What more can you say about a team like Utah. They went undefeated last year, culminating in quite simply an ass-whooping of Alabama. Five years ago, albeit under different players and a different coach, the Utes went undefeated. Starting in 2003 and counting up, the team won 10, 12, 7, 8, 9, and 13 games....and also has gone 6-0 in bowl games. They have become a perennial top 25 team, the cream of the Mountain West, and a challenger every year to BCS conference teams. Of course the question is, can they continue their dominance long enough to get over the mythical and idiotic hump that prevented them from being in the national championship last year? I have a few hypotheticals to ask about this, and I will do so after this post. This year, the Utes will have trouble repeating another undefeated season.....but who doesn't face those problems? The Utes should be strong again despite losing some key players.
Offense:
The heart and soul of the team, QB Brian Johnson, is gone. He threw for close to 3,000 yards last year, along with 27 TDs. The top three wide receivers from last year are also gone. The team finished 35th in the nation in offense last year, and could be a serious concern this year as they lose nearly all of their skill position players. The lone returnee from the skill positions is RB Matt Asiata, who rushed for 750 yards last year. The team also returns 3 offensive linemen, led by All-American Tackle Zane Beadles. The team only had a 100 yard rusher twice last year, (three times actually, twice in the same game): Asiata and Darrell Mack (whos gone) rushed for 100+ against Air Force, and QB Corbin Louks ran for 100+ against Colorado State. Lets talk more about Louks. He figures to be the starter at QB this year. He rushed for 218 yards last year, for an 8.1 average yards/rush. He can be a threat on the ground that Johnson wasn't. That being said, he has a long way to go to match the production that Johnson had through the air. Louks played in four games last year, going 4-7 for 104 yards, and again, rushing for 218 yards. Obviously, the verdict is still out and him, and well see how he fares against the likes of TCU and BYU in the Mountain West. The offensive line needs to help him out early on in the season by keeping him upright, and maybe even opening up some holes. It should be interesting to see if Asiata and Louks become a sort of a 1-2 punch, and Utah focuses more on a running game this year.
To understand how much Johnson will be missed, lets look at the numbers. First, remember he was the emotional leader of the team. Could you believe that Utah kicked Alabama's ass, yet they rushed for less than one yard/carry? Well, they did. They had 24 carries for 13 yards, and Johnson was spectacular; he went 27/41 for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the other big games of the season:
Oregon State: 17/30 for 201 yds, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Int,........Run Game: 38 carries for 136 yds
TCU: 24/39 for 230 yards, 1 Touchdown.........Run Game: 25 carries for 45 yds
BYU: 30/36 for 303 yards, 4 Touchdowns....... Run Game: 35 carries for 108 yds
So out of the 4 games in which they played ranked opponents did the running game help out at all. That was against Oregon State. The same Oregon State team that allowed 385 yards rushing against Oregon in the final week, (that isnt a misprint).
Also realize this. Utah was losing the game against Oregon State by 8 when they go the ball back with 2:18 left. Johnson went 4/4 for 60 yards and ran in the 2 pt conversion to tie the game in 49 seconds. The Utes then stopped the Beavers, and Utah got the ball back. He then went 3/4 for 31 yards to get the ball into field goal position, and Louie Sakoda hit it. Utah scored 11 pts in 2:18, and Johnson was 7/8 for 91 yards, a Touchdown, and a 2-pt conversion rush.
Also realize this. Utah was losing 10-6 to TCU with 2:48 in the 4th quarter. Utah was going nowhere the whole game, nowhere. It was their worst offensive outing of the year. Johnson took over at his own 20. He then went 7/9 for 65 yards and a touchdown with 47 seconds left to take the lead 13-10. Utah won the game.
The Utes dont go undefeated if not for just these two two-minute spans alone. They go 10-2, dont even win the Mountain West conference, and go play in the Las Vegas Bowl instead of the Sugar Bowl. In conclusion, Johnson was a winner, a badass, and he will be missed.
Defense:
The strength of the team will definitely be on the defensive side this year. Of course, even with Johnson, it was the strength last year as well. The rush defense finished 11th in the nation, and the defense finished 11th in total defense. They lost 2 players to the NFL; DE Paul Kruger, and CB Sean Smith, both picked in the 2nd round of the draft. The Utes will especially miss Smith since he was only a junior. LB Stevenson Sylvester should be ready to be the leader of the defense. All of the linebackers return, as well as DE Koa Misi. The secondary shouldnt be too bad, despite the loss of Smith. Kruger had 7.5 sacks last year, and his production needs to be made up. Safety Robert Johnson had a huge Sugar Bowl, intercepting 2 passes. The team finished 11th in the nation in turnovers, gaining 31 turnovers. The team finished 12th in the nation in scoring. It should be very good again.
Its ridiculous to expect Utah to go undefeated again this year. I may be wrong, but the last team to go undefeated 2 years in a row through the bowl games was 1994-1995 Nebraska. Too much needs to go right for that to happen. Utah had a terrific season last year, but they lose too much on offense this year to go undefeated, and maybe too much to repeat as Mountain West Champs. Another reason they will have trouble repeating last year's success is because of visits to Oregon, TCU, and BYU. Last year they had TCU and BYU at home, and Oregon State visited Salt Lake as well. Not taking anything away from the Utes, but it's another example of how things going right. This year, the championship of the Mountain West should be on the line 11/14 in Fort Worth. That should be Utah's #1 goal, repeating at MWC champs, and it would be a tremendous accomplishment.
Schedule:
9/3 Utah State --- Win
9/12 @ San Jose State ---- Win
9/19 @ Oregon ----- Loss
9/26 Louisville ---- Win
10/10 @ Colorado St. ---- Win
10/17 @ UNLV ----- Win
10/24 Air Force ----- Win
10/31 Wyoming ---- Win
11/7 New Mexico ----- Win
11/14 @TCU ---- Loss
11/21 San Diego St. ---- Win
11/28 @ BYU ---- Win
10-2 (7-1)
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