Slept on it, still angry
by JazzyUte on Sep 23, 2007 1:01 PM MDT
in Football
4 comments
I didn't sleep very well last night and after a minute of contemplating the game as a I awoke, I'm still very angry. I know I'm not supposed to take college football this seriously, but I can't help it. The debacle in Vegas was probably the worst loss I've seen from Utah in a very long time. They didn't just lose, they got worked like a prostitute on a seedy street just south of the Las Vegas Strip. And now the Utes sit at 1-3, most likely on their way to their first losing season in five years. Who would have ever thought this possible when the season kicked off last month? Definitely not me, as I allowed the coaching staff to pump sunshine up my ass all summer long.
Yeah I was cautious and knew we wouldn't have a great year, but I didn't expect this. I didn't expect to get embarrassed in three of the first four games, games where the offense only scored two touch downs total. I never expected to leave Vegas losing, let alone losing by 27 and getting completely shutout. The last time that happened was in 1993, against Arizona State. At least Arizona State wasn't a horrible program and team that year. UNLV is both and now they can say they shutout Utah. The same Utes who were supposed to have one of the best offensive machines in the nation this year. Well I'm guessing a 40 year old living in his parents' basement scores more times than Utah. Now that's just sad.
After UCLA last week, it was as if the Utes had won the lotto. Well now it's like they took their winnings to Vegas and blew it on the tables Saturday night. And now they're back home, bankrupt and readying a sign for the next day that will say WILL WORK FOR WINS. Sadly, I don't see many more wins from this team. Not unless we fire Whittingham midway through the season and get some competency on the sidelines. But let's be realistic, that won't happen. Ray Giacoletti was given a chance to finish out the rest of the basketball season before he was fired and Whittingham will be given his chance to finish out the year as well. But the writing is clearly on the wall, this team has shown a devastating pattern under Whittingham and I don't need an entire season to establish my thesis.
The past three years Utah has folded when they were faced with a must win situation and thrived when no one thought they could win. Well the problem here is that they're in a 3-game hole now and even if Utah surprises a few teams, it's doubtful that will be enough for a winning season. Can Chris Hill really justify bringing Whittingham back, knowing the hit the University is going to take on ticket sales alone? I'm not so sure, especially when you realize Whittingham has finished even worse than Ron McBride most years and that was after he inherited a better program. And that's the ultimate problem with Utah football right now. They're worse than they were in 1990, when Ron McBride came onboard and built a solid program. Who would have thought it possible, when Utah had established itself as a great program, they would be faced with the proposition of being worse than they were pre-Meyer. Didn't Chris Hill fire Ron McBride because he knew the program could do better than 7-5 and 8-4 each year? Right now that type of finish looks grand and now even less likely than before Saturday night.
Ugh.
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Disappointing
Ultimately, Whittingham has not been a terrible hire, nor has he been a great hire. That is the problem. Some fans are happy with mediocrity others are not. Some fans first introduction to Utah football was the 2004 undefeated season, others have seen and experienced many more Ute games. The fans are diverse and so are their wants, needs and objectives.
As a graduate from the University of Utah I obviously want the best for my school and it's athletic programs. Also, as a fan who resides in Southern California I have a slightly different perspective than many of the "in state" fans. I think it is fairly easy to get caught up in Utah hype, speak, coverage and more importantly attention if you are watching local TV or reading the Salt Lake papers but if you venture outside of Utah you realize no one cares about the program or the conference (Thank you Thompson for wishing Utah was still in the WAC).
The nice thing about the Utah embarrassment in Vegas is that it's not an issue here. The victory over UCLA will be the only attention given to the Utes all season. That needs to change and Kyle Whittingham is not capable of making that happen, PERIOD. Prior to the 2004 season 7-5 and 8-4 were decent to good seasons. Some have argued that 2004 was an anomaly and that we can't or shouldn't expect another season like that. Damn that! That is not the sentiment up in Boise, or in Louisville and that mindset makes me sick. We were a program on the rise less than three seasons ago and now we are headed towards one of our worst season since 2000, inexcusable.
Dr. Hill needs to make a change. While I agree that just because a change is made doesn't guarantee success, it does shows that the University is committed to winning and is not content with being an also ran in a sub-par conference. If we were going 8-4 or 7-5 in the Pac-10 then I would not have an issue with our record and understand that geographically we are not as attractive as Cal, USC or UCLA. However, that is not the case, we lost a game at home to a service academy (Air Force, Navy and Army all merge together outside of the MWV area, like it or not) and on the road to Vegas.
Dr. Hill's To Do List:
- Get the University of Utah into the PAC 10
- Return Utah basketball to a national power.
- Find a football coach that can:
B. Motivate
C. Be accountable for the program, himself and the players.
I lost a lot of faith in Whittingham's ability to lead when he forced Grady into last season's game against UCLA. (You might have seen me throwing up all over the golf course as I made my way back to my car.) It has been a downward trend since then. Last season's losses to Wyoming and New Mexico also called into question his abilities to motivate and lead since they followed the huge victory over TCU. History repeated itself last night, another terrible loss following a great performance. Much like the school's basketball program, the football program takes two steps back for every step forward. Whether it is play calling, his coordinators, lack of talent, lack of motivation or some other deficiency it does not matter, what matters is performance and wins. If he was not being paid to produce exactly that then I would not have an issue with his ability or performance. Time for change!
by The OC Ute on Sep 23, 2007 6:44 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Recruiting
Two things to look for in Utah recruiting that will indicate we have a great recruiting head coach:
- Signing Linebackers. (not converting players to the position)
- Signing physically dominant athletes at the skill positions.
This is a critical time for our football program just as it was for out basketball team. Dr. Hill made a great hire at the right time and I have confidence that he will come through for the University again.
by The OC Ute on Sep 24, 2007 11:40 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Heres whats wrong
by cougarkiller on Sep 23, 2007 10:44 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Against a mid-season change
It is a time to change the coaching and I doubt Witt stays as the Defensive Cord. I honestly think he will either take a head coaching position somewhere else or become a coordinator elsewhere.
by Xanthis on Sep 24, 2007 8:50 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
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