The Utah Utes have opened the Morgan Scalley era with a perfect 3-0 record, dominating opponents and living up to their No. 15 national ranking. That’s awesome, but honestly, it’s Kevin McGiven’s offense that has everyone buzzing after these first three games. We’re talking about a whole new vibe on that side of the ball.
Early Season Wrecking Ball, Schedule or Not
Look, we all know the Utes’ nonconference schedule wasn’t exactly a gauntlet, ranking No. 130 in the nation. They had home games against Idaho, Arkansas, and Utah State. You might be tempted to dismiss the 3-0 start, but Scalley isn’t sweating it. He pointed out that athletic director Mark Harlan scheduled Arkansas back in 2019, long before the Razorbacks became “one of the worst Power Four teams.” And Scalley isn’t wrong: with the transfer portal, you truly “don’t know what competition you’re going to get.” He also gave props to Utah State, noting “what they did to Washington on the road.”
So, while the competition might not have been top-tier, the Utes absolutely handled business. They crushed Idaho 66-14, rolled Arkansas 43-10, and put up a clean 33-0 shutout against Utah State. They’ve lived up to that No. 15 ranking, no doubt about it. You can only play who’s in front of you, and this team came out swinging.
McGiven’s Bag of Tricks Is Wide Open
This is where the real excitement is. When was the last time Utes fans had this much fun watching their offense? McGiven has proven why his name was in Scalley’s playbook of potential offensive coordinators way before he got the head coaching job. Scalley said before Week 1 he wasn’t worried about showing too much of the playbook, and honestly, it felt like coachspeak then. But he was telling the absolute truth.
“Kevin’s done a nice job of having enough throughout spring and fall that you’re always going to see something new,” Scalley said. He mentioned the “amount of threats” and “playmakers” they have, adding, “You may see something new every single week in terms of not just play selection, but personnel.” That means defenses can’t just prep for one look, right? Scalley concluded, “There’s something for every defense to be worried about. So not too worried about being vanilla.” McGiven has basically opened up his entire bag of tricks early, even in games where they could’ve cruised. He’s confident in that deep playbook, isn’t worried about putting trick plays on film, and has dazzled us with a “dizzying array of formations, concepts and plays.”
The Real Test Arrives
Now, the real season kicks off. This Saturday, the Utes hit the road for Ames to face a rebuilding Iowa State team that might be ahead of schedule after Matt Campbell left. But that’s just the appetizer. Big 12 play is going to be brutal, with tough tests against Houston, BYU, and Arizona coming up. Those games will tell us everything we need to know about this team and how far they can truly go in Scalley’s inaugural season. It’s time to see if McGiven’s chaos offense can keep rolling against legit competition.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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