The undefeated University of Utah matched up against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday evening. The Utes were without starting quarterback Tyler Huntley, but backup senior quarterback Troy Williams was hoping to fill the void. Utah never led after halftime as back-to-back interceptions from Williams ended up being the Utes' demise. A late touchdown by the Utes was not enough in a 23-20 defeat, giving Utah its first loss of the season.
Offense
Williams completed 20 of 39 passes for 238 yards. Unfortunately, most of those completions came down the stretch to make those numbers look more acceptable. Furthermore, coach Kyle Whittingham was less than impressed with his quarterback's play after the loss: “We’ve got to be more efficient throwing the ball.” In terms of the running game, the Utes ran for 144 yards with two players rushing over 50 yards apiece. However, because Utah was behind in the fourth quarter by two scores, the effective running game was overtaken by yards through the air in hopes the Utes could catch up quicker. In the end, a lackluster passing game overshadowed an effective rushing attack.
Grade: C
Defense
Coming into the matchup against Stanford, the Utes' defense seemed poised to stop one of the best running backs in college football. Instead, Stanford running back Bryce Love ran circles around the Utes. Love accounted for 152 yards on the ground. On one play, he ran 68 yards for a touchdown, gashing the Utes' defense, which expected to do more. The Stanford passing game was not the issue for the Utes' defense, even as Stanford used two quarterbacks in the contest. The goal was for Stanford to run the ball as much as possible, hoping that Love would break one off. Stanford succeeded.
Grade: C-
Special teams:
It’s not that the Utah special teams was bad. It wa fine enough, but the Utes were not as efficient as we usually see. Kicker Matt Gay, who hadn't missed a field goal all season, missed one of his field goals in the first half. That error ended up being the difference in a close ballgame. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky only averaged 42.3 yards per kick against the Cardinal. One of the nation's best punters, who after the first two games of the season was averaging over 51 yards per punt, has looked a lot more pedestrian over his last three games. The kicking and punting returns were minimal for the Utes. Boobie Hobbs only accrued 14 yards on three attempts in the punt receiving department.
Grade: B
Coaching
The Utah coaching staff did enough to keep the Utes in the game. But the two interceptions really stymied the offense. Offensive coordinator Troy Taylor must have had confidence going back to Williams after he threw his first interception. But the coach's logic to have Williams throw another deep ball makes him look like the fool when short passes and the running game should have been what the home team relied on. Defensively, coach Whittingham must have been happy with the stout run defense until Love’s 18th carry when he ran rampant for a touchdown. Love was coming into the game averaging 217.6 rushing yards per game and the Utes held him under that number considerably, but they didn’t have the luxury of allowing Love even one long run. On a positive note, the penalties were down to only seven for 62 yards, a major improvement from the start of the season.
Grade: C+
Overall
The Utes really could have marched into the Coliseum next week undefeated; however, they left too many plays on the field to stay perfect against the Cardinal. Now, they will have to regroup and take on one of the Pac-12’s best teams in the USC Trojans. If the Utes have any real shot next week, hopefully they will have their starting quarterback Tyler Huntley back as well as a defense that won't allow big plays to an explosive offense.
Grade: C
Shane Reinhard is a graduate of Weber State University and a teacher and coach at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden, Utah. Email: sreinhard@stjosephutah.com. Follow on Twitter @hoopsters12.