Block U

Runnin' Utes show heart, still lose

2012-02-10T07:48:45Z

I'm disappointed...but I'm not. I didn't really have faith Utah could win Thursday night and, what do you know, they didn't. But I also was bracing for a blowout because, well, that's exactly how almost every road game has gone this season.

To my surprise, the Runnin' Utes were within a possession down the stretch. That's progress, I guess? Sure, the Sun Devils are awful - horrible, in fact - but at least it wasn't another massacre. And considering Utah lost to the last-place USC Trojans by an amount larger than our national deficit, I guess I can't be too down on the performance.

You know, I'm not even bummed they lost. I guess I'm more bummed it probably means we're not going to see a road win this season. That's hard to accept, regardless of how bad this team is and how much talent they lack. I wanted a road win, dammit! I WANTED IT!

But oh well.

So, now on to Tucson. Shudder.

Want to help pick the next voice of sports in social media?

2012-02-10T07:44:50Z

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where from thousands of hopefuls, one star is born? Well, Block U readers, here's your chance to play "starmaker" and help pick the new voice of sports in social media!

XFINITY is looking for the next renowned sports social media star through its Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The winning candidate will serve as the new voice of XFINITY in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

From February 9-19, you can review qualified entry videos and vote for the contestant you'd like to see advance to the finals of the XFINITY Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sporting events the weekend of March 8-11. Fans can head today to Facebook.com/XFINITY and click on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab to vote for your favorite personality (once per day)!

Will you choose the brainiac with the encyclopedia of stats, the former jock who knows the game inside out, or the corporate type who gets the marketing side of the business? You decide. Vote today at Facebook.com/XFINITY!

TWITTER

Utah Fans, #XFINITYSports needs your help to select the next sports social media star! Vote now: http://xfin.tv/AuCahS

FACEBOOK

Utah Fans - Our partners at XFINITY are looking for your help to select the next sports social media star! Vote now to help one sports social media maven win the job of their dreams! http://xfin.tv/zlk9HJ

Hyperlink: http://xfin.tv/w0lL5e

Runnin' Utes try one last time for road win

2012-02-09T05:55:38Z

Okay, so it's not technically their last road game, but you get the sense if they can't beat the Sun Devils tonight they're probably doomed to finishing winless on the road this season. I'm not going to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that might be a school first.

Definitely not the way you want to rewrite the record books.

The Sun Devils are certainly beatable. They're 4-8 at home, only own one more win in conference play than Utah and, of course, the Utes already knocked them off in Salt Lake a couple weeks ago.

But Utah is, how do I say this in the nicest terms, godawful on the road. They're not only losing, they're getting absolutely destroyed by horrible teams like the USC Trojans - who still haven't been able to find a victory after ripping apart the Utes late last month.

It's why, against a 7-16 team, they're 11-point underdogs.

It's not pretty. This whole season has been a struggle. So, it's really about those minor victories. Defeating ASU won't suddenly save the season, but it could at least provide some serious comfort at the moment. I think we just want a bit of progress, the taste of victory - the feeling this team is, in fact, moving in the right direction.

Another poor road performance, however, is going to be tough to just shrug off. Maybe we should. I mean, this season is all but over anyway. Still, we want victories. After all, we're fans. We want to cheer our team on to victory.

Hopefully that happens tonight.

Utes get first commit of...2014

2012-02-06T20:38:44Z

Utes get first commit of...2014

OL Jackson Barton from Brighton. Nothing like starting early.

Aaron Roderick to interview for Nevada OC position

2012-02-03T20:08:08Z

Aaron Roderick to interview for Nevada OC position

Not a surprise. We knew if he was going to be passed over that it was likely he would land on his feet somewhere. There is no indication whether he's a favorite, but he is a candidate.

What Brian Johnson brings to the Utah football program...and what he doesn't

2012-02-02T20:32:11Z

The hiring of Brian Johnson certainly sent shock waves through the world of college football today. It's not often a Pac-12 program hires a guy as offensive coordinator who still could be of playing age.

It just doesn't happen. In fact, Brian Johnson now becomes the youngest coordinator in all of college football - taking the crown from East Carolina's Lincoln Riley, who's currently 28.

So, as we try to wrap our brains around the idea of a 25 year old, two-year 'veteran' now leading the offense, we're left with a lot of questions and concerns.

In one year's time, the program went from having the most experienced and successful offensive coordinator in arguably college football history, to potentially the least experienced and clearly youngest coordinator of the last decade.

That's quite the contrast.

Brian Johnson hardly brings the cachet Norm Chow brought to the program in 2011, but then again, he also brings youth and the possibility of new ideas to help spark an offense that, while forced to battle through injuries last year, was down right awful.

What I do know is that this unconventional hire has its benefits - but it also has some concerning negatives and the hire will inevitably sink or swim based just on that.

I want to first start off by looking at the positives of this hire because, even if I have my doubts, I believe there are many and I hope they bear out.

For starters, Brian Johnson is, along with Alex Smith, probably the most successful Ute in program history. He led the team to its greatest season ever, owns the most wins of any quarterback to ever don a Utah uniform and created a kind of mythical image with his late-game heroics during the 2008 season. In addition, he orchestrated the greatest win in program history - defeating Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

If there was a Mount Rushmore of Utah players, Brian Johnson would unquestionably adorn it.

He is the quintessential Utah Man - a school hero and now potentially the heir apparent to Kyle Whittingham's throne.

That's exciting. I don't think you'll find one fan who dislikes Brian Johnson. He's universally beloved for his grit, his smarts and his ability to deliver results.

To have him now lead Utah's offense is kind of like the perfect ending to the perfect script.

Of course, being the lovable assistant isn't the only good thing about this hire. Johnson is an insider with an outsider image. He's been in Utah essentially since 2004, has assimilated well to the culture, but he's not from Utah. He was born and raised in Texas, he's not LDS and, whether it should be relevant or not, he's African-American.

That latter point is pretty hefty because Utah, even if unjustly, still has a stigma attached to it and I think Johnson very well could be the perfect ambassador to not only our program, but our state in selling the outside world the idea that it ain't that bad here in the Land of Zion.

To be sure, Utah has had an African-American coordinator in the past (Fred Graves, '95-'97), but Brian Johnson is different. He's not only young, but, like I said earlier, he played here - he knows the quirks of Utah's lifestyle and he can sell that to recruits. He has been selling that to recruits.

Youth, as much as it might seem like a disadvantage, also could be a positive because he's more familiar with today's generation. Kyle Whittingham is not young. He's in his 50s. When he was born, Dwight Eisenhower was president. And I don't want to sound like an ageist, but recruiting, being able to connect with potential future players, is so big now that having a 25 year old out there who is now the offensive coordinator, an elite coach in an elite conference, could be huge for the program.

Johnson also could potentially bring a new perspective to the booth. Assistant coaches, especially those who've been around for years, typically get set in their ways. That isn't always bad and there is no doubt Chow's experience and calming hand helped the Utes through their struggles last season, but college football is all about change. If you're not evolving and adapting, you're failing. Johnson, as a quarterback who ran the spread option, which has transformed college football the past ten or so years, might have new ideas on how to improve this offense.

Add the fact he's learned under two of the greatest offensive minds in college football history (Urban Meyer and Norm Chow) and his experience helping Andy Ludwig run the offense when he sat out the 2006 season and you've got the makeup of a great coordinator.

Another thing I like about this hire is that it potentially puts into place Johnson taking over the program when Whittingham inevitably leaves. It might not happen, and who knows, maybe Johnson will take another gig at another program by that time, but he should at least add some additional consistency at a position that has been less than consistent. With him being a graduate of Utah and someone who obviously enjoys living here, with the addition of his youth, it's more probable he's here in five years than someone from the outside.

One of the biggest doubts we all had about Norm Chow was whether he would be here long enough to really have a positive impact. In the end, his impact was good, but maybe not as significant as it could have been because he was here so briefly. I'm sure the fact Chow only coached a season before taking off to Hawaii played a role in Whittingham's choice to promote Johnson. He's not likely to leave in a year or even two.

That's important because it's something the Utes have lacked. Going back to the 2008 season, Utah has had four offensive coordinators: Ludwig, Dave Schramm, Aaron Roderick and Norm Chow. That's a high amount of turnover and it'll be nice to get some stability back - at least in theory.

I say in theory because I do have some concerns and it's entirely tied to Johnson's inexperience. The biggest reason the Utes have gone through as many offensive coordinators as they have over the last few seasons is because the promotion of a coach didn't pan out. In 2009, Whittingham elevated Schramm to the offensive coordinator duties and he clearly wasn't up to the job. So, midway through the season, Roderick replaced him and called plays until he too was demoted because, well, it appeared he wasn't up to the job, either.

What will make Johnson any different? There was no grace period for either Roderick or Schramm. Whittingham didn't allow them to fight through their growing pains and quickly moved to shake things up when the offense stagnated, possibly due to those growing pains.

If Johnson struggles this upcoming season and the offense is, again, abysmal, are we searching for a new coordinator again in a year? Or is Whittingham ready to bite the bullet and let Johnson grow into the role?

What if he doesn't? What if Johnson, as great of a quarterback as he was, just isn't cut out to coach? It's not as if we have enough evidence to give us an indication - especially at the coordinator level.

With all the offensive talent coming back next year, with expectations higher than they were last year, are we willing to have a throwaway season to test drive Johnson?

Should we now lower, maybe even considerably, our expectations for 2012?

Those are some big questions and the answers will ultimately dictate whether this hire works or not.

Most of me is excited about this Johnson hire. I think it's daring and I like daring. But I'm not going to lie, part of me is scared $#!%less.

But that makes this move all the more intriguing, don't you think?

Well, now that it's official, what are your thoughts?

2012-02-02T18:57:34Z

Brian Johnson as Utah's offensive coordinator.

That happened.

How do you feel about it?

Poll

Are you happy with BJ being Utah's new offensive coordinator?

Brian Johnson rumored to be Utah's next offensive coordinator

2012-02-02T03:37:33Z

Tom Cella, who helps run UteZone.com, has tweeted that Utah's next offensive coordinator will be Brian Johnson.

I'll wait a second while you pick your jaw up from the floor.

Johnson, of course, is Utah's quarterbacks coach and best known for leading the Utes to a 13-0 season in 2008.

He's only been coaching two years and has no experience calling plays - at least as a coordinator.

Genius move or WTFISHETHINKING deal?

It might not be true, but Cella is a pretty legit source and I don't think he'd put that out there without some confidence. Either way, we'll find out soon enough.