We’re discussing the big Utah-USC football game with Utah football expert Matt Nigbur. He is a co-host of the No Truck Stops Pac-12 podcast.
We asked Matt what central adjustments Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley must make against mobile quarterbacks such as USC’s Caleb Williams?
Nigbur delivered this answer:
“Utah is known for running man coverage almost exclusively under Morgan Scalley, and they are damn good at it. Pair that with what is typically a terrifying defensive line that can get after the QB, and you have a wonderful recipe.
“The problems for Utah come first when the QB is able to escape the D-line and run for significant yardage while the rest of the defense has their back turned in man coverage (See: Anthony Richardson of Florida, Week 1).
“The adjustment there is to then run a cage rush where the defensive line maintains lanes that keep the QB in the pocket, maybe even having a LB spy for good measure. The problem here is it’s just not possible to cover man on man for that long.
“It doesn’t matter how good you are as a CB or how bad the guy at WR is. If you give my dad bod seven seconds, I’m going to find a passing window. (see: Richardson, Week 1, and Jaren Hall of BYU in 2021). The next move is to run more zone coverage with more eyes on the QB. The problem here is that Utah just doesn’t run it enough in game to be all that effective at it.
“Ultimately stubbornness is a factor here with the man coverage. I don’t know that I would say it requires adjustment, but it is a reality of how Utah builds their defense and the type of players they recruit. Quite frankly, the most effective adjustment I would suggest would be to get better players. USC, what’s your secret for that?”
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