Upon Further Review: Utah Football’s 49-0 Victory

Aug 30, 2024, 4:16 AM | Updated: 3:25 pm

KSL Sports

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football got off to a good start in 2024. Their stars Cameron Rising and Brant Kuithe made it clear to the college football world that they are back, as the two led Utah to a 49-0 win.

This game was for all intents and purposes a tune-up for the Utes. That’s just what these FBS vs FCS games are. Utah did what they needed to and can now begin shifting their focus to the Baylor Bears next Saturday.

Without question, as crazy as it sounds, the standard for @Utah_Football this season is the highest ever in program history…#GoUtes #Big12 #CFB @PKKinahan https://t.co/ioxXBaDedZ

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 30, 2024

The immediate takeaways from last night’s game were obvious. After further review, here are some notable deep-cut takeaways from Utah’s performance Thursday night.

Upon further review, Caleb Lohner looked the part

Utah’s converted basketball player made a strong debut. He played quite a bit, which was good to see. Most impressively, he scored the final touchdown of the night for Utah, on a pretty tough catch.

It looked like a back shoulder throw from the press box but upon further review, the ball placement was on the defender’s back. It was not only an acrobatic catch, it was a contested one too. That speaks to his hand-eye coordination and concentration.

Lohner looked the part Thursday night. He ran good routes, he played physically, and he was involved in both phases of the offense. If he’s not already, it seems he will be a big part of the TE rotation this season.

.@Utah_Football dominated @SUUFB_ in the season opener to start its Big 12 era with a shutout! 💪#GoUtes #TBirdNation #CFB https://t.co/NzZ4VtNYB7

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 30, 2024

Upon further review, Keanu Tanuvasa is disruptive

Although he wasn’t credited with any tackles behind the line of scrimmage, Tanuvasa looked really disruptive. He was able to get into the backfield, seemingly at will.

He was constantly in the SUU backfield and created near-havoc plays. His quickness off the snap and ability to beat offensive lineman was pretty consistent.

He let a couple of opportunities for havoc plays slip through his grasp but he was getting there. The T-Birds called a lot of quick passing in an attempt to negate the pass rush. Still, Tanuvasa created a lot of disruption.

If Tanuvasa can maintain this disruptiveness as Utah faces tougher competition, he’ll be a big difference-maker this season.

Upon further review, there was some good and bad for Utah’s offensive tackles

Overall, the offensive line was mostly positive. There are certainly some things to address but the O-line allowed just one sack throughout the game. That’s a solid outing from a protection standpoint.

Utah is starting two promising tackles on the offensive line. Spencer Fano makes the move to right tackle, while Caleb Lomu is now the starting left tackle.

Starting with the good, their athleticism is quite impressive. They both move and cover ground effortlessly. They will be tough to beat around the edge, like they were tonight.

They were also solid in the run game and will be used in some interesting ways in the run game. Their athleticism gives Utah some creative potential with the run-blocking schemes.

The bad from tonight is that both Fano and Lomu gave up the inside too often. Fano was beaten on a (very impressive) spin move to the inside for the only sack allowed on the night. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the other guy for making a play. However, Fano should be able to handle that in this sort of game.

We were all reminded of how good Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe can be in Utah's 49-0 victory tonight. #GoUtes https://t.co/VXeYxFrJdO

— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) August 30, 2024

Though there was only one sack allowed by the entire unit, getting beat to the inside is a big no-no for offensive tackles and line in general. That is the quickest route to the quarterback for defensive linemn. Yet, SUU was able to shoot the gap inside or countered outside-in far too regularly.

It was from perfect but still a decent start to the season. Need a big improvement going into week two with Baylor coming to town. And this has to be a point of focus this week.

Need to see more from Utah receivers

The passing game with Cam Rising looked fantastic. He looked decisive and got the ball to two dynamic playmakers. In total, Utah finished the night with 328 passing yards. That’s a solid night for the Utah passing game, which clearly could have kept the pedal to the metal had they kept Rising in the game.

However, of those 328 passing yards, Utah receivers only accounted for 86 of those yards. That stands out and not in a good way.

The unit was led by redshirt freshman Daidren Zipperer, who caught 3 passes for 38 yards. Dorian Singer had a pretty quiet night with 2 receptions for 31 yards. Beyond that, there was minimal production from the Utah receiving room.

To be fair, there were a couple of missed opportunities that would’ve helped those numbers. Mycah Pittman’s diving attempt late in the 2nd quarter was maybe just an inch too far out in front of him to haul in.

Regardless, Utah needs more out of this group moving forward.

Upon further review, Johnathan Hall, Dallas Vakalahi looked promising

They did not see action until the second half but they made an impact almost as soon as he did.

In a move to linebacker, as well as a new jersey, the now No. 3 “Gionno” Hall finished with three tackles, one of which was a pretty violent and physical tackle for loss. He diagnosed the play and got to the ball carrier with a load of steam for a big hit.

Hall made the move to linebacker after fall camp and has been there two weeks now. It seems he will be a great fit in the linebacker room.

He plays with great physicality and his athleticism really pops while working from the middle of the field. This transition will be a process as he is learning a new position but the early indications are promising.

As for the true freshman defensive tackle, Vakalahi looked disruptive inside. The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder finished the game with a couple of pressures and a couple of tackles.

Vakalahi returned from a church mission earlier this year. He’s only in the initial stages of his development but the first impression was a good one.

Upon further review, the wheel route actually worked three times

What a moment for the redshirt freshman. Not only did scoring the first touchdown of the season but the first touchdown of his career. And to do it in such an exciting fashion.

It was a 64-yard wheel route out of the backfield. His speed against their linebackers was an obvious mismatch. Utah scored again on the same play, only this time from 79 yards away.

SUU did make an adjustment the third time Utah ran Stanley out of the backfield on a wheel route. The adjustment was having the outside corner pass off the outside receiver, who was breaking inside. That allowed him to pick up Stanley out of the backfield and carry him down the sideline.

Except the play still worked. With the DB passing off the receiver, Daidren Zipperer, it completely freed him up on a crossing route. He caught a pass from Wilson and took it 19 yards down the field for a first down.

Although the play didn’t score a touchdown, the wheel route worked for the third time as it created an open receiver and another chunk play for the offense.

Upon further review, Utah’s run game did benefit from a passing game

The leading rusher for the Utes finished with 34 yards. Traditionally, that’s meant a pretty rough offensive output. However, Utah finished the game with 185 rushing yards.

The push from the offensive line was solid, not overwhelming, but solid. Utah did have more space for the running backs to operate in. There was time to find creases and room to hit the cutback lanes. A big change from last season.

A leading rusher of 34 yards in a game is not sustainable for a season. Utah obviously needs a select few to emerge and take control of the rushing load. Yet, the encouraging thing is that it seemed Utah’s run game did in fact benefit from having a viable passing attack. And that will hopefully be sustainable this season.