'Open Up the Run Game!' Utah Utes Coach Kyle Whittingham Names Key to Beating Cal
It's no secret that the Utah Utes have had their struggles at quarterback this season.
In fact, that'd be an understatement. Rolling with multiple backup quarterbacks and being unable to name a full-time replacement starter is a big struggle. And not knowing when your starting quarterback is coming back only adds to that.
So, when your offense is skirting by with a backup quarterback, it's easy for teams to sell out on stopping other facets of your game, and for the Utes, that means the run.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is more than aware of that, and made clear that his team would be focusing on fixing that issue Saturday against Cal Berkeley.
Utah Utes Coach Kyle Whittingham addresses his team during team practice.
Courtesy of Utah Athletics.
"When you’ve got an offense that nobody respects the throw game, they’re going to put everyone in the box and it’s real hard to run the football in that box," Whittingham said. "So I think the best thing we can do to open up the run game, provide more creases, thin things out in the box a little bit."
Whittingham has a point. Without a dangerous passing game, Cal would be able to sell out on the run — which already hasn't been great for the Utes. If the Golden Bears are successful, Utah would be forced to get things going from the air, and if that didn't happen, their offense would be at a standstill.
Then, there's the other side of things. If Utah can get its running game going early, Cal would have to thin out its pass coverage to compensate, which could allow the Utes to find success through the air. And then with both facets of offense working, suddenly the Utes make it a game with a chance to grab another conference win.
And considering Whittingham has the quarterback "figured out," the Utes are certainly hoping for the latter. Now, it's up to them to make it happen.
Kickoff against Cal from Rice-Eccles Stadium is set for 1 p.m. MT.
