The Holy Score: Grading the Week 2 victories for Utah and Brigham Young

Welcome to The Holy Score, a weekly assessment of Utah and Brigham Young football in which we assess their performances with no punches pulled or apologies forthcoming. If one of them stinks, we’ll tell you they stink. Most Utah and BYU fans are entirely reasonable — sarcasm alert! — but those who can’t handle the truth should go read the message boards instead.

Week 2 results

Utah 23, Baylor 12Site: Rice-Eccles StadiumLine: Utah -15.5

Brigham Young 18, SMU 15Site: Gerald J. Ford StadiumLine: BYU +12.5

Scouting report

The caliber of opponent must be accounted for in any comparison between the Utes and Cougars. We don’t have a precise feel for SMU or Baylor just yet, but they should be considered comparable. The Mustangs were picked seventh in the ACC’s preseason media poll while the Bears were 12th in the Big 12 version, but that disparity is offset by the Big 12’s edge in quality depth. Additionally, the Utes were at home and the Cougars on the road (on a short week). As a result, we weighted BYU’s assignment as slightly more difficult.

Offense

Utah: The outcome of the first four drives, in order: punt, touchdown, touchdown, field goal — and presto, the Utes had a 17-0 lead … Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig deserves high marks for finding creative ways to use Dijon Stanley, even as a decoy, and it’s clear Ludwig is putting plays on tape with future opponents in mind. The fake reverse to Stanley off the fly sweep to Money Parks was brilliantly designed and perfectly timed for the first touchdown … Once Utah’s lead reached 17-0, we sensed a lull in urgency. (Baylor’s 76-yard punt, which pinned the Utes at their 2 yard-line, helped with the deflation situation.) … Now, about the woolly mammoth in the room: Cam Rising’s injury. Clearly, the Utes are a vastly different team without him. The impact of his absence extends far beyond execution. The loss is palpable on both sides of the ball … Very few true freshmen are ready to consistently make plays, and Isaac Wilson isn’t one of them. (Nebraska’s Dylan Raioa would be the exception.) That’s not Wilson’s fault. But it’s the reality … As such, our instinct is to offer separate grades for Utah and then split the difference for the overall mark. So let’s assign an A- when Rising was on the field and a D when Wilson was in charge. (At least he didn’t commit any turnovers.) Grade: C+

BYU: Where do we begin to assess a performance that featured more turnovers than touchdowns, an abysmal efficiency on third down and a tipping-point injury? … The offense clearly struggled once LJ Martin departed, but should the loss of a tailback who rushed for 500 yards last year and wasn’t on preseason All-American lists make that much difference? Not if the quarterback is reasonably efficient … Jake Retzlaff played like a freshman making his first road start, not a junior who threw 125 passes last season. He completed just 53.5 percent of his passes, which mirrors his career number and is far below the standard needed for success in the Big 12. Retzlaff’s decisions were horrendous and resulted in three turnovers: two interceptions and a fumble … BYU’s third-down conversion rate (2-of-13, or 15.4 percent) was awful and impacted by Retzlaff’s inconsistency … Bottom line: The quarterback play wasn’t nearly good enough to win consistently in the Big 12 … We didn’t take significant issue with playcalling, especially given Retzlaff’s issues and the way BYU’s defense was playing. But if we had that collection of tight ends, they would be targeted every other play. Grade: C-

Defense

Utah: The fourth quarter was tighter than it should have been only because of Utah’s sputtering attack without Rising. The defense was tremendous throughout the game, limiting Baylor to 3.7 yards per play and four third-down conversions in 16 attempts … Remember the complementary nature of the sport: If one side of scrimmage is struggling, it impacts the other side. Had we told you after the fact that Baylor would score one touchdown and have two drives of more than 50 yards, Utah’s performance would feel better than it might have watching the events play out in real time … Defensive end Van Fillinger was a wrecking ball once again. He now has three sacks and four tackles-for-loss in two games and looks headed for an all-conference season. Grade: A

BYU: Generally, we thought the Cougars were very good defensively. They recorded eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks, stood tall in the Red Zone and held SMU to 18.8 percent conversions on third down. (Those metrics are good enough to win consistently in the Big 12, but only if the offense carries its weight.) … Specifically, the Cougars won the individual matchups on the line of scrimmage and generated pass pressure with limited blitzing. Jack Kelly seemed to be everywhere at all times, while Blake Mangelson was unblockable … Not surprisingly, the Cougars had more success against immobile SMU quarterback Preston Stone than against the athletic Kevin Jennings, and if the Mustangs had played Jennings start to finish, the outcome might have been different … There are plenty of quarterbacks in the Big 12 with mobility and accuracy, so BYU must up its game as the season progresses. But this was a first-rate performance. Grade: A

Overall

Utah: We found it appropriate that the matchup with Baylor was a non-conference game given that Utah treated the Bears like an FCS opponent — that is, until Rising’s injury. (The Bears had just 68 total yards at halftime.) …  That level of dominance bodes well for the Utes if Rising returns in short order, and by short we mean next week. Utah’s season hinges on the outcome of the Oklahoma State and Arizona collisions in the second half of September. The defense is playing well enough to keep the Utes in range in both games. But unless Rising returns or Wilson develops at an exponential rate, a sweep of that critical back-to-back is unlikely … As for last weekend, give the Utes high marks for two quarters of offense and four quarters of defense, and low marks for the offense in the second half. Grade: B+

BYU: The victory over SMU was as uneven and difficult to watch as the 18-15 final score suggests, but there was much to like about BYU’s defensive performance against what should be a mid-level ACC opponent … How well that translates to success in the Big 12 is difficult to assess. But we aren’t convinced the Cougars have enough talent across 22 positions to compete with the best in the conference. And they might not have enough to compete with the mediocre teams if the quarterback play does not improve … In that regard, an improved running game is vital whether Martin is healthy or not. Retzlaff isn’t ready to carry the offense. Grade: B

Overall advantage: Utah

Season score: Utah 2, BYU 0

Next up

Utah: at Utah State. The Aggies experienced a tumultuous summer with the dismissal of coach Blake Anderson and were not competitive last weekend against USC in a 48-0 loss … Sure, they will be supremely motivated for their first date with the Utes since 2015, but we don’t see Utah State generating sustained drives. Utah is favored by 20.5 points, which feels about right … If Rising doesn’t play, the running game sputters and Wilson’s mistakes give Utah State quality field position, the Aggies might cover the spread … Bottom line: The Utes must contribute repeatedly to their own demise in order for this to be close deep into the fourth quarter.

BYU: at Wyoming. Ideal timing for the Cougars, what with Wyoming reeling from a lopsided defeat in the opener (at Arizona State) and then a stunning home loss to Idaho … The key for BYU: a fast start that further demoralizes the Cowboys. Of course, that means Retzlaff must execute the basics … Both Martin and backup tailback Hinckley Ropati are doubtful, which heaps additional playmaking pressure on Retzlaff … The Cougars are 11-point favorites, which reflects Wyoming’s abysmal start under first-year coach Jay Sawvel … Our hunch: The defense leads the way once again, and the Cougars secure a 3-0 start that makes their bowl math more manageable once conference play begins.

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