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Utah's Revamped Pass Rush Will Be Critical Against The Buffaloes

Against Colorado talented running game, the Utes will try to take that away with one of the nation's top rush defenses and turn the Buffaloes into a passing team — Enter Mika Tafua and co.

Ryan Kostecka

One week after blowing a 21-point halftime lead to Washington due to a sputtering offense and a defense that couldn't get the big stop, Utah found itself in nearly an identical scenario late Saturday night against Oregon State.

Leading the Beavers 30-24 with just over a minute on the clock after the offense sputtered for much of the fourth quarter, the defense needed a big play with Oregon State driving.

Unlike last week against the Huskies when that big play never came, Mika Tafua was the Ute who stepped up.

Tafua sacked Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan on second down, forcing the Beavers to burn their final timeout near midfield. Then an incomplete pass on 4th-and-8 sealed the victory for the Utes when once again, Tafua applied the pressure to Nolan.

It was Utah's best performance of the season when it came to the defensive line and applying pressure to the quarterback. They combined for 25 quarterback pressures and three sacks, while also hitting Nolan four times. They made life extremely difficult for the first-time starter, forcing him to rush many throws and complete just 52.6% of his passes.

Tafua, the preseason all-Pac-12 first-teamer, led the charge with seven total pressures and one sack. He was joined by Hauati Pututau and Devin Lloyd, who each notched a sack against the Beavers.

"We got to get the job done some way," Lloyd said following the victory over Oregon State. "Playing through a little adversity, but we did it. Obviously feels great to get the win. We don't expect to lose ever, never even in our minds. ... But victories are what we play for, what we love and what we expect."

Dec 5, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Mika Tafua (42) celebrates after sacking Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) on the final drive of the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking on Tuesday morning during his weekly press conference, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham talked about how Utah's success against the Buffaloes is three-pronged. 

Colorado is a run-first team, and it's going to try and ram running back Jarek Broussard down the Utes throat.

First the Utes must stop the run, which is where the nation's No. 11 ranked rush defense comes into play. Containing Broussard would then force Colorado to throw the ball, something they're not exactly built for. That would then allow Tafua and co. to pin their ears back and really get after Buffaloes quarterback Sam Noyer.

Dec 5, 2020; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sam Noyer (4) drops back to pass against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

That sort of production is going to be vital against a Colorado (4-0, 3-0 Pac-12) team that has been sensational in pass production this season. Through four games, the Buffaloes have surrendered just 29 total pressures while giving up five sacks — but the times when Noyer has been under pressure, he's struggled.

Noyer has completed 62.1% of his passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. 

Through three games, Utah has six sacks and 19 tackles for loss, but a majority of those numbers came against the Beavers. If the Utes can keep up that sort of production against the Buffaloes, they have a great chance at playing spoiler to Colorado's perfect season.

“Yeah, it hasn’t played out as I thought it would, defense seems to be much more productive and further ahead than any of us thought,” Whittingham said. “We’re not quite as productive on offense as we need to be right now. In fact, we’ve got a ways to go. Really proud of the defense and particularly the way that the secondary has performed so far.”

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Ryan Kostecka
RYAN KOSTECKA

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