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Show UTAH OFFENSE: THE WEAKEST LINK T hey say a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Well, if Utah is the chain, then the weakest link is obviously the offense. GRIFFIN In the first two games, the offense saw success and plenty of it. This was a positive sign for Utah fans, but please, I beg .._-, you to find a Power 5 school that would have struggled putting points up against Idaho State and Fresno State. So throw those two games out the window and look at what the offense has done. In two games against Michigan and Washington State, the team itself has only put up 54 total points.The two-week total is less than what the Utes put up on the scoreboard in each of its victories against ISU and Fresno State. A closer look into the 54 points shows an even more disturbing trend — only 14 points have come from the offense. In case you aren't a math wizard, that's one offensive touchdown in each game. Not a very good statistic for T-Willy and company. I feel like I am adding insult to injury here, but to make matters even worse, the Ute offense failed to reach the Washington State red zone at any point during Saturday night's game. That is absolutely pathetic. Throughout the first half against Washington State, Rice-Eccles Stadium was rockin' as the Utes were up against their Pac-12 opponent, but on the field was an inept offense trying to go up against a real defense — a defense that isn't even best in the conference, I might add, but saw success against the Utes. During the offseason, new offensive coordinator Dave Christensen brought over a new offensive scheme — a faster, more upbeat offense. This was supposed to spark a new generation for Utah offenses as fans were hoping to see something similar to what Oregon runs in Eugene. However, on Saturday night, what I saw was an offense that doesn't have nearly the talent the Ducks have. I saw a team that, despite having a ton of momentum heading into the game, simply could not make plays against a real opponent, at least not on the offensive side of the ball. I saw the downside to the uptempo offense, as the defense was on the field for nearly the entire game. Now, in Utah's defense, its last two games haven't been played in the most ideal conditions. In Ann Arbor, the Utes were nearly flooded out of the Big House, and the rain and wind sure did play a factor against the Cougars, but that's still no excuse. Besides the running game, every other facet of the offense has looked terrible. Wilson's performance was not good, and he knows it. But that said, who would have played well with the offensive line breaking down the way it was? The Ute slinger had no protection back there, and with Mother Nature playing in the game as well, Wilson had no chance. This is all without mentioning some of the dropped balls by the receivers. I mean, I'm sure the rain had some sort of effect on the gripping of the football, but some of the throws that were dropped should be catchable in a tornado for those guys. Maybe I am being too hard on Utah. Maybe they just need some sunshine and good weather to have an exploding offense. The Utes may just go into sunny California and upset a top-10 ranked UCLA squad this weekend, and everything I have said in this column will be proved wrong. But with cries for Whittingham's job circling around on Twitter, as of right now, the new "uptempo offense" is the real problem, as it has looked less than pedestrian. If Utah has any shot of making it to the postseason in 2014, the offense needs to be corrected and perfected. g.adams@chronicle.utah.edu @GriffDoug ADAMS 12 THECHRONY BY RYAN MILLER /ASST. SPORTS EDITOR PHOTO BY BRENT UBERTY I wo days after Utah collapsed against Washington State, questions about what went wrong were still being asked. At his Monday press conference, Whittingham's message was clear — his team needed to move on. As Utah fans invaded Twitter following the loss with opinions on QB Travis Wilson, WR Dres Anderson, offensive coordinator Dave Christensen and head coach Kyle Whittingham, the Utes themselves were determined to move forward. "There's no time to feel sorry for ourselves': Whittingham said. "There's nothing to do but move forward — you can't press rewind. There's no rewind button in life. You got to forget about it, but you got to learn from it. You have to learn from your mistakes, but you can't sit there and sulk and dwell on it. We have to move forward, and we will." Utah players would like nothing more than to forget about the loss to the Cougars in a game where they had full control. That process started Monday morning. Players and coaches convened for a morning film session Monday with a mindset of getting ready for their next opponent. On Monday afternoon, the Utes were back on the practice field in full preparation for UCLA. As Whittingham said, the Utes must learn from their mistakes, and the most dubious errors against Washington State were on the offensive end. The offense, outside of running back Devontae Booker, was a mess against the Cougars, but it was Anderson and a key late drop that drew the most scrutiny from fans following the game. On Monday, Wilson — who also received heavy criticism from Utah faithful — came to his receiver's defense. "It was my fault on some of them;' Wilson said. "I missed some opportunities I could have made. Definitely wish I could go back and fix that, but it's something we got to correct this week' In close losses, small mistakes become magnified, but according to Wilson, the blame for the loss is shared by all the offense. "Obviously it goes both ways:' Wilson said. "I missed some opportunities to him, and he had that drop, so it goes both ways, but I'm never going to blame somebody for dropping the ball or get mad at them for dropping a ball. It's something we got to execute at practice and make sure we get a lot of reps in practice': For an offense that has produced just two touchdowns in its past two games, those reps have never been so important. Problems that once seemed troubles of the past, such as Anderson's slippery fingers, have resurfaced. With Utah heading into the heart of their schedule — five of their next six opponents are currently ranked in the USA Today coach's poll — the Utes won't have long to regain their offensive swagger. Whittingham reiterated Monday that the Utes had opportunities to win the game — they just needed to make one more play. It's Whittingham's hope his team won't allow themselves to linger on the missed chances against the Cougars and instead get prepared to make the plays when they visit the Rose Bowl on Saturday. More play for Devontae During his press conference Monday, Whittingham confirmed what became clear during Saturday's contest: Devontae Booker is Utah's lead back. Booker rushed 24 times for 178 yards and a touchdown against Washington State, vastly outperforming then co-starter Bubba Poole. Booker impressed Whittingham enough to earn the clear distinction as the one and only starter in the backfield. "Devontae Booker is our guy, and Bubba Poole is the backup," Whittingham said. Wilson or Thompson? Whittingham has said time and time again there is a place for back-up quarterback in the offense, but after Wilson's struggle against Washington State, Kendal Thompson may see more playing time. "We're taking a look at all possibilities, and Kendal, in hindsight, should have probably gotten a couple series Saturday," Whittingham said. Thompson did enter the game in an emergency situation when Wilson's helmet came off and by rule had to come out of the game. Thompson didn't complete a pass in his short time on the field, going 0 for 2. rmiller@chronicle.utah.edu @millerjryan |