It wasn’t an ideal Saturday at all for Utah football, but when it was all said and done, they came away with a victory on the road against the Baylor Bears.
The Ute offense was absolutely anemic in this contest, especially in the first half, scoring just three points heading into the break. The second half didn’t bring much more success, but 20 points were enough to give Kyle Whittingham’s squad the victory.
Baylor, meanwhile, continued to struggle. The defense had success against Utah’s backup passers, but it was another tough week overall for Dave Aranda and Co. Sawyer Robertson finished 10-of-25 on the day for 167 yards and two interceptions.
A loss to Utah is no embarrassment, but after this result, compounded with the loss to Texas State in the season-opener, has to have Aranda’s seat in Waco heating up significantly.
For Utah, this road win ultimately comes with the attitude of “a win is a win.” Baylor’s struggles aside, the Utes did what they needed to do to come away with a victory.
1. Cam Rising can’t return soon enough
Utah football was able to get the job done without its starting quarterback in the season-opening win over Florida, but the cracks really started to show against Baylor this week. If Cam Rising isn’t back soon, this team could have a potentially great season derailed.
The struggles in the passing game this week were mighty. Bryson Barnes went 6-of-19 for 71 yards and an interception. Nate Johnson had a better day, going 6-of-7 for 82 yards, but it didn’t completely salvage things.
Fortunately for Utah, the rushing attack was extremely effective on Saturday. Ja’Quinden Jackson led the way with 129 yards on 19 carries, and as a team, Utah gained 224 yards and two scores on 47 rushes. Those two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, as Utah finally put away the Bears.
Baylor hands Utah the win in Waco. Wow. pic.twitter.com/LuUF4NDhqu
— JWP Sports / CFBAlerts (@JWPSports) September 9, 2023
Baylor had its struggles, and Utah was able to take advantage of that with a one-dimensional attack on Saturday. They won’t be able to win solely on the ground against teams like UCLA, Oregon, Washington, and USC.
Utah is extremely fortunate that its schedule shook out in a way that gave them a reeling Baylor this week, but they desperately need Cam Rising back. Without an effective passing attack, they’ll struggle going forward.
The Utes get Weber State next week, but after that, they enter the Pac-12 slate. The conference is the best it’s been in years, and they’ll need to score a lot more points to compete.
2. Defense is not a problem
A close win over a team that just lost to Texas State can be mildly concerning, but all that concern falls on the aforementioned passing game. Defensively, Utah was tremendous against Baylor on Saturday.
Utah held the Bears to just 3-of-11 on third down in this game. They intercepted Sawyer Robertson twice. The longest run for Baylor all day was 16 yards. They shut down the Baylor passing and running games.
It was the kind of game in which, frankly, there’s not a lot of nuance. You can throw out any Utah defensive stat you want, and it’s most likely going to display the Utes’ dominance on that side of the ball.
As Utah prepares to enter the Pac-12 slate, there’s one thing you’d like to see more of in Salt Lake: pressure on the passer. The one hole on Saturday was a goose egg in the sack category, and against Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., and Sheduer Sanders, this team will have to get far more pressure on the quarterback. Without that, those guys will find open receivers.
Through two games, however, this defense has looked extremely strong. It’s a trademark of Kyle Whittingham’s teams, and it’s once again on full display in 2023.
3. This team has a chance to be great
The opportunity in front of Utah football is pretty exciting. The Pac-12 is the best it’s been in several years, and the Utes have a really good team. They’re also not getting a lot of attention.
In Los Angeles, Caleb Williams is getting all the hype as a potential two-time Heisman winner. In Seattle, Washington is getting all the hype because of the gaudy passing stats of Michael Penix Jr. In Boulder, Colorado is getting all the hype because of Deion Sanders and the sensation of Deion Sanders.
Utah, meanwhile, is flying way under the radar. That’s great for them, because there’s a case to be made that the Utes are better than all those aforementioned teams, but they get to go through this season with a fraction of the pressure.
This is an absolutely ideal setup for Kyle Whittingham. Every coach wants a team this good, and every coach wants this lack of attention. The Utes just get to put in the work while all the eyes get trained on the other guys.
If Cam Rising can make it back onto the field, don’t be surprised if it is Utah that is atop the Pac-12 at the end of the year. This close result over Baylor only furthers the lack of expectation in Salt Lake.