Utes must score more to beat Cougars
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham took the stance Monday during his weekly press conference that to beat Washington State, his team must be able to trade blows offensively with the Cougars’ “Air Raid” offense.
“Well, how many do you think they will score?” Whittingham said when asked about how many points it would take to beat the Cougars (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) at Pullman, Wash., on Saturday.
“I know you have to be able to score against these guys because like I said, they are scoring around 40 a game. I can’t put an exact number on it, but I know you have to be able to generate offense on your own to have a chance in this game.”
The Utes (2-1, 0-1) can’t afford to continue to produce offensively like they have in the last two games, scoring a total of 17 points in a win over Northern Illinois and a loss to Washington.
“You’re not going to beat Washington State 21-17; that’s not going to happen,” said Whittingham, knowing the Cougars have the country’s No. 2 passing offense (401.8 yards a game).
Utah has the nation’s top-ranked defense in yards allowed (204.7 a game), but the Utes will be hard-pressed to keep the Cougars to 21 points (the most they have allowed an opponent this season, in the 21-7 loss to the Huskies at home two weeks ago).
Whittingham wants to throw the ball less frequently but more effectively, which was stressed during Utah’s bye week.
“We are trying to get that thing jump-started; that’s something that starts with coaching,” Whittingham said.
The most significant problems were pass protection against Northern Illinois and dropped passes against Washington.
“As a unit, we just haven’t been consistent in what we’ve been doing, not taking advantage of every opportunity that we get,” said quarterback Tyler Huntley, who has completed 65 of 109 pass attempts for 703 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Whittingham also said that running back Zack Moss will be utilized more to “play to our strengths.” Moss carried only 13 times for 67 yards against Washington, partly because of an ankle injury. He is averaging only 15 carries a game and has scored all of Utah’s three rushing touchdowns.
Utah lost 33-25 to Washington State last year to Salt Lake City in a forgettable game that included seven turnovers for the Utes.