Last year’s dramatic win over Utah wasn’t the springboard for a blowout campaign. In the same way, Thursday’s disappointing loss to Utah might not be a sign of a dismal trudge of trying to get marginal bowl eligibility. The bones of a good performance were present, but the nerves that directed the muscles and ligaments on top of those bones were twitchy and unreliable.
To be clear, the Utes are a very good team. They’re two-time defending champs of a P5 conference, and Kyle Whittingham has said the current squad is his most talented yet. They typically play better at home than on the road.