Utah Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Stanford

1. This team is starting to look like a serious contender

After a 1-2 start to the season, I was ready to write Utah off completely. The Utes lost to both BYU and Stanford in the first three games of the year. They then reeled off three straight wins before losing to Oregon State on the road by eight and now they’ve won two in a row.

Winners of 5-of-6 games, the Utes are now 6-3 on the season and have gone from a 1-2 disappointment to a 6-3 turnaround team. Kyle Whittingham went from “what the heck is going on?” to potential Pac-12 coach of the year.

A lot may have had to do with the quarterback situation, but after Charlie Brewer left the program and Cameron Rising stepped up, Utah looks like a completely different team.

The defense is starting to come around as well, completely shutting down a team like Stanford on the road, and the offense put up well over 500 yards of total offense, including over 400 on the ground. This run game is something truly special.

With the win, the Utes move one step closer to the Pac-12 title game as they lead the South by 1.5 games and they should be heavily favored in two of their final three games. They control their own destiny and they’re a serious threat to Oregon for the conference crown.