What's going to be different about next year's game?

[Flystripper]

What is going to happen with Riley Nelson vs Heaps? Is that question answered?

really?

[Flystripper]

but will be looking for a starting RB

Hey why isn't that awesome national champion rugby player on the team? (Sorry I don't remember his name) I thought he was supposed to play RB for the Utes. I think he would be a nightmare in the Utes backfield.

[statman]

I thought he performed very well yesterday. Monson made this argument that they didn't trust him; I don't think it was a lack of trust at all. I think it was playing odds.

I think we have great years of heaps ahead. I didn't know that he previously said he wouldn't go on a mission. What does Riley end up doing now? Free education?

What they did is NOT playing the odds. The odds of a kicker hitting a 40+ yard field goal in the cold, in a rivalry game, away from home, with the clock running to zero are simply not all that great.

Playing the odds would have been to keep trying to get into the endzone, keep conserving the clock, keep doing the things that made the Utah D look like a bunch of mannequins and let you move down the field at will on your last drive (ie - let Jake Heaps keep passing). If you ever get to third down and the ball isn't spotted in the middle of the field, use your third down play to dive to the middle and to burn the clock for one final play, call the TO and kick the field goal.

Simply giving up, and saying we're going to play the odds on a 43 yard field goal is a HORRIBLE decision. That field goal would be much simpler and much easier (and much less likely to be blocked!) if you've completed a pass or two, before the kick. The odds are much better in this case than what they had sitting at ~ the 25 with 48 seconds on the clock.

Unless you don't trust your QB...

Yeah - Bronco and Anae will say that they "didn't want to put too much pressure on a young QB" - but that's just a bunch of horeshit. The way they called that final series, it was clear that they didn't trust Jake not to screw it up.

The coaching staff screwed it up so Jake didn't have to...

What I would've called - play action pass - focusing on seam routes (had been TE, Hoffman & McKay all day). Utah's LBs showed that they bite on the run and aren't fast enough to recover to stop the seam routes. Call time outs down to the point that they've got one left. Keep doing that until they get to a third down and long situation. If it's ever third and long, run the dive to the middle of the field, burn the remaining time but 3 or 4 seconds, call your last time out, kick the FG from that point.

Giving up in the attempt to score and putting the win/loss on the shoulders of one guy is NOT "playing it safe," "playing the odds," or playing anything else, other than "playing stupid."

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

There will only be one difference that matters: BYU by 17.

And if that doesn't happen we won't care anyway, so nothing to see here Utes.

[old_gregg]

I didn't know that he previously said he wouldn't go on a mission. What does Riley end up doing now? Free education?

he didn't say he wasn't going, he already served in spain.

[LiveCoug]

And if that doesn't happen we won't care anyway, so nothing to see here Utes.

Very true.

[OrangeUte]

Hey why isn't that awesome national champion rugby player on the team? (Sorry I don't remember his name) I thought he was supposed to play RB for the Utes. I think he would be a nightmare in the Utes backfield.

Thretton Polamo, I think. Anyone know specifics about this?

[Portland Ute]

Thretton Polamo, I think. Anyone know specifics about this?

I've heard that if he ends up at the U., he'll likely play LB or on defense. Some observers have concerns that he can pick up a position like RB without any prior experience. I've heard a lot of chatter with people fairly familiar with the program that he's going to play defense.

My guess is that with KW's defensive mentality, the kid's amazing physical tools and questions about giving him his best chance to succeed, we will see him on defense and not at RB.

It's hard for me as someone who knows nothing about rugby to translate what we saw of him playing rugby to football. He appears to have great physical tools, but what is the competition level in Rugby? How do those skills translate to football?

[Goatnapper'96]

I've heard that if he ends up at the U., he'll likely play LB or on defense. Some observers have concerns that he can pick up a position like RB without any prior experience. I've heard a lot of chatter with people fairly familiar with the program that he's going to play defense.

My guess is that with KW's defensive mentality, the kid's amazing physical tools and questions about giving him his best chance to succeed, we will see him on defense and not at RB.

It's hard for me as someone who knows nothing about rugby to translate what we saw of him playing rugby to football. He appears to have great physical tools, but what is the competition level in Rugby? How do those skills translate to football?

The basic skills are the same. Speed, agility, balance, strength and power. If one can run hard in rugby then one is likely to have the basic physical skills of a good runningback in football. However, there is a great deal more to football, or any sport, than just the physical skill set. I don't know how he would pick up that aspect, but history indicates that very few can. I wouldn't expect much from him.

An example of how this translates is the opposite. Army has a pretty good rugby team, after Cal and the two Utah schools the service academies are the third tier of college rugby, but whenever we play Sandhurst we get creamed. Watching Army vs Sandhurst, it was obvious that the Army players were better athletes but the kids from Jolly Ol England grew up playing the sport and were better Rugby players. Perhaps an argument can be made that the rugby skill set is more difficult with the added kicking the ball and whatnot, but I just think there is an experience and mental factor in all sports that only time can provide. Some athletes pick up on things quicker, such as Akeem the Dream, but in most cases great athletes don't become great football players when they take up the sport for the first time this late in life.

[Flystripper]

I've heard that if he ends up at the U., he'll likely play LB or on defense. Some observers have concerns that he can pick up a position like RB without any prior experience. I've heard a lot of chatter with people fairly familiar with the program that he's going to play defense.

My guess is that with KW's defensive mentality, the kid's amazing physical tools and questions about giving him his best chance to succeed, we will see him on defense and not at RB.

It's hard for me as someone who knows nothing about rugby to translate what we saw of him playing rugby to football. He appears to have great physical tools, but what is the competition level in Rugby? How do those skills translate to football?

His rugby skills will translate well at RB or at LB. I can see why Kyle would want him at LB because he is very very gifted physically.

The Rugby competition at the NCAA level is pretty weak compared to international club teams but Cal is about as good as it gets. They have dominated the sport at the NCAA level forever and Polamo made them look silly. He was by far the best athlete in all of NCAA rugby and it wasn't even close.

I don't think the RB takes any more mental understanding than LB. In fact I think you put a guy with rugby skills in a zone blocking read situation as an RB and I think he will astound you at how well he reads blocks and finds holes.

[OrangeUte]

Why not make palamo the next wildcat player. Use him on D, where the UTES are very weak, and on O in select situations from the wildcat.

We totally abandoned the wildcat this year, it would be nice to have that back in the arsenal.

[wally]

The basic skills are the same. Speed, agility, balance, strength and power. If one can run hard in rugby then one is likely to have the basic physical skills of a good runningback in football. However, there is a great deal more to football, or any sport, than just the physical skill set. I don't know how he would pick up that aspect, but history indicates that very few can. I wouldn't expect much from him.

An example of how this translates is the opposite. Army has a pretty good rugby team, after Cal and the two Utah schools the service academies are the third tier of college rugby, but whenever we play Sandhurst we get creamed. Watching Army vs Sandhurst, it was obvious that the Army players were better athletes but the kids from Jolly Ol England grew up playing the sport and were better Rugby players. Perhaps an argument can be made that the rugby skill set is more difficult with the added kicking the ball and whatnot, but I just think there is an experience and mental factor in all sports that only time can provide. Some athletes pick up on things quicker, such as Akeem the Dream, but in most cases great athletes don't become great football players when they take up the sport for the first time this late in life.

My general opinion is that those who transition from rugby to football better assimilate into the defense than the offense and particularly at the LB position.

Rugby players typically tackle well (they do it without helmets, and there is emphasis on wrapping up not merely knocking down. Rugby also emphasizes defensive field positioning that best suits the linebacker position, although a free safety could be another option, but the rugby player would have to be able to quickly adapt to defending that wacky “forward pass” that is so beloved in football.

RB would be a second best fit for a rugby player.

Also, rugby involves more free-flowing improvised play than football, so transitioning to more structure and precision could be tricky, but could also yield benefits.

[Flystripper]

Also, rugby involves more free-flowing improvised play than football, so transitioning to more structure and precision could be tricky, but could also yield benefits.

which is why I believe a gifted offensive rugby player would do well in a zone read situation where the blocks and the holes are not set in stone.

[Goatnapper'96]

My general opinion is that those who transition from rugby to football better assimilate into the defense than the offense and particularly at the LB position.

Rugby players typically tackle well (they do it without helmets, and there is emphasis on wrapping up not merely knocking down. Rugby also emphasizes defensive field positioning that best suits the linebacker position, although a free safety could be another option, but the rugby player would have to be able to quickly adapt to defending that wacky “forward pass” that is so beloved in football.

RB would be a second best fit for a rugby player.

Also, rugby involves more free-flowing improvised play than football, so transitioning to more structure and precision could be tricky, but could also yield benefits.

I think rugby tackling can be more fundamentally based. It is my opinion that this is because the game never stops. Slobberknocking someone in rugby is not real helpful if you end up 5 yards away from them and they get up and keep moving the ball forward. It is more important to wrap up and end up on top. That is why chicks always love rugby playas! Nothing beats a good hooker!

I think your analysis that LB is a more natural fit is probably accurate.

[MarkGrace]

Having the game early in the year is going to suck. Part of the fun is the build up and suspense over the coure of the season.