Utah’s Van Fillinger, Connor O’Toole Leading The Way In Sack Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY –  It’s week three for Utah Football and the Utes will travel north to take on the Utah State Aggies. Utah’s pass rush has started the season off strong, thanks in large part to the efforts of Van Fillinger and Connor O’Toole.

Utah’s star quarterback Cam Rising will likely be out for this one, this contest has taken on a different feel. The defense will be leaned on a bit more and given Utah State’s likely signal caller for the game, there is plenty of familiarity between the two parties.

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Fillinger and O’Toole not only lead the way for Utah but the Big 12 Conference. They are both off to a fantastic start this season.

Connor O’Toole, Van Fillinger leading the way in Sack Lake City

Utah’s starting duo off the edge are currently No. 1 and 2 in the Big 12 in sacks. Van Fillinger leads all individuals with 3.0 sacks, while Connor O’Toole is right on his heels with 2.5 sacks.

If the goal is to replace Jonah Elliss’ production from last season, Fillinger and O’Toole are off to a good start. In 2023, Elliss owned win percentages of 17.7% on all pass plays (including screens, play-action, and rollouts) and 27.9% on true pass sets (strictly dropbacks in the pocket).

Through two games, O’Toole is winning his reps at 17.9% (+5.7% from ’23) of all pass plays; while Fillinger is winning at 14.8% (+9.2% from ’23). On true pass sets, O’Toole owns a 31.6% rate (+16.0%) on his pass rushes; while Fillinger dips to 11.4% (-.8% from ’23) of his pass rush sets.

Fillinger has clearly benefitted from improved health, while O’Toole has seemed to take a good step forward in his development. If these two can continue to produce at this rate, it will bode really for Utah’s pass rush this season.

𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nqGEDGUcLX

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How does Utah’s pass rush stack up against the rest of the Big 12?

It’s only two games, however, Utah is off to a fast pace in their pass rush. Through two games, they’ve totaled 8.0 sacks, which is good for second most in the league behind Kansas State at 9.0 sacks.

To get a better feel for how frequently sacks are being converted, sack rate is a metric that measures sacks vs total pass plays. How does Utah stack up with everyone else in the Big 12?

• Kansas State 15.0%
• Utah 14.5%
• Arizona State 10.5%
• Houston 9.3%
• Baylor 8.9%
• TCU 8.2%
• BYU 7.0%
• Kansas 6.3%
• Cincinnati 5.8%
• Oklahoma State 5.4%
• Iowa State 4.3%
• Arizona 3.5%
• Colorado 3.1%
• West Virginia 2.9%
• UCF 1.9%
• Texas Tech 1.3%

Again, only a two-game sample size, so these will change but Utah is off to a strong start with encouraging indicators from their two leaders.

How will Utah’s pass rush fair against Utah State?

Through two games, the Aggies have given up a total of 20 pressures in 71 dropbacks. That’s good for a 28.1% pressure rate, which is fairly strong. However, given the differences between Robert Morris and USC, let’s hone in on how the Aggies line held up against the Trojans.

In his 31 total dropbacks in week two, Bryson Barnes was pressured 11 times. That was good for a 35.4% pressure rate for the Trojans. In those 11 plays, Barnes completed 5-of-8 passes for just 4 yards. That included 1 turnover-worthy play and 0 scramble yards as well.

Utah knows that pressure on the quarterback can make a big difference. The Utes own a 30.7% pressure rate of their own through two games. Given the rate Utah State gave up to the Trojans, the Utes seem plenty capable of matching that.

O’Toole and Fillinger must continue leading the way for Utah’s pass rush. Utah has not been a heavy-blitz defense but it would not surprise if the aggression is cranked up a notch this weekend either.

Utah Football Schedule

Kyle Whittingham’s Utah program hits the road for their first game away from Rice-Eccles Stadium this weekend against Utah State. You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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