It's often said that a key to winning football games is to "keep the chains moving". So it was with the Utes in this game. Rather than big offensive plays that gained large chunks of yardage, the Utes seemed content (perhaps out of necessity?) to move the ball down the field methodically rather than with big hits.
One key to moving the chains is to convert on 3rd down. In this particular game, the Utes were faced with 16 such opportunities. They converted on nine of these, punted twice, went for it (and made it) on fourth down three times, tried a field goal, and simply let the clock expire on the last attempt.
Let's a look a little closer to see how they did and what we might be able to expect in coming games.....
Of the 16 third downs faced by the Utes, eight of them could be considered "manageable" (4 yards to go or less). Of these, they successfully picked up the first down seven times. The only miscue was when Jordan Wynn missed a throw.
The team struggled a bit more on the longer downs, going 2-8. Jake Murphy caught an 8 yard TD pass on 3rd and 8. Kenneth Scott caught a pass from Travis Wilson is garbage time to pick up the other long conversion.
To me, its equally as telling to look at who was targeted on 3rd downs. This gives us an idea of who has the trust of the QB and the offensive coordinator. Not surprisingly, John White had the team lead for being targeted on 3rd down (tied). He ran the ball twice, picking up the first down each time. He also caught a six yard pass, which failed to move the chains. Wolfman also picked up a fourth down conversion by scoring a five yard touchdown.
Tied with White, and this surprised me, was Jarrell Oliver. He carried the ball 3 times on third down, and went 2/3. That says a lot about what kind of trust Brian Johnson has in the freshman if his number is being called that many times in his first game.
Otherwise, Jake Murphy (2), Westlee Tonga, Dallin Rogers, Dave Rolf, Dres Anderson, Kenneth Scott, and Kelvin York were all targeted on third down.
Which players get the call on third down will be a fun thing to watch this year as we get into the meat of the schedule. Having players who can make the big play when it matters most will be a big help to the Utes in their quest for a Pac-12 title.
Other random notes:
Where was VJ Fehoko? I heard a LOT about him during camp and in the spring. Didn't really hear his name called. The stats show that he recorded one assisted tackle. Seemed to me that Dave Fagergren was in on more of the action. He actually led the team in tackles.
I loved that we were getting our hands on the passes. Six pass breakups in all. Three were batted down at the line.
All in all, there were seven tackles for loss. I have heard some who are upset that we only sacked the QB twice, and one of those was on a snap over the head. Watching the tape, it looks to me like we were VERY vanilla on defense.
Next up: The Utah State Aggies! I am very excited for this matchup and look forward to a great game in one week.
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