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Siale Fakailoatonga out for the year with an ACL tear. He was the slated starting TE this year, he also tore the same knee last year after coming in for the injured Evan Moeai who was injured in the first game of the year, so Fakailoatonga started five of the Utes’ next games until injuring the knee, so in 2yrs he's played almost half the season. Man that's gotta be rough for a kid to go through and Moeai's injury history is even more painful to go through.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/utah-te-siale-fakailoatonga-tears-acl-again-200101904.html
 
//r00t 4 Jazz said:
Siale Fakailoatonga out for the year with an ACL tear. He was the slated starting TE this year, he also tore the same knee last year after coming in for the injured Evan Moeai who was injured in the first game of the year, so Fakailoatonga started five of the Utes’ next games until injuring the knee, so in 2yrs he's played almost half the season. Man that's gotta be rough for a kid to go through and Moeai's injury history is even more painful to go through.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/utah-te-siale-fakailoatonga-tears-acl-again-200101904.html
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Ya gotta feel bad for the kid. From a football standpoint, I think it puts Utah in an early bind for a passing game that needs all the help it can get. I felt like Fakailoatonga and Moeai being back at the TE spots was going to be a huge factor in taking pressure off of the WR corps. Now you're down one of those guys and you haven't even played a game yet. Hopefully the silver lining is that it happened early enough in camp that some other guys take the opportunity to step up.
 
jazzman12 said:
Ya gotta feel bad for the kid. From a football standpoint, I think it puts Utah in an early bind for a passing game that needs all the help it can get. I felt like Fakailoatonga and Moeai being back at the TE spots was going to be a huge factor in taking pressure off of the WR corps. Now you're down one of those guys and you haven't even played a game yet. Hopefully the silver lining is that it happened early enough in camp that some other guys take the opportunity to step up.
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It hurts, but the good news is, Utah had a lot of depth at the TE spot. Moeai and Handley are starting level PAC-12 TE's. Fakailoatonga was on par with those two. So, I don't think we take a step back but if someone else gets hurt...
 
This would scare me a whole lot more if Harrison Handley didn't come in last year, as a FRESHMAN, and absolutely tear it up with amazing play despite not having a proficient passing offense. And Moeai is doing well... Seriously, we'll be fine.
 
You're both right about Handley but I think the plan was to use him split out quite a bit in more of a hybrid role. He's not the best blocker in the world so now you move him back inside, which takes him out of the slot, and ask him to do something that he definitely needs to be better at.

I'm not doomin and gloomin, but the injury does have a trickle down effect. I'm hopeful that they actually just try and find an adequate TE to fill that inside roll and stick to the plan with Handley. Hopefully there's a "next man up" waiting in the wings.
 
jazzman12 said:
You're both right about Handley but I think the plan was to use him split out quite a bit in more of a hybrid role. He's not the best blocker in the world so now you move him back inside, which takes him out of the slot, and ask him to do something that he definitely needs to be better at.

I'm not doomin and gloomin, but the injury does have a trickle down effect. I'm hopeful that they actually just try and find an adequate TE to fill that inside roll and stick to the plan with Handley. Hopefully there's a "next man up" waiting in the wings.
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Hans Olsen was going on and on about how much Harry Handley has improved his blocking this past year. So, that is hopeful.

Whitt and ARod both said that there will be less read/option this fall. They have both said that all three QB's are not runners. They are passers.

I think we finally start to see some identity with this offense.

Look at what we've been through:

ARod - who actually wasn't doing that bad of a job. He ran a spread offense.
Chow - pro style offense.
BJ - Some of everything, not a lot of anything.
DC - I honestly wonder if he just ran around trying to piss people off. As Cy is to me, DC was to Whitt.
ARod/Harding - back to the spread.

We have bounced around offensively so much...we havn't had consistency. We have recruited for any one type of offense, because it kept changing. Look at our QB class one year:

Micah Thomas - a runner
Brandon Cox - can run and throw
Conner Manning - a passer

We had no idea what we wanted. Now, we do know. I think ARod will bring back a spread version of the BYU offense that Chow ran, but with a higher emphasis on running the ball.

Two TE's, TE's split wide, and a QB that can run if needed. This really opens things up. We will still be a run heavy offense, but will be able to use the TE's to take advantage of mismatches. If the defense comes out in a base 4-3 or 3-4, then we will throw to the TE's. If they come out in a dime package, then we run the ball. Then take a couple shots downfield with the WR's every game.
 
green said:
Hans Olsen was going on and on about how much Harry Handley has improved his blocking this past year. So, that is hopeful.

Whitt and ARod both said that there will be less read/option this fall. They have both said that all three QB's are not runners. They are passers.

I think we finally start to see some identity with this offense.

Look at what we've been through:

ARod - who actually wasn't doing that bad of a job. He ran a spread offense.
Chow - pro style offense.
BJ - Some of everything, not a lot of anything.
DC - I honestly wonder if he just ran around trying to piss people off. As Cy is to me, DC was to Whitt.
ARod/Harding - back to the spread.

We have bounced around offensively so much...we havn't had consistency. We have recruited for any one type of offense, because it kept changing. Look at our QB class one year:

Micah Thomas - a runner
Brandon Cox - can run and throw
Conner Manning - a passer

We had no idea what we wanted. Now, we do know. I think ARod will bring back a spread version of the BYU offense that Chow ran, but with a higher emphasis on running the ball.

Two TE's, TE's split wide, and a QB that can run if needed. This really opens things up. We will still be a run heavy offense, but will be able to use the TE's to take advantage of mismatches. If the defense comes out in a base 4-3 or 3-4, then we will throw to the TE's. If they come out in a dime package, then we run the ball. Then take a couple shots downfield with the WR's every game.
Click to expand...

I'll believe Utah finally has an offensive identity when I actually see it happen with my own 2 eyes. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about what we're hearing about Troy Williams but we've been told that this offense has found itself more than a couple of times, only to be let down.

And if Hans Olsen is reporting that HH has improved his blocking, you can pretty much take it to the bank that he's forgotten how to block completely.
 
lol on the Hans comment. Great stuff. I'd say that right this moment, we do have an identity:

Run the ball.

And we need to get better at it. BUT, I think we've hit a wall on our running the ball until the pass game gets better. Not necessarily more yards, but more efficient. If we can go from 8th in the PAC-12 in pass efficiency to 4th, then while our passing yards won't necessarily go up, our rushing yards will blow through the roof.
 
The more I hear interviews from the coaching staff the more excited I get for the season. They seem really excited about their chances this year. I don't ever remember hearing Whitt this up beat about a camp.
 
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