Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- The University of Utah traveled to San Francisco to take on the California Golden Bears, looking for a must win to avoid going 0-4 in Pac-12 competition. But in what could be considered the worst performance of the season, Utah got beat in every possible way, losing 34-10.
Impression 1:
The Jon Hays era for the Utes is finished. As positive as everyone was to see how a Division II quarterback could do in Division I football, the optimism has officially died. Hays cannot play Pac-12 teams. He holds the ball too long, forces the pass and struggles to read the defense, in addition to throwing too many interceptions.
Although the offensive line didn't help Hays make plays, he has to learn the defensive schemes and adapt to approaching pressure. Unfortunately, the Utes have little option available to them at the quarterback position. Hoping to redshirt freshman Tyler Shreve, Hays and Griff Robles are basically all the Utes have.
When will Chase Hansen be available for the Utes?
Impression 2:
Despite the unsuccessful play from Hays, the offensive line this season has done little to help the offense progress, especially when it comes to protecting the quarterback. Both Jordan Wynn and Hays have struggled to make plays against an offensive line that provides no protection, allowing several sacks and high-pressure situations. Against the Bears, Hays was sacked four times, with six sacks last week against Pittsburgh.
Additionally, the offensive line struggles to open up gaps for John White to run through. Pac-12 opponents are certainly bigger and stronger, but there needs to be more effort on the part of the Utes. Ultimately, there appears to be no discipline for the offensive line.
Impression 3:
Utah's run game is easy to stop. With White as the go-to running back, there is little available to the Utes run game, particularly when nearly every play is drawn up for one player. White's speed makes him a viable threat for the team, but his size, in conjunction with an offensive line struggling to provide open gaps, holds him back from competing against Pac-12 teams.
As previously written, Utah needs more depth in their run game. White is good, but he cannot be the only player to get some touches. Opposing teams know what to expect when most of the plays are designed to give White the ball.
Impression 4:
The Utah offense had a total of 35 yards in the first half, ending the game with only 177 total yards. In comparison, the Bears had 223 total yards in the first half and ended with 389 total yards. There is absolutely no positive spin to those numbers, unless you're a Bears fan. Utah would struggle to beat an FCS team this week with those numbers. Although many fans were critical of Jordan Wynn and his less-than-perfect QB skills, it is almost certain Wynn would have more yards than Saturday's performance.
If Utah cannot find a way to pick up some more yards, there is almost no hope of getting to a bowl game this season, even with Oregon State, UCLA, Arizona and Colorado still on the schedule. All future games will continue to be a struggle for the Utes offense if it continues to play with the same level of inefficiency.
Impression 5:
Each year, Kyle Whittingham stresses the turnover ratio, with the Utes consistently on the positive side of that stat. However, this season, the Utes cannot manage to win this stat. Against Pitt last week, the Utes managed to do well, but in the three of the last four games, Utah has a total of 14 turnovers. It is not possible to have a successful season, nor to win a game, with that many turnovers.
*Email: jfurlong@ksl.com*Twitter: @JFurKSL
