I hope so, as we know, Whit’s teams historically do better with a chip on their shoulder.
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My prognosis - how good this team will depend on:
- Injuries (getting ‘lucky’ and/or avoiding them or backup is not too much of a drop off), and
- Dampier’s decision-making. If he sees a play get blown up, will he scramble and try to make magic, forcing an INT or a deep sack (ala Shedeur) for the chance of an amazing play or throw it away and live for another down?
We (and Whitt) are likely going to have to accept some INTs vs some amazing plays. But as long as the damage is mitigated, we have talent, discipline, and coaching in place that should set the floor relatively high (8-9 wins). But if injuries creep in (happens) or depth isn’t there at key positions (qb, ol), all bets are off.
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I agree. In the MWC days, talent would disproportionately go to the defense. Fred Whittingham once said the ideal offense to complement our defense would be something like the Air Force wishbone. Keep the D off the field, allowing max-effort when they were on the field.
That was sharply slanted thinking back then by a seasoned defensive mind, the PAC-12 changed a lot of the overall philosophy and reinforced the need to have a credible offense. All those NFL bound QBs and WRs changed the defensive calculus a LOT.
On Dampier, if our D can limit points off turnovers to a FG and our offense is able to score, that will have to be part of the strategy. If the offense is dialed down to low-risk… just not a good idea.
Last year was a house of horrors on what happens without good QB play. Supposedly there will be plenty of design QB run plays under Beck, so IMO the hidden story of this camp is what is happening with QB2 and QB3. Preparing Byrd Ficklin and Isaac Wilson are right up there with determining the WR, TE and RB depth. Especially early, give them some reps so we’re not looking at a cliff if Dampier gets hurt.
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Last season, our offense was too predictable, for more than a few reasons. That said, if our O-line is what some say it is, and Dampier can keep the opposition defense on skates, it can go a long way to upping time of possession.
Figure we need our offensive drives to take 4 to 6 minutes and end with touchdowns. It would be nothing short of awesome if we even had some drives last 9+ minutes, like the one in Provo did to strangle BYU. Possess the ball and good things can happen.
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Is Ellis fils expected to play this year? What happened to him?
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“The freshmen are coming along really well. My role is to help them learn the technique. It’s my job as a leader to be able to help them sharpen their technique. Iron sharpens iron — of course, the best will play. But with competition, everybody gets better” - Aliki Vimahi
DT Starters:
- Aliki Vimahi — 6-foot-4, 296 pounds
- Dallas Vakalahi — 6-foot-2, 313 pounds
DT3:
- Jonah Lea’ea — 6-foot-5, 271 pounds
Depth:
- Mike Tauteoli — 6-foot-4, 297 pounds
- Dilan Battle — 6-foot-2, 313 pounds
- Karson Kaufusi — 6-foot-6, 286 pounds
- Sione Motuapuaka — 5-foot-11, 268 pounds
- Taniela Pepa — 6-foot-3, 230 pounds
- Pupu Sepulona — 6-foot-2, 274 pounds
- Semi Taulanga — 5-foot-11, 336 pounds
Utah football: Can Utes build depth at defensive tackle? – Deseret News
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You can teach a lot of things, but you can’t teach big. Karson Kafusi is BIG.
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Remember Doug Kaufusi?
Actually, let me put it a different way - if any of you don’t remember how Doug Kaufusi drove that Coug into the ground in Provo until his helmet came off…
… yeah, Karson is a big kid.
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It’s early, but it’s a dead heat for QB2:
One of the things that convinced Isaac Wilson to come back was Beck’s offense is much more similar to his HS offense, not the complex offense he got thrown into last year (no disrespect to Lud). I suspect beside a year of FB experience he’s feeling much more comfortable… so if Byrd Ficklin and Wilson are in a dead heat, that’s not a bad thing, at this point.
Also, interesting that Snowden and Barton really are getting reps with the offense.
24 days until Game 1 at the Rose Bowl. It’s going to be interesting… hopefully in a good way.
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Receivers update:
Utah receivers have ‘made big strides’ as offense starts to see clarity ahead of season | KSL.com
In the past we had transfers who underwhelmed, like Alvey from Syracuse last year, who had been their #1.
“Come make a difference” - the pitch to former Cal WR Merriweather.
Hoping this offense leads to some progress for that entire group.
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The Pepa kid is the younger brother of the Pepa who transferred to Washington.
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‘Poster child’: How Jackson Bennee went from walk-on to turning heads for Utah football | KSL.com 'Poster child': How Jackson Bennee went from walk-on to turning heads for Utah football | KSL.com
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Utah Utes center nominated for national college football award Utah Utes center nominated for national college football award
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Elijah Elliss will just be a RS freshman.. expect to see him mostly on ST as he continues to develop at LB. He played ST last season in a few games while preserving his RS.
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58F this morning. Just saying.
It was evidently rush week at the U. On the drive up 100S to work in the mornings there were the familiar gatherings on Greek row of aspiring sorority sisters, who in previous decades may have presented a driving distraction, but now still elicit a slight smile, a signal of what’s to come…
One of the things people love about Salt Lake are the four seasons. I work with so many people who came from somewhere else but now find it hard to seriously consider leaving. Every season provides not just that variety that defines Utah, but some measure of relief from the previous season, in one way or another. Yeah, there will be bags of leaves to pickup, but the sprinkler problems can wait until May.
It’s coming…
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“illicit a slight smile”, or “elicit an illicit smile” 
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You know, we have a long and proud tradition in this country against self incrimination.
lol
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I see the girls walk by
Dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head
Until my darkness goes
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Where UCLA Stands in Updated Big Ten Power Rankings
New OC Tino Sunseri came from Indiana, Nico Iamaleava is a QB transfer from Tennessee. WR Mikey Matthews makes UCLA his 3rd school in 3 years, heading down from Cal.
Iamaleava was a 5 star recruit, but underwhelmed in Knoxville. They’ve added OL transfers to bolster a last place Big-10 unit from last year. Very similar to Beck’s philosophy, Sunseri intends to run a lot of RPO and adapt to the personnel instead of forging the players into a set system.
UCLA offensive coordinator says 2025 offense will be versatile
Our new OC and QB are making the big jump from the MWC, but they’re making it together, with Dampier established as the clear offensive leader, so I suspect we’re probably a little ahead in terms of installing a new system, especially with a talented and experienced OL.
How well do Scalley & the Ute Defense help Beck and Dampier acclimate to P4 defenses and the higher level of athleticism? That’s probably the biggest question of Game 1.
On defense I think the biggest question is how quickly Luther Elliss finds suitable depth at DT.
UCLA had a #41 recruiting class, DeShaun Foster seems to be a good coach.
Can Utah pull out a “W” in Week1 in LA? The betting lines suggest yes, but Game 1s are a notorious wildcards.
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Went to this mornings scrimmage and here are my observations:
A lot of the starters did not play.
Dampier looked good. He has an uncanny ability to avoid the rush.
Wilson and Byrd both engineered nice drives. Neither did anything to elevate himself over the other in the time I watched. Wilson looks like he has put on some size in the off-season.
As expected, Nate Johnson saw a lot of reps at WR and in the wildcat. He looked good.
My main concerns are DL and WR. The ability of those two groups to show up will go a long way to determining how the Utes season goes.
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