THE Utah Utes Discussion & Predictions Thread

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:22 am

SB Nation with a write-up of Wittingham's weekly press conference plus the video.

Utah's next opponent, Arizona, is a team that shows balance. They are strong on offense both running and throwing as you would expect with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Arizona has done enough on defense to get wins as well.

"They're a very balanced team. I think that's the thing you can say about them. They're running the ball well offensively, about 185 yards a game. Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball. Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense. Their scoring points. Defensively, their playing well. In addition, they've got a really good linebacker in Scooby Wright. He's one of the best in the nation. He's a really good player for them. I would say the thing they present is a very balanced team. Across the board, there's really no area where they have a clear weakness," said Whittingham.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:16 am

ANGCatFan wrote:SB Nation with a write-up of Wittingham's weekly press conference plus the video.

Utah's next opponent, Arizona, is a team that shows balance. They are strong on offense both running and throwing as you would expect with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Arizona has done enough on defense to get wins as well.

"They're a very balanced team. I think that's the thing you can say about them. They're running the ball well offensively, about 185 yards a game. Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball. Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense. Their scoring points. Defensively, their playing well. In addition, they've got a really good linebacker in Scooby Wright. He's one of the best in the nation. He's a really good player for them. I would say the thing they present is a very balanced team. Across the board, there's really no area where they have a clear weakness," said Whittingham.

They're a very balanced team.

They're running the ball well offensively,

Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense.

Their scoring points.

Team writing? No editors?

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:33 am

Merkin wrote:
ANGCatFan wrote:SB Nation with a write-up of Wittingham's weekly press conference plus the video.

Utah's next opponent, Arizona, is a team that shows balance. They are strong on offense both running and throwing as you would expect with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Arizona has done enough on defense to get wins as well.

"They're a very balanced team. I think that's the thing you can say about them. They're running the ball well offensively, about 185 yards a game. Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball. Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense. Their scoring points. Defensively, their playing well. In addition, they've got a really good linebacker in Scooby Wright. He's one of the best in the nation. He's a really good player for them. I would say the thing they present is a very balanced team. Across the board, there's really no area where they have a clear weakness," said Whittingham.

They're a very balanced team.

They're running the ball well offensively,

Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense.

Their scoring points.

Team writing? No editors?

Hey, two out of four isn't too bad.

btfd16 · Post by **btfd16** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:55 am

MrMeow wrote:
Merkin wrote:
ANGCatFan wrote:SB Nation with a write-up of Wittingham's weekly press conference plus the video.

Utah's next opponent, Arizona, is a team that shows balance. They are strong on offense both running and throwing as you would expect with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Arizona has done enough on defense to get wins as well.

"They're a very balanced team. I think that's the thing you can say about them. They're running the ball well offensively, about 185 yards a game. Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball. Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense. Their scoring points. Defensively, their playing well. In addition, they've got a really good linebacker in Scooby Wright. He's one of the best in the nation. He's a really good player for them. I would say the thing they present is a very balanced team. Across the board, there's really no area where they have a clear weakness," said Whittingham.

They're a very balanced team.

They're running the ball well offensively,

Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense.

Their scoring points.

Team writing? No editors?
Hey, two out of four isn't too bad.

Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball

Defensively, their playing well

illcat · Post by **illcat** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:00 pm

btfd16 wrote:
MrMeow wrote:
Merkin wrote:
ANGCatFan wrote:SB Nation with a write-up of Wittingham's weekly press conference plus the video.

Utah's next opponent, Arizona, is a team that shows balance. They are strong on offense both running and throwing as you would expect with Rich Rodriguez as the head coach. Arizona has done enough on defense to get wins as well.

"They're a very balanced team. I think that's the thing you can say about them. They're running the ball well offensively, about 185 yards a game. Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball. Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense. Their scoring points. Defensively, their playing well. In addition, they've got a really good linebacker in Scooby Wright. He's one of the best in the nation. He's a really good player for them. I would say the thing they present is a very balanced team. Across the board, there's really no area where they have a clear weakness," said Whittingham.

They're a very balanced team.

They're running the ball well offensively,

Their approaching 500 yards a week on offense.

Their scoring points.

Team writing? No editors?
Hey, two out of four isn't too bad.
Their over 300 yards a game throwing the ball

Defensively, their playing well

They Are

RazorsEdgeAZ · Post by **RazorsEdgeAZ** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:00 am

Salt Lake City paper article on Anu Solomon and some connections he has to Utes:

Probably his most distinctive feature is how unhurried he appears.

That he is almost nonsensically composed at so high a level is no shock, given context: Success and Solomon are not strangers.

He’s 65-5 as a starter, dating back to his freshman year at Las Vegas prep powerhouse Bishop Gorman, where he played one year with Utah linebacker Marcus Sanders-Williams, before the latter transferred to Durango High.

Back then, Solomon was a "quiet kid," Sanders-Williams recalled. "Just likes to work. He lets his football do the talking."

Solomon was also close during his Pop Warner days with Utah left tackle Jeremiah Poutasi (who went on to play at Desert Pines High) and broke the Nevada career passing record that had been held by former Utah wide receiver DeVonte Christopher.

Another random Utah connection: When Solomon committed to Arizona (Utah was among his many suitors), he joined a list of Wildcat commitments that, at the time, included eventual Utah redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Cox.

. . .

He has also spread the wealth: Arizona has nine receivers with 100 or more yards, three with 466 or more, and 10 who have caught touchdown passes.

. . .

Solomon said Wednesday in a phone call with The Tribune that his ankle is "feeling good," and that with the season almost over, he owes it to the more-often-brutalized linemen and receivers to play through any pain.

It was about as much as the soft-spoken Solomon wanted to say about himself, and his train of thought still led to his teammates. Asked if any Utah players have caught his eye, he said, "No. 8. Isn’t he, like, the leader in sacks? He’s just like the other No. 8 we saw last week."

Those two No. 8s are Utah senior defensive end Nate Orchard and Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha, who are tied for the nation’s sack lead with 16.5.

Even with Solomon hobbled, Arizona kept Kikaha sackless for the first time this season

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/1846916-15 ... nkle-coach

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:19 am

Line now at Utes -4.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:21 am

PAC 12 Network video preview.

ESPN PAC 12 Blog unanimous prediction:

Why Utah will win: Home-field advantage might not mean as much as it used to in the Pac-12 this season, but I think the crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium fuels Utah's nation-leading pass rush. It will be enough to push the Utes to victory over an Arizona offense that’s still young at key positions. -- David Lombardi

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 6:32 pm

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:13 pm

looks like great weather. I shoulda picked Anu in RAP.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:06 am

Saw on Twitter that they practiced with the sprinklers on.

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:08 am

weird now it is supposed to be 15 degrees warmer

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:31 am

Expect a close game from the ESPN Blog.

Each team has played in six games decided by seven or fewer points -- that’s tied for the second most in FBS. The Wildcats are 5-1 in those tight games while the Utes are 4-2. Utah has also played three overtime games, going 2-1 in bonus football.

“I think our team knew back in August, we talked about it, we knew we would probably be in a lot of tight games that would go the full 60 minutes and if anything else, we’re going to be a pretty conditioned team,” Rodriguez said. “We control what we can control and we talk about playing as hard on the last play as we do the first play and I think our guys really believe that plays a role in every game. There’s a little luck involved, too. But we’ve been in nine straight games that have gone down to the fourth quarter and our guys, to their credit, they are still playing as hard as they did at the beginning.”

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:06 am

Arizona (8-2) at Utah (7-3) Nov. 22, 3:30, ESPN

Here's The Deal: The Pac-12 South is about to get some clarity this weekend. The tightest division in the country features five members separated by one game in the loss column. Four of those programs, all ranked, will face one another in Week 13, including the ‘Cats and the Utes in Salt Lake City. Arizona got a gift fumble from Washington last Saturday to remain afloat in the division, though earlier losses to USC and UCLA means it’ll need a few more presents to survive tiebreakers. Utah, which has had a redemptive season for Kyle Whittingham, will play its final two regular season games for bowl positioning and an opportunity to remain within the Top 25.

Why Arizona Might Win: The Utes’ overall offensive numbers have been skewed by early blowouts of Idaho State and Fresno State. Since Week 3, Utah hasn’t scored more than 30 points in a game, while the offense has become increasingly one-dimensional around RB Devontae Booker. The Wildcats boast the more diverse offense, a mix of Anu Solomon’s throws to a dynamite receiving corps and the league’s fourth-best ground game. WR Cayleb Jones is an especially dangerous mismatch on the outside.

Why Utah Might Win: Arizona is about to get punched in the grill and dragged out of its usual comfort zone. Utah is the most physical team that the ‘Cats will face this year. Against a similarly-talented Washington D last week, Arizona was feeble offensively. The Utes are giving up just five yards per play, second in the Pac-12, spearheaded in the front seven by edge rushers Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick and athletic linebackers Jared Norris and Gionni Paul.

Who To Watch Out For: The matchup of the game pits Booker vs. Wildcat LB Scooby Wright, who’s been a national phenomenon in his second season of action. Overlooked coming out of Windsor (Calif.) High School, he’s erupted for 117 tackles, 21 stops for loss, a dozen sacks and five forced fumbles. He’ll be focused this week on Booker, who’s authored his own rags-to-riches story. Ute QB Travis Wilson needs to give Arizona a reason not to stack the box on Booker, who’s been held under four yards a carry in the last four games.

What’s Going To Happen: Arizona has not fared well against the more physical teams on the schedule. And Utah might be its most rugged assignment of 2014 … at Rice-Eccles Stadium after dark. Neither school will have much success sustaining drives, making special teams even more important than usual. Advantage, Utes. In a tight, back-and-forth game throughout, Solomon will be forced into a key second-half turnover that tips the outcome in Utah’s favor.

Prediction: Utah 28 … Arizona 23
Line: Utah -4 o/u: 54
Must Watch Factor: 5: HBO’s State of Play – 1: Euros of Hollywood … 3.5

Lofty · Post by **Lofty** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:40 am

Not a bad summary, although the game will not be "after dark".

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:06 pm

Latest from NWS for Salt Lake City for tomorrow:

Saturday - Rain, mainly after noon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 52. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 16 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Possible heavy rain and crazy wind. Ugly, ugly conditions. And the turf at Rice-Eccles has not been kind to players' legs this year as it is.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:21 pm

Javier Morales with his 5 off-the-beaten-path storylines.

4. Arizona vs. Utah, a contrast in offenses.

Utah has a throwback offense instead of one that throws the ball forward a lot.

Devontae Booker, a 1,113-yard rusher, dictates the tempo for Utah’s offense, not Wilson. Look for more of the same with sloppy conditions at Eccles-Rice Stadium tomorrow. Furthermore, Arizona’s defense has struggled against the run, ranking 105th nationally allowing 206.2 yards per game.

Utah has played conservatively although spread-offense-minded Dave Christensen, the former Wyoming head coach, was hired by Whittingham this season to take over as offensive coordinator. That move relegated former ASU head coach and Utes co-offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson to running backs coach.

Utah ranks No. 11 in the Pac-12 and No. 98 nationally in passing yards per game (189.9). Arizona ranks No. 3 in the conference and No. 14 in the nation averaging 306.7 yards.

Wilson and Thompson have combined for only 277 attempts, completing a respectable 63 percent (167), for 1,899 yards.

Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon almost has as many completions (245) as Utah has as attempts. Solomon has completed 58 percent of his 441 attempts for 3,058 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Solomon became the fifth Arizona quarterback to join the 3,000-yard club in the win over Washington last week. He joined Nick Foles, Matt Scott, Willie Tuitama and Jason Johnson.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:44 pm

So where does Wilson stand against a 1000 yard year. He has to be close I would think

BearDown89 · Post by **BearDown89** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:08 pm

azcat49 wrote:So where does Wilson stand against a 1000 yard year. He has to be close I would think

http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/29/ ... index.html

867 yards

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:14 pm

Marcus Luttrell, the "Lone Survivor", gave a tremendous motivational speech to the Alabama football team. Here is the best complete video I could find.

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:17 pm

I really hate to say it but I think we get rocked tomorrow. Just manhandled. Score might be relatively close but it'll be no doubt who won the game physically

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:10 pm

Sports Guys for Utah.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:28 pm

With the poor weather affecting passing and Solomon's gimpy ankle I wonder if we will see a bit of Randall?

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:54 pm

scumdevils86 wrote:I really hate to say it but I think we get rocked tomorrow. Just manhandled. Score might be relatively close but it'll be no doubt who won the game physically

Not surprised. Do you ever have us winning?

I would argue that Utah had a more physical front DL 2 years ago with Star L. and yet we rushed for over 300 yards on them. I would also argue that Utah knew exactly what was coming LY in regards to KaDeem getting the ball and we still rushed for 300 yards. They knew what was coming last year and had every opportunity to stop it yet they couldn't. This year though they will manhandle us? Interesting.

The flip side to that is Utah has always come into the game with this physical running game that was going to be difficult for Arizona to stop and yet we've been able to do so the last 2 years. Even worse for Utah in my mind TY is they can't throw the ball which makes guys like Tevis, Scooby, Bondurant and Ippolito even more effective as that's what they do best.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:02 pm

dc4azcats wrote:I would argue that Utah had a more physical front DL 2 years ago with Star L. and yet we rushed for over 300 yards on them. I would also argue that Utah knew exactly what was coming LY in regards to KaDeem getting the ball and we still rushed for 300 yards. They knew what was coming last year and had every opportunity to stop it yet they couldn't. This year though they will manhandle us. Interesting.

The flip side to that is Utah has always come into the game with this physical running game that was going to be difficult for Arizona to stop and yet we've been able to do so the last 2 years. Even worse for Utah in my mind TY is they can't throw the ball which makes guys like Tevis, Scooby, Bondurant and Ippolito even more effective as that's what they do best.

I'm curious how the Cats will handle the Utah D-line particularly because of how they handled Star two years ago. They schemed that one perfectly and kept him away from the ball. This time around they may be more balanced and it may be tougher to stay away from one guy, but last year RR outschemed Whittingham yet again. Travis Wilson is a warrior...and he's been someone who hasn't really been the factor in a lot of games.

It's the same old song as it has been all season - Arizona goes as far as Solomon can take them. If he can make some timely throws and not turn the ball over, the Cats can win this.

threenumberones · Post by **threenumberones** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:43 pm

I think we get steamrolled tomorrow. Beat like a drum in the trenches, and no running game causes the O to sputter. Utah runs for over 200 as well. Just one of those games you don't have a good feeling about.

Of course all that means is that we probably come out of there with a W. Hey it's Arizona football.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:02 pm

The one thing that worries me is that Anu is not a threat on the zone read like BJ was. It makes Wilson less effective and I believe that is why our run totals are down.

I still like the cats to win but our QB position scares me. Not sure Anu is even close to 100% and given what is expected a stiff wind, it should hinder our pass game. Throw a backup in and who knows.

Cats find a way again, 21-17

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:31 pm

azcat49 wrote:The one thing that worries me is that Anu is not a threat on the zone read like BJ was. It makes Wilson less effective and I believe thatvis why our run yotals are down.

I still like the cats to win but our QB position scares me. Not sure Anu is even close to 100% and given what is expected a stiff wind, it should hinder our pass game. Throw a backup in and who knows.

Cats find a way again, 21-17

Agree. We either have to run some fly sweeps or Anu has to be able to run when it's there and I think it will be there a lot. That being said, Utah usually plays off our WR's so the quick out will be there for 5 to 6 yards a pop and I think that is there even in the rain.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:42 pm

Like you have pointed out DC, even with our shortcomings, Anu and company find a way to win. Cal, Oregon, UDUB and who knows. At some point you just got to believe they get it done

CBCat · Post by **CBCat** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:42 am

Brother getting married this weekend. Gonna have to catch this one late tonight or tomorrow morning when I get up.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:45 am

Brad Allis' pre-game podcast + some basketball stuff.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 8:38 am

Some guy named Gimino with his 5 things to watch and his prediction.

The Arizona-Utah game features Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright, who leads the nation in tackles for loss (2.1 per game) and is a finalist for two major awards and Utah defensive end Nate Orchard, the national leader in sacks (16.5 per game).

Get this: Orchard, a former receiver who is now a force off the edge at 255 pounds, is the second smallest player on Utah's front seven. The other end, Hunter Dimick, has nine sacks.

Scooby or Orchard? Whoever has the bigger game here could end up being Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 8:47 am

http://weatherdaddy.us/weatherdaddy/index.html?q=84101

prh · Post by **prh** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:00 am

The weather may be bad, but we're getting lucky. The last two days have warmed up quite a bit, a few days ago the highs were 35 and below. It's gonna rain (already started a few minutes ago actually), but I would take rain and 50 over dry and 28 degrees.

And seriously, they aren't going to roll us, I don't care how bad the offense has been lately. Their offense has just not been able to be consistent enough to score many points. The defense is good, but the gap between their offense and ours is way bigger than the gap in our defenses. This is going to be a great game. They may win but we'll be fighting to the end for sure. Especially if it is tied late, I like our chances. Their offense goes into the most conservative shell late when tied, basically trying to get to overtime.

Augdogs · Post by **Augdogs** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:08 am

Game day unanimously picked Utah saying they're too physical.

azpenguin · Post by **azpenguin** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:50 am

Low 40s and rain. Temp probably had already peaked for the game. This one's gonna hurt for both teams.

Katzenfreund · Post by **Katzenfreund** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:13 am

prh · Post by **prh** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:56 am

47 degrees on campus right now. Rain has stopped at my house, I'm about a mile west. Hopefully it holds off a bit more.

Ok so I tried adding a pic, didn't work, so I tweeted it...anyways, this is my view, and you can see Rice-Eccles in the far left...

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:23 pm

Line now at -5.5.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:17 pm

College ball. So unpredictable. Would've never predicted this. Hope Solomon can play against ASU.

OSUCat · Post by **OSUCat** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:21 pm

gumby wrote:College ball. So unpredictable. Would've never predicted this. Hope Solomon can play against ASU.

With how bad Utah offense has been all this year, I thought this could happen.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:22 pm

gumby wrote:College ball. So unpredictable. Would've never predicted this. Hope Solomon can play against ASU.

I was thinking all week while this looked like a low scoring affair that Arizona would have a tough time winning with the weather, I bet it ends up being the complete opposite.

Of course if I had posted that, we would have lost 10-7.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:32 pm

OSUCat wrote:
gumby wrote:College ball. So unpredictable. Would've never predicted this. Hope Solomon can play against ASU.
With how bad Utah offense has been all this year, I thought this could happen.

42 against them in weather on the road? You da man.

OSUCat · Post by **OSUCat** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:34 pm

gumby wrote: 42 against them in weather on the road? You da man.

Has nothing about Arizona scoring 42. I figured that the score could have been 10 to 31, either way a blowout.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:38 pm

I would like to thank Greg Hansen, Desmond Howard, and the entire ESPN staff for thinking Arizona isn't physical and can't handle Utah and the weather.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:39 pm

You remain da man.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:41 pm

UAEebs86 wrote:I would like to thank Greg Hansen, Desmond Howard, and the entire ESPN staff for thinking Arizona isn't physical and can't handle Utah and the weather.

And folks upthread. Cool stat.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:51 pm

This is weird. Not quite 5:00 yet and our game is over. Weird.

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:17 pm

I was off by 2 yards. We rushed for 298 and didn't crack the 300 yard mark. SMH

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:20 pm

Yep, you nailed it DC. Well done

Login • Register