Analysis: 4-0 is 4-0, which is not to say that Utah doesn't have plenty of issues to solve

SALT LAKE CITY — To be clear, the University of Utah has a bevy of things that need fixing if it hopes to contend for a third straight Pac-12 championship, but let's put that to the side for a moment.

Before answering these questions, sit back, take a deep breath, and get into a calm frame of mind.

If I told you on the morning of Aug. 31 that the Utes would start the season 4-0 without their starting quarterback, their best pass-catcher, and one of their starting defensive ends for the first four games, would you believe me?

Then, add on to that scenario that one of their starting linebackers would miss time with a concussion, your most versatile running back would be out for the season after one game, the interior of your defensive line would miss significant time, and on top of all that, your very good, capable placekicker would also be out for a while, would you think 4-0 was possible?

Whatever you're mad about, whatever you think is wrong, whatever you think needs to be fixed, whatever you want to yell into the voids of social media and the message boards, the answer to both of those questions is a solid no. Not with that many setbacks, not with three Power Five opponents in the first four games, but here these Utes are, unbeaten, warts and all.

About those warts, the defense certainly isn't one, but the offense certainly is, and at least some of it can be traced back to the absence of QB1. Without him, without answers to other things, this season will go by the wayside, this second conference title defense will not get off the ground as the meat of the Pac-12 schedule is still a month away.

The offense is in an ominous position

Let's clarify a few things.

Kyle Whittingham said postgame that Nate Johnson currently has about 75% of the playbook at his disposal, which is up from the roughly 50% the redshirt freshman was working with against Weber State. That said, just because Johnson has 75% of the playbook doesn't mean offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has to go that deep into the bag.

Knowing that Johnson is still green and learning on the fly, Ludwig needs to use and needs to call what he believes Johnson can handle, what he believes Johnson is capable of executing.

Utah registered 48 rushing attempts on 65 offensive plays, which equates to a whopping 73.8% to the run, one week after the Utes went to the run against Weber State nearly 72% of the time.

As far as the passing game goes, anybody watching, including Whittingham, will tell you that Utah is not getting enough right now. Utah was 114th nationally and last in the Pac-12 in passing offense at 170.3 yards per game before Johnson went 9-for-17 for 117 yards, a second-quarter touchdown to Landen King, and no interceptions for the second straight week.

Johnson was not asked to do a lot on Saturday, but did what he was asked. He didn't turn the ball over, and he made a few throws when he had to. A 17-yard completion to Jaylon Glover on a wheel route down the left side on third-and-7, the 7-yard touchdown pass to King on third-and-5 off a bootleg, over the middle to Money Parks for 16 on third-and-7 early in the third quarter.

Yes, the play-calling was quite conservative. Yes, maybe a few too many obvious run calls on a day when the UCLA defensive front blew up Utah's offensive line for anyone's liking, but this is where we are right now. This is the hand that Ludwig is being dealt.

Johnson is not Cam Rising. There is no Brant Kuithe or Dalton Kincaid for Johnson to lean on. Taking deep shots doesn't feel like an option currently.

I still believe what we're watching from Johnson is reason for long-term optimism, but an offense scoring 7 points is not going to win track meets with USC, Washington or Oregon. Better yet, that probably won't' get it done at Oregon State, either. This group, loaded when healthy, needs Rising back if it hopes to contend for a third straight Pac-12 title.

Rising will have the entire playbook at his disposal, and at a minimum, the threat of Rising back there means defenses can't just load up the box, which opens up the run game and helps solve some offensive line problems.

On the surface, maybe the offensive line has been a bit of a disappointment. Maybe that entire side of the ball has been a bit of disappointment, but I still contend that making any hard judgment can't happen until Rising is back and the offense is a whole.

To this point, though, it hasn't been enough if the Utes are to get where they want to ultimately go.

The defense is carrying the load

For as shaky as the Rising-less offense has been for the first month of the season, the defense has been quite the opposite.

Giving up 7 points to UCLA means Utah has given up 38 points in four games, an average of 9.5 per contest, which will leave the Utes inside the top 10 nationally in scoring defense.

Also, remember, while you can often write off gaudy numbers like that thanks to soft September scheduling, you can't do that here. Three of Utah's four wins are against Power Five competition as part of what is objectively the toughest schedule in program history.

Some of the raw stats from Saturday help tell the story.

• True freshman UCLA quarterback Dante Moore, who has looked every bit the five-star stud he came in as, was just 15-of-35 for 235 yards, a number that is bloated thanks to the fourth quarter.
• Karene Reid's 21-yard pick six on the game's very first play was an awful throw/decision by Moore.
• Including sacks, Utah held UCLA to just 9 rushing yards on 32 carries. For context, the Bruins entered the day as the No. 3 rushing offense in the country.
• Jonah Elliss: 10 tackles, five tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks on a day Utah sacked Moore seven times.
• UCLA's final drive: Elliss sack for a loss of 8 yards, Elliss and Logan Fano share a sack for a loss of 7 yards, Moore complete a pass over the middle to Logan Loya for 11 yards to set up fourth-and-14. On fourth down, Moore was sacked by Sione Vaki for a loss of 7 and a turnover on downs.

The pressure on Moore was constant and it was effective. He sailed a couple of balls early, he rushed a few others, and he was never in a position to get comfortable.

The totality of Utah's defensive effort was that it, once again, stamped itself as one of the elite defenses nationally, while comparisons to the vaunted 2019 defense are getting louder.

Back to the injuries for a moment. Connor O'Toole has yet to play a snap this season, Simote Pepa made his debut Saturday, but was limited, and Junior Tafuna is just now rounding into form following a training camp injury. None of it has mattered, the beat has just gone on. Utah's increased depth across the board has been most evident in the way its defense has persevered through personnel losses over the first month.

The running back situation bears watching

Whittingham noted postgame that Ja'Quinden Jackson has an ankle injury "that's been a hindrance for a long time." Jackson clearly didn't look right early in the game, then left late in the first half with his right shoe off. His availability for Friday night at Oregon State is unknown.

Jaylon Glover carried the ball 25 times for 86 yards in Jackson's absence. Between the sophomore and designed runs for Johnson, that is the extent of the rushing attack, and that's a problem.

Asked what the running back room looks like without Jackson, Whittingham rattled it off as Jaylon Glover and Charlie Vincent, while the hope is that Chris Curry can regain form after he missed most of last season due to injury, that remains to be seen. Indications beyond those three are that true freshman John Randle may travel to Corvallis and dress for the first time after classmate Dijon Stanley dressed for Weber State and UCLA.

I'm not sure any of the true freshmen are actually to make a significant contribution, but Whittingham doesn't have much of a choice but to get at least one of them ramped up for depth purposes at this point.

Regardless of how it happened, Micah Bernard being out for the season is an absolute crusher given what the position has turned into at Utah. Nobody in the room, not even Jackson at full health, is making up for the things Bernard was able to do beyond just running the football.

Other things on my mind

• Jack Bouwmeester needs to be talked about more. Six of his eight punts landed inside the 20-yard line and one went over 50 yards. The eight punts averaged 44 yards per kick, and while Whittingham would rather not punt eight times, at least he knows he has a guy who can do it well.
• On Wednesday night, I went to bed thinking it was 70-30 that Cam Rising would start this game. He never got the final clearance he needed Thursday to play.
• With injuries at one time mounting, Whittingham said that 8-10 guys "are close" to coming back, and a bunch of those could return Friday at Oregon State. Indications were that Connor O'Toole and Johnny Maea are among that group, as neither has played yet to play this season, as well as Van Fillinger. Maea was the projected starting center before he was hurt, a spot that has since been occupied by Jaren Kump. Even if Maea is ready to go, it seems unlikely there is time for him to unseat Kump on a short week.
• Staying with the short week, Whittingham has been adamant for months that when Rising is ready, he will play. Does that apply this week with a truncated timetable to prepare and be ready to go if he does in fact get cleared?
• Aliki Vamihi was ejected for targeting in the second half, which means he is suspended for the first half at Oregon State. The call was correct, but that penalty continues to stink.

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