Three Thoughts on Utah's win over Arizona

For the third straight season, Utah won its Pac-12 opener after claiming a 30-24 victory over Arizona on Friday night. Utah followed a standard blueprint for the program to get there. Defense and special teams ruled the day.

The Utes forced five turnovers – highlighted by a 14 yard interception return by Javelin Guidry. Matt Gay shined in the kicking game again, making all three of his field goal attempts to move to 14-of-14 on the season. Utah also blocked a pair of field goal attempts from Josh Pollack. 

Here are three observations from Utah's fourth victory of the season:

1. Losing Tyler Huntley could spell disaster for the offense

Seeing Utah's offense operate without Tyler Huntley ended up being an eye opener. It showed that Huntley winning the starting quarterback job in fall camp was no fluke.

Huntley went out with an apparent shoulder injury following a 7-yard sack midway through Utah's third scoring drive. Up to that point, Arizona had no answer for the sophomore. He totaled 98 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-9 passing through 1 ½ quarters. When the offensive line gave Huntley time, his mobility and decision making made Utah's offense vibrant and dynamic.

Once Troy Williams took over, the offense struggled to move the chains. Williams was decidedly less accurate with through the air, totaling 131 yards while completing 9-of-18 passes. The senior can hit the deep ball, but he lacks patience with reading defenses and goes for the lower percentage home run balls more often than he should.

Utah needs good news on Huntley's injury. A prolonged absence for the sophomore could force the Utes to grind out more Pac-12 wins through defense and special teams play.

2. The future is bright in the secondary

Teams are going to have a tough time beating Utah through the air this season. The Utes have a ton of young playmakers in the secondary who are only going to get better as the season progresses.

Outside of a few third down conversions, Brandon Dawkins could not get on track in the passing game. Dawkins totaled 248 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-42 passing. He also tossed three interceptions.

Guidry, Chase Hansen and Corrion Ballard each snared an interception from Dawkins. Casey Hughes turned in perhaps the best performance of the group. Hughes forced a pair of fumbles and also tipped the pass that Hansen ultimately brought down.

Only two seniors, Boobie Hobbs and Kenric Young, are in the two-deep at cornerback, safety and nickelback in Utah's 4-2-5 defense. Freshman like Jaylon Johnson and Guidry and sophomore Julian Blackmon play major roles in the secondary rotation.

The unit possesses tons of speed and is filled with ball hawks. It sets up for a strong 2017 for the pass defense and an even more promising 2018 season.

3. Utah needs to cut down on penalties fast

A disturbing trend has emerged for Utah. Through four games, the Utes are one of the nation's most penalized teams. Utah ranks near or at the bottom among FBS teams in total penalties (37), penalty yards (365) and penalties per game (9.3).

Against Arizona, the Utes totaled nine penalties for 83 yards. Many of them proved costly on the scoreboard. Utah got called for a false start after driving to the Arizona 3 early in the second quarter, forcing the Utes to settle for a field goal on their third scoring drive. A targeting penalty on Marquise Blair moved the Wildcats into the red zone and helped set up their second touchdown of the game in the third quarter.

Utah can't afford to be so sloppy and aggressive against better Pac-12 teams. It could lead to an unexpected loss.

Can Beau Hoge Rescue BYU's Offense?

Dreams of putting a powerful offense on the field have turned to nightmares for BYU after only four games. All of the numbers paint an ugly picture for the Cougars.

Facing LSU, Utah and Wisconsin over three consecutive weeks has taken its toll. The Cougars scored just 19 points in those three games and were held without a touchdown against both the Tigers and the Badgers.

Right now, BYU ranks near or at the bottom among 130 FBS teams in multiple offensive categories: 

• 116th in chunk plays of 10+ yards (27)
• 119th in passing offense (144.9 ypg) 
• 124th in rushing offense (77.5 ypg)
• 127th in scoring offense (9.8 points per game)
• 128th in total offense (221.8 yards per game)
• 130th in first downs per game (10.8).

What in the name of LaVell Edwards has happened to BYU?

Many elements have created this offensive ineptitude. The Cougars lack a powerful runner who can consistently make plays with their feet. Wide receivers often run incorrect routes and are prone to dropping passes. An undersized offensive line struggles to open running lanes for the backs or reduce pressure on the quarterback during passing plays.

Quarterback play has been erratic as well. Tanner Mangum lacked mobility and made poor reads in his first three games, leading to quick punts and turnovers. It put the defense in tough spots and kept BYU from generating any real offensive momentum over four quarters.

Is Beau Hoge a solution to any problems on offense?

Hoge didn't light the world on fire in his debut as a starting quarterback. He filled in for Mangum against Wisconsin and threw for 111 yards on 11-of-20 passing, Hoge also tossed a pair of costly interceptions that led to 10 points for the Badgers.

The redshirt sophomore made mistakes you would expect from a first-time starter. Still, Hoge also showed significant promise. He offered a higher dose of mobility than Mangum in the pocket and was able to put together some nice runs on BYU's first scoring drive. Hoge also made better reads with his receivers, at times, than Mangum did in losses to LSU and Utah.

Mangum is expected to be sidelined with an ankle injury for an indefinite period. This means Hoge will get a legitimate chance to show what he can do. Can he raise BYU's offense out of the ashes?

Hoge has the right tools to be a good fit for the pro-style offense Ty Detmer wants to run. He offers greater mobility as a quarterback, which should take some pressure of his receivers. Hoge also seems more patient in attacking shorter routes and taking what the defense gives up, rather than going for home run balls on every play.

BYU should get better on offense as the schedule softens. If Hoge can help the Cougars progress against weaker defenses, he could remain the starting quarterback going forward – regardless of when Mangum is back to full strength.