The Utes first season in the Pac 12 has certainly been a wild ride. Confidence was high in the beginning as we played well and started with a 2-1 record, including a 51-10 drumming of the y. Then the injury bug hit, we lost Jordan Wynn for the season (no big surprise there) and the Utes stunk. They lost their first four conference games and the year was dead in the water. Utah was 3-4, the offense was terrible with the backup QB, the team couldn't stop anyone, and the season was bleak. The low point was the Cal game, when the Utes were thoroughly outplayed and looked overmatched in the new conference. The score may have been 34-10 but the difference in that game was huge. We looked and played small.
Then an interested thing happened. Utah changed the game plan. We had to become a one dimensional team on offense. John White emerged as the lone option and he started taking over. Every game he seemed to top 150 yards rushing. Even better, he held onto the football. It gave us an identity. We could run the ball.
The defense has been good all year. There were a couple of games where teams scored in the 30's against them, but that was mostly due to short fields because of turnovers by the offense. Since the Utes started taking care of the ball - the D has been stout. Teams can't move the ball and we are creating turnovers instead of giving the ball away.
The Utes are back, winners of four straight conference games. They now stand at 7-4, with a 4-4 record in the Pac 12. This was unimaginable a month ago. We were dead, but things have a funny way of evening out. Sure the schedule helped, as we started playing the lower teams in the conference - still, Utah has improved. We are going to finish above 500 for our first year in the Pac 12. Who knows, we might still play in the conference championship if the ball bounces our way.
A wild ride - that's for sure, but it's been a great time to watch Utah mature into a Pac 12 contender. GO UTES!
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