This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Boulder, Colo. • Hunter Dimick didn't feel like pointing fingers.
"It's a team game, man," he said. "[The offense] didn't convert sometimes, we didn't get stops sometimes."
But more often than not, Utah's defense did get stops — a somber footnote in a 27-22 loss to Colorado on Saturday evening.
Despite holding the No. 9 Buffaloes under 400 yards, Utah's defensive effort was spoiled when the offense failed to capitalize on red zone opportunities. They hit some strong marks, holding Sefo Liufau to under 60 percent completion and only one touchdown, and recovered two fumbles, including one in Colorado territory. Star Colorado rusher Phillip Lindsay was held to 55 yards.
Coach Kyle Whittingham called his team "warriors" after the defeat, with an emphasis on the defense.
"It's a shame they had to lose, especially the defense," he said. "Defense played hard."
Familiar faces were at the front of the effort: Sophomore safety Chase Hansen had a team-best 13 tackles and forced one of the fumbles. Hunter Dimick had a half-sack and broke up three passes at the line of scrimmage.
Liufau had big plays, totaling 270 yards through the air, but came against some of the red zone issues that Utah had itself. Colorado had two red zone touchdowns on four possessions, Utah's defense twice forcing field goals on deep drives to the goal line. The Utes also had seven 3-and-outs in the game, as CU hit a wall against Utah's five-man fronts.
"We felt that we had a good grip on their game plan coming in," Dimick said. "They executed some plays well at first, then we made some corrections for them."
While Utah's zone coverage again had holes, Colorado struggled to make Utah pay for them. A drop in the end zone by a wide open George Frazier made the Colorado running back reach his hands up and slap his helmet in frustration.
But again, the effort wasn't enough. And while the defense took the brunt of the blame for an Oregon loss a week earlier, this week, it was hard to point the finger in their direction.
Twitter: @kylegoon