Utah’s defensive struggles this season have been well chronicled.
The Utes allowed Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson to run wild in a season-opening loss at The Swamp.
“If you were to say what’s the biggest thing? It’s the way that our guys have come of age through the course of the season.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on the improved play of the Utes’ defense
UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zack Charbonnet rolled up huge swathes of yards at the Rose Bowl during the Utes’ loss to the Bruins.
And USC QB Caleb Williams and his bevy of playmakers rolled up big yards and big points in the first half before the Utes made some adjustments and beat the Trojans in the second half.
Since then, however, Utah’s defense has made big strides — including in a 42-7 win over Stanford last Saturday. The Utes held the Cardinal to 177 yards, nine first downs and 22 yards rushing while recording seven sacks.
So as No. 10 Utah heads into a huge matchup Saturday (8:30 p.m. MST, ESPN) at No. 12 Oregon, can the Utes’ defense limit the Ducks’ explosive offense?
“Oregon is terrific on offense,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us and our hands full on defense to try to slow that down.”
The Ducks average 42.2 points, 528.2 yards of offense and 239.9 rushing yards per game.
Saturday marks a big November test for Utah’s defense. Linebacker Karene Reid said it’s ready for the challenge.
“Each game, especially for the defense, the UCLA game was a low point for us,” he said. “Ever since then — USC we had to fix some things — we’ve been climbing. We’re ready for this game.”
Why is Whittingham so confident in his defense?
“The way we’re tackling. The amount of unforced errors and mental mistakes are way down,” he said. “Our fundamentals and techniques are getting better. Just the overall way that we function as a defense.”
But what about the level of competition? The Utes have had their troubles against strong offensive teams like Florida, UCLA and USC. But they’ve been dominant against weaker offensive teams.
“We’ve played some really good offenses. Washington State is a good offense,” Whittingham said. “Does the level of offense play into it? No question. It’s ridiculous to think otherwise. But it seems like we had a lot of inexperienced players on defense that hadn’t played a lot of football for us that have gotten better during the course of the season. If you were to say what’s the biggest thing? It’s the way that our guys have come of age through the course of the season.”
After the Stanford game, Whittingham praised the defense.
“The defense, from start to finish, was lights out. They played terrific,” he said. “A dominating performance by our defense. They’ve really strung together some good stuff the last 10 quarters or so.”
During the past 13 quarters, dating back to the second half of the USC game, the Utes have surrendered only 58 points.
What’s been the key?
“We just came away from those games motivated. We knew how good we were and we weren’t playing to our potential,” Reid said. “Each position group has taken the initiative to start watching more film and doing extra work. Everyone’s stepped it up a notch.”
“It’s honestly just doing our job,” said defensive lineman Jonah Elliss. “Earlier in the season, a lot of the mistakes that were happening were because guys were trying to make the big play and not doing their assignment. The last few weeks, we’ve really honed in on doing your assignment.”
Whittingham praised his staff and the players for the solid performances.
“Great preparation by our guys. That defense studies film constantly. A lot of times, they know what’s going to happen before the ball is snapped,” he said. “They study so much film and put themselves in such good situations. That stems from their coach, Morgan Scalley, their coordinator, and the assistant coaches on the defensive side. They do a phenomenal job.”
What will be the key to slowing down the Ducks?
“Just technique and fundamentals. Their offensive line is very sharp,” Reid said. “We’ve got to be on top of our game because they don’t make many mistakes. We’ve got to do the same.”
Whittingham said the defense is playing with confidence based on its performance the past month.
“The defense has got some momentum right now. They’re feeling pretty good about themselves. They’ve had some really good outings. (Saturday) was one of the best of the season with what they were able to limit Stanford to,” he said. “We’re fairly healthy on the defensive side of the ball, so that’s a positive. Knock on wood. They’ve all been playing really good as a unit right now. Very few mental mistakes, very few missed tackles. That’s how you play great defense.”
But despite that confidence, Whittingham knows the importance of getting prepared.
“We’ll work hard this week and hopefully have a great Monday through Friday preparation and let it rip on Saturday,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Utes on the air
No. 10 Utah (8-2, 6-1)
at No. 12 Oregon (8-2, 6-1)
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MST
Autzen Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPN 700