Week 6 Weekend Recap: The Curse Of Great Expectations

October 11, 2022 Eric Jensen CFB, Uncategorized 0

Each week Eric Jensen breaks down the weekend that was in the state of Utah for college football. In the week 6 weekend recap, Eric will look at each matchup and take an at large view of how the season has gone for each of these teams thus far. Week 6 weekend recap starts now! Enjoy!Β 

The Curse Of Great Expectations

Before we talk about how these games played out, here’s something important to note. Coming into this season both BYU and Utah had massive expectations.

Those expectations were born out of not only the success of both programs last year but also the confidence of their respective coaches. The national media doesn’t heft labels like playoff dark horse and serious New Years’ six contender lightly. It was not local beat writers spewing propaganda.

No, it was both Kyle Whittingham and Kalani Sitake doubling-down over and over again since spring that these were the two best rosters they had been handed in recent years. These expectations were set by the programs themselves.

That’s a good thing, it indicates growth from two teams that want to graduate from being frisky west coast late night watches to true national college football brands.

The thing with expectations though, especially ones we as humans put on ourselves, is that when we fail to meet them we feel defeated and deflated. These programs feel similarly on this Tuesday. Unlike you and I though, these programs can’t lay in bed for a day, go see a movie and sit and soak in sorrow momentarily while healing.

No, they have even more tests this week. USC for Utah and an SEC opponent in Arkansas for BYU. You don’t have time to wallow in college football if you do things snowball quickly. You have to respond and do so quickly.

So here we sit, expectations shattered for the two biggest programs in the state. Utah is no longer a playoff contender and BYU no longer has a shot at a New Years six appearance. 10 win seasons require perfection from here on out, these teams don’t exude that, there will be more losses. It’s time to reset expectations and take a moment to gather the strengths and weaknesses you’ve seen at the halfway point. It’s not time to react, it’s time to respond.

Utah: UCLA Bruins 42 Utah 32

To say Utah was gashed on the ground would be an understatement. UCLA running back Zach Charbonet put up 198 yards on 22 carries, that is nine yards per carry for those tracking at home. Nothing about that number is positive. Utah’s front four didn’t control the gaps they had to play, and the linebackers got beat at the second level. Things just did not go well when it came to defending the run for Utah.

It’s an extremely tough look. Things looked this way after the Florida game and the same issues popped back up. At this point it has become a trend and a very negative one at that.

I would have to sit down and grind some of the tape before I felt calling out individual players. That said though, this group from a 500 foot view just doesn’t look good.

It’s a problem, because while the pass defense performed fine UCLA and Dorian Thompson Robinson were able to put up nearly 300 yards through the air.

Kyle Whittingham keeps pointing to overall conference numbers to back up his defense, which is fine, but there are glaring and obvious weaknesses. USC will try and exploit those.

Offensively the Utes put out one of their best showings of the year. That doesn’t matter though if you can’t stop anyone. The playcalling offensively is questionable, not enough Tavion Thomas, and a weird short yardage calls.

Cam Rising played his best game of the year, but when you put the weight of the offense on his shoulders you can tell he falters. He’s the perfect Utah QB because at his peak he can rely on the run game and punish teams with his arm off the play action, but when the team is set up in obvious passing downs he struggles.

It seems as if sometimes he refuses to look off his first look. Sometimes, he just misses the linebacker, Rising is a great QB but he isn’t what this coaching staff advertised. This is not an NFL QB that can solely be responsible for making your offense explosive. That’s what the coaching staff sold the fan base over the summer.

Those counting out this program at home next week are crazy though. Kyle Whittingham has proved far too many times that he does his best coaching when his teams face adversity. The alarm bells should start sounding if Utah loses by more than a touchdown at home, not before then. Whittingham has earned that much.

BYU Week 6 Weekend Recap: Notre Dame Fighting Irish 28 BYU 20

The Week 6 weekend recap continues.

I give the BYU offense a pass. Jaren Hall was clearly hurt in this game, he still lead two touchdown drives and kept this game far more competitive than it should have been. It once again comes down to the defense.

I have sat down and watched BYU’s defense, I have seen that with my own eyes in a tape room with good friend Bryan Brown. I feel comfortable saying the following.

Whether through coaching hires or recruiting, or lack of adjustments. Kalani Sitake has failed to make this defense competitive. It just isn’t a group that gives the Cougars a shot to win each week.

Against Notre Dame, 0 sacks, another failing PFF pressure grade, just unacceptable. This team is going to struggle early in the Big 12. They lack the defensive integrity to compete at the power five level. I would expect them to be pushed around against and elite Arkansas offensive front next week.

Kalani just hasn’t delivered on this defense, we’ve seen this over two years now. The Cougars have nine sacks over half the season. Last year they totaled 20, this team is on pace to be worse than last year in that category. You cannot expect to compete with Baylor, Oklahoma State, and TCU if you can’t manufacture pressure.

Sportswriters and fans calling for coaches jobs are generally stupid. That’s never something I am going to do. I just want to leave you with that number. 9 sacks. In what world does a Big-12 contender have 9 sacks through six games? Oklahoma State has 16 sacks, and Kansas, yes Kansas has 16 sacks through six games.

Food for thought.

Utah State: Aggies 34 Air Force Falcons 27

Check out the week 6 weekend recap in podcast form, here!Β 

This was a huge win for the Aggies. The type that gives them a shot at competing seriously in the Mountain West. It will take near perfection but the Aggies have a shot now at being bowl eligible and making the Mountain West title game. The schedule in the back half is light.

The Aggies will play the Colorado State Rams next week, a team that has at points this year looked like one of the worst in the country, and teams like New Mexico and Hawaii down the stretch.

The turnaround has come on the back of a dominant Aggie running game. Calvin Tyler put up 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground against Air Force, while QB Cooper Legas added a rushing touchdown of his own.

Most impressive though in this game was a Utah State defense that after a shaky first half, locked down the Air Force running game and forced two turnovers to win the game for the Aggies.

With an offense that now looks dynamic and a defense that looks like they can come prepared to stop any team in the conference, the Aggies had the best weekend in the state.

Blake Anderson deserves a ton of credit, he’s faced adversity and now he’s answered. His next test will be winning a two-game road trip to Fort Collins and Laramie. The latter is one of the most miserable places to play in the country. If the Aggies can get wins over the next two weeks it will be hard to not buy into the idea that this team only has to beat Boise in the final week of the season to prevail and find itself in the MWC championship once again.