Runnin' Utes show heart, still lose
I'm disappointed...but I'm not. I didn't really have faith Utah could win Thursday night and, what do you know, they didn't. But I also was bracing for a blowout because, well, that's exactly how almost every road game has gone this season.
To my surprise, the Runnin' Utes were within a possession down the stretch. That's progress, I guess? Sure, the Sun Devils are awful - horrible, in fact - but at least it wasn't another massacre. And considering Utah lost to the last-place USC Trojans by an amount larger than our national deficit, I guess I can't be too down on the performance.
You know, I'm not even bummed they lost. I guess I'm more bummed it probably means we're not going to see a road win this season. That's hard to accept, regardless of how bad this team is and how much talent they lack. I wanted a road win, dammit! I WANTED IT!
But oh well.
So, now on to Tucson. Shudder.
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Runnin' Utes try one last time for road win
Okay, so it's not technically their last road game, but you get the sense if they can't beat the Sun Devils tonight they're probably doomed to finishing winless on the road this season. I'm not going to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that might be a school first.
Definitely not the way you want to rewrite the record books.
The Sun Devils are certainly beatable. They're 4-8 at home, only own one more win in conference play than Utah and, of course, the Utes already knocked them off in Salt Lake a couple weeks ago.
But Utah is, how do I say this in the nicest terms, godawful on the road. They're not only losing, they're getting absolutely destroyed by horrible teams like the USC Trojans - who still haven't been able to find a victory after ripping apart the Utes late last month.
It's why, against a 7-16 team, they're 11-point underdogs.
It's not pretty. This whole season has been a struggle. So, it's really about those minor victories. Defeating ASU won't suddenly save the season, but it could at least provide some serious comfort at the moment. I think we just want a bit of progress, the taste of victory - the feeling this team is, in fact, moving in the right direction.
Another poor road performance, however, is going to be tough to just shrug off. Maybe we should. I mean, this season is all but over anyway. Still, we want victories. After all, we're fans. We want to cheer our team on to victory.
Hopefully that happens tonight.
Utes get first commit of...2014
OL Jackson Barton from Brighton. Nothing like starting early.
Aaron Roderick to interview for Nevada OC position
Not a surprise. We knew if he was going to be passed over that it was likely he would land on his feet somewhere. There is no indication whether he's a favorite, but he is a candidate.
What Brian Johnson brings to the Utah football program...and what he doesn't
The hiring of Brian Johnson certainly sent shock waves through the world of college football today. It's not often a Pac-12 program hires a guy as offensive coordinator who still could be of playing age.
It just doesn't happen. In fact, Brian Johnson now becomes the youngest coordinator in all of college football - taking the crown from East Carolina's Lincoln Riley, who's currently 28.
So, as we try to wrap our brains around the idea of a 25 year old, two-year 'veteran' now leading the offense, we're left with a lot of questions and concerns.
In one year's time, the program went from having the most experienced and successful offensive coordinator in arguably college football history, to potentially the least experienced and clearly youngest coordinator of the last decade.
That's quite the contrast.
Brian Johnson hardly brings the cachet Norm Chow brought to the program in 2011, but then again, he also brings youth and the possibility of new ideas to help spark an offense that, while forced to battle through injuries last year, was down right awful.
What I do know is that this unconventional hire has its benefits - but it also has some concerning negatives and the hire will inevitably sink or swim based just on that.
Well, now that it's official, what are your thoughts?
Brian Johnson as Utah's offensive coordinator.
That happened.
How do you feel about it?
Brian Johnson rumored to be Utah's next offensive coordinator
Tom Cella, who helps run UteZone.com, has tweeted that Utah's next offensive coordinator will be Brian Johnson.
I'll wait a second while you pick your jaw up from the floor.
Johnson, of course, is Utah's quarterbacks coach and best known for leading the Utes to a 13-0 season in 2008.
He's only been coaching two years and has no experience calling plays - at least as a coordinator.
Genius move or WTFISHETHINKING deal?
It might not be true, but Cella is a pretty legit source and I don't think he'd put that out there without some confidence. Either way, we'll find out soon enough.
















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