Upon Further Review: Utah’s 23-10 loss to Arizona

Sep 29, 2024, 11:57 AM | Updated: Sep 30, 2024, 1:32 pm

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football has fallen to 4-1, 1-1 on the season after suffering a brutal 23-10 loss to the Arizona Wildcats.

The story of the game was Utah’s inability to put points on the board. Despite multiple possessions that made it to scoring position, the Utes were unable to capitalize.

The red zone woes continued for Utah, something they had been particularly good at it in previous seasons. That’s been the biggest difference in the offensive output this season compared to previous ones.

In Utah’s 23-10 loss to Arizona, the issues that Kyle Whittingham previously forewarned would come back to bite them, did. #GoUtes https://t.co/YXXFR7FiPB

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2024

The immediate takeaways from Saturday’s game were obvious. But, upon further review here are a few additional takeaways from the game.

Upon further review, Utah didn’t have a counter to Arizona’s coverage adjustments

Just looking at the numbers, Dorian Singer had a fantastic night. He caught 9 passes for 155 yards, outperforming Arizona’s top pass catcher Tetairoa McMillan even (6 receptions, 50 yards).

However, Isaac Wilson targeted him 18 times in the game, which negatively impacted the efficiency of the passing game. The Wildcats made adjustments and matched their top corner, Tacario Davis on him, while also cheating safety help his way more as the game wore on.

Those adjustments gave Utah’s passing attack issues and they were unable to counter and get others quality looks.

Brant Kuithe was the second-leading receiver at 5 receptions for 53 yards. Money Parks finished with 3 receptions for 22 yards and Mycah Pittman added a catch for 21 yards. Those three struggled to find a lot of quality looks in the passing game, as Arizona had them defended well.

Beyond those three, there were 7 targets for other receivers. Among those 7 throws, none of them were to guys like Carsen Ryan or Landen King, two proven pass-catchers. Let alone someone like Damien Alford, who Utah has yet to utilize in the passing game. Utah was praised for improving the depth of those positions but it seems like there’s an unwillingness to utilize it.

As Kyle Whittingham noted in the post-game press conference, it’s on him to fix the offensive issues. Better execution is obvious but maybe Coach should be more open to getting others involved in the game plan.

It’s encouraging to see Utah make a receiver a heavy focal point of the game plan. But as we learned in this one, Utah needs to do a better job of adjusting and counterpunching to defenses, perhaps even creating opportunities for others.

The Utes fell to the Wildcats, 23-10, for their first Big 12 loss in week five. 🏈#GoUtes #Big12FB #CFB https://t.co/aN4IKayY1N

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2024

Upon further review, there were a couple of issues with Utah’s run game

Utah finished the game with 84 rushing yards and upon further review, a couple of things stick out.

First, the initial push the offensive line generated against Arizona was surprisingly low. Utah averaged a season-low of 3.8 yards per carry (sack-adjusted) against the Wildcats. More alarming than that was the 2.88 yards after contact it took to average that. That means there was less than a yard (.92) of clear runway for Utah’s running game.

Arizona had been conceding over 3.1 line yards coming into the game. This seemed like a favorable matchup for Utah’s ground game. However, credit Arizona, who did a much better job of controlling the trenches and limiting the rushing attack.

Second, Utah executed a few different run plays. But if you aren’t paying close attention to the blocking schemes, then you probably wouldn’t notice a difference. Regardless of the play design, it felt like Utah’s run game always seemed to hit the middle of the line.

Liken it to a baseball pitcher throwing a variety of pitches but to the same location in the strike zone. Though there are different looks and velocities, eventually a hitter is going to catch on and take advantage.

Utah needs to add variety to its “pitch location” in the run game. Adding more designed runs to the perimeter seems like it would force the defense to respect the entire “strike zone.” That can even include more screen game, which many consider an extension of the run game.

"With a bye next week to get healthy – we’re looking at you Rising – the Utes begin the softest part of their schedule over the next three weeks."

– @PKKinahan https://t.co/gxTGpsmsEp

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2024

Upon further review, Utah’s missing some oomph in the pass rush

The Utes were able to generate a pressure rate of 39.4% on Noah Fifita. Unfortunately, it only resulted in 13 total pressures; 4 QB hits, 9 hurries, and 0 sacks.

Van Fillinger was the only defensive lineman with a win rate (defeating 1-on-1 block) over 10% of his pass rush snaps. Fillinger ended with a 16.7% win rate on all downs and 27.8% on true pass sets. Those are good numbers for Fillinger but those were the only good numbers for Utah overall.

With Connor O’Toole out of the lineup, Utah has been without its only other double-digit pass rush win rate by a lineman. The next highest win rates among defensive linemen were 3.6% for Junior Tafuna, 3.3% for Logan Fano, and 3.1% for Keanu Tanuvasa. That is simply not getting it done for Utah’s defensive line.

Utah had to rely more on the blitz to generate pressure on Noah Fifita. Even though he faced a higher pressure rate, Utah’s inability to finish those pressures with a sack or disruption allowed Fifita to create plays throughout the game.