SALT LAKE CITY — It’s the midway mark for Utah football. After six games the 13th-ranked Utes are 5-1 overall, 2-1 in Pac-12 play and among the national leaders on both sides of the ball.
Aside from a 30-23 loss at USC on Sept. 20, Utah has performed quite well. The five wins (over BYU, Northern Illinois, Idaho State, Washington State and Oregon State) have come by an average of 27.4 points.
Following Saturday’s 52-7 triumph in Corvallis, coach Kyle Whittingham gave the Utes an overall midseason grade of A-minus. He expounded on it at his weekly press conference Monday.
“Well, we haven’t been perfect. Obviously, we are 5-1 and so that would preclude us from getting an A. But I think we are trending in the right direction,” Whittingham said. “It is not a huge sample of work, but I think we are starting to figure out who we are and that’s what happens midyear. You start to figure out who you are and I think that’s just where we are at right now.”
Whittingham added that they’re “a pretty good football team” and can hopefully get better as the season goes on.
The next test is a big one. The Utes host 17th-ranked Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) Saturday afternoon in a pivotal Pac-12 South encounter at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
As Utah opens the second half of the season, Whittingham noted some areas in need of improvement.
“Let’s start with the special teams. We need to get something going in the return game because we’ve been very, well, very pedestrian. We haven’t generated in the return game which is unlike us,” he said. “You know in the past five or six years we’ve been up or near the top of the league in that.”
The Utes are currently 11th in the Pac-12 in punt returns, averaging just 6.18 yards. Britain Covey not being at full strength and likely to redshirt has a lot to do with the lack of success in that aspect.
Utah has only punted 14 times this season and has had just one return for two yards. Kickoffs haven’t been very relevant considering the new rule limiting returns.
“But we need to have a little more of an impact on the game itself on special teams,” Whittingham said.
Such isn’t the case elsewhere. The Utes are just one of six teams in the nation to rank in the top 25 in total defense (No. 10) and total offense (No. 25).
Senior quarterback Tyler Huntley is having a stellar campaign. He leads the Pac-12 in completion percentage (.756) and pass efficiency (187.6 rating). Huntley also has the longest active streak without an interception (133 passes dating back to last season) in the FBS. He’s received strong protection with the line allowing less than one sack per game — third-fewest in the nation.
Utah’s offense is also getting things done on the ground. Senior running back Zack Moss is just 55 yards away from becoming Utah’s career rushing leader.
As far as improvement, Whittingham said he would like to see the offense continue to increase its red-zone production. Progress was made in the Oregon State game.
“We were 75 percent productive and the one time we didn’t score was toward the end of the game. We were just running the football and we ended up kicking a field goal,” Whittingham said. “And had we wanted to absolutely score and threw the ball we probably could have, but that’s something that you know finishing drives on offense.”
Utah’s defense, meanwhile, ranks second in the nation against the run — allowing only 52.8 yards per game. The Utes are eighth in scoring defense (13.2 points) and No. 10 in total defense (271.5 yards). They have a takeaway in 14 consecutive games and currently rank third in defensive touchdowns (3) and 11th in interceptions (8).
Senior linebacker Francis Bernard tops the team with 43 tackles. Other statistical leaders include cornerback Jaylon Johnson (7 pass breakups), linebacker Devin Lloyd/defensive lineman Leki Fotu (5.5 tackles for loss), defensive end Bradlee Anae (4 sacks), Bernard/safety Julian Blackmon (2 interceptions) and defensive end Mika Tafua (2 fumble recoveries).
Utah is giving up an average of just 4.5 points in the second half of games. As impressive as the defense has been, Whittingham would like to see even more production.
“I’d like to see more takeaways,” he said. “We’re still decent I think since we’ve gotten 10, but we need to generate more because as a team traditionally we have generated a bunch of takeaways. So that is something that needs to happen.”
Utah closes out the regular season with home games against ASU, California, UCLA and Colorado, plus road dates at Washington and Arizona.
EXTRA POINTS: The Utah-California game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Oct. 26 will kick off at 8 p.m., and be broadcast on FS1. ... Whittingham said that highly touted junior college transfer Bamidele Olaseni is progressing and is getting very close to earning playing time. The offensive lineman is expected to see action in just four games this season and redshirt. ... Utah has won seven straight at home.
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Utes on the air
No. 17 Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) at No. 13/14 Utah (5-1, 2-1)
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Saturday, 4 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: ESPN 700 AM