This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Complete the following sentence with the best one of four multiple-choice options:

As head coach of the Utes, Kyle Whittingham this season is …

a) a miracle worker, having transformed his program, flawed though it might be, from a Pac-12 victim into a real conference contender.

b) a painfully slow learner, stumbling and bumbling in the same respects, over and over and over and over and over and over, again.

c) an unfortunate soul, saddled with an unshakable quarterback curse.

d) all of the above.

Heading into a game this Saturday against one of the most explosive outfits in the country, Utah's football team and the man who leads it find themselves prospering/floundering in a strange condition.

They are split, like a melon cut in half and imperfectly plopped back together again.

They are doing a split, with one foot on the dock and one foot on a boat slowly drifting away.

They are not one thing, then, they are two.

They are good and they are bad. Good enough to beat USC, UCLA and Oregon State and bad enough to lose to Washington State and Arizona State. They are good enough to play fierce defense, leading the country in sacks and tackles for loss, and bad enough to sit last in their league in total offense. They are good enough to have firmly established they have one of the Pac-12's most prolific running backs, and bad enough to have no clue, heading into their ninth game, who their starting quarterback should be.

Nothing illustrates Whittingham's weird world better than this: In a road game Saturday night to determine the leader in the Pac-12 South, a contest that ended in an overtime loss for Utah, when a kicker who never misses — a kicker known as Automatic Andy — missed a routine field goal to set up Arizona State's win, his running back rushed 37 times for 146 yards and his quarterback threw 22 times for 57 yards.

And the boat drifted farther away.

His defense held the Sun Devils' potent offense to a mere 16 points in regulation, but his offense gained just 241 yards.

Maybe there should be one more option in finishing the sentence above:

e) plastic man.

But that won't do, because sooner or later, probably sooner with Oregon arriving at Rice-Eccles on Saturday night, the plastic will snap as the drifting continues. Even imagination won't stretch that far.

Taking the boat analogy in a different direction, Whittingham has built an impressive vessel this season. After back-to-back campaigns during which the Utes could scarcely win a league road game, or barely win any league games, he's won three of five this time around, including two road victories. Defeat has visited in cruel fashion, Utah having blown a 21-point lead against Washington State, losing by one at home, and suffering the overtime loss in Tempe. Four points separate the Utes from being undefeated in the Pac-12.

Whittingham's team is easy to admire, a tough bunch, a group that fights hard and withers not one bit from a challenge. It is a side no conference team enjoys playing. Going up against the Utes is like walking into a hurricane, with street signs bending over, trash flying in every direction, debris caroming off body parts, and opened wounds needing to heal. Do they belong in the Pac-12?

There's no doubt. They are worthy warriors.

But, back to the boat comparison, there's a little issue. It's finely crafted in almost every way, except for that hole-in-the-bottom thing. The Utes have no quarterback. And it's been that way for six years now. When a problem exists for that long, it's time to take it to the captain — and hang it around his neck.

Some say it's a curse, this Utah QB deal. Since senior Brian Johnson stood so nobly on the field at the Superdome, after leading the Utes over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, confetti falling on his head, and spoke these words — "We were the only ones who believed we could do this" — there's been nothing, no one, to take his place.

Many have tried, from Corbin Louks (transferred to Nevada) to Chad Mannis (made a linebacker) to Terrance Cain (benched) to Jordan Wynn (four surgeries) to Griff Robles (left the program) to Tyler Shreve (punched a high school coach, suspended by Utah coaches before transferring) to Jon Hays (picked up after Division II school dropped football and benched) to Travis Wilson (intracranial artery condition and inconsistent play) to Kendal Thompson (transfer, backup, starter, backup) to Wilson (paralyzed by fear, afraid to throw an interception).

The fact that the Utes are where they are — 6-2 overall, and battling for favorable position in league play — is both extraordinary and indicting. As the boat drifts from the dock, there are two things to ponder: How good would the Utes be if they had a consistent quarterback? (Very good, maybe undefeated.) How long will it be before they finally get and develop one? (Don't hold your breath.)

Correct answer above: d).

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 and 960 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.