Don’t worry about pinching yourself, it’s true, the University of Utah football season is finally here. The Utes kickoff their abbreviated 2020 football season at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday at 1:30 PM MST on ESPN2, against the Arizona Wildcats. In order to get a better picture of Kevin Sumlin’s 2020 squad, Matt Moreno of our Rivals affiliate, GoAZCats was kind enough to answer some in-depth questions:
How would you say the delay either helped or hurt the Wildcat?
At this point I would say helped. This team would not have been ready to play had the season happened any sooner in my opinion. There are a lot of newcomers that are going to have to play Saturday including a true freshman middle linebacker. Some of those players didn’t arrive to campus until later in the summer so it would have been unrealistic for them to be prepared enough had the season been played in August or even September. The extra delay gave the staff some more time to prepare those players. It is especially important on the defensive side of the ball where the Wildcats have an entirely new coaching staff led by new coordinator Paul Rhoads. He is implementing a new scheme despite the team losing many of its top playmakers on that side of the ball. It’s a lot to have to fit into a tight preparation window and it would have been nearly impossible to do had the season started earlier.
How hot is Kevin Sumlin’s hot seat?
In a normal year I would say scorching. In a year like this one it is hot, but not to the point where I would expect him to be fired right now. The school just announced the elimination of 21 positions in its athletic department and expects to have a revenue loss of $45 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sumlin’s buyout dropped from $10 million to just over $7 million after last season, but that is still a huge number to pay for him to go away. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to fire him any time soon. Still, losing more games could certainly change that and right now the Wildcats are looking to break a seven-game long losing streak. The Pac-12 schedule makers did them no favors by scheduling Utah, USC and Washington in the first half of the shortened season with two of those games coming on the road. It is not out of the question that Arizona could go 0-3 to begin the season and run its losing streak to 10 games. That would make some important people very unhappy. Would it be enough to make a move? At that point maybe, but for now I think it would be difficult to justify firing him when the athletic department is losing so much money. He does need to win games this season, however, otherwise that conversation becomes a little more realistic.
What kind of progress had Gunnell made after being a part-time starter in 2019?
The viewing was very limited during training camp and there were only four spring practices to truly evaluate what areas he has improved. The one thing that the coaching staff and his teammates continue to talk about is his arm strength. If there was one big knock on Gunnell coming out of high school it was that part of his game. The receivers have discussed the extra “zip” on his passes this fall and his improved arm strength. As much everyone focused on Khalil Tate’s ability to run as Arizona’s quarterback he had a cannon and that helped the Wildcats stretch the field. What Gunnell lacked in arm strength as a freshman he made up for with his accuracy and that is why the staff ultimately went with both players last season. The staff has focused on having Gunnell improve his mobility as well. He is nowhere near the runner Tate was during his time with the Wildcats, but he is mobile enough to keep plays alive and gain yards with his feet. If both of those things are indeed improved then it will be a nice step forward for the sophomore.
Aside from Gunnell, who are the Wildcats that Ute fans should keep an eye on?
Offensively, I would say to keep an eye on receivers Boobie Curry and Jamarye Joiner. Curry is a sophomore who was high school teammates with Gunnell and is the highest-rated commit to sign with the Wildcats under Sumlin. He had opportunities to go to several high-profile programs across the country, but he ultimately opted to follow his friend and teammate to Tucson. He played last season, but an injury in training camp held him back from truly flourishing as a freshman. This year he has moved to the top of the depth chart and there is a ton of chemistry with him and Gunnell that should equate to big plays on the field. Joiner is Arizona’s top returning receiver and he made the move to the position after starting his career as a quarterback for the Wildcats. He had offseason foot surgery in the spring, but he is expected to be healthy to play this season. Joiner led the team in most receiving categories a year ago.
Arizona also has a strong running back unit led by senior Gary Brightwell. He is taking over for JJ Taylor and has been one of the impressive performers this fall. Sophomore Michael Wiley has also raised his level of play and will be the second back on the depth chart this weekend. Both players are capable of breaking big runs and making plays as receivers out of the backfield.
On defense the Wildcats have lost a few of their most productive players so there are some new faces to get familiar with. Freshman linebacker DJ Mourning is set to make his college debut Saturday and he is taking over for Colin Schooler who transferred to Texas Tech this offseason. Mourning has been receiving rave reviews this fall, but starting his first game at middle linebacker will bring its own challenge. Two veteran linebackers to watch are Anthony Pandy and Jalen Harris. They are the two most experienced defensive players left on the team and both will play key roles Saturday. Pandy will play an inside linebacker role while Harris will play outside linebacker. They both have the ability to cause disruptions and Utah will have to account for both of them Saturday.
If you the opposing defensive coordinator, how would you stop the Arizona offense?
The first thing I would do is try and eliminate the big-play chances. Arizona’s running game is its best attribute on offense because of the quality depth the team has there, so I would focus on shutting that down early. Gunnell is still not as seasoned of a player as you would like at the position even after playing in eight games last year. His receiver group is not completely proven yet either so if you can force the Wildcats to pass the ball more it should mean good things for the opposing defense. Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone is not known to take too many chances so expect a lot of shorter passes. If I was Utah’s coordinator I would just have my players focused on keeping everything in front of me to avoid the big plays and that should be a recipe for success.
How would you attack the Arizona defense?
Until they can prove that they are capable of stopping it I would do what teams have long done to Arizona. I would work the middle of the field. The Wildcats have a better defensive line than they have had in many years with a couple graduate transfer additions plus some added depth up front, so my anticipation is that it might be a bit more difficult to run on this team than in other years. The linebackers and safety positions are where Arizona lacks experience and depth and to me that is what I would focus my attention as an opposing coach. The Wildcats have really struggled with defending passes in that part of the field over the last several years and it has led to big days for opposing slot receivers and tight ends. It’s still not completely clear what type of looks the coaching staff will show Saturday, but based on personnel my suspicion is that it will still be difficult for this team to stop teams exploiting that weakness.
What’s your prediction and why?
I’m still not sold that the Arizona defense is going to be ready to do everything it wants in Game 1. There have been too many changes and there are too many question marks on that side of the ball in my opinion. Maybe the Wildcats surprise me and are better off after all the departures they have had this offseason, but it’s difficult for me to imagine a step forward in the first game after losing the top three playmakers on defense. I also think the offense is going to take some time to figure out exactly what it wants to do as it works through the transition from Tate to Gunnell as the full-time quarterback. Those are two contrasting players who have very different skill sets. This team has been built with a running quarterback in mind but is moving away from that now. It will take some time to iron things out, in my opinion, but there are enough playmakers on that side of the ball to keep it competitive. Ultimately, I think Utah wins it 35-24.
