Nurse got tore up on that first drive against Washington. He’s going to have to play better against UCLA and Oregon otherwise teams will just keep targeting him. Right now he seems like the weak link on the D.
False! There is no weak link on this D.
4 Likes
Nurse got put into bad situations by really good coaching on UW’s part. On the TD catch, Burgess bit down on a fake bubble screen which was Guidry’s responsibility. That left Nurse in the flat to cover two opposite slants and put him in a no-win situation. He fell down but there was no way he could cover both receivers after the mesh
5 Likes
Narfute described what Hans Olsen shows with this video:
5 Likes
On a number of deep pass plays, the Ute defender tripped up, essentially giving a free play to the pass receiver. I don’t expect a repeat anytime soon.
Anything Utah gets from Nurse is a bonus. And I’d argue he’s been good overall.
The guy has some amazing physical gifts but he’s lived the life of a nomad since he was 15.
He attended Blinn College and Georgia Military College. He played one year at Sandy Creek HS in Tyrone, Georgia and also attended Blythewood HS in South Carolina. He was a ZERO star recruit and had just one other offer.
Once he got to Utah, he mainly just played on special teams in his first two seasons while he’s been coached up. For him to be as good as he has in this his senior season is a testament to the staff and his own determination. Of course, he originally was slotted at wide receiver but Scalley, who recruited him, liked his 6-3 frame and his speed and asked him to come over to the defensive side.
A cool thing is that he has his bachelors degree and has learned stuff to get him ready for life after football. He’s already taking classes for a master’s in real estate development.
Plus, the Utes would be up a creek without him this year, even with his occasional gaffes. Blackmon couldn’t have been moved to safety if not for the coaches’ faith in Nurse. He’s consistently graded high in the Pro Football Focus grades. His height might even get him a tryout in the NFL.
6 Likes