Michigan Wolverine Football: Utah vs. Michigan — Early Look From Utah Fan
Oct 19, 2013; Tucson, AZ, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi (73) in between plays during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Arizona beat Utah 35-44. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Posted at 12:00pm — 9/14/2014
Michigan Wolverine Football: Utah vs. Michigan — Early Look From Utah Fan
We have a Utah fan on our message board that stopped by our site today and share his knowledge/scouting report of his team, the Utah Utes.
We’re not sure what we’ve got yet with this year’s Utes. We’re cautiously optimistic. We handled both of our opponents so far, but one was FCS and the other, Fresno State, also got handled similarly by USC. And we just saw what happened to USC so who knows?
We’re running a hurry-up spread offense with some zone-read like what is so en vogue out West.
We’ve got a couple guys back that were missing last season and seem to be improved.
Sep 6, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Travis Wilson (7) looks to pass during the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah won 59-27. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY SportsWith a healthy QB Travis Wilson, we were 4-2 last season and beat Stanford before he went down to injury and then finished 1-5. He has worked his *** off in the off-season, gotten stronger, and seems to be making better decisions. Dude is 6’7″ and a legitimate dual threat.
Wide receiver Kenneth Scott returns after being injured and lost in the second series of our opening game last year. While he doesn’t have a lot of career stats, we think he is NFL talent if he can stay healthy. He’s a possession guy and takes pressure off of returning wide receiver Dres Anderson who was our only weapon last year at over 1,000 yards receiving.
Aug 28, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes running back Bubba Poole (34) carries the ball in front of Idaho State Bengals defensive back Cody Sorensen (29) during the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes won 56-14. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY SportsRunning back Bubba Poole is a consistent all-around back but not a game-breaker. Newcomer running back Devonte Booker looks to be more explosive but is still relatively unknown.
Our offensive line is pretty solid and experienced. Left tackle Jeremiah Poutasi is a physical beast, but had some issues last season with speed-rushers.
Our biggest weakness probably lies in the defensive secondary which is atypical for a Kyle Whittingham team. We normally run a base 4-3 man coverage, but this year Nickel seems to be the new thing – to deal with Pac-12 offenses. You’ll also see some 3-3-5.
The corners are relatively inexperienced and seem most vulnerable. four-year starter Eric Rowe played three years at free safety, but got moved to cornerback this year. He seems to be transitioning more slowly than hoped.
Sep 6, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes linebacker Jason Whittingham (53) during the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah won 59-27. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY SportsWe’re a little thin at linebacker after losing starting LB Jason Whittingham (nephew) last week. Hopefully Miami (FL) transfer Gionni Paul returns this week to fill that spot.
Defensive Line is again a strength and headlined by right defensive end Nate Orchard. He can put on a serious pass rush and has I believe 4.5 sacks a few tackle for loss, a FF and recovery in about four quarters of play this year. He’ll also play LB in the 3-3 and can cover. We expect him to be an early-rounder next spring.
Special teams are good with Ray Guy and Lou Groza candidates at respective kicking positions. Punter Tom Hackett is a former Aussie-Rules player from Down Under, and was 1st team Pac-12 last year. Kicker Andy Phillips was a Groza semi-finalist and is a former U.S. Ski Team member who’s first ever game on a football field was last season.
I expect a close game. We know Michigan is not as bad as the Notre Dame score looked. You guys have amazing athletes, Coach Brady Hoke is familiar with us from SDSU, and if your guys put it all together and hang on to the ball, it could be a long day for us.
All that said, I hope it’s a good game and I’m stoked to take it in. I’ve heard good things about your fans.
To answer the obligatory question, “What’s a Ute?” a Ute is a member of the Ute Indian Tribe of which Utah is named for.
Now hook a brother up with the inside info so we can enjoy the **** out of Ann Arbor on game day. Good Luck and Go Utes!
Please comment on our GBMWolverine Message Board about this article and read what others comment and give us your thoughts, agree or disagree.
Just a reminder you must be a member to participate on the Message Board. Here is the link GBMWolverine Register for those people interested in becoming a member.
You can contact us at our e-mail address: GBMWolverine
Follow us on Twitter:
@ErocWolverine
@GBMWolverine
@Mike Fitzpatrick
@SqdScoops
@YostMeister
Written by GBMWolverine Poster and Utah Fan — LiquidUte
Go Blue — Wear Maize!
+