Utah football recorded its first loss of the season Saturday, dropping to Stanford in a 23-20 contest. Here are three takeaways from the Utes’ loss.
Utah would end up falling to Stanford in one of their most exciting games of the season. The offense had its fair share of both high and low points during the game, but it was the Utes’ defense that kept them in this one.
Stanford, despite coming in at 3-2, is a formidable opponent for a team of any caliber. After hanging around the top of college football for the last few years, the Cardinal would love to play spoiler for the remainder of the season.
And play spoiler they would, taking down the 20th ranked Utes on the road, likely leading to many questions for a disappointed coaching staff. With their first loss over with, here are three things we learned from Saturday’s contest.
3. Zack Moss can take over this offense
Heading into halftime, Utah running back Zack Moss beat out Heisman candidate Bryce Love in both rushing yards and touchdowns. While this would eventually change over the course of the second half, Moss’s ability to set the tone on the offensive side of the ball helped spark the Utes early. While the game didn’t end up going their way, Utah has found a spark plug in what has been a fairly benign offense so far.
Moss finished the game with 15 rushes for 79 yards and a score. In a game of field goals, Moss’s yardage was impressive. Moss has struggled to get things going in previous games, finishing with rushing totals of 21 and 43 yards against BYU and San Jose State, respectively. However, much of this has been due to the presence of quarterback Tyler Huntley who logged 33 carries in those two games.
While Moss’s outings against BYU and San Jose State were discouraging, the sophomore has seen games in which he has registered totals of 128 and 73 yards against the likes of North Dakota and Arizona. He hasn’t contributed much in the pass game to this point, but that hasn’t stopped the Utes from rolling him out on third down.
However, Moss’s 4.6 yards per carry average leaves him outside of the nation’s top 170. With his backup in Devonta’e Henry-Cole registering under 150 yards on the season, it should be Moss and Moss only who dictates his future with the team. He will look to continue tonight’s success in next week’s matchup with the 14th ranked USC Trojans.
2. Troy Williams has the potential to hold down the fort
Senior quarterback Troy Williams’ performance Saturday wasn’t as much of a revelation as it was a confirmation of what many already assumed. Williams, voted a captain for the Utes prior to losing a training camp battle to sophomore Tyler Huntley, won nine of the team’s 13 games last season. Although a rare scenario, Utah has to be glad to have such an experienced backup taking the field.
After Huntley went down with a shoulder injury in Utah’s 30-24 victory over Arizona, Williams came in and proceeded to throw for 131 yards on 50 percent passing. The senior would log his sole touchdown on a one-yard score early in the third quarter. He was able to differ to his running backs at many points with Moss and Henry-Cole combining for 115 yards.
Williams had a similar outing tonight, throwing for 238 yards and a score. Williams was again aided by both Moss and Henry-Cole as the duo combined for 134 yards on the day. With as well as Huntley has played up to this point, there’s little chance a controversy arises from this despite Williams’ play.
While Williams did force a couple of ill-advised passes late in the game, he has proved to be a solid replacement nonetheless. If Williams limits himself to a couple of mistakes per game in the future, the Utes will be in good hands until Hartley returns. However, the Utes could use a few more big plays from their experienced signal caller.
1. Utah’s defense is legitimate
Many questions surrounded the quality of Utah’s defense after a string of solid performances against sub-par teams. The Utes currently rank 18th in the nation in points allowed, but much of their success was downplayed in light of lackluster competition. However, they clearly proved their legitimacy in both the pass and run game Saturday against the Cardinal.
While the Utes defended the pass exceptionally well, it was their containment of Bryce Love that was most impressive. A 68 yard touchdown run hurt the stats for Utah, but anyone watching the game witnessed complete dominance from their defensive line.
Utah limiting Stanford to 23 points on the day only helped their cause in terms of national perception. Limiting North Dakota and BYU to under 20 points won’t garner national attention, but a performance like this on the big stage certainly will. In light of some of Utah’s offensive blunders, this game coming down to a failed onside kick was a victory for the defense.
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Despite a solid effort against Stanford, their success may be short-lived as they travel to Los Angeles to face off against Heisman candidate Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans. Regardless, head coach Kyle Whittingham should have his team ready to go next Saturday with their season still very much alive.