This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tempe, Ariz. • Over the past two years, Utah has learned one kind of defeat: the sinking feeling of a nosedive, of coming to the realization that the team doesn't have the talent needed to win.
But there's a second kind, one that follows Utah's 19-16 overtime loss to Arizona State this weekend: the pain of missed chances, of not rising to one's full potential.
The Utes' second defeat this year doesn't change that it has been a good season, one that helps heal the wounds from two losing years. But the 11th straight loss to the Sun Devils almost guarantees it may not be a great one. The undefeated seasons of 2004 and 2008 are still a flight or two up from where Utah sits now.
It's not the bottom floor of the Pac-12 any longer, but it ain't the penthouse, either.
"It is really tough," quarterback Travis Wilson said of the tight loss. "It hurts this whole team."
The dream of a Pac-12 South title is not completely dead, but the universe would have to conspire to make it happen. Arizona State would have to stumble, and so would Oregon, Arizona and Stanford — the not-so-easy opponents remaining on Utah's schedule. In every South-winning scenario, Utah has to win its final four games, and that prospect is looking dimmer as the passing game continues to struggle.
Ah, yes, the passing game that put up 57 yards in an entire contest. The one that couldn't provide a pass longer than 13 yards. Receivers couldn't get open deep, or Wilson didn't have the time or vision to find them.
The blame spreads around, but the conclusion is inescapable: Passing is Utah's one entirely deficient area, and it has kept the Utes from being great. In the program's two losses this year, Utah's throwing game was so inept, it either couldn't make a needed play, or was ignored altogether.
In wins, Utah has built on its strengths in the run game and made the fewest mistakes. In losses, the same traits seem to clam up an offense that's predictable and inflexible. Greatness may have been literally a few throws away for the Utes this year — throws they couldn't make.
"We've got to throw the ball better in order to attack that kind of an aggressive blitzing defense we faced tonight," coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We've got to be better putting the ball up the field, make them pay for that a little bit, and we weren't able to do much of that."
One thing Utah does appear to have: resilience.
The Utes hang around, which is a tougher thing to do than it sounds like. At least three times Arizona State knocked at the door of the end zone, but had to settle for field goals. The game rarely felt like it was in Utah's control, especially in the first half, but the Utes defense has a way of keeping the team in the game. Before his final miss, Andy Phillips' leg was viewed as Utah's most reliable component — and it still may be.
Utah can't love its chances against No. 5 Oregon this week, but it will have chances if its first five Pac-12 games are anything to go by. They've all played out the same way so far: It's a close game at the end, and the Utes just have to put together a big drive to win it. Three out of five times, they've managed it.
Whether they're able to do that this week back at home, potentially on a national stage, rests on their arms and hands. They're going to have to throw at least a little bit of the way to get there.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
No. 5 Oregon at No. 20 Utah
O Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV • ESPN