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SALT LAKE CITY — It was a shaky win, but a victory nonetheless for the Utah Utes to start the 2013 season.
Certainly, the Utah State matchup used to be viewed an easy tune-up for the Utes, but those days are indeed behind us.
It was a game that featured both greatness and mediocrity; both fundamental and improvisation.
Calling for an on-side kick in the third quarter isn’t fundamental, but it led to greatness for the Utes as they picked up the first of the six wins they will need to get back to a bowl game in 2013.
They have a chance to pick up their second this week as they host local Weber State in an FBS-FCS game.
Certainly, the game doesn’t look as easy on paper as it did last week, after the Wildcats roared to a 50-40 victory over Stephen F. Austin in Ogden.
Week two will be a good challenge for both teams and will boil down to who wins between the Utah defense and Weber running backs.
Why this matchup?
#UtesCats
Let’s establish first what is absolute fact — Weber State will not be able to stop Utah’s offense for four quarters. The Utes have too much speed and athleticism in the receiving core to bottle up for a whole game, and too many quality running backs for Anthony Morales and company to stop for an entire game.
That being said, the Wildcats still have an opportunity to put more than a sizable scare into the Rice-Eccles crowd on Saturday. Weber had 315 yards rushing and three running backs that scored touchdowns against the Lumberjacks. Also, running back/receiver Bo Bolen had a 100-yard kickoff return in the contest. The ‘Cats have multiple options out of the backfield, which makes it all the more imperative that Utah’s linebackers understand how to stop each guy.
The Utes’ defense had some fine moments against the Aggies, but had its fair share of struggles as well. The defense allowed 173 yards of rushing while allowing 487 total yards of offense. Of course Utah was facing Chuckie Keeton, and that explains its myriad struggles.
One question for Utah is how well it will face off against several guys who have play-making ability. While Utah State is improved, the fact remains that when Keeton wasn’t on the field, they weren’t nearly as good. Weber has several different guys who can score, so how does Utah respond when nearly every guy is an equal threat?
Related:
10 things to know about Utah vs. Weber State
Utah hosts Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 7 at noon MDT in Rice- Eccles Stadium. Here are ten things you need to know to impress your friends in the tailgate lot as we count you down to kickoff.Who wins this matchup?
Weber shocked several people with its offensive prowess in week one, but it is important to realize that Utah is still Utah, and the Utes are in the Pac-12 while the Wildcats are in the Big Sky.
Thus, past history would suggest Utah will be able to effectively hold back the stable of running backs the Wildcats possess, and the numbers from week one would suggest that too.
Also, because Weber doesn’t possess a quarterback that is even close to the caliber of Keeton, it will be easy for Kalani Sitake to load the box with linebackers and tell them to make Weber’s Jordan Adamczyk beat them through the air.
If the game comes down to Adamczyk having to pass the Wildcats out of an early deficit, this game will be all Utah early.
If the Wildcats can change pace enough to keep Utah off-balance, this may be a game into the second half.
Regardless of how the script plays out, Utah is clearly in the driver’s seat in week two.
