Another complete performance, very impressive team effort and complete domination. UCLA has a ton of talent and has for years. They have a name, a recruiting base and the money to succeed. They have underachieved for years and honestly it boggles me. Chip may very well turn them around. They have been better this year and moved the ball on us relatively well at least at times. The mental mistakes and missed opportunities ultimately were there downfall and the Utes crushed them.
Just a few observations after a great win:
Huntley: I can’t stress how impressive it is to watch him play in a system that suits him. He is night and day better than last year in all phases. He is a better runner, passer, leader and will be sorely missed. Being a senior with a lot of experience helps but his transformation this year has been incredibly impressive. Plus he is just a good guy, that video of him sprinting down the field to cheer on DHC, that is what leaders of a team do. His early TD run was a thing of beauty and his accuracy is a thing of beauty. Maybe he would be the same with TT this year but clearly he has benefited at least to some degree with ludwig.
Moss: The dude is clearly the best guy on the field (Huntley is a close second). He has power, speed and hands. He has become a real dual threat guy. He runs hard, almost never goes down on initial contact and plays with heart. Going to miss him as well, I hope he excels at the next level.
Kuthie: Get him the ball! He is a Gronk/Kelse type player, big body, good hands - mostly, and fast. Get him the ball and good things happen.
WR: As a unit they are on another level this year, I’m not sure if it is the offensive format, play calling, or just more desire. They make plays when needed, make the most of their opportunities and block down field. Great effort.
D: total domination. Some bend but don’t break exists - which I’m fine with but as a unit they deserve the hype. Across the board a very impressive effort.
ST: fake punt? Ok. Kicking otherwise without incident.
O Line: without them we have no running/passing game. Great effort, they are really coming together.
Whitt: I’ve been critical of him for many years. Mostly because of offensive woes. Many of us weren’t too thrilled about Ludwig coming back, we wanted a bigger name or someone outside of the family tree. I realize the team has a bunch of seniors and it makes a difference but he gets the most out of the players he has. Hopefully that translates to recruits who see a well run team, good atmosphere and a chance to excel. Utah does an amazing job with the recruits it gets, I’d love to see what they could do with a top 10 recruiting class every year.
Scalley/Ludwig: PAY THEM TO STAY. We have debated in the past what their motivations for the future are. I really hope they stay around. My guess is Scalley will get a few calls from the non power 5 teams, I don’t know if his hope/goal is to take over for Whitt when he retires, it would be great to keep the entire coaching staff around for a while. Pay them to stay!
Only thing that matters now is beating Arizona. Definitely a trap game with a lot on the line. Play like last night and it won’t be close. Start dreaming of the CFP and game over.
GO UTES, beat AZ!!!