Week 7 Weekend Recap: A Program Defining Win For The Utes. A Wasted Era For The Cougs.

October 17, 2022 Eric Jensen CFB, Uncategorized 0

Each week Eric Jensen breaks down the weekend that was in the state of Utah, in the week 7 weekend recap. A huge weekend has passed so enjoy the week 7 weekend recap.

Utah: Utah 43 USC Trojans 42

Is it an overstatement to say this is one of if not the biggest home win in program history? I keep thinking about that and I don’t really come up with anything bigger. Maybe Oregon last year, maybe TCU in 2008, but probably this spectacular comeback.

I would make an argument that this one of the five most important wins in program history. To stay in a game and hang punch for punch with a storied rival like USC. To beat them before the departure to the Big-10 and give yourself a puncher’s chance at a second-half run to the Pac-12 title game.

A win the way the Utes did as well, was doubly impressive. For the first time all year Cam Rising played a perfect game and put up over 400 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Dalton Kincaid breaks 230 receiving in a game where Utah’s running game never really got anything going.

Rising has to play this way, it’s a difficult for a very good QB, the defense is just non-existent. USC moved the ball at will and the Utes only got pressure in spurts, credit them though they got to the QB when it mattered most. Rising is being asked to do a lot right now though. Can he keep putting up otherworldly games like this on a weekly basis? That remains to be seen but what the signal caller did Saturday night was author one of the greatest QB performances in program history.

If Rising plays at this level the rest of the way, the Utes should be back in the championship game. For that matter, Rising ought to begin to make a case for being a day-two QB selection in next year’s NFL draft.

The defense must improve. If it doesn’t there are probably two more losses on the schedule, if Rising keeps performing at his current level though, it might not matter.

Utah State: USU 17 Colorado State Rams 13 week 7 weekend recap

A brief interlude to talk about a very weird game in Fort Collins. Cooper Legas is mowing up and down the field in the first quarter. Then a freak concussion, hoping he recovers quickly. So in comes Levi Williams, and when Blake Anderson brags all off season about three deep at QB, well that just isn’t true.

Levi Williams before the injury was quite bad, missing a ton of throws and not dealing with the pressure well. He hurts his ankle and in comes Bishop Davenport. Davenport comports himself quite well throughout the game. His strengths come as a running QB. For a true freshman though, it’s an impressive win on the young passer’s resume in a tough environment.

QB is a tough position right now though for this Aggie team. Wyoming is a tough defense, they have a week to gameplan for a true freshman or their former QB if Legas doesn’t play, which he likely won’t. While the season is still alive for this Aggie team the margin for victory is basically non existent at this point, if Legas can’t go that’s a major issue.

This defense has performed well led by MJ Tafisi, but the group can only be asked to do so much. Justin McGriff also needs to figure out whatever is going on with him offensively as well, he had crucial drops Saturday. This is a far from perfect Aggie team going into one of the most hostile environments in the conference next week.

Oh, and not to mention Wyoming QB and former Aggie Andrew Peasley probably has revenge on the mind for this one. Just a really difficult stretch ahead for the Aggies.

BYU: BYU 35 Arkansas 52

Listen to the week 7 weekend recap here!

BYU gets buried here, because honestly, there’s just nothing positive left to write about. A football analyst I respect a lot, Hans Olsen, said recently that despite watching the games, and doing research even the most advanced analysts don’t really know what’s going on inside a locker room. I am taking that to heart. Who knows whose to blame for the Cougar’s dreadful defense.

All I know, this team gave up 644 yards and had no sacks. So instead of speculating and pointing fingers lets just point out the facts.

  • This team is not ready for the Big-12. Nothing about this roster screams, we will immediately be competitive in the Big-12.
  • The team wasted Jaren Hall, one of the two best QB’s the program has had in the past ten years. He’s going to likely be a day two to day one NFL draft pick and puts up fantastic performances each week. He is the team. With even an average defense this team is probably undefeated.
  • The defense is not competitive. They miss tackles, they don’t get pressure, and they’ve failed to make adjustments.
  • This season, no matter what BYU does in the second half, is a massive failure. Outside of Oregon, Baylor, Arkansas and Notre Dame have all proven to be middling teams. BYU went 1-3 in that stretch. They should have gone 3-1.

From here on out, we stop looking at the defense in this column. You won’t be able to judge it much based on the level of opposition upcoming for the Cougars. This year, is now about keeping Jaren Hall healthy and trying to produce another first round QB.

The focus should from here on out be the offense, because frankly, the defense just isn’t worth talking about. We say the same thing every week, and nothing changes, so what’s the point of continuing to beat a dead horse?

A failure of a season for BYU. They will have to completely rebuild one side of the ball and likely the offense as well after Hall leaves. The first few years of the Big-12 are probably not going to be ultra-competitive. BYU has not arrived. This era of the program will mostly be defined by the waste of two generational passers.