Following two straight losses where the Ute offense only managed to score 14.5 points per game, Utah needed this game to be different.

Considering that TCU had given up an average of 39.5 points per game over the previous four games, it seemed like this game would be the perfect opportunity to turn it around. Instead, the Utes did just the opposite, limping to a dismal 7 point finish.

Here’s the key takeaways:

The Offense Was Painfully Predictable In the First Half

Utah began the official Isaac Wilson era with the same predictable play calling that has plagued their entire season. Runs up the middle and short passes to the sideline. The result? 29 plays, 86 yards, 0 points.

Wilson took too long to make decisions, the offensive line missed too many blocks, and the playmakers weren’t getting opportunities. It was absolutely dreadful.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said in his postgame that everything will be under evaluation over the next 24-48 hours. He also threw the blame on him and his coaches, making sure to everyone that the blame shouldn’t fall on the players.

One story line to watch will be Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig who has become a lightning rod for fan criticism, and rightfully so. Do they move offensive line coach Jim Harding into play-calling duties? Does Ludwig step aside and is Utah offensive analyst Mike Bajakian elevated? It’s difficult to talk about a coordinator change so openly, as Ludwig has done a lot of good at Utah. It’s very apparent this season, however, that there have been too many jaw-dropping moments of decisions on the side of the ball that Ludwig oversees.

Too Many Missed Opportunities

With their backs against their own end zone, Micah Bernard picked up a muffed handoff on 3rd and long and heroically turned it into a massive 50-yard rush. It got called back due to an illegal block in the back.

Smith Snowden read a slant perfectly, picked off a pass, started running for the end zone, and then stopped and shook his head as the play was blown dead due to a false start against TCU.

That’s just two examples of plays that could’ve completely changed the trajectory of the game, and the Utes just didn’t have things go their way.

Add in a pair of 4th down failures in the fourth quarter, and the rest is history.

The Defense Played Fantastic

TCU got the ball in the red zone 4 times in the first half and only came away with 10 points.

Utah let Josh Hoover go 16 for 26 for 196 yards passing in the first half, and then completely shut him down in the second half, holding him to just 6 completions for 67 yards in the second half.

Holding an offense like TCU to just 13 points should have been enough to win a game. It wasn’t.

This is back-to-back lost seasons where the defense has come to play and the offense hasn’t held their end of the bargain.

There’s Reason For Optimism With the Future of the Offense

The second half play calling was at least somewhat creative. It’s hard to explain why the Utes abandoned the run game against one of the worst rush defenses in the nation, but they let Wilson sling it and lightning struck once. They needed just one more strike, and it just didn’t happen.

Wilson also started trusting his legs, and it caused TCU to be off balance. He even read the defense well and kept the ball on an RPO (finally) and picked up some good yards. Hopefully this carries over to next week’s game.

As mentioned, following the game, Whittingham said, “Everything is under review for the next 48 hours, and there will be some difficult decisions.”

Those decisions could very well be the difference between a salvaged season or the bottom completely falling out.