Oh dear. Where do I start? First off, I was in class for most of the first half. I thought that I had it recording at home but [luckily?] it wasn't actually recording. First off, I didn't expect Utah to actually win this game. I was hoping they would and I thought that their chances were maybe 30%. After watching the game, this is what I came up with.Matt Asiata was exactly what Utah was looking for. In his 4 carries, he looked way better than any of Utah's other options. Unfortunately, he is out (hopefully with a medical redshirt) due to a broken leg. Utah's 2nd, 3rd and 4th options at runningback wouldn't even start at Utah State... Utah's running game is going to be a lot like it was last year - mostly nonexistent.
Brian Johnson looked pretty good as well. Unfortunately, Utah's weak offensive line wasn't allowing him (or Grady) much time to throw. He completed only one less throw than Grady, while attempting 11 fewer passes, before leaving the game for 3-5 weeks with a separated shoulder. Grady looked better than he did last year. His mobility was much improved. Last year he looked afraid to run, while this year he was moving on almost every play. He'll be good enough to win against Air Force, UNLV and Utah State, but Utah's run defense will probably struggle against Air Force. Overall Utah looked soft. They looked like they could have used another 3-weeks of fall camp. The whole football team has become as soft as Luke Nevill.
I'm now pulling for Oregon State to win the PAC-10. They have very strong offensive and defensive lines and their quarterback switcherooing didn't seem to hamper their momentum much. It was fun to watch Yvenson Benson (their runningback, pronounced Evenson). He was rarely (if ever) tackled by a single player. He's got speed (although he was caught from behind a couple of times) and knack for finding the holes. He's got a real shot at the Doak Walker award.
The first game of the season is always an eye-opener. My expectations of the season have been drastically reduced. As long as the Utes can beat BYU...
4 comments:
I forgot to add that towards the end of the game when Grady was making short passes and letting his receivers make the plays, the Utes were looking better. They've got lots of great receivers and this will probably be their game plan the next few games.
Painful. All I have to say is painful. Way to find the positives though.
All I can say is that I honestly just feel bad. Utah won't have the team that they were hoping (in large part due to injuries). Reminds all too much of the BYU teams from a few years ago. Fans excited for "promising" seasons and injuries reduced teams to second and third stringers that lost to bad Stanford teams. Having watched Air Force today, Utah better figure out how to score points because I don't think AF will be a pushover like everyone expects. (Especially since Air Force is traditionally good early in the season).
Gooooo Cougars!!!!!!!!!!!! From Sean
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