What's wrong with Utah and how can it be fixed?

And that makes these turnovers that much more damning. You aren’t going to win many games with a bad offense that turns the ball over as much as Utah has the past two games.

This team can win, but it’s going to take the offense not crapping the bed.

Teams get better/worse from week to week, injuries change things up, etc. Now Utah may not be quite as potent as ASU on offense right now, but to say ASU’s offense is 300% better isn’t accurate.

And he had at least two more that were dropped that were underthrown. Id take Wynn’s wounded-duck passes any day.

…they have had 10 losses though, twice since 1998.

Last season was your best in 25 years & you still lost to Kentucky. I bet that’s “the grind” of the SEC, right? 6-7 Kentucky…who lost to Pittsburg…a team we beat in one of our “2 games” from last year. Kentucky, who finished 74th on Sagarin’s computer ratings…Below 8 of the 13 teams Utah faced last year.

How about you run smack when you manage not to piss away a game during your best season in ages vs. a team like that…okay Mr. Expert?

Starting with the Washington game…

1Q – Lacy Fum: Poorly secured ball. Coughed up with little contact.
2Q – Wynn Int: Did not read the coverage well. Credit to the Wash D for reading the play. (RZ)
2Q – Anderson Fum: Poorly secured ball. Barely forced. (RZ)
3Q – Hays Int: Floated into coverage, underthrown.
3Q – Hays Fum: Trying to throw as he was being sacked…on a 1st & 10, Utah had the ball at the Wash 20… (score was 31-7, 4th Q…I’ll attribute that to “the grind”)

ASU…

2Q – Hays Int: Deep ball floated into coverage, underthrown.
2Q – Hays Int: Corner route floated, underthrown. (RZ)
3Q – White Fum: Driving for extra yards, stripped by defender. (“the grind”)
3Q – Hays Int: Floated pass into coverage (seeing a pattern here?)
3Q – Dunn Fum: Coughed up with little contact. (seeing another pattern?)

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…so between those 2 games and the 10 turnovers, I see 2 TO’s that I would credit to a strong play on the defensive players part. 3 of these TO’s were in the red zone, would have given Utah the lead if Utah doesn’t turn the ball over. In every case (as with most turnovers), they could have been prevented.

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In the MWC, maybe the secondary just breaks up the pass rather than intercepts it when Hays floats his 10th ball into coverage…but I doubt it, as would most who watched the games.

I don’t see this as a “depth” issue…other than Hays/QB. Backup QB should have been a priority, but perhaps we did all we could, and just were terribly unfortunate. I know we missed out on a few guys, including a JC guy that you (Wash) picked up. Outside of that, I don’t see that we’re suffering due to lack of depth. Any D is going to get physically & more importantly, mentally exhausted when your offense keeps turning the ball over. It’s like trying to run up a sand hill. No one can survive 5 TO’s.

one of the things that has been pleasantly surprising about this new conference is that everyone seems to see the same thing you do……Utah can compete, its just a matter of getting used to the new enviornment. Utah is not at a big disadvantage talent wise. It will take some getting used to by everyone, but we will start winning our share of games.

…but I respectfully disagree.

“The Grind”, as I understand the term, would be if a respected program loses a game to a “lesser” opponent (Oregon St. beating USC in ’08 for example) in conference due to injuries decimating the team, or a general lack of preparation, resulting in what most would term as an upset.

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I guess the question would be, were any of these losses to a team that Utah “should” have beaten?

Utah had 2 weeks to prepare for Washington. (Adv. Utah)

Both ASU & Washington are, at worst, just as talented / well coached as Utah (talent making up for the Erickson deficiencies, in ASU’s case). I’d say in both cases, Wash/ASU had more talented athletes across the board. (Adv. Wash, ASU)

Utah didn’t have to travel for either of these games. Both Washington and ASU suffered from an altitude disadvantage. (Adv. Utah)

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…so I guess we could say that Washington was a game we “should” have won…ASU would have been neutral. Neither of these losses were upsets…in fact, Utah beating ASU would have been the upset.

…so I’m not buying that this is “The Grind”…at least as I understand it.

No offense, but your theory doesn’t hold because Utah hasn’t strung together a few games against Pac-12 opponents.

We opened against Montana State, a FCS school, then played USC, then went back to OOC play with a non-BCS opponent, only to have a bye before the last two games.

Were the turnovers seen a week ago against Washington, after a bye week, so essentially two weeks of not playing a Pac-12 team, because of the ‘grind’? Of course not. No one would be ridiculous enough to suggest it because it’s impossible to call it a grind when you’re looking at a one-game window in a span of three weeks.

Moreover, as I said in the post, the Utes have played BCS teams in the past at the rate they did this season and it hasn’t negatively impacted them this way like it has in the past.

Your point would work so well if Utah had faced BCS teams every week the past four, but that just isn’t the case. You yourself open up a paragraph by saying, “But now, every week you face a team like you…” and that’s not true – at least not yet. Only two weeks in a row have we faced a team ‘like us’ and the first opponent of that back-to-back, again, happened when the Utes were coming off a bye week and had played BYU the week before.

Again, no grind there.

If this was happening in November, or even later this month, I would absolutely agree with you. But if the Utes are already starting to feel the Pac-12 grind, even only two games into the conference schedule, where that one game comes after two weeks of not playing a BCS opponent, then we might as well concede this team won’t make it through the remainder of the schedule A) without a victory & B) without most their team.

Because if that’s the reason they’re losing, this early into the conference slate, we’re f’n screwed.

The new Pac 12 grind is very much part of the problem.

As SoCal Oski mentioned, every game Utah has played so far, they have had a chance to win. In other words, none of the games were over before they started. The fact that this will continue to be true should be reason enough not to give up on Utah.

It’s the difference between facing teams you KNOW you will beat (MWC)… and facing teams you know you CAN beat (Pac 12).

So far, it’s just that Utah hasn’t pulled any of the conference games out. But they went in with more than decent chances to win, and that’s all you can ask for.

A lost cause would be a team going into every game, every week KNOWING with almost 100% certainty that they’re going to lose. We’re not even close to that scenario.

What nonsense.

Ya, I think I’ve seen that one on a motivational poster before: ADVERSITY – Get thrown off the horse, and immediately remain in the fetal position.

You’ve gotta be kidding me man. You’re either an awful Ute fan, or someone posing to be a Ute fan… or you’re being sarcastic (in the most subtle way I’ve ever seen).

Keep fighting. If Utah wants to make it in the Pac 12, we keep fighting. To throw in the towel after a little adversity is something I would expect from BYU fans.

Because if it’s 99% of the problem, nothing can be done this season, or even really next season, and it’s likely we’ll see only one or two more wins the remainder of the year.

The more losses that pile up if that’s the case, the more likely Utah becomes the lost cause you’re deriding in one of your replies above.

But see, I disagree. I don’t think it’s 99% the problem. Utah held their own the last two weeks in the first half and crapped the bed in the second half of both games. The first game makes sense because they lost Wynn and the team was completely deflated after that injury. However, the second game was completely correctable and not about experience, speed or talent.

Utah led ASU roughly midway through the third quarter. They were holding the ASU offense in check mostly and forced some key third downs that they couldn’t hold and then allowed the Sun Devils to convert on two fourth downs. I’ll give you that talent was a big reason for that, as they’ve got a great offense. However, even then, Utah stepped up and kept ASU out of the end zone, forcing a field goal.

The Utes still led 14-13. The game changed, however, when White, going for extra yards, was stripped and turned the ball over. It was completely irresponsible of him to try for extra yardage like that and any team, talented or not, is going to go for the strip there.

Game over.

Had White never turned it over, though, and I’m confident the game is far closer, and maybe even a better outcome, than what we eventually saw. But because of it, the Sun Devils quickly scored and Utah panicked. Just like that, they trailed.

Now I’ll give you, against BCS teams, the margin of error is far smaller. But Utah has known that for years with all the times they’ve played BCS opponents in the regular season and in bowl games.

You can’t make those mistakes and get away with it. With that said, I still don’t think it’s a talent issue. This team has played stupid the past two weeks and maybe it’s all emotional, the fact they’re trying to prove to the conference they belong, but whatever it is, it’s the main reason, the 99% really, that is keeping them from winning.

You said it yourself, these two games Utah could have won. I think we’ve seen they’ve got the talent to at least hang with these teams. But mistakes will kill you and if you’re turning the ball over five times in a game, you better hope you have a comfortable lead or you’re going to get killed.

Now you’re right about the offense. As bad as the offense is, the turnovers hurt that much more. Hays threw an interception right before the half that killed any chance of points. It was a bad and needless throw. Had Utah scored there, coupled with their first second half drive, and they’re looking at a 17-10 or 21-10 lead. The dynamics of the game are completely different if that’s the case.

But because Utah turned it over like they did, all the talent in the world wasn’t going to help them Saturday.

Correct that and they should win most games from here on out. Don’t and they’ll be lucky to win any game from here on out.

And that’s all with depth and talent that doesn’t quite stack up against many Pac-12 teams.