For those of you that live along the Wasatch front and were able to watch theUtahgame last night, you might agree that the two most telling events from the game did not even take place on the field of play.
The first was when cameras picked up on formerUtahquarterback and Sugar Bowl winning legend, now quarterbacks coach, Brian Johnson getting in the ear of Jordan Wynn after two missed throws. Wynn was rather dismissive of the coach and wandered off to the bench. The second was when Head coach Kyle Whittingham basically called out his QB in the post game interview when he said that their offense was essentially anemic.
Yes,Utahwon the game against 1 AA opponentMontana St.27-10. Yes, their defense and special teams played great, as we thought they would all season. And yes it’s possible thatUtahplayed it close to the vest on offense and did not want to show their entire arsenal to upcoming opponent, USC. Regardless, it is going to be a real struggle offensively if Jordan Wynn does not step up his play. The guy just needs to get energized. There seems to be no sense of urgency, no leadership. The arm strength really isn’t there either. What made Brian Johnson so great is that he was a winner. He willed his team to victories. He was a great player and he had the fire. It must be killing him to watch his successor not share that same passion.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah WR DeVonte Christopher (left) and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson talk on the sidelines with QB Jordan Wynn as the Utah Utes held a scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011.
Though the photo above is from fall camp, I thought it perfectly captures the mood of last night. The laid back QB with no worries and the coach, Brian Johnson looking the exact opposite because he knows his QB is just not there yet.
Most ofUtah’s production last night was set up by their defense. They had short fields more than once to work from. It was reminiscent of last year whenUtahwon all those games to begin the season and piled up a ton of points. It was not because of a potent passing attack marching up and down the field. It was because Shaky Smithson was running wild on special teams and their defense was getting take-aways.
Utahplays kind of an SEC style game. They have a great defense that rarely surrenders huge plays. They have a tough running game and score enough points to win. By no means am I saying Utah has SEC talent but I do think though they have enough defensive skill to compete in the Pac 12. That’s all fine and good but keep a few things in mind:
1) Fans want to see offense and 2) the Pac 12 is a pass happy league They’re going to need to win some 35-28 games, not just 23-17 type outcomes.
And that’s what’s scary – plain and simple,Utahlacks the ability to throw the ball down field and put 28-35 offensive points on the board. Wynn’s numbers for the night: 15-23 for 101 yards and no interceptions. It was a lot of dump-off passes. His shots down the field did not connect. They are frankly going to need more production from the QB position. Of course it’s early and the mastermind, Norm Chow is still ramping things up. The big unknown is weather the QB can take charge and make some throws.
Beside the strong play of the defense, newcomer John White IV showed very well at the running back spot, running for 150 yards. That was somewhat of a question mark coming in and he really stepped up.
The crowd was out in force and clad in red.Utahis off and running but they are simply going to need more from their offense. Their first real test awaits 8 days from now when they head toLos Angeles.
Rice Eccles Stadium-Opening game vs. Montana St. 9/1/11;
photo courtesy of J. Klemin Family archive
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.
