🏈 What would you like to know about Utah football?

[BigBadUte]

I’ve been perusing your site for a few weeks now, and I must tell you how excited I am to see y’all in the Superdome. I’ve watched 4 Bama games now (Florida, that-blue-team-which-shall-not-be-named, Mississipi, and LSU), and I’d like to share my thoughts. I do think that do to our poor TV coverage, most of you haven’t seen Utah play – and I’ve seen all 12, so I’d like to share with you my thoughts.

First, let start with Utah:
I believe Utah may be the most flexible team in the nation. Whatever their opposition does poorly, Utah can take advantage of it. Whatever their opposition does well, Utah does a decent job of taking that away. A great deal of that comes from coaching and an odd recruiting style. They will bring in the best athletes they can find, than switch them to other positions. Two of our best players started at significantly different sides of the ball. Sean Smith, the CB who will surely go against Julio, was a RB/WR. Kruger, a DT, was a QB in HS. When you have some extra time, take a look at this story about Paul Kruger, who has already lost a Kidney, and came within inches of losing another: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/...les.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_/ai_n24979469
Conversely, unlike Bama, Utah doesn’t do many things extremely well, other than our kicker and our two-minute drills.
I’m sure you’ve heard of our unanimous AA Kicker, Loiue Sakoda. He really is as good as advertised. He is unlike any kicker I’ve ever seen. The guy is completely the opposite of the head-cases out there. He has missed two field goals out of 25 this year, both in Colorado Springs, from 47 and 53 yards in high wind. Those of you who have been to Colorado in Fall know the wind I speak of. I can’t wait to see him kick in the dome.
He also does our punting. In the Wyoming game, he had an 81 yard punt (61 net touchback). That thing actually went ~130 yards (they don’t have seats in the endzone in the hell Wyoming calls Larame.). It caught the 50 mph winds and just took off. But that’s not what makes him a great punter. Last year, he averaged nearly 50 yards a punt, but allowed too many returns. This year, he’s increased his power slightly, but increased the angle, giving Utah’s special teams time to get to the returner. 50 punts, 9 touchbacks, only 9 returns attempted. The other 32 were fair caught or the returner got drilled. He’s pretty damn good at giving oppositions very, very long drives. He will really, really be missed.
Like the 2004 Utah team that went undefeated and cremated Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl, our receivers don’t drop balls. I think you’ll notice how well the receivers keep their feet in bounds and hold onto the ball, even after getting creamed by SEC DBs.
Utah’s schedule is strongest in recent history (sagarin ranked 70), with 3 current top 25 wins – all at home. The last Utah team to have such a schedule was in 1994, when Utah beat 4 teams that would end up in the top 25, and ended up 8th in the AP and 10th in the Coaches. Ah, the torment of playing in the MWC.
Utah is pretty poor at punt returns (ranked 92). That stat is a little misleading. It took us 5 games to find a returner that doesn’t fumble.
Utah is mediocre at sacks allowed (ranked 63). Brian trusts his line too much, holds onto ball too long…seems to have solved those issues last 3 games.
Utah is mediocre at sacks (71). The lighter, athletic Dline gets their pay from disrupting the passer via knockdowns and getting in the qbs face to make up for lack of getting to the qb. Kruger is uncanny at knowing where the ball will be, just like San Diego starter and former Ute Eric Weddle (both were QBs in HS).
The majority of the teams we faced either ran to the outside, or had little run game. Combine that with interior line injuries early in the year, and we starting using lighter Dlineman (Shelby and Newman). However, against heavier, middle-running teams, we will use Siliaga (6-3, 325), and Eilapo (6-0, 303). The latter was hurt for the first 7 games this year. We will not likely swap out our DTs. I’m thinking Kruger and Misi will surprise you with their athletic ability.
Utah is good at every other major category:
12th in Scoring Defense
14th in Rushing Defense
15th in Scoring Offense
16th in Turnover Margin
16th in Passing Efficiency
18th in Total Defense
22nd in Pass Efficiency Defense
29th in Net Punting
31st in Total Offense
30th in Kickoff Returns
34th in Tackles for Loss
40th in Pass Defense
41st in Rushing Offense
41st in Passing Offense
Interesting note: Ben Vroman (aka The Sausage King of Chicago) does our kickoffs. He leads the country by a mile. Part of that is due to our proficient scoring, and the altitude of MWC teams. But I suspect your folks will catch it a little deeper than they are used to.
The bottom line is that Utah is playing it’s best ball now, eliminating turnovers and penalties, and Brian’s “football intelligence” will keep us in the game.

Everyone knows about Bama’s awesome defense and run blocking, but here are the few things I’ve learned about Alabama via the 4 games I’ve seen, combined with a little help from NCAA football rankings:
You have some of the best tacklers I’ve seen.
You’re outstanding at stopping the run (ranked 4th), but mediocre at sacks (61). A little better at TFL (47).
I’m impressed with Bama’s play-making ability, but I’ve seen some ‘emotional’ issues (on all 5 teams in these 4 games) that you probably won’t see at Utah.
Bama is good at allowing sacks (22)- partly due to heavy run/pass ratio.
Great at punt returns (12), but I’m not sure you’ll get too many opportunities (see above)
Schedule is weakest for Bama in recent history (sagarin ranked 58), due to disappointing performances by SEC teams, and mediocre out of conference teams.
Bama also has improved significantly over the season. Am I right in stating that the Florida game was probably your best? And can you imagine not destroying Tulane now?
Can they show those twins with the Bear hats a few more times? Seriously…uh…zoom in on the legs, please.
What else can you tell me about Bama that I probably don’t already know? And can I answer some of your Ute questions?

 

[Elephantitis]

Am I right in stating that the Florida game was probably your best?

Not in my book. The funeral in Athens was our best game.

If you want to see error-free football, watch our first half performance against Georgia. It was 31-0 before they finished the national anthem.

 

[BigBadUte]

Looking forward to it.

It will be replayed on CBSC next week.

 

[Elephantitis]

The UGA game? I'm not disputing you, but the game aired on ESPN.

Highlights

 

[BigBadUte]

You're right. Must have been thinking of Auburn

 

[Crimson Hawk]

I'm not a great x's & o's person, but I will say one thing here. All due respect, Utah, regardless of whom they have played, has not seen the kind of power football they will see from Bama. It is relentless, it is punishing, & by the time the 4th quarter rolls around, if Utah doesn't have a sizable lead, they could be in real trouble considering the size disparity in the trenches.

All the talk from the Bama faithful about Tradition has a root in a cold reality, & that is that Bama has ALWAYS had a run first, play strong, hard nosed defense, personality.....always. It is the core of who we are; is the basis for our winning Tradition & over the years, we have developed these strengths into an art form, in that we can run the football like few other teams in the country. This is especially true with all the spread, & west coast type O's out there today (again, no disrespect intended)

We will run left at you behind All Americans Smith & Caldwell, & All SEC Johnson with one of the best blocking TE's in the country in motion to that side & even throw in a 240 pound Fullback as a lead blocker, all at the point of attack & will even, on occasion, pull a guard from the other side. Few have stopped it even with eight in the box & even if they stop it temporarily, John Parker is more than capable of getting the ball down field when needed; enough to make you think twice about 8 in the box. Be prepared for a game because Bama will bring it for 4 quarters. I am sure Utah will too.

Oh, & you can forget about Bama showing up unprepared....Saban & this senior class won't let that happen.

 

[Guest]

I believe Utah may be the most flexible team in the nation.

I'll have to argue that, in that Florida essentially runs the same system but is empowered with more options than anyone because of the depth and skill of their players. Utah can not run Tebow plays and can not counter with Harvin plays because they do not have these two unique Heisman caliber assets.

A great deal of that comes from coaching and an odd recruiting style.

Coaching edge has to go to Bama. See the returns thus far on Coach of the Year. As for "odd" recruiting, "odd" does not mean Good. Heck, ARMY has odd recruiting practices and you see what happens there.

They will bring in the best athletes they can find, than switch them to other positions.

Bringing the best athletes is a common them in recruiting, and I would argue that Bama has done a better job that Utah, with our recruiting in the south. As for switching, that only makes sense in some cases. Again, I'd put Saban up against ANYONE at being skilled WRT doing this.

Conversely, unlike Bama, Utah doesn’t do many things extremely well, other than our kicker and our two-minute drills.

"Utah doesn't do many things well" and then you cite you kicking game and the last two minutes of each half as your strength?!? Are you arguing for or against Utah?

In the Wyoming game, he had an 81 yard punt (61 net touchback).

WYOMING MADE YOU PUNT IS THE POINT. Another thing, if you can't stop the opponent's offense, long punts just mean that the ensuing scoring drive by the other team rack up that much more yards.

Utah’s schedule is strongest in recent history (sagarin ranked 70), with 3 current top 25 wins – all at home.

This is a good point. I'm pleased that you are finally stepping up. Lets not sell Bama short either. We had the ACC preseason #1 - Clemson; last year's SEC East champ - Tennessee; this season's preseason national #1 and SEC east #1 - Georgia, last season's National Champion and this season's preseason SEC west #1 - LSU, the 2006 National Champion and this year's BCS NC game invitee - Florida; plus three other teams who are Bowling this year; and coached against coaches who have won National Titles. But the biggest point is that WE are your toughest opponent all year.

Utah is mediocre at sacks allowed (ranked 63).

This does not bode well when you are going against one of the best defenses in the country, and you earned that "mediocre" label playing in a region not know for fierce defenses.

Brian’s “football intelligence” will keep us in the game.

What will the Coach of the Year's football intelligence do?

 

[payne1814]

Utah football = ^^SPEN

Go ahead and give Kyle a big contract. He'll be bye bye within 14 months. I would if I was him.

 

[Electric_Ute_666]

WYOMING MADE YOU PUNT IS THE POINT.

And how many games did you play where you didn't punt? Looks like you punted three times against Tennessee (a team that Wyoming beat).

 

[BigBadUte]

Crimson Hawk & LBS, how many Utah games have you seen? I ask because I started this thread in hopes of trading info, as I'd like to see more fans on both sides have a better understanding of their opponent. I'm not confident either of you did that, nor do you care. It sounds like you want an argument, and you are convinced that it will be a blowout, Georgia-Hawaii style.

But I will address your concerns...
Crimson, you mention that Utah will be exhausted due to the power running game and line size difference. I counter with this: Why is it that Alabama gets up on opponents in the first quarter/half, then has let down 2nd halves? Your board has mentioned this, I've seen it, and at halftime, your coach said it. That seems contrary to 'wearing teams down'. It seems more like the size of your line, and their waistlines, contributes to their conditioning. I see that Mt. Cody has lost boatloads of weight. I also see that he needs to lose more to last a whole game. That seems to be the way with a lot of your lines. I've met our lines. They are not as light as you think (please see my previous post about our 300 lb DEs), but they are much leaner and faster than your 350+ guys.

I don't believe Bama will come unprepared.

LBS, I think you'll be surprised at how different Florida's O is compared to ours. I've seen them both up close for 6 years, and they are vastly different. The main similarity is the design to widen (spread) the defense to get 1 on 1 situations for both runners and receivers. But that's about where it ends. You won't see much of our QB running, only when he has to. That's what 18 games of injuries will do to you QB. If we want a QB run, we do the wildcat, or call in the 2nd QB, who runs a 4.4 40 (you won't see him in this game, though). We will run whatever plays we think will give us the best chance of winning the game, not particularly ones that Urban taught us.

LBS, I think you're taking my comments about our coaching as trying to cut down Bama's coaching. That couldn't be further from the truth. I have a huge amount of respect for CNS and crew. However, what do you know about our coaching? Did you know that our HC was in the running for the same award your coach got? Did you know that our recruiting classes haven't been ranked higher than 60 in a decade, but we're ranked 6th? Did you know that we did it with 1/5th the budget, and a quarter the pay that your coach gets?

LBS, yes, we don't do many things extremely well. Notice I didn't say we don't do anything extremely well. The three things we do extremely well are punts, FGs, and the two minute drill.

Wyoming's defense held Utah to 40+ points a a few punts, in Laramie, in winds that the SEC only sees in hurricanes. Wyoming defense held Tennessee to 7 points (and what, 10 punts?), in Tennessee. Interesting note: Both Wyoming and Tennessee fired their coaches.

LBS, are you sure you want to hang your hat on playing teams this year that did well last year (but not so much this year) and were obviously overrated in the preseason this year? Funny thing, Sagarin had both Utah and Bama ranked in the mid 50s prior to the BYU/Florida games. Competition for both teams was much closer than you think. This is coming from a guy who has seen a lot of MWC and SEC games. How many MWC teams have you seen this year?

"What will the coach of the year do"? Odd that you would again think that my point about our QB's intelligence would lead you to a diss on your coach. But I'll answer your question. He will get you to 12-1, and a BCS game, with a better than even chance of 13-1.

Payne, it wouldn't surprise me to see Kyle Whittingham go. I'm sure your point is that Utah is severely handicapped, in that it doesn't get $18-$36 million yearly from the BCS, + millions from endorsements and great TV contracts. But you should come see the place he works. The University of Utah is one of the most beautiful and diverse places on the planet. Particularly for an outdoorsman and family man like Kyle. He's been with us for 15 years, leading a great defense for 10 of that. He's had 'better' offers before.

Who's going to the game? I'd love to meet you folks in person to continue the conversation and share some food and drink! I'll be there with my Utah bud and my Bama bud. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

 

[Guest]

BigBadUte I admire your ardor for your team, you guys have been great to have around our board.

One note on Terrence Cody. Yes, he plans to drop some more weight. Yes he would like to have more stamina. But it has never been our plan for him to last the whole game. His back up, Josh Chapman, is a mere 305 pounds, and may well be our physically stringest player. He is almost as good as Cody, and he also requires a double team. We rotate 8 defensive linemen with no loss in skills. That is our biggest advantage over the Utes, IMO. Some of your ones are very good football players, but almost across the booard our 2s are better than yours, no disrespect intended. We are not a fancy team on offense. We will run straight at you until you show that you can stop it. If you have to load the box to contain our running game we do pass well enough to hurt you. Your key to doing well in this game will be your defense's ability to get itself off the field, IMO.

 

[BigBadUte]

I knew you rotated Cody, and I knew you were deep...I didn't know you rotated 8. Do they all get similar playing time? Yeah, that's the big BCS/nonBCS issue - the 2 deep. Utah plays man coverage 70-80% of the time, but I agree, it will be the difference in this game.

 

[TerryP]

Well, I have made it a point to watch some Utah games, 4 as a matter of fact. That said, I've yet to see match-ups that are similar, save one.

The defense you played against TCU has some similarities to what we do both in terms of personnel and scheme. Some.

And, by personnel I'm not talking about athlete vs athlete, I'm talking about things like playing 3 down lineman versus playing 3 down lineman.

They don't have the speed we do in their secondary, that I'm positive with, and there are a few other differences in the caliber of player at a few positions.

The point is, I've seen bits and pieces of the Utah offensive style in several games this year from teams we've faced. Unless you are dropping something we haven't practiced for, it's not going to be something we haven't seen.

Wyoming's defense held Utah to 40+ points a a few punts, in Laramie, in winds that the SEC only sees in hurricanes. Wyoming defense held Tennessee to 7 points (and what, 10 punts?), in Tennessee. Interesting note: Both Wyoming and Tennessee fired their coaches.

What the heck Wyoming has to do with anything, I don't know. I'll let you guys play that "6-degrees of seperation Kevin Bacon Editions for college football" game.

BUT, that statement I just quoted isn't true. Utah scored 40 in that game. But, their defense held you to 20 of that score. Two scoring drives for TD's and 2 FG's.

 

[TerryP]

I knew you rotated Cody, and I knew you were deep...I didn't know you rotated 8. Do they all get similar playing time? Yeah, that's the big BCS/nonBCS issue - the 2 deep. Utah plays man coverage 70-80% of the time, but I agree, it will be the difference in this game.

Varies per game, largely on down and distance combined with the offense we are facing.

FWIW, the earlier mention of conditioning and equating that with the slower second halves are unrelated.

The team wasn't tired. It was more of a mental "finishing off an opponent." If the team gets out to a big lead in the Sugar Bowl they may let up some in the second half. I doubt they will, but they have done that a few times this season.

By the way, that rotation of 8 is the front 3. It's not including the LB'er who sometimes plays in a two point stance on the line, occasionally 3.

 

[Crimson Hawk]

Crimson Hawk & LBS, how many Utah games have you seen? I ask because I started this thread in hopes of trading info, as I'd like to see more fans on both sides have a better understanding of their opponent. I'm not confident either of you did that, nor do you care. It sounds like you want an argument, and you are convinced that it will be a blowout, Georgia-Hawaii style.

But I will address your concerns...
Crimson, you mention that Utah will be exhausted due to the power running game and line size difference. I counter with this: Why is it that Alabama gets up on opponents in the first quarter/half, then has let down 2nd halves? Your board has mentioned this, I've seen it, and at halftime, your coach said it. That seems contrary to 'wearing teams down'. It seems more like the size of your line, and their waistlines, contributes to their conditioning. I see that Mt. Cody has lost boatloads of weight. I also see that he needs to lose more to last a whole game. That seems to be the way with a lot of your lines. I've met our lines. They are not as light as you think (please see my previous post about our 300 lb DEs), but they are much leaner and faster than your 350+ guys.

I don't believe Bama will come unprepared.

BBUte, I'll be the first to admit that I haven't seen Utah play at all & wasn't really trying to do a comparison....just trying to convey a "feel" for where most Bama fans are coming from & why Tradition really does have some teeth, as a means of doing exactly what you were asking for.....exchanging info. I can assure you, an argument is NOT what I am looking for either. Sheesh! You guys are really sensitive!

I will, however, counter a few of your points. First, I said Utah might be behind the eight ball late IF Bama had a lead....not that Bama was just going to overpower an "out of shape" Utah team as you seem to suggest.

Second, you asked me if I had seen any of your games, & then proceed to ask me why Bama only plays in the first half. If you had watched Bama any in the second half of the season, you would know that the Coaching Staff eliminated that problem completely. It was mostly due to youth with only 9 scholarship Seniors on the field. There were NO second half letdowns in the back half of the schedule. Ask Urban Meyer if he thought Bama hit any less hard in the second half of the SECCG.....better yet, ask the Florida players.

As far as the cheap little shot about the waistlines, how many All American linemen does Utah have? Last time I looked, being named to the All America squad is a hard earned honor, or do you suppose those awards were given because we're in the SEC, or, better yet, were denied Utah because of its non-BCS status?

Last, but not "least" (pun intended) don't concern yourself with Cody's conditioning because if you really scouted Bama you would know that Chapman, Cody's backup, is just about as good as the Mountain is....no drop off at all, which leads me to my final point, & one that has already been made. You guys from Utah seem to think you match up well ones on ones. You won't get a chance to see much of that as we will rotate 7-8 people, especially on the D line to keep fresh players in. Can Utah match up with 8? That really where the mis-match is likely to be....not in the first teamers, but in depth across the board.

As I said, my intent was not to belittle or argue, but to trade info, as you intended.

 

[Guest]

LBS, I think you'll be surprised at how different Florida's O is compared to ours.

The difference is: Florida's offense is as much better than Utah's, as Utah's is to a pee-wee team.

You could line up with 12 players on offense - 2 Brian Johnson's at QB...and still not equal Florida with Tebow.
Seriously...Florida's offense is better than Utah's with an extra player.

 

[TerryP]

I've got to ask...

For you Ute fans, do you understand what T. Cody's job is on the defensive line?

 

[BigBadUte]

"The difference is: Florida's offense is as much better than Utah's, as Utah's is to a pee-wee team. "

You insult yourself with such banter. If you don't want fans of opposing teams to write on your board, just say so.

 

[Guest]

"The difference is: Florida's offense is as much better than Utah's, as Utah's is to a pee-wee team. "

You insult yourself with such banter. If you don't want fans of opposing teams to write on your board, just say so.

Keep on posting. I've enjoyed you guys being around.

 

[Guest]

"The difference is: Florida's offense is as much better than Utah's, as Utah's is to a pee-wee team. "

You insult yourself with such banter. If you don't want fans of opposing teams to write on your board, just say so.

Insult myself? No.

Its not even an insult to Utah's offense....well, maybe a little one. UF is significantly better.

Utah will be lucky to reach 10 points.