The University of Utah fell to the No. 18 UCLA Bruins in Pasadena on Saturday 42-32. The No. 11 Utes controlled the clock nearly eight minutes longer than the Bruins, but they were outgained in the yardage, 511-479. The Bruins also won the turnover battle, despite a late pick-six when the game was no longer in question.
Here are the takeaways from the game:
All is not lost
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made a great point during his postgame press conference, noting that the team was in the same position at this point in 2021. That’s a fairly accurate statement. The 2021 Pac-12 champs were 3-0 in conference play before their lone loss to Oregon State, which was their seventh overall game of the season. This time Utah was 2-0 in conference play and this was their sixth overall game.
Can the team regroup and recapture that 2021 magic? It’s possible, but they’ll need to find answers fast, facing a USC offense next week that’s more explosive than what they just faced in Pasadena.
It was another slow start
The Utah offense punted on their first two possessions, had the interception on their third, and settled for a 23 yard field goal on their fourth. It’s six games into the 2022 season and the offense hasn’t really had any ideal starts to their games.
There really doesn’t seem to be any rhyme, reason, or fix to it. If it can happen, this team would be tough to beat going forward.
The defense struggled doing it’s 1/11 and UCLA capitalized on it
Kyle Whittingham says time and time again that everyone just needs to focus on their 1/11. That’s easier said than done, as UCLA gashed Utah time and time again with big plays, as the defenders struggled with gap containment. The Bruins punted two times by the five minute mark in the first half. From that point on, they’d never punt again. Of their remaining eight possessions–not counting the one and two play drives to end the half and the game–they missed a field goal, gave up the late pick-six, and scored eight touchdowns. Simply put, Utah’s defense had no real answers.
The performance was similar to their loss against Florida, but different in the fact that Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t do much damage on the ground. He didn’t have to though, as Zach Charbonnet bulldozed his way to 198 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries–forcing numerous missed tackles in the process. Receiver Logan Loya had the back-breaking touchdown of 70 yards, 68 of which were yards after the catch, running untouched.
Unquestionably, this is a game that the Utah defense will want to move on from fast.
The offense put up impressive numbers, but they also fell flat
This offense performs best when Cam Rising is in a rhythm and unleashed to do his magic. Against UCLA, he had two turnovers, which are un-Cam like. However, when Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig opened up the playbook, the Utah signal-caller made things happen with his arms, legs, and he trusted his playmakers more than he has all year. Eight guys caught two or more passes, and three had over 45 yards, including Devaughn Vele (87 yards), Dalton Kincaid (67 yards), and Money Parks (46 yards). Freshman Makai Cope also made timely plays.
Utah’s rushing attack averaged 4.5 yards per carry, with Tavion Thomas and Cam Rising having 91 and 59, respectively. Although this can be viewed as an area of frustration, as Ludwig called questionable running plays countless times on third and 5+, most of which came up short. The reasoning will likely be an analytical one or something they notice on film. Whatever the case, it wasn’t working.
Special teams also deserves their share of the blame
After years of dominating special teams play, the Utes have come back down to Earth in that department. Jordan Noyes missed a 43 yard field goal before the end of the first half, as Utah looked to pull within one. It didn’t stop there, however, as UCLA return man Kazmeir Allen had three kickoff returns for 103 yards, with a long of 43 to start the second half. The root cause all goes back to the takeaway about each guy doing their 1/11. The players on special teams need to do a better job focusing on their gap assignment.
Up next
The Utes should still be ranked at the tail-end of the Top 25 when they face the USC Trojans, who as of typing this, are in a tough battle with Washington State. The positive to the UCLA loss is that there are no more divisions, so it’s a wide-open race for the top two Pac-12 spots. However, it’s imperative that the Utes have their best performance of 2022 next week in Salt Lake, if they want to keep fighting for the opportunity to defend their 2021 Pac-12 title.
