The Utah Utes ran into a very familiar problem last season, and so as the new season approaches, the program has to find a way to emerge from that rut and take the next step. It is easy to express this problem, but it is much harder to actually confront it and successfully respond to it.
How Did They End 2016
The Utes had thought they had overcome their longstanding problem of slowing down and losing focus in November, at the end of a season. The Utes usually come out of the blocks well but then can’t maintain a high level of play. When they blasted Arizona State on the road, they felt good about their chances of winning the first Pac-12 South Division championship in school history. However, they then proceeded to lose at home to an Oregon team which finished the season 4-8 and lost at Oregon State. Utah’s offense sputtered against an Oregon defense which largely cratered over the course of the whole 2017 season. The Utes got tight and did not execute with the fluidity they needed in a very important game. Then, after the Oregon loss at home, the Utes went to Colorado to deny the Buffaloes the Pac-12 South Division title. Utah could not win the South on its own, but it had a chance to play spoiler.
It didn’t work out. The Utes continuously bogged down in the red zone, their offense still unable to perform with a maximum of efficiency. Coach Kyle Whittingham endured yet another frustrating Saturday on the sidelines, and a promising season fell short of its potential. The Utes lost to the Buffaloes and then barely beat a mediocre Indiana team in the Foster Farms Bowl in suburban San Francisco. The program needs to be better than this.
Offseason Changes
Running back Joe Williams, who briefly quit football, came back to the team later in the 2016 season and boosted the offense, but he graduated and is now in the NFL. Offensive assistant Dennis Erickson, who won national championships as a head coach at Miami and won a Fiesta Bowl as a head coach at Oregon State, finally retired after a long and very successful career.
The Utes need a new standout running back – they have generated very good ones in recent years – and they also need a new outlook on their offensive staff, one which can push the offense to the next level.
Team X-Factor
Quarterback Troy Williams is the key for this team. Utah has long needed a quarterback to be great. When the Utes get top-notch quarterback play, they win big. However, this ingredient has almost always been missing from their recipe over the years. It is rarely able to stick around – if the Utes get a great quarterback game one week, they don’t get one the next. This team has to get the most out of Williams’ abilities. Unless it does, it will not cross important thresholds.
What To Expect From The Utes This Year
The Utes have been so predictable over the years that it is foolish to expect anything different: The defense will be solid. The running game will be impressive. The quarterbacking will be inconsistent. The end of the season will be disappointing. The team will win eight games and not win the Pac-12 South.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 9-4
2015: 10-3
2014: 9-4
2013: 5-7
2012: 5-7
Schedule & Outlook
There are a number of people who are going to look at the Utes regular season win total and wonder if it’s a bit too low. That’s fair when you consider that there is consistency with this program – especially on the sidelines – and they’ve been at nine or 10 wins in each of the last three years.
That being said, the Utes do have a very tough schedule on the back end. They could – and should – start 3-1 or 4-0 with North Dakota, at BYU, San Jose State and at Arizona to start the year. But from there, it’s an uphill battle. They have Stanford and USC in back-to-back weeks, and they’ll end the year with UCLA, Washington State, at Washington and home to Colorado. The good news is that three of those four games are at home. The bad news is those teams are all pretty good now.
A typical Utah season ends with seven to nine wins and no division title. Don’t expect anything different in 2017 until it is clear that Troy Williams has reached a higher level at quarterback.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Over 6.5
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