No. 18 Utah has entered their first bye week of the season after going 4-1, 1-1 through five games, three of which came against Big 12 programs. With the bye week, it’s a good time to grade Utah Football to this point of the season.
After all the offseason talk about Cam Rising’s return from injury, the nightmares of last season’s ‘will he or won’t he play’ have returned after the star quarterback suffered a finger injury late in the first half against the Baylor Bears. That’s significantly impacted how Utah has looked but the result is still a 4-1 record.
Despite the offensive struggles, there have been flashes of promise and things to build on. Defensively, it’s been a pretty standard start for Morgan Scalley’s group. Special teams have been nearly non-existent in terms of positive impact. All in all, a lot rests on the shoulders of coaches.
The Big 12 title is still on the table for the Utes, who have a valuable win over one of the top contenders already and matchups with a few more the rest of the season. Though they have relinquished some of their control on the conference race, Utah is still in the thick of it.
Let’s take a look at KSL Sports’ Report Card for the Utes through five weeks of action.
Utah Football Offensive Grade: C-
The single biggest influencing factor- good or bad, in this grade, is Utah’s red zone woes. The Utes have had one of the top red zone offenses over the last five years, which only adds to how surprisingly bad Utah has been this season.
The Utes have had 22 trips into the red zone, which is actually tied for the 18th most in the country. That’s an encouraging sign. Unfortunately, they are currently ranked 88th in the country in red zone scoring percentage at 81.82% (18-22) but an even worse 106th in touchdown rate at 50% percentage (11-of-22), which is an alarmingly low rate.
Utah converted red zone trips into touchdowns at the following rates in the past five seasons:
- 67.2% in 2019
- 60% in 2020
- 71.2% in 2021
- 72.6% in 2022
- 52% in 2023
The struggles stem primarily from two different factors. Predictable play calling at times and poor execution at other times. That’s all got to be addressed over the next two weeks.
The encouraging thing is the rate at which Utah is getting to the red zone. They have 22 trips through five games. Last season, Utah only had 12 through the first five contests. The 22 trips are more on par with what Utah did in ’21 with 24 and ’22 with 27 red zone trips through the first five games.
Utah is moving the ball effectively between the 20s. They are doing so with a balanced attack that has included a few impressive individual performances on the ground and through the air.
Passing Game
Cam Rising and Isaac Wilson combined for 86-of-151 passing, which generated 1,176 yards and 13 touchdowns but 7 interceptions.
Individually, Rising has totaled 18-of-29 passing for 346 yards and 7 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. The true freshman has been up and down as you’d expect. He’s completed 68-of-122 passes for 830 yards 6 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Wilson has performed well given the context of some of his appearances. However, there are plenty of freshman mistakes he’s made and needs to learn from. Above all else, he’s 2-1 as a starter with a significant conference win on the road.
It’s clear that this offense has another level of efficiency and explosiveness with the veteran quarterback. That’s the luxury of having an experienced quarterback. Wilson has shown the talent to make plays and lead the offense on scoring drives. His potential is still quite promising. He is still just a true freshman who lacks the experience to counterpunch defenses in the heat of the moment the way Rising can.
Dorian Singer has lived up to the billing he earned this offseason. He’s caught 26 passes for 359 yards and proven to be a capable WR1. At tight end, Brant Kuithe has looked like the Kuithe of old with 17 receptions for 269 yards and 4 touchdowns, as well as a rushing touchdown. Money Parks has 14 catches for 190 yards and 2 scores, while there have been a few missed opportunities to get him even more production.
Those three lead the way for Utah’s pass catchers. Utah would benefit from others getting more involved to create even more balance offensively. There have been a few players who have produced in previous seasons but have been missing in action through five games. Getting others more involved will be a big key moving forward.
Run Game And Offensive Line
On the ground, Micah Bernard has amassed 547 rushing yards on 82 carries. That includes rushing totals of 118, 123, and 182 yards in consecutive games. Mike Mitchell has flashed in brief moments but an injury seems to have impacted his ability to contribute more. Regardless, Utah needs another back to emerge and contribute alongside Bernard.
The offensive line has been solid, and really good at times, but could be better. Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu have been standout performers on the edges for Utah. The interior of the line with Jaren Kump, Tanoa Togiai, and Michael Mokofisi consistently move defenders off the line of scrimmage.
They have been dominant at times in the run game, generating a lot of movement. Pass protection has been solid but not been as good as it needs to be and that’s on more than just the line. Opposing defenses have been more aggressive with blitzes against Isaac Wilson. That’s led to consistent pressure on the pocket and little time for him to operate. Cleaning up protection calls and buying even a fraction of a second more time will be important moving forward.
In the end, offenses are judged by how many points are on the board and the Utes are simply not getting enough. There are promising flashes and good indicators but at this point, the offense is what it is and needs to change the narrative around it.
Utah Football Defensive Grade: B+
Given the fact that Utah lost its CB2 in the first game of the season and has been without the veteran leader in the middle and top pass rusher off the edge for the last couple of weeks, the grade should be more like an A.
There have been tackling issues and lapses in assignments. Still, the defense is performing at a level that should not be taken for granted. But it’s a B+ for the defense because it feels like there is still another gear this unit can get to.
That’s saying something for a unit that is only allowing 15.0 points per game to opponents, which includes limiting Big 12 foes Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Arizona to a combined 54 total points in those three games (18.0 average).
In the Big 12, they are towards the top in a few different categories. The Utes are allowing the second-fewest total yards to opponents at 280.2 per game. They are tied for the lead in sack totals at 12.0, with Kansas State and Baylor. The defense has also totaled 6 interceptions, 5 coming in the last three games. At 24.6%, they are first in the conference in 3rd down conversion rate allowed.
This group continues to do its job and limit the effectiveness of opposing offenses. There have been breakdowns at times but throughout five games, this unit is doing a very good job.
Utah Football Special Teams Grade: D+
There just isn’t a whole lot to write home about with special teams.
To start, Jack Bouwmeester has punted well. Within the Big 12, he owns the third-best per-punt average at 46.2 yards (among punters with at least 6 punts), as well as the fourth-best hang time at 4.16 seconds.
Place-kicking has just been alright with three misses already for Cole Becker. He’s 8-of-11, with a miss from about 35 and two more from 40 yards out.
In the return games, Utah isn’t getting much of anything, which is largely why the grade is what it is.
Utah Football Coaches Grade: C-
Thanks to the defensive coordinator and defensive staff, the grade isn’t lower because it should be lower. There is a ton of frustration with how Kyle Whittingham elects to handle their injury situations. That frustration has grown louder nationally even.
The offensive struggles, particularly in the red zone, speak to preparation not being good enough. That’s on Andy Ludwig and his staff primarily. Whittingham noted in his post-game press conference on Saturday that red zone offense would be the top priority for him and his staff during the bye week.
There are several talented players on offense, that have not been involved much this season. Depth is important, not only in the sense of having insurance but also optionality in the attack. Whittingham and offensive coaches should embrace that depth more. It is quite important to have a select number of go-to players. Yet, it’s still important to maintain balance and involvement, especially over the long haul of a season.
Despite all of that, the team is 4-1 with the injuries that they’ve had to deal with. There are frustrating issues but in the end, coaches are judged by winning games. Considering the context of the season, to be 4-1 at this point is a credit to the staff for having the team equipped to handle adversity.
With a bye week to assess the team, get healthy, and make progress in key areas, this team is still quite capable. But significant improvement over the next 10 days is vital to the rest of the season.
