The 27-19 Loss to Arizona State Is An Inflection Point For Kyle Whittingham, Utah Football
Oct 12, 2024, 12:06 PM | Updated: Oct 14, 2024, 3:03 pm
TEMPE, Arizona – The Utes’ 27-19 loss to Arizona State was more than just another disappointing result, it felt like a tipping point. The once-ever reliable Utah Football program– known for its consistency, physical play, and discipline under Kyle Whittingham, is now under scrutiny.
The offense struggled to put points on the board after finishing the game with just one touchdown, despite four trips into the red zone.
The defense wore down against the physical ground game and the number of missed tackles grew throughout the game.
Instant Takeaways: Utah’s 27-19 loss to Arizona State https://t.co/cWf5tjGI0V
— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) October 12, 2024
In the immediate aftermath of Utah’s loss, a moment spoke to all of it
When asked about what went wrong, veteran defensive tackle Junior Tafuna could barely muster a response. Visibly emotional, Tafuna confronted a hard truth with six simple words: “Just aren’t playing well, all-around.”
The words sum up last night’s defensive effort pretty succinctly. However, it was the feelings behind the response that told the bigger story.
Though brief– the post-game availability lasted just over a minute, Tafuna could not hold back the flood of emotion. His eyes welled up and the confusion, disappointment, and shock were all very apparent.
Tafuna is one of the leaders of the program. He and fellow defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa have been praised for their leadership. Particularly, their ability to ‘bring the weather’ which serves as a slogan for generating the attitude, emotion, and energy of the defense. He is an emotional leader, so his candid admission, marked by frustration and vulnerability, speaks volumes.
It was not just a reflection of his own disappointment but the state of the program. The team didn’t have answers to the issues that plagued them two weeks ago. Considering the bye week they had to assess and correct, that’s alarming.
Utah’s struggles stem from a lack of honest self-evaluation and decision-making
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Utah’s recent struggles is the apparent lack of genuine self-evaluation. Over the past few seasons, Utah has often been seen as a contender for the Pac-12 title, with two conference championships under its belt. However, that same success seems to be what’s holding the program back.
Kyle Whittingham, in his 20th year as head coach, has always seemed to get the most out of his teams. It appears though, that there has been a failure to honestly assess this team, this season, which was no more apparent than last night’s game.
“He wanted to play, I felt very strongly that he wanted to stay in the game” head coach Kyle Whittingham said of their decision to keep Cam Rising on the field. “He’s won a bunch of ball games for us but very apparent that he’s not 100 percent. It was a coaching decision, we decided he gave us the best chance at a win, and we put him out there. Like I said, Cam has been terrific for us in the past. You could see the rust- three weeks off, four weeks, whatever it was- but he’s a heck of a quarterback, he’ll bounce back.”
The perplexing response includes an honest assessment of his quarterback. However, the decision-making did not align with that assessment.
Rising has won a lot of games at Utah. He’s led the team to some fantastic finishes. No one should ever question his toughness or desire to put it all on the line for his guys. Unfortunately, the 2024 version- particularly the one last night, is simply not the same quarterback.
"Just played like shit" – Cam, when asked about whether the hand of leg hurt him most.
— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) October 12, 2024
Whittingham’s program at a crossroads
Kyle Whittingham’s legacy at Utah is undeniable. He has built the program from a Mountain West contender to a Pac-12 powerhouse. The move to the Big 12 has gotten off to a rough start now with a loss to Arizona State, coming on the heels of a loss to Arizona, which feels like a turning point for the program.
In his post-game press conference, Whittingham sounded befuddled and frustrated. Two straight games with the same issues led to a loss despite ample time working to address those weaknesses.
“Similar conversation to what we had in the Arizona game– got out rushed, we were awful in the red zone, lost the turnover margin, missed a bunch of tackles, so unfortunately and very disappointingly, it’s the same storyline” Whittingham shared. “And as long as we have our red zone issues, we may not win another game this season until we get it fixed, that’s just how important it is.”
This game has to serve as a moment of introspection for Whittingham and his staff. The inability to develop a dynamic offense and failure to make necessary in-game adjustments have cost the team dearly. However, most alarming is that his teams have always prided themselves on grit, toughness, and execution, but those traits have been notably absent for most of the season.
With two conference losses, their 2024 season is on the brink. If these issues continue, the program risks stagnating, particularly as it moves into a new era of college football with conference realignment and increased competition.
This loss to Arizona State should be the spark for genuine reevaluation for Whittingham, not just of his team and staff but himself. Any sort of agenda or decision that doesn’t put the team’s chances of winning as the top priority needs to be reconsidered.
Whittingham and his coaching staff must recognize that this team’s issues go beyond X’s and O’s. Ultimately, Utah needs to move forward with an honest approach and a recommitment to the core values that built this program into the title contender it used to be.
