Three for Three!

Don't have the steam (or time on my lunch break) for five for five.

1.  Utah football

What happened? 

It was not long ago that this team was running up and down the field, scoring at will and beating opponents before the game even started.  Over the last ten quarters of play, the Utes have been outscored 89-10.  Yes, 89-10.  Dropped passes, bad play calling, and some bone headed mistakes have let the fan base to wonder if they have it in them to win either of these last two games.

As of this writing, San Diego State is a two point favorite this week.  It has been a long time since the Aztecs were favored in a game against the Utes. 

So far, I have seen a few factors that have lead to this downslide.

To begin, let's start with the beginning!  The Utes have not started well.  TCU jumped on them and instead of playing Utah football, they went right to the pass.  That was a nice idea, but TCU was able to get pressure only rushing three and dropping everyone else into coverage.  No run game.  No need to stack the box.  Boom, game over after one quarter. 

Against Notre Dame, it went to the other extreme.  Notre Dame got up 21-3 and instead of playing Utah football, it was run, run, run, and more run.  Utah football is BALANCE.  Balanced attack.  But there was no flow.  No continuity.  Reggie Dunn, the fastest player on the team, was used often early in the game, and then nothing. 

Utah has so many weapons, probably more than almost any team in the country.  But the coaches have not figured out how to utilize them.  By my count, 16 players have scored touchdowns offensively for the Utes this year.  But they need to figure out how to utilize them. 

The next factor is the "wanting it" factor.  Everyone talks about the Jordan Wynn slide.  Very frustrating.  But there was more to it than that.  I have in memory two distinct moments against Pittsburgh when Brandon Burton, who is 6 feet tall went up against the 6'5" Jon Baldwin and got to the ball first because he wanted it more.  That "want it more" factor is gone.  Guys do not want it.  We saw it with the defensive backs, we saw it with just about everybody.

Next, there is no calming presence on this team.  Will Jordan Wynn learn to do that?  It remains to be seen.  He is still a sophomore and has another couple years to get that kind of presence. 

Coming right out of the gate, Utah needs to get off to a fast start.  They need to pick up first downs and move the football.  They can not afford these starts where turnovers, special teams botches, and penalties kill drives and give the other team prime position.  It nearly killed them against Pitt.  It dug their grave against ND and TCU. 

Finally, the leaders need to step up and lead.  The coaches, seniors, and captains need to realize that this season is slipping away.  If Utah plays to its potential, they will win the next three games.  San Diego State, BYU, and a mid-level Pac-10 team can not beat the Utes at their best.  They can't!  But, those teams (obviously a different bowl opponent) can and will beat Utah handily if they continue this uninspired play. 

I sincerely hope that Kyle Whittingham and the other leaders took notes on Saturday in the fourth quarter.  People who spent hard-earned money travelling across the country to support this team.  I hope they noticed those same fans leaving in disgust.  I hope it rallies them to want to be better.

So now we get to see where the heart of this team is.  They have let TCU beat them twice.  They can't afford to make it three in a row. 

2.  BYU basketball

A very interesting game last Friday night to officially kick off the 2010-2011 season for the Cougars.  It deserves a trip down memory lane.

In the mid to late 90's, BYU basketball was a joke.  A punchline for the local newspaper writers.  Their best player was a guy who looked like he was 40 and had about as much hair as Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: TNG.  They only managed to win one game during the 96-97 season.  Roger Reid lost control of the team and embarassed his fans, team, program, university, church, and himself with some ill-advised comments.

Tony Ingle took over midseason, but did not fair any better.

Enter Steve Cleveland. 

Pretty soon, players like Mikeli Wesley, Silester Rivers, and Terrell Lyday came on board and the cougars slowly started competing.  They were even able to beat Utah occasionally in provo.  These players gave way to a new generation.  Mark Bigelow, Travis Hansen, and Rafael Araujo led the cougars into contention for conference championships. 

Well, Cleveland had done an exceptional job and Fresno State came calling.  Though it was a tough decision, Cleveland returned home to coach the Bulldogs.

I think you know the rest.  BYU finally broke the tournament drought last year and is looking for big things this year with a senior-laden backcourt and some increased talent levels across the board.  None of it would be possible without Cleveland's total dedication.

It was a good reminder of that as the Bulldogs came to a sold-out Marriott Center last Friday.  It was an emotional day for Cleveland. 

The BYU fans know what Cleveland did for them and gave him a nice cheer.  Rose has put BYU on the map nationally, but without Cleveland, none of it would be happenign today. 

3.  Al Jefferson

I have been very intrigued by Al Jefferson ever since the Jazz traded for him in July. 

Having scouted him a couple of times, I knew that Big Al had some very good components to his game, and some fatal flaws. 

-In Minnesota, Big Al would not raise his arms to challenge a shot unless there was a chance that he could block it.  He would just stare helplessly at whoever was shooting. 

-He was not a passer.  He would get the ball and only pass if he got into trouble. 

In his first ten games with the Jazz, I have seen some progress in this regard.  I have seen a big improvement in terms of challenging shots.  I think he has made a conscious choice to improve, and it shows.  Additionally, he rotates better defensively than anyone the Jazz have had in quite some time.  He still will struggle with players that can face and go, but he is an upgrade for sure.

His passing still needs work.  He will get better as he understand the system more.  He needs to let the game come to him.  When he does that, Deron will do most of the work and all he will have to do is take advantage. 

I also like how he has allowed Paul Millsap to be Paul Millsap.  The defensive attention that Al requires has allowed Paul to play his game.  When Memo gets back and in the swing of things, Al is going to literally love life.  He will be more free to do his thing and it will pay big dividends. 

So far, I like Al's motivation.  It had to be hard to play for Minnesota and Boston during the times that he did.  When the Jazz started 0-2, he had to be wondering if he had found himself in the movie "Groundhog Day".  But he has kept positive and its reaping big rewards for the Jazz. 

The one negative that I did not anticipate is the fumbling of passes.  Could be that Jazz fans are used to the adhesive hands of Boozer, or it could be that for the first time in his career that he has had a real point guard and he isn't used to good passes, or it could be his hurt hand.  At any rate, it needs correction, and I anticipate that it will improve as time goes by.

With 12 of the next 14 at home, Big Al has a chance to be recognized by his hometown fans, if he can make the most of it, his troubles can make improvements in leaps and bounds.