Utah had some very impressive statistics this season

[cattul]

I was bored by the lull in football news, so I headed over to the Utah site to read their coverage of the Las Vegas bowl draw. As usual, their press release included a list of statistics meant to paint the team in the best light. I must admit that I was impressed.

The Utes finished the season ranked:
#6 in first downs defense,
#8 in third down conversion defense, and
#4 in rushing defense. (Iowa finished #13, for perspective.)

Utah also finished #64 in passing yards allowed.

The disparity between their rushing/passing defensive stats was no doubt heavily influenced by the Pac-12 teams they faced off against.

I wonder how critically the loss of their safeties will affect their bowl game performance on defense. Quite frankly, they looked like a lot for the Cats to handle as they were constituted during the season. How far off from peak performance will they play in two weeks?

 

[Hungry Jack]

The loss of two starting safeties will have a major impact. Good safeties are multipliers on defense. We saw how CoCo’s absence affected our team.

A lot depends on how much Utah can pressure Bryant. Give Bryant some time, and he will make you pay.

 

[cattul]

The loss of two starting safeties will have a major impact. Good safeties are multipliers on defense. We saw how CoCo’s absence affected our team.

A lot depends on how much Utah can pressure Bryant. Give Bryant some time, and he will make you pay.

I (well…o.k.…actually ChatGPT) did some poking around and found the linked article on the Utah safeties from the preseason.

With Bishop and Vaki out, I presume Ritchie and Reeves are the most experienced guys they’ve got. I don’t like the sound of the “four-star USC transfer“ Allen they have at safety, but then again, I may just be falling into the star rating/blue blood trap.

https://staging.kslsports.com/502992/breaking-down-utah-footballs-2023-position-groups-safeties/