The Utah Utes keep saying they are working hard and see improvement, but it sure feels as if they are moving backwards following Saturday's 34-10 loss to Cal.
Utah's offense did 'nothing,' in the words of coach Kyle Whittingham.
Quarterback Jon Hays threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball away after one hit, but the ineptness wasn't all his fault, Whittingham said.
"We have to find ways to put him in situations where he can be successful," Whittingham said. "That is our job as coaches."
Saturday's effort was a miserable failure in that sense.
Hays looked shakier than ever and the running attack was powerless.
"There was nothing there," John White said.
Nothing at all. Really no need to rehash the loss, what is more important is what the Utes do now.
It can be hard to make as many corrections as the Utes must and prepare for opponents in the 20 hours they are given by the NCAA, but they have no choice but to do so.
The only other option is to give up and that isn't the Utes' mentality, Whittingham said.
"We'll hit the weight room and the practice field hard," he said. "Giving in and starting to doubt ourselves and going in the other direction isn't an option."
Still, it seems the Utes are on the verge of seeing the season slip away. Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei said he felt his teammates didn't want Saturday's win as much as the Cal players did.
"It felt like we could have beaten this team and they just out-played us, they wanted it more than us," he said. "It doesn't happen often and it shouldn't have happened today. For us to prove we can keep playing in this league, we have to come back and play better against Oregon State."
One injury of note, backup linebacker Boo Andersen suffered a season-ending knee injury.
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