HOUSTON, Texas – Unfortunately for Utah, their struggles continue as they lost their fourth straight game in a brutal 17-14 loss to the Houston Cougars tonight.

The Utes weren't able to provide many answers to their offensive struggles. The defense was unable to do enough to limit the Cougars while the special teams turned in their worst performance of the year.

Final.

Utah: 14
Houston: 17

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 27, 2024

An incredibly difficult route for the program

This season hasn't gone according to plan, everyone agrees. It's an unfortunately difficult time for the Utah football program. There was nothing but struggles and frustrations.

For the first time in a long time, the Utes have lost four games in a row. There weren't many answers or signs of progress. Utah enters the new bye week with another loss and the most difficult part of its schedule lies ahead.

A loss to Houston was rarely considered a possibility before the season. Even in Utah's previous struggles, a loss to Houston was hard to imagine. Unfortunately, the Cougars took the win and looked better for most of the evening.

This has simply been a season of nightmares for the Utes.

Sales margin

Protecting the football is a top priority for quarterbacks and Utah's offensive linemen in general. Unfortunately, both quarterbacks had turnovers tonight.

Isaac Wilson lost the ball on a fumble that was picked up by a Houston defender and sent the other way. The Cougars were in scoring position when they took over. The attack ended up on the Utah defense's first goal line, but that's not to be expected compared to most other teams.

Brandon Rose got some time in the second half. He wasn't particularly efficient, but he found ways to move the offense forward. Until he threw an interception late in the game that ultimately led to Houston's game-winning field goal attempt.

Utah couldn't win tonight for a number of reasons, but the turnovers were terribly painful.

Things aren't much different on offense

The offense wasn't much different than previous weeks. Utah continued to operate from center and shotgun. They also maintained a moderate pace of play.

The passing game brought more than in previous weeks. Emphasis was placed on getting the ball more directly to the playmakers.

Isaac Wilson had a solid first half. He finished the first two quarters going 12 of 18 for 157 yards and a touchdown. He had two fumbles, one of which was recovered by Houston and deflected the other way. He finished the game 13 of 22 for 171 yards and a score.

Utah used screens and quick outs to get Brant Kuithe involved. He made great use of these opportunities. There were also several throws to Dorian Singer on the sideline, who made some impressive catches.

The pass protection wasn't much better this week. Utah's quarterbacks were under pressure quite often. And Utah was unable to establish consistent forward movement to establish the run.

Utah had moments and phases throughout the game. They put together rides that reached the Houston area. However, Utah only had one trip into the red zone, which was actually set up by an interception return to the 22-yard line.

Wilson didn't finish the game as Brandon Rose got a chance in the second half. Unfortunately, he also threw the interception that led to Houston's game-winning score.

Zeon Chriss, Re'Shaun Alford and J'Marion Burnett were wild

Utah's struggles continued tonight, but in a different form. Chriss, Alford and Burnett are all dynamic athletes. You have a playful instinct. They caused tacklers to miss again and again.

Coping issues have been an issue for most of the season. There were various factors that contributed to the problems. The problem tonight came primarily from poor angles that allowed the three Houston athletes to move and get away from tackling attempts.

These guys were constantly changing direction, doing jukes and jump cuts, everything worked tonight. Unfortunately, Utah didn't have the angle or fundamentals to make the tackles, which led to big plays.

The Cougars only threw for 61 yards tonight but found a way to win because Utah couldn't stop the run. The Cougars finished the night with 228 rushing yards, split fairly evenly between these three ball carriers.

Special teams struggle

Utah gets by with mediocre play from the special forces team. Tonight, special teams inflicted damage on them.

Cole Becker missed two field goal attempts. He missed the first shot on the left side from 46 yards away. He missed the second from 52 yards, which narrowly missed.

Jack Bouwmeester was largely stable throughout the year. Unfortunately, he had seven punts for an average of just 41 yards, including a few punts of less than 40 yards. These punts put Houston in fairly favorable field position.

Johnathan Hall's H-Town interception

In the presence of family and friends, the Houston native made a decisive contribution to turning the momentum in Utah's favor. Houston was 3rd-and-5 from its own 43-yard line and Zeon Chriss attempted to throw a pass to his running back, which bounced off him.

Hall was in the right place at the right time and was able to recover the failed attempt. Additionally, he returned the ball 24 yards to the Houston 22-yard line, giving the offense excellent field position.

Three plays later, the Utes scored a touchdown on a 14-yard run by Micah Bernard up the middle. That was the play that gave Utah the lead they would need on the scoreboard, but it was Hall's play in front of family and friends that made the difference.

Two goal lines represent the Utes defense

Utah had two stops at the goal line, leaving Houston scoreless.

On the first attempt, Houston got it at the half-yard line. After a botched snap, the Utes were able to stuff Chriss at the goal line, forcing the turnover.

In the second, Lander Barton made a big tackle for loss as Houston had a goal going from the 1-yard line. He made the tackle at the 3-yard line to force another Houston turnover.

Utah gave up big plays that put Houston in those positions on each of those drives. However, the guys came together to make the plays and get the stops.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts the Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to beat the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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