3 takeaways from Utah’s dismantling of Arkansas

After one quarter, it seemed there might be a competitive ballgame between Utah and Arkansas Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium — until it wasn’t.

The score was 7-3 after the first 15 minutes, but Utah blew it open in the second quarter as the Utes led 29-3 at halftime.

Arkansas struggled to do anything on the offensive side of the ball all night and could not stop the unpredictability of the Ute offense.

Arkansas’ offense was simply outmatched

Arkansas struggling in the first half against North Alabama last week should have been sign enough of what was to come Saturday.

After holding the Razorbacks to a field goal on the first drive of the game, the Ute defense never allowed Arkansas to enter the red zone until midway through the fourth quarter when the road team scored on a pass from backup quarterback AJ Hill.

The Razorbacks put up only 61 rushing yards against a staunch Utah defense that managed to put pressure on Arkansas starting QB KJ Jackson all night long.

Defensive tackle Jireh Moe led the way with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

Utah’s cornerbacks also managed to disrupt quite a few pass plays, allowing the Utes to stack the box and prevent Arkansas from establishing a run game.

When asked why the run game couldn’t ever get going, Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield pointed directly at the offensive line and the inability of receivers to win one-on-one battles.

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The Ute offense looks fun

How often have you been able to say a Utah offense looks fun?

In the Utes’ opening drive Saturday, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven was not shy. Fans at Rice-Eccles saw backup QB Byrd Ficklin complete a pass for 36 yards to running back Wayshawn Parker, and shortly after, Ficklin caught a pass for an 11-yard gain.

Prior to the matchup, Silverfield said he was worried going up against Utah and its versatile offense.

“There’s a reason why they had so much success last year, and coming back in their two-quarterback system causes some headaches,” he said. “Obviously, the double throw, tough play in the game. Which, yeah, we saw it coming, but we just weren’t in a good enough position to make the play.”

Starting quarterback Devon Dampier finished with 261 yards passing and Ficklin added 40 more. The quarterbacking duo will likely keep many of its opponents on their toes throughout the rest of the season as they attempt to decipher the Utah offense.

Utah’s offensive line will get the job done

It may not be anything like Utah’s vaunted offensive line of last year, but this year’s group will get the job done if Saturday is an indication.

Dampier absorbed a few hits, including one that resulted in an interception in the first quarter, but for the most part, the offense had time to let things process.

Dampier was not under pressure too often and he did not have to try to do too much as he passed for two touchdowns and also rushed for two.

The offensive line did a fine job of creating seams for the Dampier and Parker, as the Utes recorded 141 net rushing yards on the night.

Parker had 64 yards on the ground, leading the way for the team.