Pac-12 Football: Five things learned in Week 2

Sep 11, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Kendal Thompson (1) looks downfield during the second half against the Utah State Aggies at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

2. Utah’s Quarterback Play Is Still Hurting The Team

The Utah Utes are a very good football team with an unfortunate Achilles’ Heel: they cannot pass the ball. The Utes have a dominating defense, and that group showed up again in week 2 against in-state rivals Utah State. The Aggies scored just 14 points against Utah, intercepting Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton twice and forcing a fumble. On the other side of the ball, the Utah ground game was in full effect, churning out 195 yards on 44 carries, for a respectable 4.4 yards per carry.

However, the quarterback play was again poor. Starter Travis Wilson went just 9/12 for 76 yards before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. His back-up, Kendall Thompson, was 8-10 for 56 yards. The two combined for 132 yards on 22 attempts, or just six yards per throw. That is bad, especially given that their opponents play in the Mountain West conference, not the Pac-12. Some of the poor performance can be blamed on the conservative scheme the Utes run, but plenty is on the player’s themselves.

Utah has probably the worst quarterback play of any team in the top-25, and that trend looks to continue. If Kendall Thompson can step up and hit some big throws down the field, then this team is suddenly dangerous. As it is, they are just another tough out in the loaded Pac-12 South.

Next: Oregon Is Taking A Step Back