Utah Utes: 2023 Season Recap (8-5)

Recapping the Utah Utes 2023 season in college football.

Utah Utes, 2023 Season Recap

Scheme and Fit

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham historically relies on his defense and the run game on offense. While they run Shotgun/RPO concepts, they don’t spread the ball in the passing attack unless they are in a negative game script.

Recruiting has become a lot easier for the Utes in the past couple of years, finding themselves in the top third of the Pac-12 class rank. They’ve been able to add an influx of talent to keep up with the high octane offenses in the Pac-12 while maintaining a stout defense that will win in the trenches.

Spring and Fall Camp

The question marks surround the quarterback position. QB Cam Rising tore his ACL at the end of the 2022 season and was in a non-contact jersey all spring and fall camp this past year. There was also a lot of external hype about running back Ja’Quinden Jackson; but during spring and fall camp, he was having issues with vision and reads. At times his inconsistencies showed up as a pass blocker as well. There were a lot of expectations around True Freshman Wide Receiver Mikey Matthews and how he would be used in the system that was void of talent at the position. Bryson Barnes would be named the starting quarterback to begin the year.

Start of the Season

The Utes opened the season on a Thursday night against Florida and dominated them 24-11. Utah would implement a 2-QB system with Freshman Nate Johnson playing the Wildcat role. Mikey Matthews would make a good showing with 4 receptions for 34 yards and an end around for 4 yards. Utah would have wins over Baylor, Weber State and UCLA, starting the season 4-0. From there, things started to unravel.

Starting running back Micah Bernard would end up missing the entire season due to injury. The Utes would also make a change at quarterback during this stretch, going from Bryson Barnes to Nate Johnson. They would use both at the same time, while the coaching staff had to answer questions regarding the availability of Cam Rising.

Middle of the Season

The Utes would lose their first game to Oregon State. After that game, the Utes benched Nate Johnson for the rest of the season and turned to Bryson Barners at QB. Meanwhile, Cam Rising would be considered week-to-week.

The Utes would go on to beat California the following week. They faced a depth crunch at the RB and would turn to Sione Vaki. Vaki was a High School RB who converted to Safety – only to have to play both sides of the ball. Vaki would have 158 yards on the ground against Cal. He would also help lead them to a victory over USC with a last second score to win them the game. Vaki had 149 receiving yards against USC. Off of that emotion victory, they were not able to stop Oregon the very next week.

End of the Season

The Utes easily defeated Oregon State but struggled to finish the season. Quarterback play was too inconsistent as they lost to Washington and Arizona in back-to-back weeks. Utah was struggling to field bodies; going to their third string QB and rotating bodies at the running back. Because of that, the passing game never took off.

Bowling

The Utah Utes accepted an invitation to the Las Vegas Bowl against Northwestern. The team looked absolutely abysmal on offense and lost 14-7. The Utes ended the season 8-5; but after a 4-0 start (and 6-1 after the USC game), the team had fans aspiring to win the Pac-12. Instead, the Utes limped home and the defense could no longer bail them out. Poor quarterback play along with a makeshift RB room did the Utes in.

Team MVP

The team MVP was head coach Kyle Whittingham. He was able to keep the team in one piece,  winning eight games without a true talented QB and a revolving door at RB. The defense faltered late, but that was due to them being put in disadvantageous situations where they could not hold up.

Freshman of the Year

CB Tao Johnson took over the Nickel role and filled in nicely against the high powered Pac-12. He will be someone the Utes can count on going forward. Johnson finished with 33 tackles, 5 pass deflections and a fumble recovery. He has the length and size to play the outside corners if need be and is nimble enough to be an effective Nickel CB. The Utes found a gem that they can count on for years to come.

Really nice play from #Utah RS-FR Nickel CB Tao Johnson here coming from across the formation.

Set the tone early on! pic.twitter.com/aum3yhdfxI

— Alex King (@AKing_Evals) September 1, 2023

Concerns

The entire offense is a concern. Essentially the entire quarterback room transferred out, as did RB Ja’Quinden Jackson and True Freshman WR Mikey Matthews. Cam Rising returns for his final season, with True Freshman Isaac Wilson (the younger brother of Zach Wilson) behind him. The RB room has thinned out, with the only returning production in Micah Bernard. The WR room also takes a hit as Money Parks is the leading returning receiver with 31 receptions.

2023 Conclusion

All in all, it was not the season the Utah Utes were expecting. The games where Cam Rising’s availability was up in the air really stunted the growth at the quarterback position. I also believe they benched Freshman QB Nate Johnson too soon. Yes, he struggled as a passer. But considering he was a Redshirt Freshman, you expect those growing pains. He did looked overwhelmed at times, but when he used his pure athletic traits, you got flashes of what could be. Instead of embracing the youth movement, they asked him to change positions. Johnson politely declined and is now gone.

The Utes have put their eggs in one basket – Cam Rising. If he isn’t able to play at the same level pre-injury, they will have no other option but True Freshman Isaac Wilson. Wilson had a very good Senior season in High School, but no one wants to start a True Freshman at quarterback.

The Utes move to the Big 12 next year, getting a breather in that sense. Gone will be Oklahoma and Texas; Utah will face new challenges with travel and a new style of play. The Big 12 historically tend to be higher scoring with defense optional. The Utes will have to rely on their stout defense to hold up against the air raid offenses to slow the game down – while managing Cam Rising. Rising is a reckless player who can’t keep taking the kind of crushing hits that he’s taken his entire career. This will be a new age in college football, as the Utes are part of the national realignment.