Grading out the Utes in first season win


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SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah got its first win of the season over FCS opponent Idaho State in a 56-14 victory Thursday night.

While it's nice to get a victory to start the season off, there were many things from the game that Utah needs to work on to improve before visiting Fresno State comes to town next Saturday.

Fortunately for the Utes, they've got a few extra days of preparation before the next game.

The following is a game day grading of the offense, defense, special teams and team as a whole.

Do you agree with the grades? Tell us how you'd grade the team in our comment boards.

Offense: B+ -----------

The offense actually did fairly well, but there were moments that should have Utah worried about putting points on the board and moving the chains. Fortunately, most of those moments came out in the second half with backup quarterback Kendal Thompson under center and the second and third string players in the game.

Yes, it was Idaho State, but Travis Wilson proved why he earned the starting job again for the Utes. Other than the opening drive sputters, Wilson was about as effective as could be wanted from a returning quarterback. Wilson finished the night going 13-of-18 for 265 yards and one touchdown. He added a four-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to get things rolling for Utah.

Wilson has a plethora of talented receivers and backs to get the offense moving. In only one half of play, Wilson connected with Dres Anderson (111 receiving yards), Kenneth Scott (57 receiving yards and one touchdown) and his favorite target of the night Westlee Tonga (61 receiving yards).

Running back Devontae Booker made a name for himself with his 10 carries for 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns, in addition to a quick catch from Wilson that went for 61 yards.

The grading, however, is a little lower because of the play of Thompson, the offensive line and the second half play. While serviceable, the point of the game is to put points on the board, and there just wasn't enough from the offense in the second half, particularly against an FCS team.

Defense: C-

Quite frankly, the defense was not good enough Thursday night. After two dominant series to start off the game, the defense was flat and allowed way too much open space for Idaho State to exploit. The Bengals managed 337 total yards on the Utes, with much of that coming in the run game — an area Utah is generally pretty good at.

Injuries are hurting the Utes in the defense and guys are not playing assignment football, which will be key come Pac-12 play. The secondary has to be able to get to the ball and force some turnovers or at least make it difficult on the receivers. But there was little of that Thursday.

Additionally, the nickel package Utah ran was hurting the ability to defend in the run game. And if there are problems defending in the run game against an FCS opponent, you can bet it's only going to get worse when much better talent takes the field on the opposite side of the ball. Utah can't allow that to happen if they expect to compete this year.

Fortunately for the Utes, Nate Orchard and Hunter Dimick were incredible. If the rest of the defense can shore things up, Orchard and Dimick could wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Also, Lowell Lotulelei looks like he could have a major impact on this team.

Special Teams: A

All around the special teams did nearly everything well. Kaelin Clay obviously highlights this group, returning a punt and kickoff return to the end zone. Will Clay be the next Reggie Dunn or Shaky Smithson? If Thursday's game is any indication, Clay may be even better — is that possible?

But punter Tom Hackett was equally impressive with some well-placed punts. His accuracy at placing his punt close to the end zone was near spot on. Additionally, his foresight to read the defense well allowed him to pick up a big first down on a fake punt — a decision he made while on the field.

Any talk of the special teams usually involves Andy Phillips, but he had a relatively routine night, making all eight of the team's PAT attempts. As great as Phillips is in the kicking game, Utah should be pleased it didn't have to settle on field goals to win the game.

Overall Team: B-

The offense and special teams helped Utah get the win, which is obvious. But it was clear both were much better than the defense. Although there may be reason to be concerned about the defense, the positive thing is last year's weaknesses — aspects of both the offense and special teams — were the strengths Thursday.

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Josh Furlong

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