Utes Stand As Only FBS Team Without Turnovers, Sacks
Sep 9, 2019, 1:38 PM | Updated: 1:48 pm
Utah Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley (1) sprints to the end zone during first-half action in the University of Utah versus Northern Illinois football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. (Steve Griffin, Deseret News)
(Steve Griffin, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Through the first two weeks of the college football season, the University of Utah football team has not allowed a sack or have turned the ball over. They are the only school in FBS to do so.
It’s a big accomplishment for Utah because the FBS has 130 teams.
“I think Andy’s philosophy on offense No. 1 rule is to take care of the football, and he has proven to do that in his first two weeks,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said at his weekly press conference. “Back to Tyler making good decisions with getting rid of the ball at the right time has helped with the no sacks, along with his elusiveness.”
It is the first two-game stretch by the Utes without allowing a sack since 2015.
Most of the credit goes to quarterback Tyler Huntley, who has been very efficient through the first two games of the season, wins over BYU and Northern Illinois.
His quarterback rating ranks in the top 10 in the country and is the third highest in the Pac-12.
WK 2 Total QBR w/ National Rank
6—Gordon, WSU, 90.8
8—Slovis, USC, 87.9
10—Huntley, Utah, 85.5
19—Herbert, UO, 80.0
29—Montez, CU, 74.3
32—Tate, UA, 73.3
56—Daniels, ASU, 62.4
68—Eason, UW, 56.0
76—Luton, OSU, 52.0
96—Mills, Stan, 41.4
109—Garbers, Cal, 32.2
120—DTR, UCLA, 21.9— SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) September 9, 2019
“He (Huntley) has had some times where a guy not as athletic as him might of gotten sacked, but because he is athlete he was able to get out of those situations,” Whittingham said. “So, it isn’t something that will last forever, but it has been two good weeks of that. We would love to extend it, but realistically it isn’t something we can do all season.”
The rest of the credit goes to the skill position players, who have done a great job holding onto the football and especially the offensive line for keeping Huntley from getting sacked.
Also, the Utes are No. 1 in the country in another statistical category, they are tied for first with two defensive touchdowns, both interception returns against BYU. Utah is tied with Wyoming and Nebraska for the top spot in the nation.
