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SALT LAKE CITY — Well, college football is finally here.
And football fans in Utah get to enjoy a prime opener, served up for a Thursday entrée that is almost guaranteed to delight.
This Utah vs. Utah State matchup is much different than ones in years past, where it seemed almost predetermined that the Utes would walk away victorious.
Instead, this year’s matchup is the most hyped Utes vs. Aggies matchup in recent years, and the story lines are numerous.
From Matt Wells’ first game as a head coach to Utah’s struggle to rise from the ashes of a poor 2012 season, the game already has intrigue built in.
But for football fans who enjoy the hard-core X’s and O’s chalk talk, it won’t be about who wants it more.
For the most sophisticated football fans, the game is a chess match of people and positions. And in the season opener for the Utes and Aggies, there is a position battle that will decide the course of the game.
It is best described as a game within a game, better known as Chuckie Keeton vs. the Utah linebackers.
Why this matchup?
Utah had numerous things go wrong in its overtime loss at Utah State last year, but one of the biggest issues was reading Chuckie Keeton. When Keeton would look to run, Utah’s linebackers would drop into coverage. When Keeton looked to throw, Utah’s linebackers would load the box to stop a potential run. Indeed, the Utes were never able to ascertain exactly what the Aggie sensation wanted to do, and that allowed Utah State to have an element of surprise in its offensive attack throughout the game.
In today’s world of football, where mobile quarterbacks who can throw rule the day, linebackers are the stop-gap in a defense’s overall scheme. If a quarterback is going to pass, it is up to the more athletic linebackers to go into a coverage scheme. If the quarterback is going to run, or have a back run, it is imperative that the more physical linebackers fill the holes.
Utah couldn’t consistently do this last year, and that more than anything contributed to its disappointing finish in Logan.
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Who wins this battle?
I think it is safe to say Utah’s linebackers have experienced a tumultuous preseason, with Brian Blechen being injured and a lack of widespread experience. Overall, Utah’s entire defensive core has regressed instead of improving. Utah has continued to bring in top-notch talent, but injuries and a variety of other issues are going to require someone to step up and make the big play. If one Ute has the opportunity to make a name for himself in this uncertain time, it is probably LT Filiaga. Filiaga struggled last season for the Utes, and now it will be on him to make the difference against a top-flight competitor.
Overall, Keeton is the much safer bet in this instance. His numbers last year were hardly laughable, as he threw for more than 3,000 yards while still being the team’s second-best rusher as well. Keeton’s skill set is a challenge for linebackers who have experience and savvy, and whereas the Utes currently have none of the above, there is notable concern for Utah if Keeton gets into a groove.
Quite simply, the Utes have too many question marks at too many positions, and while it is safe to expect the Aggies will have some growing pains with Matt Wells, they still have the state’s best quarterback in Keeton.
In the end, the certainty that Keeton provides is a safe and dependable commodity on which a betting man can reasonably trust. Thus, Keeton’s experience will prevail over the Utes’ linebackers, and Utah State will come away from Thursday’s matchup with yet another feather to put in its recently gleaming cap.
