Ludwig, Huntley have shaped No. 13 Utah into one of the most efficient offenses in the country


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SALT LAKE CITY — It was obvious from Utah’s first drive of the game that Oregon State had entered a battle it had no business being in on Saturday night. It was like knocking on the castle doors with a few individuals to pick a fight only to be met with the full arsenal of the king’s army when the gates dropped.

The idyllic setting in Corvallis, Oregon, had the makings of a great football atmosphere in fall, but for the few thousand fans that made an appearance to the game, it was clear Utah wasn’t messing around and was looking to make a statement.

And to the tune of 52 points and a near shutout against the Beavers, Utah was in control the entire game.

This was not the same Utah team Oregon State knew when former Utes assistant coach Gary Andersen was head coach of the Beavers years ago. There was no holding back; the offense was too diverse, too powerful and simply too good to stop.

At the midway point in the season, Utah’s offense has been one of the most efficient programs in the country, according to ESPN. The Utes rank seventh nationally in offensive efficiency and senior quarterback Tyler Huntley has the sixth-best total QBR in the nation.

In Utah’s five wins this season, they’re winning by an average of 27.5 points. And even if you remove the 45-point win over the Beavers, which is the biggest point differential Utah has ever had in a Pac-12 game, Utah has still won its remaining games by an average of 23.0 points.

The offense is averaging 1.92 more yards per play than its opponent, which according to SP+ gives teams a 89.2% chance of winning a game and an expected 17.5 win margin. But it’s only gotten better since Utah entered Pac-12 play. The offense has improved to 2.45 more yards per play than its opponent, which gives a team a 95% chance of winning and an expected 23.9 win margin — that’s even with a 7-point loss to USC factored into the equation.

Utah has its new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig to thank for the team’s efficiency up to this point in the season. The longtime coordinator has a diversity to his play-calling — anyone on the field is essentially a target at any given time — and he’s maximizing the talent on his roster, most importantly with Huntley.

Coming into the season, senior running back Zack Moss was considered the biggest playmaker returning to the offensive side of the ball. And while there’s nothing to indicate that anything has changed there, as was evident in Moss escaping for a 91-yard rushing touchdown Saturday, Huntley has taken Utah to greater heights under Ludwig’s tutelage.

“(He) and Tyler, they have a good (relationship), they're on the same wavelength,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said about Huntley’s relationship with Ludwig after Utah’s 52-7 win Saturday. “They just seem to hit it off. Those two guys really seem to be in sync with each other. Tyler completely believes in Andy and what he's doing and what he's preaching and teaching. Andy was excited to work with Tyler because he was the most athletic quarterback he's ever coached — his exact words.”

Six games into the season, Huntley has played as near perfect as possible and is making history. Huntley has thrown 133 consecutive passes without an interception, the only Power Five quarterback this season without an interception, and has a 75.6% completion percentage on the season. Should that remain, that’s good for fourth all-time for a single season in the nation, according to sports-reference.com.

“If you can be over 65% you're pretty good, you're throwing the ball accurately. And to be 75 is off the charts good,” Whittingham said. “I can't give him enough accolades right now of how much he means to our team and how well he's playing, but he's got to keep it up, we've got six games left.”

Huntley’s numbers are comparable to former Ute Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in 2005, through his first six games of his last season with Utah. Huntley has thrown 67 fewer yards and 20 fewer passing attempts, but he’s completing passes 10.7% better over the six-game span. Smith put up three more passing touchdowns and four more rushing touchdowns, though.

“I think there's a lot of similarities,” Whittingham said Monday when asked about the two. “When I think back to Alex, it was a long time ago, but when he was here, the same type of work ethic and the same type of preparation that went into his game week, Tyler is doing a lot of the same stuff.”

6-game QB comparisons
Alex Smith
98-of-151 for 64.9%
1,460 yards
12 TDs
2 INT
262 rushing yards
7 rushing TDs

Tyler Huntley
99-of-131 for 75.6%
1,393 yards
9 TDs
0 INT
197 rushing yards
3 rushing TDs

The comparisons don’t necessarily equate to a rising draft stock or even an NFL shot, but it shows how effective Huntley has been slinging the ball to his receivers and managing the overall offensive game plan established under Ludwig. And to the offense’s credit, there’s a lot of playmakers for Huntley to target.

Even after losing Britain Covey, the team’s leading receiver from 2018, to what is expected to be a redshirt season, Huntley has targeted 15 different players this season, and eight receivers have 10 or more targets. The play-calling allows Huntley options, and the receivers are doing a good job of making his job easier.

And it only gets better for Utah’s offense when factoring in its talent at running back. Moss leads the group with 514 rushing yards (7.56 average yards per carry) this season and is 55 yards shy of breaking the school’s all-time rushing record. His ability to combat defenses has been well documented and his impact on the program is immeasurable.

Behind Moss, though, is a stable of proven backs that can add relief while still punishing opposing teams. Each of the main backup running backs are nearing a 5-yard average per carry: Devonta’e Henry-Cole (5.04 yards), Devin Brumfield (4.63) and Jordan Wilmore (4.24). Even Huntley is averaging 4.48 yards per rushing attempt.

Whittingham has long hoped for a balanced offense, and he’s now seeing the fruits of that effort this season. The team has run 50.2% run plays and 49.8% pass plays on the season. Utah can use any weapon it wants to rack up yards, which is a nightmare for opposing defenses to contain.

And although Utah’s schedule gets significantly harder over the last six games of the season, the parity of the offense and overall talent has Utah in a great spot for a potential Pac-12 South Division title for the second consecutive season.

No. 13 Utah returns to action Saturday at 4 p.m. MDT when they welcome No. 17 Arizona State to Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.

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Josh is the Sports Director for KSL.com and beat writer covering University of Utah athletics — primarily football, men’s and women's basketball and gymnastics. He is also an Associated Press Top 25 voter for college football.

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