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PASADENA, Calif. — After a rough start to the beginning of the season, the woes continue for the University of Utah. Traveling to Pasadena to take on the UCLA Bruins, the Utes hung on, but were outmatched, losing 21-14.
Impression 1:
Freshman quarterback and future of the Utah program Travis Wilson got his first start Saturday afternoon. Wilson looked shaky at first and did not appear confident, but worked through the early nerves to move the offense. Wilson still has room to grow, but showed he can lead an offense. He can run the ball if needed, but is an effective passer if given the time. Wilson needs to pick up the pace and match the tempo of the game. Play calling and penalties hurt the offense a lot.
Wilson managed a good drive at the end of the fourth quarter, which led to the first offensive points of the game by Jon Hays. Wilson ended the game going 22-of-32 for 216 yards and one interception. Hays, who was benched to give Wilson an opportunity at quarterback, played one down, but managed to score a touchdown.
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Impression 2:
Utah's defense is not playing a Whittingham style defense. Last season, the Utes managed to stay in the ball game and get to a bowl game because the defense made plays. This season, the Utes will be lucky to get to a bowl game with a defense that struggles to get tackles and put pressure on a quarterback. UCLA quarterback Brett Handley was given way too much time in the pocket to make a pass or to scramble and pick up a first down.
Additionally, the Utes struggled to contain the edges and the middle of the field. Handley picked apart the defense with quick passes up the middle.
Impression 3:
Penalties. Penalties. Penalties.
While Saturday's game did not see the most penalties from a Utah team this season, the penalties still hurt the team in key moments. Two offsides penalties in the first quarter led to a Bruins touchdown. Both penalties came on third down. On offense, Utah had multiple holding calls that negated a first down and led to a stop in the drive. Any momentum Utah gained during the game was hurt by penalties.
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Impression 4:
Utah relied upon running back John White IV last season to be their offense, but the team has been more conservative this season when giving him carries. White had a decent first half, running for 44 yards, but was silent in the second half. White touched the ball once in the second half for no yards. While it's easy to sit on the sidelines and critique the game plan, it seems White could have been given the ball more in the second half.
Impression 5:
Brian Johnson showed growing pains in this week's play calling. Last week, Johnson was outmatched against USC, but called a good game. This week, it appeared as though he didn't know what he wanted to do. Some of the more questionable calls came on third and fourth down where Utah struggled to move the ball. Utah converted on six of 13 third downs and one of three fourth downs. The most questionable calls came in the red zone at the end of the fourth quarter, where it took a one-yard pass from Hays to Anderson on fourth down to get in the end zone.
However, on Utah's touchdown drive, Johnson mixed up the plays and kept the defense on their toes. Also, working with a freshman quarterback takes times. Johnson was very familiar with the play of Hays, but still needs time to get in sync with Wilson.
