Today at 2 p.m. (MST), Colorado (4-7, 3-5 Pac-12) takes on No. 16 Utah (8-3, 7-1) in Salt Lake City to conclude the 2021 regular season.
Utah, which is undefeated at home this season, enters the game having already secured the Pac-12 South Division title while the Buffaloes, out of bowl contention, look to end their campaign on a positive note.
Alex Markham, publisher of UteNation, the Rivals affiliate providing comprehensive coverage of Utah athletics and recruiting, broke down what CU can expect today at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Q: Utah will win its third Pac-12 South title in the last three full seasons, omitting the condensed 2020 campaign. From afar, things look to be pretty stable and solid in Salt Lake City. How would you describe the assessment fans have of Kyle Whittingham’s program over the last few years as well as how Utah’s admin views things? Are there any restless fans/administrators who want to see the Utes competing for a CFP spot, or, in other words, want to see the program achieve even more?
Alex Markham: Of course everyone associated with Utah wants to see them in the CFP with how close they’ve gotten over the last four years, but it’s not something for them to fuss over in 2021.
After the two tragic deaths of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe in nine months, Utah had every right to just mail in the rest of the season. Once Lowe’s mom spoke to the team, showed strength and gave her blessing for them to play on, the team seemed revitalized and they began to play with a purpose.
Right after Lowe’s passing, I wrote this: Utah Football Needs Support Now More Than Ever.
To be honest, at that point in time, not many really expect the team to flip the switch and suddenly have the success that they’ve had.
Now, if they don’t break through and win the Pac-12 Championship this season, there will be some disappointment.
However, for so many, 2021 has turned into one of the most special seasons of the Whittingham era regardless of the end result. Everyone associated with them is beyond proud of them.
Q: In terms of your overall expectations for the 2021 seasons, how have things gone for Utah?
AM: Kind of like I mentioned in the above answer and also in my linked article—if Buffs fans choose to read it—any initial expectations were thrown completely out the window after Lowe’s tragic passing.
The one thing I will say is that while initially starting Charlie Brewer over Cam Rising at the time made logical sense, it’s a choice that likely kept them from sniffing the playoffs.
With Rising leading the offense, this is a Top 10 worthy team. I was in the camp thinking Rising was the right choice from the get-go and some fans gave me heat and ridicule for it.
It turns out though that Rising has proven me right and then some. He’s already become one of the most beloved players at Utah in the last 20 years.
Q: Break down the Utes’ recent obliteration of Oregon for me. Obviously, that was a highly impressive win and one that must have the confidence within Utah’s locker room skyrocketing at a critical juncture of the season. What allowed Utah to win in that fashion?
AM: Execution. There really was no magic sauce to it. The offense ran the ball well and kept the Ducks off-balance with play-action, something that Whittingham says Rising does better than any quarterback he’s ever coached.
The area that they did have some added focus was chipping Kayvon Thibodeaux with an initial blocker, before he was engaged with his main blocker. It all worked brilliantly and Oregon just had no answer.
On defense, Utah just played a typical physical Utah defensive game—something that has kind of been off and on throughout the season. Oregon had been running all over teams in recent weeks and they could only muster 63 yards against the Utes.
Q: I was surprised personally to see Devin Lloyd left off the Bednarik Award finalists list. His presence within Utah’s defense and what he brings to the table needs no elaboration, but around him, who/what are the major strengths of this Utes D? Any chinks in the armor you’ve seen this season?
They’re young and inconsistent. There are some games that they’re just stone-cold dominant and other games like the one against Arizona where they’re taking bad angles and over pursuing.
The linebackers that line up alongside Lloyd are impressive playmakers, and Nephi Sewell doesn’t get the respect and recognition he deserves.
The defensive line struggled early in the season, but is suddenly stout again by Utah standards.
The one weak area on defenses is the secondary due to the fact that they’re young and their depth has really been tested due to injuries.
As for Lloyd being excluded as a finalist for the Bednarik award, if Thibodeaux is on it, there’s no question that Lloyd should be on it, as he’s likely going to be named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
I feel bad for Colorado, knowing that Lloyd will come out on senior day as an outgoing junior with something to prove.
Q: Cameron Rising has undoubtedly shined this season while the Utes boast a formidable rushing attack, with Tavion Thomas, TJ Pledger and Micah Bernard all proving they can hurt you with the ball in their hands. How would you describe this Utes offense in terms of what it does efficiently? Any areas/position groups that haven’t been up to par?
AM: For the first 3-4 games, the Utah offensive line was atrocious. Since then, they’ve been dominant for the most part. A lot of that had to do with injuries and moving guys around.
In the first three games, all which Brewer started, the offense moved the ball, but struggled to score. It seemed bland and boring. The running backs also had major fumbling issues.
Once Rising replaced Brewer, everything changed. Rising quickly showed his capabilities allowed them to open up the whole playbook and also take more risks than they previously had.
Most importantly though, he brought a swagger that had formed the identity of this offense. Recently they’ve relied more on the run game now that the fumbling issues are under control, but when they have to hit the big play, Rising seems to almost always deliver.
Something unique about this offense is that it relies heavily on their three main tight ends, which creates a matchup nightmare.
Unlike most seasons, the offense is carrying the Utes in 2021.
Q: Last one, score prediction and brief closing remarks on why you feel that way?
Well, this one is weird because Utah has absolutely nothing to play for on Friday other than sending their seniors out right.
Utah had this similar situation in 2018 and nearly lost to BYU, before waking up near the end of the third quarter and blowing the Cougars out.
I think the Utes coaching staff has learned from that experience. They’ll do everything they can to get a good sized lead early, in order to give their key guys rest for most of the game. Because of this, the score will be closer than a typical midseason game.
Utah 37, Colorado 13
