only Pac-12 win is against Colorado
  • home to Colorado: CU is 1-8 and win-less in the Pac-12

Suppose the Utes do gut out 2 more wins, finish the year 6-6 (3-6 in conference), and represent the Pac-12 in the Las Vegas Bowl as the 5th place team or something like that. After losing all semblance of a passing game, I’d say they did alright. I’m sure Ute fans were hoping for more of an 8-4 type season and a little better record in-conference. That said, will their first Pac-12 season be considered a success? 

Utah will have weathered the worst possible scenario – being stuck without a quarterback – and still have made a bowl game, all the while playing an exciting Pac-12 schedule. Isn’t that better than 9-3 or 10-2 against a garbage MWC schedule. If I’m Utah, there’s no going back. I’ll take my 6-6 and let the folks down South try and convince me their 9-3 season was a huge success. Utah fans know if they can get any type of legitimate QB to Salt Lake, they’ll be off to the races in the coming years.

In my first post of the football season a few months ago, I wrote the following in reference to Utah:

“So let’s say their quarterback play is just so-so and they sustain a few key injuries on defense. Let’s say this leads to a record of 7-5 or 8-4 and they miss the championship game. Does it really matter? Instead of annihilating heavyweights such as Wyoming, Colorado State and New Mexico, you might instead go 3-2 at home against the likes of Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA and Colorado. As a fan, wouldn’t you much rather watch that and bathe in the millions of $ the PAC-12 secured with the help of the rain maker, Larry Scott?”

I was off a bit on my projection but I still think Utah fans should be happy with how the season might pan out. They do need to win two more ball games though. 4-8 or 5-7 will be totally unacceptable –  healthy quarterback or not.

 

 

 

Matt Nielson has been writing about the college sports landscape in Utah and the Intermountain West since 2010. When he’s not pretending to be a professional blogger, he works full time as a residential real estate agent and house flipper. Matt graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000. He and his family reside in Salt Lake City, UT.

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