Estimated read time: 5-6 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 — It’s not how you start, but how you finish.
Utah has lived by much of that mantra in its three games this season, particularly in its 34-17 victory over San Jose State Saturday to finish non-conference play. Against the Spartans, Utah’s offense struggled at first to gain any sort of consistency and looked as if it had partially regressed from the weeks prior.
As the game developed, Utah settled into a rhythm and moved the ball with relative ease in both the pass and run game. Utah finished with 456 total yards of offense, split between the rush (201 yards) and the pass (255 yards). It was the best showing of what head coach Kyle Whittingham had been hoping for when talking about having a more balanced offense in fall camp.
“I think it’s a work in progress,” Whittingham told ESPN 700 following the game. “We’re certainly ahead of where we were last year — I don’t think there is any doubt about that.”
Although not a polished project, there is reason to be optimistic in the potential Utah has on the offensive side of the ball. Much of Utah’s success Saturday came from its three-headed rushing attack of freshman Zack Moss, sophomore Armand Shyne and junior Troy McCormick, and the developing tandem between quarterback Troy Williams and receiver Tim Patrick.
The three running backs add a diverse look to the run game, giving Utah an opportunity to mix up its offensive schemes as well as preserving the health of its players. Although the phrase “running back by committee” often has a negative connotation to the public simply because many believe that phrase indicates a team doesn’t have a viable starting backer, Utah appears to have a plethora of viable talent at running back.
Whittingham told ESPN 700 that as long as each are producing for the team, there is little worry in having a “starting” running back.
“If one of them separates themselves from the other two, then they’ll become the primary back,” he said. “But as long as they’re all producing and no one really makes a marked separation, then we’ll continue to do that. It’s got to happen naturally. We’re not just going to pick one and say you’re the guy. It’s going to be completely based on production.”
“We have a lot of confidence in our running backs,” Williams told ESPN 700. “They make a lot of plays — great play-making ability. I feel comfortable giving them the ball in any situation. The running game is coming along, which is a good sign.”
Williams had arguably his best game of the season, throwing for 257 yards and one touchdown on 20-of-28 passing. He did force a pass into the end zone that was picked off by San Jose State, but has relatively been an efficient quarterback.
“I think Troy’s numbers were pretty good,” Whittingham said. “You take away that interception in the red zone and I thought he had a really good night. But you can’t take that away; it’s there, and that’s another crucial error down in the red area. Otherwise, he’s probably close to 70 percent completion and 257 yards.”
Patrick said after the game that the offense is getting more comfortable each game and a rhythm is starting to develop. He said he believes that Utah will soon be able to showcase its full potential.
“I know skill position wise, it’s all of our first time really playing, so we’re just trying to figure each other out and gel together,” he said. “We’re working real hard each day, so it’s going to happen one of these days.”
Patrick, who has 285 yards and four touchdown receptions on 14 catches this season, is currently the second-best receiver in the Pac-12 and is on pace to eclipse 1,100 yards. The last receiver from Utah to do that was Dres Anderson in 2013 when he finished the season with 1,002 yards. Patrick’s average of 20.36 yards per catch is second only to Colorado’s Shay Fields, who averages 28.44 yards on nine receptions.
Although the offense is making progress and showing signs of improvement, Whittingham said the negative aspect of the offense is the inability to convert in the red zone at a higher level.
“We’ve probably left like 40 points on the field in the last three ballgames by not doing a better job finishing drives,” Whittingham told ESPN 700.
“Field goals to us is not finishing drives,” he added. “We’ve got to get the ball in the end zone. Our red zone touchdown percentage right now is not real good, and it’s got to improve.”
Against San Jose State, Utah had a meager 50 percent conversion rate in the red zone, while forcing an interception and fumbling the ball. Utah averages 4.33 points per trip inside the 40-yard line, which ranks it 97th in the country, according to Bill Connelly, analytics director and writer for SB Nation. Last season, Utah was in the top 20 inside the 40-yard line, averaging 5.31 points.
For Whittingham, being more efficient on offense and converting at a higher rate in the red zone is the goal moving forward, as it should be. But for now, Utah’s offense is progressing and showing signs of an improved offensive footprint, even if it does take some time to develop.
