Utah Football 2011

[Iceaxe]

Titans - eh. didn't do much.

With a rookie Vince Young at QB, was you expecting greatness?

you think utah will try to use the pistol this next season?

Norm is not a big fan of the pistol and I doubt you will see it next year at Utah. Wynn is NOT a pistol QB. The pistol was imposed on UCLA by Neuheisel and UCLA didn't have the right personel to run it at a high level.

i just don't think he is as good as he once was.

I think he is every bit as good as he once was.... coaches don't suddenly forget how to coach.

Honestly I don't think it matters what offense you run in college, so long as you recruit to it, its well coached, and your team buys into what you are selling.

Anyhoo.... Chow is a plus over the current O coordinators any why you slice it.

Utah's problem for the first few years in the PAC 12 will be lack of depth. That will hurt them when they get into the grind of a PAC 12 season.

But I can't wait until the first Wednesday in February.... that will be the first chance to see what the jump to the PAC 12 really did for the Utes.

[CarpeyBiggs]

With a rookie Vince Young at QB, was you expecting greatness?

that is supposedly chow's greatest strength... developing quarterbacks.

I think he is every bit as good as he once was.... coaches don't suddenly forget how to coach.

likely. but, he was much more ahead of the curve before, because everyone wasn't running his offense or variation thereof. now, everyone runs it, and many run it better. he hasn't shown much since USC, when he obviously had massive amounts of talent around him. my feeling is he just hasn't progressed much, and lots of offenses have caught up.

but, with all the variables, it really is impossible to say if he will be successful or not. i think everyone will agree it's a better situation than there has been up there. just not sure it's much more than that.

[Iceaxe]

that is supposedly chow's greatest strength... developing quarterbacks.

I'm not sure that's really fair.... After hearing about the real Vince Young do you really believe anyone can make a good pro QB outta him?

[accadacca]

Hell, Utah will be like pop warner for Chow.

Lets face it. Two guys on here are looking through red goggles and the other guy blue....

[trackrunner]

but there is a reason why he's been essentially fired the last few stops he's made...

NC State - eh. philip rivers was around. chow didn't last long.

with this statement it sounds like you are saying he was fired from NC State. I believe he was hired away to USC.

Titans - eh. didn't do much.

true. he only took a team with a losing record and finished with a winning record and playoff appearances. chow never had a loosing record with the Titans. Titans record tanked after he left.

I'm not sure that's really fair.... After hearing about the real Vince Young do you really believe anyone can make a good pro QB outta him?

Some would argue that it is fair. He took a QB who was thought by some, rumor including Chow before the draft, not to be cabable of succes in the pro game and he mentored him to ROTY and a Pro Bowl apperence.

i just don't think he is as good as he once was

BYU fans said the same thing about Chow in the late 90's when he was still at BYU.


I'd say he is a good hire. U need a better OC and they got one even if he is past his prime.

[CarpeyBiggs]

with this statement it sounds like you are saying he was fired from NC State. I believe he was hired away to USC.

true. he just didn't last long there, certainly not enough to make any impression, though he is often given credit for mentoring rivers...

true. he only took a team with a losing record and finished with a winning record and playoff appearances. chow never had a loosing record with the Titans. Titans record tanked after he left.

you should double check this. the year after he left, they went 13-3. his last season with them, they had NINE touchdown passes. NINE... they were markedly improved the next season, after he was gone (though the offense wasn't the biggest reason, they had an awesome D that year...) the three years he was there were 2005, 2006, 2007, and their record was 4-12, 8-8, 10-6. and then he got fired. and they went 13-3 the next season.

I'd say he is a good hire. U need a better OC and they got one even if he is past his prime.

no one is disagreeing with this statement. acca was suggesting that this was a move that was sure to sway recruits and implied it was a great hire, and that he had done "way more" since he left byu than he did at, which is obviously not true. like ice said, of the available hires, this one is probably the best, and safest. but, it's impossible to say how good it really is. bottom line, his offenses haven't been spectacular for quite some time now, and none of us know how he'll do at the U.

[CarpeyBiggs]

Hell, Utah will be like pop warner for Chow.

their offense last season certainly played like they were in a pop warner league....

[accadacca]

their offense last season certainly played like they were in a pop warner league....

Dood you really need to take off those blue goggles once in a while. The Utes started on an 8 game winning streak averaging 45-50 points a game. They finished with 10 wins out of 12.

BYU fans are bitter because they thought Chow was through and then he left and got two national titles and coached two more heisman winners. He also picked up a variety of other coaching awards. The guys rep is undisputed as a top offensive mind.

The influence that he will have on the younger coaches at Utah will be invaluable for their careers. Having a mentor like that is worth it's weight in gold. I predict that Brian Johnson will be an OC within 3-5 years.

[CarpeyBiggs]

dude, it's weak smack talk. i just thought it was a funny comment you made, so i re-emphasized it. but, the bottom line is, utah's offense overall was not that good last year. they were terrible in the games that were against anyone with half a defense. (and byu was even worse...) if they were any good, why did they need a new OC?

i'm a byu fan, sure. but i'm also realistic. i am not bitter about this hire in the least. in fact, i hope the U plays well, except when they play the Y. i don't think there are any BYU fans I know that are bitter about this hire. BYU is in good shape without Chow, and he's had some success since he left (and some failures...) but no BYU fan i know is actually jealous he's at the U, or has ever wanted him back at the Y...

i read this earlier and laughed - "norm chow has finally done the impossible. he's made every byu and utah fan happy."

[Iceaxe]

Stud QB Recruit Betrays Utes
From DeseretNews.com





ASU Commit Poised for Switch? -- Whittingham Impresses Recruits
From SLTrib.com





Inside Track: Utes Hire Chow, Gain Invaulable Pac-12 Knowledge
From SLTrib.com





Utah has a Lot to Prove in 2011
From Bleacher Report





Chow to Shake Up Offense?
From SLTrib.com

[accadacca]

See how to embed KSL Videos in your posts

[Iceaxe]

Just having Chow would really help recruiting too...

you really think recruits who are wavering will sign because of him? kinda doubt it's that big of a deal.

4-Star WR Recruit Impressed by Chow, Signs With Utes
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b83HT

Anthony Denham, a 6-foot-6 receiver out of East Los Angeles Junior College, was torn between Central Florida, Cincinnati and Utah until he met with new Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who gave him a comparison he couldn't pass up.

"He told me he would treat me like Mike Williams," Denham said of the former USC receiver who went on to the NFL. "He put him in a lot of good isolated situations and he scored a lot so I liked that idea."

That idea was enough to sway Denham to Utah. He will sign with the Utes on Wednesday, giving Utah its fourth receiver in the signing class.

Denham said getting to know co-coordinator Aaron Roderick and Utah's future in the Pac-10 were other factors that went into his decision.

"I felt comfortable there and I liked the coaches and I liked the idea of them going to the Pac-10, that is going to be a good experience."

Denham said he would play wherever the Utes need him, but likes the idea of testing opponents across the middle.

"That area is always open, I don't mind it, he said. "I'll be a team player."

[Kent K25]

Between Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Utah....seems like a no brainer to go to Utah.

[Iceaxe]

Between Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Utah....seems like a no brainer to go to Utah.

Those are the schools he was interested in... not the schools he had a choice between. Most 4-star players have a dozen schools to choose from. 4-Star recuits are high value players.

I don't believe Utah and BYU combined have a dozen 4 star recruits in their current programs.

Utah now has three 4-star recruits scheduled for the 2011 class. BYU currently has one.

Now why a kid would make his selection between Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Utah is beyond me. Probably just the schools he felt most comfortable with.

[Iceaxe]

And just for those keeping track at home on your Norm Chow score cards... both Anthony Denham and Harvey Langi mentioned Chow as a big reason they selected Utah.... and they are both listed as 4-Star recruits by Rivals.com

[CarpeyBiggs]

4-Star WR Recruit Impressed by Chow, Signs With Utes

lol. touche. i stand corrected. maybe i underestimate his pull on recruits...

kid looks like a nice get for the utes. i only briefly checked the signees today, but utah looks like they put together a good class. byu's looked a little weak for my tastes.

[Iceaxe]

U. fans see sharp increase to season ticket prices
February 11th, 2011
By Sarah Dallof - KSL



SALT LAKE CITY -- The price of being a loyal University of Utah fan just went up. Season ticket prices are going to be quite a bit more expensive next season.

There's no questioning the enthusiasm of Ute fans. Football games are packed, and there's red as far as the eye can see. But Friday night the color was green, as season ticket holders received mailers with the new prices of their tickets.

"Basically, all of our games are premium games now. With that comes an increase in tickets," said Liz Abel, associate athletic director at the University of Utah.

Abel says the U.'s athletic department is trying to bridge the budget gap between the university and their new peers in the PAC-12. They're not relying solely on increased income from ticket sales -- corporate sponsorship, fundraising and apparel contracts are also playing big roles.

U. officials expect most fans will hang onto their hard-earned seats.

"We're trading Wyoming and New Mexico for UCLA and Oregon state -- can't be upset about that," season ticket holder Tyler Campbell said.

Reaction from fans was mixed as they mentally calculated just how much was too much for them to pay.

"The economy isn't doing too hot right now," said season ticket holder Dylan MacLeod. I'm not exactly getting raises at work, so [I'm] not happy."

KSL Newsradio's "The Nightside Project" tackled the topic Friday night, taking calls and texts from longtime season ticket holders.

"Mine were going up 250 percent, but I'm not going to renew," one caller said. "It's not worth it."

A texter wrote in saying, ‘You want to play with the big boys? Pay like the big boys. I don't mind."

Once current season ticket holders make the decision whether to renew or not, sales will open up to the public. If you're willing to pay, this may give you a shot at season tickets in an area you wouldn't have been able to get before.

[accadacca]

Mine went up 20%. I just got the bill and letter the other day. I don't mind paying for a better product on the field.

[Iceaxe]

Trading Wyoming, UNLV, SDSU, Utah State and New Mexico for USC, Washington, AZ State, Oregon State and UCLA and the ticket price only went up 20%???

That sound like a bargain to me.

[Iceaxe]

Sweet... this guy is big and talented, he has just had some academic issues.

Utah signs 380-pound lineman
March, 1, 2011

Utah just got bigger in more ways than one.

The school announced the signing of Po’u Palelei, a 6-foot-5, 380-pound offensive lineman, on Tuesday. He is completing academic coursework at Salt Lake Community College and will join the team in the fall, according to a press release.

Palelei was a highly regarded recruit in 2006. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and originally picked Arizona State over Washington and Texas A&M.