I wonder how big the emotional loss of Ty Jordan plays into this season too. That loss hit the coaches (especially KW) very hard. The loss of him on the field was substantial, but the emotional crater may still be even bigger.
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Yeah.
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Ditto!
I had not considered that. Good point.
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[quote="Ma-ake, post:46, The one OLineman weāve had in a while who was an obvious 1st rounder was the most amazing false start machine Iāve ever seen, now is the LT for the Broncos, Garret Bolles.āDenverās offensive line was one of the Broncosā most-improved units in 2020, as Garett Bolles took a massive leap forward and the rest of the line provided capable play.ā
[/quote]
Two years ago Bolles was extremely unpopular with the Bronco fan base, both for his false starts but tendency to hold at the most in opportune times. There was serious talk there about cutting him. He cleaned it up, signed a contract extension, and now is a star of their line. It really demonstrates your point about the time needed for OL development.
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The reality that will never change is that Kyleball has never emphasized offense. Iāve accepted that, and have enjoyed serenity on the subject ever since. Our trademark will be outstanding nationally ranked defense. Occasionally we will have a very good offense. We are who we are and we will succeed or fail on that basis. Iād feel ungrateful if I complained about the state of the program now, which is beyond my wildest dreams as a guy who has been watching the Utes since the late 1960s.
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Yes, I think Covid affected our team.
Among other intangibles.
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BYUās line does. Having watched a game and a half of theirs, the one thing they do exceptionally well is pass block. Maybe itsā a difference in philosophy (BYUās o line is pretty pedestrian at run blocking, but they make up for it by having bruisers that cause fumbles as RBs), but they give Hall consistent time to scan the field.
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If you look at offensive stats in the pac-12, Utah has two periods in the Pac. The first (from 2011-2015) in which Utahās offense is atrocious: we are always last or second to last in yards/game. Then, (from 2016 to now) weāve hovered from 5th-8th in the Pac; not great, but never awful. Plus, given our the speed in which we operate (none) those numbers are always going to be depressed [I tried to find yards/play as that is a better measure of offensive efficiency but my two second google search turned up bupkis]. Even this year, when our offense has been objectively rank, we still rank 8th.
So what does it all mean? Our offense is never going to be great playing our chew up the clock, run-first style, but it is now to the point where we can compete. But I agree that the offensive line has been a head scratcher for years now.
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Agreed. Thatās our reality. Iām happy with it. As you know, Iāve had my moments when I felt otherwise.
Yes.
- Delayed (and then delayed again) practices put things into a constant flux that took an emotional toll
- A shortened season didnāt give much of an opportunity to gel the same way or even get excited about the season (players voted not to go to bowl, they were done)
- They way game cancellations and re-schedulings last minute (other teams, including the instate rival also had to deal with this) created uncertainty and like it was an exhibition/practice year for the PAC12. Some teams played only a few games, some a half season
- With COVID front and center all the time, following CDC guidelines, being more cautious, etc., I think that there was just more recognition that football was indeed a game and not all there was to life
- For Utah, as mentioned, the loss of Ty was incredibly impactful in changing perspective on what was importance
- Not saying that this dimmed the fire, but it just is a lot of emotional baggage
- Add in quite a few transfers (some meant to have big impact) and the culture and team was harder to establish and mesh
- There are a few on/off-field leaders - they were voted captains, but there is a lot of youth (last year was REALLY young). For the most part, tons returned that could have left, but still really young to deal with all of this
Just my thoughts. We canāt underestimate the trauma these 18-23 (ok, 30 or whatever for Covey) have gone through and had to deal with, perhaps more enhanced by the uncertainties the western states presented to the PAC12 to overcome.
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You stated my feelings my more eloquently than I did. Thank you.
Hear, hear.
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I read that Brewer attended the players-only Sunday meeting but didnt say anything. I wonder if that meeting conveyed (even indirectly) player support for Rising and factored into his decision.
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Wow, if true, that is damning. He should have stood up and said something like, āI came here hoping to have a chance. Itās been tough and I havenāt been happy with our and my results. I will do everything I can to improve and be ready to play hard and be a good teammate.ā But, he was probably already having other thoughts and knew that he could bail with up to 3 games play to preserve 1 last, last chance. Iām sure he wasnāt happy with being benched (who would be?) but Coveyās public comments that some players are excited and amped whether on the field or on the sidelines were clear who he was talking about.
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Yeah, it seems that Brewer was ready to go prior to the player only meeting, and was being polite to just show up. I suppose we can look at it as an employee who is just waiting the 2 week notice out, going through the motions enough to just not get fired.
2020 was a lot of practice and 5 games for a lot of teenagers at Utah. We were one of the youngest programs in the nation last year. The biggest thing missing was simulating a big raucous crowd, so Game 2 helped. Based on the NFL research on Covid transmission between teams during a game, the PAC should have gotten started earlier, but erring on the side of caution was fine.
I agree Utah hasnāt had the normal edge it has - my best hunch is player leadership, particularly on offense. It was apparent when Rising came in vs SDSU the energy level went up. Then the defense feeds off what the offense is doing, and vice versa.
No question thereās a hangover effect in the rivalry game, something many of us have been noting since we got into the PAC. Presuming the series is extended beyond '24, youāll see what we mean. If we have the Holy War, then you travel to (letās say) Iowa State the next weekend, there will be a noticeable effect.
Itās very difficult to play with an edge for lots of weeks in a row. Weāve been able to beat some PAC teams while not being at 90% or more, but if you show up with a 75% effort, youāre going to get beat. You guys have been very āupā for the past 2 weeks, you might see the hangover at UCF.
Weāre still pretty young, but we need to grow up, ASAFP.
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This is very underrated. Talent, practice, and coaching are really important but without this, thereās no energy, urgency, loyalty/teamwork, sacrifice, or accountability. Execution suffers.
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Kyleball is a great name for what we see. We know what to expect. Reminds me of being a kid in the end of the Mcbride era. I loved chanting up the middle. We all knew it was coming. I agree that is our identity. However, the game is not stagnant, but on the move. I wish we would adjust better. We can still be a tough defense minded team. But at the end of the day we need points on the board and the ability to do that.
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It all comes back to recruiting. With rare exceptions (Bolles) the Utes have been unable to recruit 4-star tackles. Many Utes OTās have played in the NFL recently, but the ones who have seen significant playing time have played guard (Beadles, Bergstrom, Tevi, and Poutasi come to mind).
In effect the Ute o-block has had to make do with guards playing tackle. Some years it works. Some years it doesnāt.
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