Utah is proving that they are tough enough to play with anyone, but are they tough enough to beat a big-time team? Despite the record that Utah carries into this week, they have prospects that can continue to build hype for themselves. A lot of top prospects for Utah had a good game against Washington State.
Zack Moss – RB – 30 Carries 106 Yards, 1 TD
Zack Moss showed exactly why he’s making a name for himself in scouting circles. 30 carries and 106 yards is a bell cow kind of day. Just because Moss didn’t have a huge YPC day doesn’t mean he wasn’t impactful. 30 carries wear on a defense, and Moss runs hard enough that I promise you defenders did not want to tackle him in the fourth quarter. Still, though, 3.5 YPC is not enough from a back that I believe is good enough to do better. He can do better, and he has to if Utah is supposed to win many games this year!
Game Day Grade: B-
Current Draft Stock: Round 3-4
Chase Hansen – LB/S – 7 solo tackles
Chase Hansen is the key to the Utah defense. He directs the defense and plays all over the field. He also played really well last week. He had 7 solo tackles which isn’t easy to do. The most important thing this says to me is that he can bring people down in the open field. He is a secure tackler, which will make NFL coaches comfortable playing him early in his career in big-time situations. Hansen is playing exactly how I hoped he would.
Game Day Grade: A
Current Draft Stock: Round 2-3
Bradlee Anae – DL- 4 Tackles, 1.5 Sacks
Anae finally played the way that he should. Anae is a physically gifted player, and I love to see him play like he played last week. He has games where he can dominate and really screw up an offense’s game plan. This coming week in order to beat Stanford, Anae will have to play his best game of the season. Stanford has one of the best offensive lines in football every single year, and they always have a running back that can take advantage of it. Anae will have to play one of the games of his life.
Game Day Grade: B+
Current Draft Stock: Round 2-3
Julian Blackmon – DB – 6 Solo Tackles
There was good and bad in Blackmon’s six-tackle game. The good being that he continues to prove that he can tackle in the open field from the corner position. The bad being, he allowed enough catches that he had to make six tackles by himself. Part of that is the scheme, but not having a single pass defended in the game is disappointing.
He will have his work cut out for him this week, going against JJ Arcega-Whiteside, one of the best big body WR’s in the NCAA right now. Blackmon and Whiteside should have a physical battle all day long, and I am excited to see how they match up.
Game Day Grade: B
Current Draft Stock: Round 2-3