Grading the Game - Utah

First!

Sark early decsion to go for it that blew up in our face is forgivable in light of what happened now that the game is over, but if we had lost by a possession, we would be furious about it right now. Thoughts?

While we do have a bye coming up to rest Price, I have no idea why Montana didn’t see time. Price’s lack of mobility makes him even more susceptible to injury. We’re willing to concede a garbage time TD but we’re not willing to sit KP? What possible reason could Sark have had to keep Price in the game?

This really sets us up in great position to get healthy and roll the second half of the schedule. After watching Stanford and oregon I think both are beatable. Both have great offenses that will be hard to stop but both are not nearly as good on D as they were a year ago. With our much improved O we should be able to score quite a few points on both teams.
-I was wondering why Montana didn’t get some time as well, especially with Price be hobbled.
-I thought our play calling was a bit conservative and unimaginative in the first half
-Kearse at LB is going to be a stud. Really love watching him.
-Glenn and Parker are the bst Safety combo we’ve had in years
-Dennison is a warrior…as usual
-the D is much better with a helathy Tokolahi

Watch for the D & O to be MUCH improved after the bye. GO DAWGS!!!!

1. Perfect timing for the BYE week! By the time Colorado rolls in to town, Price should be in much better shape, Tokolahi should be almost full health, Q. Richardson will be back to full speed.

2. D-LINE – The d-line looked pretty decent yesterday, but, they still are having quite a bit of trouble generating consistent pressure on the QB. I really like having Tokolahi back, he and Ta’amu combined really eat up a ton of blockers, so hopefully it will start to free up the DE’s to have 1 on 1’s with the tackles.

3. Secondary – Still REALLY shaky, I love Parker and Glenn, but every single game there is a GIANT seam in right in the middle of the field, about 10 yards deep. Every opponent has found that seam, and we give up a ton of yards right there. Maybe that’s Dennison’s fault that he doesn’t drop back into coverage? maybe the safeties fault? Not sure, but I hope Holt has a plan to fix it, because we will get taken advantage of by the QB’s in the PAC12 if that weakness doesn’t go away.

DB’s. Ok it was 305 in the air but the last drive was like 70 yards. This was a weaker passing attack but they did very well.

Amosa – He has to be on that surprise list. he has been a stud
Ducre – I think he will be starting more games
Kearse- had two big drops. ASJ is a beast. reminds me of how dominate Jerramy was at times.

AP 28
Coaches 31

How is a team 4-1 and has won 8 of the last 9. Talk about lack of respect. I get we were low but we should have jumped lots of teams. Hell A&M choked the last two weeks.

Very impressed by the team going on the road and winning in convincing fashion. The offense started off rough, but got their swagger back in the second half. When Price and Polk are on, this offense is going to be almost unstoppable.

Defense was much, much, much, much better. Unfortunately one good game doesn’t suddenly mean that Nick Holt is a good coach. If he holds Oregon to 21 points, then we’ll talk. Having Tokolahi back and playing against a mostly pro style offense definitetly helped the defense.

I love seeing all the young talent filling in and stepping up. This could be the start of a very good season, but the future will be even brighter!

Did any listen to Soft’s post game show – they talked about Montana and what they thought about his future I only caught the very tail end. Did any hear what they said and can you share? Thanks

Have you been watching the game the last half decade? Everybody is going for it on 4th and short these days. Coaches have come to the conclussion that they’d prefer to keep the offense on the field rather then punt it into the endzone. I’d personally like to see us punt more in those situations to attempt to pin the opposing offense inside th 5 yard line. This isn’t a Sark thing. It’s a college football thing. Les Miles does it, Pete Carrol did it. Chip Kelly does it, Chris Peterson does it, even Charlie Weis did it. Relax on the 4 and short thing. Now if we attempted a 4th and short on the long side of the field then I’d be a little upset of the call. If you go for it and if you are 60% successful then I say go for it.

Really don’t understand why Price played that last series. The game was decided, Price was gimpy, Montana has yet to see any action – why not get him some game experience?

I could go either way on the 4th & 1 call. Coaches are way too conservative in general, and I’m glad that Sark is willing to play the percentages rather than play it safe. On the other hand, in the thinner air a 47 yard attempt by Folk should have been considered high percentage as well.

Defense got some opportune turnovers in the first half, and made their own luck by laying hard hits and shutting down the Ute running game. Pass defense still needs work and the pass rush is still to inconsistent, but a step in the right direction. As I thought all week long, this Ute offense didn’t impress me and was a good opportunity for the Husky D to “get well”.

So where has Utes_real2008champs hiding? A lot of bold talk in the prediction thread…

With the injury to Jamora, I was a little apprehensive how it would effect our ability to control the perimeter. Shirley did a great job and has finally arrived. The opening sack was awesome. But then again he was not blocked. One sack, but the guy continued to harrass the QB all day. Didn’t always get there but he was within an arms length on most occasions.

Going forward I saw him at times over run the pass rush. He needs to start zeroing in on the target. He’s got all the best stuff to be a great pass rusher. He’s young, and I think he’ll focus more on finishing the pass rush thru the QB. He didn’t really wiff on his rushes, more like out ran them at times.

- I’m over the 4th and 1 debate.

- I loved the post game interview they did with Keith Price on the radio. He took responsibility for his mistakes and promised to improve. That’s the kind of thing you need from your quarterback, he’s confident but doesn’t act like nothing was his fault.

- In terms of defense, I wish we were dominant, but I also wish we could watch a simulated game with our players and make the corrections we think they should make. Take the classic, “we’re giving them way to much space off the ball” complaint. I say it like 10-15 times a game. What if theY started playing bump and run… Do we all of a sudden dominate? No, i bet we’d give up even more big plays. I think they’re playing with what they have. Also, the defense needs to function as a unit. Everyone needs to improve. Our corners should be quicker to react just as much as our defensive line should get after the quarterback a few seconds faster. I’m not convinced we have the talent to be a suffocating defense. Not yet at least. For some teams, “bend but don’t break” is almost a mandatory strategy. As sickening as I feel for typing that, I think it’s true.

- Lastly, we’re 4-1. Hell yeah. Bow down to Washington.

…he goes 22-30 for 226 yards, with 3 TD’s and a pick, and that game lowers his passer efficiency rating by over 3 points.