FOOTBALL: Talkin' Ute Football - Part One - Marketing, Administrivia, Fan Support...
Posted By: Ma'ake
Date: Saturday, 20 April 2002, at 6:18 p.m.
Approximately 300 hard core Ute fans made it to a 9:00a Saturday meeting in the RES Tower atrium, on a cold,snowy spring morning to hear about & ask questions regarding Ute football.
This post will be about Marketing, Attendance & Fan Support. I'll cover the "meat" of the football issues in a subsequent post.
Chris Hill kicked off the meeting, introduced Mac & specifically mentioned that Ute football currently has the best group of coaches we've had, and also mentioned that the team had its best academic semester in the fall.
Later in the meeting Chris briefly covered the following "Administrivia" issues:
Big screen TV from the Olympics They're trying to get some money, but the rumor that the U would be the beneficiary of a sweet, sweeeeeeet deal on one of those big TVs from the Olympics is somewhat erroneous, to the tune of $1.5 Million. RES will get a TV, but not likely this year, unless a donor can be found to give us all a nice Christmas present in the summer.
"TBA" scheduling irritation Chris acknowledged the hardship this puts on fans trying to plan out their weekend, but vowed to minimize the impact the TV contracts have on variable schedules as much as he could, would get the word out as fast as possible once the schedule is known.
The topic of attendance came up, and Marc Amicone described a few of the things the Athletics Admin is doing to improve this area:
Marketing - the Ad agency has been changed, expect different and more ads this fall.
Budget Increase - Chris got a substantial budget increase for marketing Ute FB.
Promotions - Marc mentioned that there will be more promotions to get fans to RES, including a deal with UTA for TRAX. (Personally, I think TRAX will be a cool tradition to establish for getting to Ute FB games, sort of like the subway going to Boston Garden, etc. Salt Lake is growing up - let's enjoy it!)
New TV & Radio Contracts - specifically mentioned are deals for our TV & Radio partners to do more in promotions for Ute FB.
Mac mentioned in passing that sometimes the "fans need to stand up and be counted." I'm in 100% agreement. He mentioned that last year was actually a good year, the team overachieved (after being picked 6th) and that this is team Ute fans can be proud of. A-freakin-Men ! ! !
Sometimes we fans get a bit carried away with our expectations. We were 8-4 last year with a bowl win over Southern Cal. This can only be described as a very nice year. This isn't an issue confined to Ute fans, as Mac mentioned he was talking to a group of Fresno State fans who were obsessing over their loss to Boise State and that they should have been national champs if not for the Boise State game, blah, blah. (Grumblings about losing to the Broncos sounds familiar, doesn't it? Here's some news - Boise State ain't that bad.)
The simple fact is that fan support is the short leg of the stool with regard to Ute football. We've got the stadium, we've got the coaches, we've got the players....we need anyone who claims to be a Ute football fan to get their asses to the stadium and act like they want the team to win. (I'm not saying people haven't had reason to be frustrated in the past, but damnit, its a new season, let's get the job done....all of us!)
I'm assuming everyone knows the position coaches, but here's the list anyway, with the new GA coaches in bold.
Offense
Craig Ver Steeg - Offensive Coordinator & QBs
Vince White - RBs
Derek Mason - WRs
Don Eck (aka "Dondo") - Center & Guards
Alex Gerke - Tackles & TEs
Defense
Kyle Whittingham - Defensive Coordinator & LBs
Gary Anderson - Defensive Line / Special Teams / Asst Head Coach
Bill Busch - Safeties
Jugi Hogue - Corners
Kevin Cloone - GA Linebackers
Jay Hill (yes, *that* Jay Hill) - GA DBs
Bill Hall - Recruiting Coordinator
Jason Veltcamp (sp?) - Strength Coach
Mac: We're solid on D. We go 9 deep on the D-line (Gary Anderson echoed this later one-on-one, singling out by name Garrett Smith, Lauvale Sape, Josh Savage, Jason Kaufusi, Marcus Jones, Sione Pouha, Steve Fifita, Tevita Kemoeatu, Lewis Powell, Elia Laeli).
The Linebackers are a nice, deep group as well. Stud LB - Brooks Bahr, Corey Dodds (a spring surprise), Middle LB - Zach Tune, Ray Holdcraft, Whip LB - Sheldon Deckart, Steven Thompson.
The CBs are solid too, with Arnold Parker a stud at CB, with D'Shaun Crockett, Bo Nagahi & Cody Weight all very competitive right now. (Mac said later they considered Shayne Scruggs - who will join the team after spring - the best cover corner in JC ball last year.)
Safeties are talented & deep: Antwoine Sanders, Dave Revill (a big reason Parker
moved to CB), Steve "Victor" Smith (whom Busch later told me he's simply thrown
into the fire at safety, but is impressed
with his rapid improvement), Anthony White, Aaron Bryant...
Whittingham:
> "There are 2 positions that can make a good defense really good": A "shutdown Cornerback" and a DE who can pressure the QB. For us: Arnold Parker & Jason Kaufusi, with Revill & Sanders putting pressure from the safety position.
> The Defense has 2 principal objectives: 1) Keep points off the board, and 2) provide a short field when possible for the offense.
> Blitzing is really dictated by the situation. In the LV Bowl we put in 1st & 10 blitzes because we hadn't showed it before.
Mac: The QBs are all much further along this year than last. Lance is #1, but the others are right on his heels.
> We have nine WRs, and Larry Miles coming in the fall. The RBs are good - Marty Johnson, J.R. Peroulis, Morgan Scalley, Sione Havili & Brandon Warfield (not to mention Edwin Benton, no slouch).
> The O-line is solid in the middle (starters= Chris Kemoeatu, Dustin McQuivey, Tevita "Baby T" Vakalahi), mentioning Kurt Jackson, Kasey Jackson and "the Boone kid".
> Depth at Tackle is being developed: Sean Souza, Makai Aalona, and much expected from JC AA Thomas Herrion in the fall, to go with Jordan Gross.
(If other players aren't mentioned, it is because Mac was moving pretty fast through things.)
> TEs are deep, with Matt Hansen at #1 currently, with JD Jorgensen, Chad Jacobson, Al Johnson battling for PT. Ben Allison (who will join the team in the fall) is up to 270 lbs with approx 4.6-4.7 speed.
Ver Steeg:
> "Not much separation at QB, and the gap is getting closer daily." Lance is
getting better, and Elliott and Breska are "right there." (Craig also later
told me that he likes the progress that the QBs have made, but that he's not
yet seen the jump to a Kurt Kittner level in anyone's development. [If / when
this happens, I think we'll have a solid #1.] In any case, the QB position should
absolutely be improved over last year.)
> This is the best situation he's seen in terms of the defense & offense complimenting each other, ie, their respective styles together give the team the best chance of success.
> The Ute offense is predicated on balance, with last year's WRs getting 55+ receptions apiece, with 35-40 receptions going to secondary receivers, ie backs, TEs.
> Kickers - Brian Borreson has had a nice spring, Ford Hall is coming from Coffeyville JC. Hall is reputed to be very accurate, gets the ball up quickly, has solid range from 45 yards in.
> Punter - Brian Lewis is doing well
> Kick Returners - Desmond Davis, D'Shaun Crockett, Morgan Scalley, Marty Johnson
> Punt Returners - Morgan Scalley, Justin Walterscheid, Steven Savoy
Note: Morgan Scalley has been migraine free all spring.
Mac:
> Utah is known in football circles for being a very physical team. Oregon &
Indiana coaches mentioned we were the most physical team they played last year.
> Almost all decisions are made by the Coordinators. Mac has seen how chaotic
it can be when a HC micro-manages, and tries to stay out of the Coordinators'
turf. Not that he won't speak up when he
doesn't like something...
> Mac on the Lance Rice / Grandpa Rice's-name-on-Stadium-QB-controversy (one-on-one): (laughing) "I don't give a damn who your grandpa is."
> Mac is not soured on recruiting missionaries after the Fisher incident. One of the Tupolo brothers on his mission has gone from 190lb to 286lbs. "Some missions are better than others..."
Bill Busch on Larry Miles - a 10.4 / 21 flat sprinter, will get his AA in May and then come to SLC, originally signed with Washington out of HS.
Jason Veltcamp on team's condition: More team speed than ever, team has the attitude they can hang with any other team, from a speed standpoint.
Gary Anderson on Props Lynzell Jackson & Marquess Ledbetter: Lynzell came in at 170 lbs, is now at 195 with 4% body fat, Marquess will play either LB or 5 Technique DE.
UTEopia asked about who on this team might go from walkon to scholarship. These
guys came up as having made an impact:
> Tevita Kemoeatu - Gary Anderson says he will be as good as his brother Ma'ake,
next year.
> Mike Austin FB
> Brandon Bliss FB
> Travis Lentendresse WR
ColoUte mentioned that a group of us had been to every practice, and Mac acknowledged that, and then threw in a good stab "Don't you guys have jobs?", to which ColoUte immediately responded "we work at the U." Gawd, I hope my boss doesn't read this! For the record, I work a lot of weird hours as a computer jockey.
There were a couple of tough questions about the Utes underachieving and the AFA game. Mac gave a long explanation about what happened at AFA, and gave a speech about equity in college football and how there are really no games that you *should* win, otherwise you wouldn't play the game.
I'm not going to go into detail about these sorts of things, because this is crap that happened LAST YEAR!
Later,
Ma'ake
FOOTBALL: My question to Ver Steeg...
Posted By: S.
Gil
Date: Sunday, 21 April 2002, at 3:05 p.m.
Let me just say WELL Done to ColoUte for the line of the day. Very Nice/quick unexpected responce to being called out by MAC. You easilly had the line of the day!!!
I asked the question toward the end of the meeting regarding the seperation between the qb's. I felt like Ver Steeg's answer was as expected considering the open forum. He's not going to name a starter or rank each qb because he knows he would lose the competitiveness of the players in practice.
After the session I spoke to Ver Steeg to follow up on my original question. I basically asked him "what would it take for Elliott/Breska to beat out Lance".
About Elliott, he used Kittner as an example, but in the opposite direction. When Kirt Kitner was a freshman they knew that he would be the guy so he played because his up side/potential out weighed the existing talent. Ver Steeg stated the he feels the pressure of getting Elliott into the qb position from "the valley" but that the pressure is based on the recruiting hype (my words not his). He reiterated over and over that Lance has and is showing that he is the #1 qb and although Elliott/Breska are good players, they haven't deminstrated that they are equal to Rice. He reinforced this by saying that Rice's performance and potential are at a more increased plane then Elliott/Breska.
Basically, Lance will be the starter.
FOOTBALL: Meeting Misc.
Posted By: UTEopia
Date: Sunday, 21 April 2002, at 5:26 p.m.
When Mac introduced Kyle Whittingham, Kyle recevied a very nice ovation from the crowd.
I can see why kids like Gary Anderson, Bill Busch and Alex Gerke. I can also see why the moms like them. Mac on recruiting "If the mom likes you, you'll probably get the kid." No wonder Crowton spent so much time recruiting Ngata's mom.
When asked about team leaders, Mac mentioned Rice and Gross on offense, Deckart and Garrett Smith on defense and Cody Weight on special teams. I guess the players elect captains for the spring and then again when the fall comes around. In 2000 I knew we were in trouble when Arcenaux was elected captain and Croshaw was named starter. I do not think Rice is the kind of kid to create disension, but it tells me alot that he is looked to by the other players as a leader.
Alot of fans have very high expectations. That's good. It is exciting to see so many people so excited. However, as Mac said, there will not be a physical talent difference between the Utes and any team on the schedule. Realistically, the Utes could go 3-1 or 1-3 in OCC. The conference will be extremely balanced, and no team will go undefeated. The Utes could realistically go 6-1, 5-2 or 4-3.
FOOTBALL: My thoughts on the Meeting with Mac......
Posted By: ColoUte
Date: Monday, 22 April 2002, at 10:58 a.m.
- You know, Kyle Wittingham has a special presence about him. He just looks, speaks, and acts like a Head Coach. This year could really be key for him. He's got a shot to really showcase his D and make a statement about his abilities. I really hope his shot comes sooner rather than later. He deserves it. (Incidentally, Gary Anderson has that certain presence as well. It's not a look or a style or anything they say. It's just a feel.)
- Craig Ver Steeg speaks very very loudly.
- The more I look at the Parker to corner move, the more I like it. Having a corner who can man-up on anyone opens up a lot of options in the blitz game. Judging by what's going on in practice, we'll see guys coming from everywhere. Kyle still won't gamble against teams that can mismatch us with any of the other 4 eligible receivers, but I think we'll still see a lot more pressure next year.
- I'm really intrigued by the prospect of Marquess Ledbetter at Open End. He's certainly got the athleticism to play that spot, but it looks like he'll need another 30 lbs or so. If he can do that, he'll really be a nice prospect there.
- I really think the state of Utah as a whole is pretty uneducated about football. I've never understood why many in this state would rather lose 63-60 than win 10-6. I've never understood why folks equate exciting football with passing the ball all over the field. The fact is, the style our team plays is no less exciting than any team in the Big-10. I really think the majority of the state was brainwashed by BYU in the '80's into thinking that the only way to win was to put the ball up 50 times a game. If that were actually the case, how come only a handful of D1 teams do that - and only 3 of them are in BCS conferences? There's something to be said for putting a team on the field that plays every aspect of the game and there's excitement in seeing players put on their backs.
- I agree with Mac in that it's time for Ute fans to stand up and be counted, but he was really preaching to the choir on Saturday. Fans that would come out to talk Ute football at 9:00 am on a snowy April Saturday are the fans that will be in the stands even if we're 1-10 and playing the St. Festus School of the Blind. He needs to get his message out to the fans who WEREN'T there.
- With all due respect to those who say, "I wish that we wouldn't schedule a game on the firt weekend of the deer hunt." You know what I wish? I wish that we WOULD schedule games on the first weekend of the deer hunt and it WOULDN'T MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE. I really wish we had fans with passion for Ute football rather than fans who see it as something to do if nothing else is going on.
- I really like the enthusiasm and optimism for next year's team. But, I can't really blame the fans for equal amounts of skepticism. We've been burnt before. The heavy marketing push could be coming at exactly the right time. However, it could end up being counter productive if the team disappoints in the face of high expectations again. The worst thing you can do in marketing is put a heavy push on a bad product. From what I've seen, I don't think we'll disappoint, but a couple of key injuries or bad chemistry can change things in a hurry. Hopefully, the coaches - and most importantly, captains - have things under control.
- Finally, why is it when fellow Webboard posters come up to me and ask, "Are you ColoUte?" they always look disappointed when I say yes?
GO UTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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