Utes seek answers to offensive woes during bye week


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SALT LAKE CITY — After two disappointing outings, it may seem like Utah's big 27-21 win over the then No. 5 Stanford Cardinal was seasons ago, not just a few weeks.

UTEcast 10-26: Reaction to Utes' 19-3 loss to USC

The problem for the Utes in two road losses isn't that difficult to diagnose, as they have managed season low offensive outputs for two consecutive weeks — 329 total yards against Arizona, then an even lower 201 yards against USC.

"We have to do some soul searching offensively," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said following the Utes 19-3 loss to USC. "Dennis and Brian and the rest of the offensive staff have to figure out the deficiencies and get them corrected."

Part of the issue has been the health of quarterback Travis Wilson, who wore a glove Saturday to protect a sprained index finger on his throwing hand. Wilson's numbers indicate that the injury on his hand may be more of a concern than previously thought — completing just five of 14 passes for 51 yards with two interceptions.

Utah Utes Total Offense by Week

OpponentRushPassTotal Yards
Utah State148302450
Weber State338290628
Oregon State260279539
BYU129273402
UCLA99288387
Stanford182234416
Arizona172157329
USC71130201

Adam Schulz, who replaced Wilson for most of the second half, also struggled against the Trojans, finishing seven of 17 for 79 yards with an interception.

"We have no throw game right now, and the running game isn't much better," Whittingham added. "We have to get rid of the turnovers because really that's what has led to our demise in the four (conference) losses."

"I definitely put this whole game on myself," Wilson said. "I wasn't playing well enough. I need to make better throws and better decisions. Having this many interceptions isn't going to help us win any football games."

Utah quarterback Adam Schulz (12) is sacked by 
Southern California defensive end Leonard 
Williams (94).
Utah quarterback Adam Schulz (12) is sacked by Southern California defensive end Leonard Williams (94). (Photo: AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

"A lot of our offense is on our shoulders," Schulz said about the quarterback position for the Utes. "If we don't perform well, the offense can't operate."

Whittingham added that if Wilson is out playing, they aren't going to use the injury as an excuse.

"He was out there, so he is fine. If you are out there playing, you are fine."

Whether Wilson's health will be a factor going forward is unknown, but either way quarterback play as of late has been a concern for the Utes, something that Whittingham hopes can be cleared up during the bye week.

"(There is a) big question what we are going to do quarterback-wise. We have to answer that. We have the week off to try and figure things out," Whittingham stated.

For Utah, this bye week comes at a good time to refocus and get things back on track offensively. Things don't get any easier though, as the Utes face the No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils next at home before taking on the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in Eugene.

"Our main goal has changed," Utah defensive end Trevor Reilly said. "We want to make it to a bowl game. So we've got to win at least two out of four. Obviously we want to win all four. We've got a bye week and hopefully we'll be ready to go for Arizona State."

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