Well, we went in with low expectations and they were met

[Ma-ake]

@Utahute72

I suspect the COVID limitations had something to do with it.

With all the insanity Covid has presented, if we play at Tempe, I suspect we’ll look better, and ASU may look not-so-good.

[BamaFanNKY]

@77ute

Looks like he put up some yardage at USC. Obviously that doesn’t tell the whole tale. Watching him last night, he just doesn’t throw a good ball. I thought almost every pass was going to be picked off.

He was pretty bad at throwing INTs last season

[The_Jim_Fassel_Era]

So who is to blame for the Oline playing terrible against good teams?

[chinngiskhaan]

@sancho

Our offensive line has been fine against most opponents, but it has always struggled against the elite-recruiting teams: USC, Oregon, and UW. I don’t think Harding is to blame. There’s only so much you can do with 3-star dudes against 4- and 5-star dudes. The fact that our line does well against the rest of the conference is positive.

I think some people underestimated how much we’d miss Huntley. Having an elite QB is such a difference maker. Just one game, but right now, there is nothing about our offense that is going to scare any defense.

That is absolutely BS. If we can recruit defensive linemen that can dominate pac12 competition, there is no reason we shouldn’t be able to have at least average pass protection.

It’s either a recruiting issue or a coaching issue, either way it’s Harding’s fault.

[The_Jim_Fassel_Era]

Sancho, this is correct. Enough is enough, seriously, stop making excuses.

[The_Jim_Fassel_Era]

Bentley and Rising were both 4 star QBs. They look like garbage because of the O-line.

[UTEopia]

Bentley practiced 1 day in the past 2 weeks.

[chinngiskhaan]

@sancho

We’ve recruited better in the past 5 years than in any point in Utah football history, and those recruits are doing well against comparable talent.

You want our 3-star guys to beat the 4- and 5-star guys, and I do too, but it’s a tall order, esepcially when there is no one at the skill positions to keep a defense honest.

If three star guys are incapable of beating 4 star guys, how have we consistently been in the conversation for best Defense in the pac? Bottom line is this: coach the guys you have to do the job, or get guys that can do the job. If you can’t do either of those things, you shouldn’t be a coach.

The same goes for the WR coach, if guy can’t recruit good enough players to get the job done, then he needs to find a different profession.

[The_Jim_Fassel_Era]

Right, I’d be fine bringing back Tim Davis or Dan Finn.

[WSUute]

my personal opinion is that the coaching staff does a great job of coaching up in some positions - DL/LB/CB (notice the trend to defense?) and either does not develop or has limited improvement in QB/WR/OL. We seem to consistently underperform or under develop these positions. Just my opinion.

[chinngiskhaan]

@sancho

We have a coaching staff that has reached new highs in recruiting rankings and in the south division. Some might see wisdom in keeping that staff intact. Others might prefer to replace parts of that staff after every loss. I guess I’m in the first camp.

Stop misrepresenting my opinion. The offensive line has consistently been one of our worst units. This isn’t a gripe about one game. I wanted him gone last year.

Our WR group at least took a step forward last year.

[ironman1315]

I also think they took a step forward this year. There were a few plays where errybody was open. Not something we saw a lot even a few years ago. If the OL gets better we can do much better than this game suggests. People are overreacting.

[NewbombTurk]

@ironman1315

If the OL gets better we can do much better than this game suggests. People are overreacting.

Yep. Read in the Trib that we were playing 3 freshmen on the OL.

[The_Jim_Fassel_Era]

Next year those freshmen will be replaced with new freshmen who look better and we can keep using the inexperience excuse.

[UteBrave]

I’m not claiming to have some great football mind, but it seems like USC was loading the box on run plays and sending at least one extra defender on pass plays. Their DBs were able to defend the WRs without getting help.
The OLine may have issues but in that game it seems like there were more defenders than Olinemen at the line of scrimmage on about every play. So, I can’t tell how much of it was poor Oline play and how much of it was 6 or 7 defenders going against 5 Oline on every play.

[LAUte]

@UteBrave

I’m not claiming to have some great football mind, but it seems like USC was loading the box on run plays and sending at least one extra defender on pass plays. Their DBs were able to defend the WRs without getting help.
The OLine may have issues but in that game it seems like there were more defenders than Olinemen at the line of scrimmage on about every play. So, I can’t tell how much of it was poor Oline play and how much of it was 6 or 7 defenders going against 5 Oline on every play.

Excerpt from Chris Kamrani in the Athletic (paywalled, sorry):

What do you think of the pressures Todd Orlando threw at Utah?

Kamrani: It was the right move. Remember, although Orlando was fired by the time Utah played Texas in the Alamo Bowl, the Longhorns did bring the heat on Utah in the bowl game last year and showed it’s the one way to throw Utah off its game. That, plus the reality that Zack Moss is gone, makes life easier on a defensive coordinator. But Utah’s offensive line hasn’t proven it can provide ample time for the quarterback to let routes develop. Neither Rising nor Bentley were ever comfortable back there. It was evident in the throws both had to make. Too many were forced and awkward. That’s because USC’s defense played as good of a game as I can remember them playing in recent memory.

[Jiminy_Cricket]

It also helps a D-coordinator to successfully bring pressure when an O-line is devastated by COVID and the interior is almost completely FR. Not having Covey significantly decreased the U’s ability to deal with the pressure.

Not saying that you are this way LAUte, but there seems to be an unwarranted amount of panic and angst about the U’s oline and receivers. What I saw was a young defense playing FAR above expectations, and an offense that showed flashes, even after losing the starting QB. Bentley showed all of his weaknesses, so I expect QB play to improve from here as he starts to show some of his strengths and as he has time to prepare for games.

[LAUte]

@Jiminy_Cricket

It also helps a D-coordinator to successfully bring pressure when an O-line is devastated by COVID and the interior is almost completely FR. Not having Covey significantly decreased the U’s ability to deal with the pressure.

Not saying that you are this way LAUte, but there seems to be an unwarranted amount of panic and angst about the U’s oline and receivers. What I saw was a young defense playing FAR above expectations, and an offense that showed flashes, even after losing the starting QB. Bentley showed all of his weaknesses, so I expect QB play to improve from here as he starts to show some of his strengths and as he has time to prepare for games.

I’m just sharing an interesting perspective. I’m not a football mind by any means, but it does seem to me that last season we were vulnerable to the blitz, and opposing teams figured that out. I’m hoping that doesn’t continue this season.

[Ma-ake]

The OL play we saw on Saturday is not what we want it to be… but there’s no question USC brought the pressure.

This also opened things up for Bentley to get chunk yardage in scrambling. There are other ways to open up a defense, but it takes skill and experience.

How many bazillion times have we seen over the years defenses have loaded up against the run early, and knowledgeable commentators always say “they need to not abandon the run altogether, have to keep the defense honest”, and then in the second half we’re ramming the ball down their throat? More times than I can count.

Look at last year’s BYU game as an example. A reasonably talented, motivated defense can make life miserable if they guess right. If it’s your first game and they’re guessing you’re going to try & establish the run, it’s probably going to look bleak. For the same reason, if it’s 3rd and long, the QB’s mother is starting to have a panic attack about the safety of her son.

Credit USC for getting the Utah House of Horrors monkey off their back - they were motivated, they’re certainly loaded with talent.

We’ll play better… Job #1 - not turn the damn ball over so much.

[Jiminy_Cricket]

@LAUte

I’m just sharing an interesting perspective. I’m not a football mind by any means, but it does seem to me that last season we were vulnerable to the blitz, and opposing teams figured that out. I’m hoping that doesn’t continue this season.

I agree that we were vulnerable to blitz and we struggled when the box was packed. My point is just that we shouldn’t overreact because of the extreme youth on the line.