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SALT LAKE CITY --
The Utes were bullied on Saturday night. Unfortunately, they only have themselves to blame.
With countless dropped balls, a couple of fumbles and a fumbled punt return, the Utes played like the last kid picked in middle school dodgeball. Utah lost to the Huskies 34-15 on Saturday night in a must-win situation.
So what did one of the top defenses of the Pac-12 do? How did Reggie Dunn perform after his historic two weeks? Did Travis Wilson show he was the future of the team? Here is how the Utes played against the Washington Huskies:
Quarterback: F
There seemed to be no trust in Travis Wilson early, as he only threw for 32 yards on six completions in the first half. He looked to the right, he looked to the left, but he never really looked downfield for a big pass. When he did, it was intercepted because he threw it into double coverage. It might have been because John White IV was having an impressive night early on himself, but the Utes didn't seem to know when to throw the ball and when to run it. They need some consistency on the offensive side of things if they want any chance to make it to a bowl game. Wilson ended the game with 55 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. That's not going to win games.
Running back: A
John White IV got a 46-yard touchdown run up the middle early. After the first half, White had 91 yards on 11 carries. History had it that the Utes won every game when White had a 100-yard rushing game. Unfortunately, it didn't repeat itself as White rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns, but Utah still fell to Washington, marking the first time they fell when White rushed for 100 yards or more.
Wide receivers: F
Not making much noise early on, the wideouts Saturday night were more like white-outs: non-existent. The story of the night was too many dropped passes by Dres Anderson and Kenneth Scott. There also seemed to be a lack of effort and passion coming from the Utes' side of the ball as they just weren't playing with any urgency. Head coach Kyle Whittingham went for it on a few fourth downs, but that was the extent of Utah's aggressiveness. But I'll get more into that in the offense portion.
Offensive line: A-
The O-line did its part Saturday night, not only protecting Wilson in the backfield, but opening up the field for White. The O-line was the only shining light besides White in the Utes' otherwise lackluster offense.
Offense: D-
After a 49-7 rout last week, Utah's offense decided to take another vacation on the season, only posting 15 points on the board on 188 yards of total offense. Of that, 142 went to White on the ground. Utah had no rhythm going, and on top of that, showed little to no passion for what it was playing for. Utah didn't seem to know when to throw the ball and when to run the ball. Utah was all over the place on play calling (again) and didn't have any chemistry going on. Wide receivers kept dropping the ball. White had a great game and was the only player who kept the Utes from getting an F on the game. Aside from Utah scoring 15 points, it was a very disappointing performance by the Utes.
Defensive line: D
The defensive line made some openings for Joe Kruger and Nate Fakahafua to sack the quarterback, but running back Bishop Sankey ran all over them early and a lot. The defensive line allowed Sankey to rush for 162 yards and two touchdowns, actually outperforming the Wolfman himself. Washington quarterback Keith Price had time in the pocket and threw some great passes but was sacked twice, and sacked hard. He still threw for 277 yards nonetheless.
Linebackers/secondary: F
Price had a tremendous game against a top-notch defense. Unfortunately, the defense never really showed up, allowing Price to pass for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Washington got first down after first down, picking up 22 first downs compared to the Utes' nine.
Defense: D-
Besides a couple of huge sacks from Fakahafua and Kruger, the defense still allowed 34 points to an offense that was less than stellar the entire season. Price had arguably his best game of the season, and sophomore running back Bishop Sankey exploded on the ground against Utah for 162 yards and two touchdowns. The defense did not do enough to make up for Utah's underperforming offense.
Special teams: D-
Easily the turning point of the game came on special teams when Charles Henderson fumbled a punt in the third quarter, Washington recovered and eventually got a touchdown on that drive. It's hard to look around that play that changed the momentum of the game. Star special teams returner Reggie Dunn, who made history last week with his third 100-yard kickoff return in two weeks never got a chance to touch the ball on special teams, not even being out there for the final kickoff of the game. Utah needs to adjust quickly as it turns around quickly to face the Wildcats of Arizona back in Salt Lake City next weekend.
Alex Rivera is the assistant sports editor of the UVU Review. You can contact him at arivera.2011@hotmail.com or through his Twitter account @A_River_Uh.
