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SALT LAKE CITY — Looking to bounce back from its two-game losing skid, Utah football came out flat Saturday as Arizona State rolled over the Utes in a 30-10 loss.
Utah failed to get anything going on offense and defense as the Sun Devils rolled over the Utes, particularly in the run game where their two running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage combined for 168 rushing yards.
The loss Saturday for the Utes makes the remaining five games of the season all that more important for the team to become bowl eligible. Utah currently sits at 4-3 on the season, and 1-3 in Pac-12 play.
Utah lacks an offensive identity
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t mince words at the end of the game when he said that Utah did not have an offensive identity. The Utes lacked initiative on offense to start the game and continued to stall drive after drive, leaving little for fans to cheer about or and few reasons to get involved in the game.
Utah failed to get past the 100-yard mark for total offense in the first half, and looked defeated against Arizona State’s defense. The Utes ended the game with only 265 yards, which is their fewest yards since 2014, when they beat Stanford on the road.
Sophomore Tyler Huntley returned as the team’s starting quarterback, following a shoulder injury that took him out of play at the beginning of the Arizona game in September. Although Huntley said he felt fine playing Saturday, it was clear he needed a little more time to get his timing with receivers down again.
Huntley missed open receivers — including a wide open pass to Samson Nacua that would have gone for a 78-yard touchdown — threw balls into coverage for interceptions and struggled to get into a rhythm. Whittingham said Huntley wasn’t 100 percent going into the game, but felt the team was better off with him as the starting quarterback.
Huntley finished the game throwing 19-of-35 for 155 yards and four interceptions. Although Huntley was expected to be an upgrade at quarterback following Utah’s struggles on offense in Utah’s losses to Stanford and USC, it seemed the team tried to rush him back into play and ultimately hurt themselves.
At this point, Utah doesn’t have a lot of options left to generate an offense, and will struggle to rebound if assignments aren’t cleaned up. After the game Huntley said that missed assignments all game led to the offensive struggles.
Defensive identity is also struggling
Utah has been known for its stout defense year after year, but this year’s defense is looking like it has regressed. The talent is there, particularly on the defensive line, but it has looked outmatched the last few weeks. The defense started out Sautrday's game well, holding Arizona State to three field goals, but were gassed near the end of the first half and into the second half.
The Sun Devils ran all over the Utes, finishing the game with 205 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. As much as Utah’s offense is struggling to gain an identity, the defense, too, has struggled to maintain an identity. Much of that is a direct result of starting personnel missing time due to injuries, but it was expected that Utah’s depth was up to the task. Maybe Utah isn’t quite there yet.
It also doesn’t help that the offense couldn’t gain any momentum, leaving the defense on the field for much of the game. Arizona State had the ball for 36 minutes, and made Utah pay in the lopsided timing.
Targeting calls continue to hurt Utah
The targeting penalty has been enforced much more this season than any season before, leaving several players from every team impacted by the rule. Utah lost two players — Donovan Thompson and Corrion Ballard — in Saturday's second half for targeting penalties. As a result, Utah will be without two players for the first half of the Oregon game.
Both of Utah’s targeting penalties absolutely fit the rule, as the defensive players each led with their helmet in their tackles. Regardless of your opinion of the targeting penalty, Utah’s inability to get their tackling corrected is a major problem. Ballard’s penalty came ahead of a fourth-and-goal situation, giving the Sun Devils a first down and an easy opportunity to score a touchdown, which they did.
Whittingham said he doesn’t know how to teach his players how to tackle anymore to fit within the college targeting rule, particularly when the offensive player ducks his head. However, as long as the rule is in place, Utah needs to find a way to get their tackling to fit within the standards of the game.
