Home Improvement: Utah Win Doesn't Negate Exposed Issues

So much for the looming question marks about this 2009 Utah team.

Well, let's not jump the gun, unconditionally.

Utah's 35-17 win over in-state rival Utah State was an archetypal opening day win by the program.

At times it was Radio City Music Hall. Others, it was the Murray Amphitheater, if you catch my drift.

Terrance Cain seemed to have done a better Brian Johnson impression than Mr. Johnson himself. The former JUCO All-American from Texas was thoroughly impressive in his collegiate debut, going 20-for-30 for 286 yards and two touchdown passes.

Asked to control the game, team, and clock, he did. He did it well for a newbie, hence the Johnson reference. After all, Charlie Chaplin did take third place in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest once.

Or so I hear.

The Utes did what they needed to do. They won. That's what this program does. Plain and simple. There are no lines to draw in the sand.

If you're a Ute, under this regime of Kyle Whittingham, you're expected to compete and play intelligent football, not F-ball as we saw Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount portray after the Ducks fell in Smurfville.

Yes, the Utes lost the turnover battle. Whittingham will not be happy about that, and you can count on him and his staff delivering more than an earful on that very note.

As they've done with such mature style, the Utah players themselves will tell you that "there's room for improvement, there's room for improvement."

Well, duh.

It is the first week of the season, guys.

Nevertheless, the Utah State Aggies, fresh off a shot of an eight-ball that is Gary Andersen and his galvanizing swagger, gave the Utes their best shot. And yeah, Utah got lucky.

Aggie quarterback Diondre Borel, who often has the look of being able to best Usain Bolt in a race, couldn't hit water if he were on the Great Salt Lake.

Utah State squandered an opportunity to go up 14-0 on the hometown Utes, which would've been a true test to the mettle of this year's group.

The cardiac kids of last year (well, more than a handful of them) were not on the field. Johnson's gone.

But Utah responded, as they always tend to do. Matt Asiata coughed up the ball on Utah's second play from scrimmage. In 2008, the Utah backfield did not lose a fumble.

Not for 13 straight games.

Didn't matter. New defensive boss Kalani Sitake's bunch made sure that the Aggies wouldn't even go up 10-0, pouncing on Utah State, forcing them deep into missed field goal range.

Asiata made up for his mistake. Of course he did. The dude's a gamer. He wants the ball—winners always do.

The senior tailback rushed for a career-high 156 yards on an astounding 36 carries and two touchdowns.

Sounds like typical Asiata, but after dropping 20 pounds this offseason, one has to wonder if the brute, moving slab of concrete can take the hits until December or, dare I say, January.

Cain was the harmonious yin to Asiata's yang.

David Reed was the dots. Utah's most prolific receiver nagged 172 yards receiving on 10 receptions and a touchdown.

As Freddie Brown was to Johnson, Reed looks to be to Cain.

The defense was good, as usual, but—and it's a big but—there's a reason why the 2008 Utes ran the tables, piddling the scraps off the side to opponents.

Big plays. Big plays were not given up. Rarely did you see a 48-yard pass or a 96-yard scamper (which was impressive, to say the least, and PS, Robert Turbin could play in the NFL).

Utah's always taken a few plays to get their feet wet. To get all comfy and cozy-like for the remaining three quarters.

But if Utah is going to stall against Utah State the way they did—on both sides of the ball—you'd better think twice before believing that Whittingham isn't going to check his players' britches.

This will not fly against Oregon, regardless of their colossal meltdown in Smurfcity. It will not fly against Louisville, and hell, it certainly may not fly against San Jose State.

The first week of the season is always the hardest. Luckily for the Utes, they are still 1-0, escaped the first round without any major injuries, and don't have to see the Aggies for another couple years.

That's beside the point.

Utah's a winning program. They develop and they win. Fans scattered home and abroad are currently riding an enormous wave of pampering.

They haven't seen their Utes lose since 4th-and-18.

This team is good. It's very good. But if the little things aren't up-and-fixed soon, who knows, the streak—now at 15—could come to a suppressed and monotonous end in San Jose, Calif.

Utah gave up more first-half yards to the Aggies (220) than they did to Alabama (208) in all four quarters of the Sugar Bowl.

Is that a fair comparison? No, not exactly, but the pieces are there to be successful and at times dominant—without a doubt.

We know that.

It's just a matter of a little in-house improvement.

Or as Whittingham would say, "Taking it one week at a time."

Utah has a target on their back that cannot be removed, and it will stay there until the unblemished scratches on the wall are painted over.

There's 15 now—we'll just have to wait and see what's in store next.

One week at a time.