The University of Utah is coming off of a bye week after an electrifying win at Rice-Eccles Stadium against the No. 7 USC Trojans. Cam Rising battled it out against Caleb Williams down to the wire, the Utes’ handed the Trojans their first loss of the season in a Pac-12 showdown, 43-42.
Let’s take a look back at our three burning questions from their win:
How does Utah regroup their mental toughness?
This was a genuine concern after being dominated by the UCLA Bruins. The first half against USC was feeling like the loss all over again, but the Utes rebounded for a strong second half. While they weren’t perfect, tenacity and grit in the second half, the Utes defense would rally to keep them in the game.
Utah ultimately held the Trojans offense to under 200 yards in the second half in their comeback win.
Offensively, Kyle Whittingham and Andy Ludwig let their steady leader, Cam Rising, do his magic. They trusted their star, didn’t do anything to stall his momentum, and it paid off in the end. The swagger was contagious—punctuated by the crucial two-point conversation.
Rising would go for 29 of 43 for 417 yards and two touchdown passes with three rushing touchdowns of his own. Over half of his yards and completions went to Dalton Kincaid totalling 16 receptions for 234 yards and one touchdown. It was a dominating performance, as Rising edged out USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns. Both Rising and Williams delivered in the epic battle of the Pac-12’s two top quarterbacks.
The Utes could have easily been broken in the first half, instead we’re talking about one of the biggest wins in Utah Football history. How’s that for mental toughness?…
How does Utah improve their kick-off coverage?
Currently, the Utes kick-off coverage is a major red flag and it’s been a trend this season for the special teams. The kickers are struggling to get the ball deep to the opposing end zone.
One week after Whittingham vented about the kicking situation, the Utes turned to Ben Norton for kickoffs, a redshirt-senior making his college debut. Norton kicked off seven times for one touchback, and the Utes got extremely lucky that the return on his last kick was called back due to penalty or else the Trojans would have started their last drive near mid-field.
Of Norton’s seven kicks, the Trojans had returns of 42 and 30 yards. Therefore, not much changed. Coming out of the bye week, Norton isn’t listed on the two-deep, instead reverting back to Jordan Noyes.
Kicking it into or out of the end zone, remains a major problem.
Does this game sum up Utah’s defense this season?
The first half for the Utes defense was an eyesore, but momentum shifted in the second half when the Utes took down Williams when they needed a crucial stop. Cornerback Clark Phillips III would sack Williams for a loss of eight and Karene Reid would capitalize and sack him again, forcing the Trojans to punt after a fumble recovery in the third quarter. That save would set the Utes up to tie the game up on the following drive.
The most critical stop would come in the final 38 seconds of the game for the defense. Safety RJ Hubert would break up Williams’ desperation pass as time would expire.
Even though Utah is still sitting in second for total defense in the Pac-12, they still are allowing too many points. The Trojans racked up 42 points and more than 500 yards in their loss to Utah – one aspect was their pass coverage conceded several big plays. While Utah must continue to clean up their deficiencies on defense—especially their gap containment—overall this win gave some bright moments that can help the Utes improve those issues.
Now, the No. 14 Utes look ahead to their Thursday night matchup in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars. Let’s take a look at our questions for this upcoming game:
What to expect from Utah’s run game?
For the running backs at Utah, it’s been a mixed bag, to say the least. None of this has to do with the coaching ability of Quinton Ganther, who has been dealt a situation that can be described as simply a pain in the ass.
While the situation with Tavion Thomas still remains unclear, Whittingham spoke on it publicly saying that it's been handled internally and he feels that they have things in the right order. Additionally, there’s Micah Bernard, who has been snake-bitten by nagging injuries and hasn’t run at full strength all year. If he was at full strength, Bernard would be the unquestioned lead back.
While Whittingham didn’t speak on who the starter will be, Jaylon Glover should receive increased opportunities even though the freshman has been going through some growing pains at the college level with understanding all of the assignments. Ja’Quiden Jackson also will be another option in the back field, but he’s still really green at the position and all of its nuances since making the switch from quarterback.
It’s fair to say that come Thursday, the depth chart likely won’t be as it currently appears. It’s also fair to say that Rising is very likely to be the Utes leading rusher.
Can Cam Rising and the offense keep up with the defensive struggles?
Over the past two games, Utah has 1035 yards of total offense, and 424 of those yards came from the air in their win against USC. Overal,l the Utes high-powered offense, although slow to start sometimes, have kept Utah’s back-to-back Pac-12 title hopes alive.
Utah has proven that they can win games from passing when their run game has struggled. Rising has continued to prove he’s a dynamic threat through the air and on the ground. Although, the arm talent has been breaking out more and more as of late.
Ever since losing Brant Kuithe to injury and having to make up for Thomas’ absence/lack of production, the Utes continue to see playmakers emerge—at least through the air.
It will be key for the Utes defense to step up and keep their opponent’s momentum in check and slow their scoring drives. However, Rising, Kincaid, Devaughn Vele and crew, are proving that they can pile up the yards and win shootouts, when necessary.
How does the defense match-up against Cameron Ward?
For Cameron Ward he averages 280.3 yards per game, placing him third overall in the Pac-12. While he’s been able to make plays through the air he also struggles with protecting the ball. He currently averages at least one interception per game, totalling eight so far this season. This provides an opportunity for the Utes secondary. Considering Clark Phillips III career high of three against Oregon State who struggled at protecting the ball – RJ Hubert also had an interception in that same win.
While Ward is vulnerable to turnovers at times, he has several playmakers to throw to. Currently his top three receivers have each tallied over 300 yards receiving this year and nine touchdowns combined.
Utah’s pass rush has struggled at times to create pressure at the line of scrimmage, but keeping things simple on Thursday, might be key. Ward has been vulnerable to being sacked due to a struggling offensive line, leading to 26 total and 11 in the last two games.
