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The good news? Utah got the win. Also, Troy Williams looked good, overall (20-35 for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns). To go along with him, the other Troy, McCormick had a very nice day as well, likely earning the starting role going forward (12 carries for 55 yards and 1 TD; 3 catches for 55 yards). The wide receivers looked pretty good at times, not withstanding a couple of drops. Tim Patrick had a 105 yards on 5 catches and 2 TDs, so it was a successful return for him. Raelon Singleton had 56 yards of his own, including 52 one on bomb in the first quarter. As for the offensive line, let’s just say they need to get on the same page ASAP. Often times, SUU would have men running into the back field unblocked dropping whatever running back Utah had in for almost no gain, or a loss. Sure, they had some good series, but overall, the unit needs to straighten things out.
Aaron Roderick showed a more agressive style in the game, as Williams would push the ball down the field on multiple series, including the 52 yard completion to Raelon Singleton, and a 57 yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick. Williams effectively bailed Utah out of some ugly situations, including a number of 3rd and longs. Utah’s ineffectiveness on the first two downs of the game made things way harder than they needed to be. Joe Williams had a very rough opener, as he struggled to gain any yards, and fumbled after he finally go going, a major concern about him going into the season.
I’m not panicked, yet, but there are some red flags flying after this performance. I think Troy Williams is just what the doctor ordered, and his combination with McCormick is a deadly one... when the line gave them opporutnities.
As for the defense, out side of a couple series when they would lose a scrambler on a broken play, they actually played really well. Marcus Williams showed us why he’s such a stud, forcing and recovering a fumble, and coming down with an awesome interception. He was in on another possible pick, but couldn’t make the play. The linebackers, Cody Barton, Sunia Tauteoli and Kavika Luafatasaga had a nice debut as well. They were beat a couple times early, but Barton and Tauteoli people really well. Tauteoli looks like a safety on the field with his small demeanor, but he’s a wrecking ball. The defensive line? Well, they were good.
Special teams was good, outside of a missed field goal by Andy Phillips, although the snap wasn’t very good. Mitch Wishnowsky had a good debut, replacing Tom Hackett. He had a couple of punts drop within the 20, and flipped the field multiple times. My surprise was Boobie Hobbs. He has always scared me with his ball handling, but he had multiple exciting punt returns, and was inches away from breaking a couple. It seems Utah’s special teams will be as good as ever (almost).
Here’s to hoping improvements from week one to week two are the biggest, because the line needs it.
Final Utah stats:
Total Yards: 436
Rush: 138
Pass: 298
Penalties: 6-40yards
1st downs: 19
3rd down conversions: 8-17
4th down: 1-1
Total plays: 76
Avg/yds play: 5.7
Red Zone: 3-5
TOP: 38:50
Turnovers: 1
Takeaways: 2
Pts off TOs: 7
Fumbles/lost: 2-1
Sacks: 3
TFL: 9
Post-Game Audio