As a disclaimer, I hate Utah. I'm typically harder on Utah than is probably warranted, and typically underrate/undervalue them as a whole. This is an attempt at an unbiased perspective on both teams based on last night (which probably doesn't mean a ton because it's the first game), as a preview from what we can expect to see from our rivals and an upcoming opponent.

1) Utah special teams
Not really that special. They've been known in the past for amazing special teams, and there are several games that they would've lost last year if not for their special teams play. Punting and kicking were average. Coverage was average. Field goals were above average. I know that Automatic Andy missed two 40+ yarders last night that he would've typically hit. Prior to the game the casters were talking about gusting swirling winds in the stadium. I think his second miss was probably more of a wind issue than an accuracy issue. He had the distance and it went left by a few feet. I wouldn't be surprised if he was expected a wind to carry it right and that just didn't happen. Regardless, I don't think they're where they've been in the past. If they play a lot of games close like they did last year, Automatic Andy might not be as reliable in bailing them out.

2) Michigan special teams
Below average. Punting/coverage seemed above average, and they held Utah to low return yards. They were typically right on the returner when the ball got there, and there was the great punt they downed at the two yard line. Field goals are a huge problem. They're even worse off than when we had an injured Stephenson a few years ago. Their last PAT was even shanked (though they still made the PAT). If BYU can get some stops, Michigan will have a difficult time putting 3 points on the board, and they may go for it more often when they're past the 35 yard line.

3) Utah defense
Worse than last year, but still a good unit overall. I did see that the defensive line was great at pushing against Michigan. There were a couple of drives late in the 3rd quarter and early in the 4th quarter where the Michigan O line was winning in the trenches, which might suggest that there are some conditioning issues that could be exploited in late games. The LBs were excellent at reading the play direction and finding the holes that were opened up by the o line and meeting the runner at the line of scrimmage. Unless the Michigan o line is just absolutely horrible, I think that Utah should have a pretty good run defense. They had a hard time getting pressure on the QB until late in the game though. Their pass rush was not close to what it has been in years past. Also, their secondary was much more suspect than they have been in years. The three interceptions are more a product of bad passing than good defense. Two of the interceptions were caused by bad throws (one throw behind a receiver who may have run the wrong route, the other a throw way above the receiver's head). The pick six was a good defensive play and a horrible offensive play. The Michigan QB stared down the receiver and the CB jumped the route.

3) Michigan defense
Looked pretty stout, but lacked discipline and were susceptible to the option. Michigan did an excellent job of shutting Booker down. They were all over him when he got the ball. The corners had a little trouble maintaining the edge when Booker caught the ball on a wheel route, but didn't do a bad job. The defense didn't allow any major yardage plays, and Utah typically is pretty good at throwing at least a few long balls each game. Michigan seemed to wrap things up and shut down the Utah offense pretty well. Their secondary was typically right on their man in coverage, and I think their passing defense was really good. The major weakness I saw with the Michigan defense was the LBs and safeties biting on option plays and fake handoffs. This happened waaaayyy too many times. Any time Wilson faked a handoff to Booker all the LBs and the safety on top would all bite and open up the field for a long run by the giraffe or a simple dump into the open space on the field. I have a feeling that they were so concerned about stopping Booker, they were sold on every fake. This could be good for BYU if they're so concerned about stopping Taysom that they oversell on stopping him every time he runs an option play, which could mean that our RBs have an excellent game against Michigan. The option read is a little different for us, so it might be apples:oranges, but it could work in our favor.

4) Utah offense
Booker was shut down. Wilson looked better than he probably is because of this. He got a lot of rushing yards when Michigan bit on the fake to Booker, and got a lot of passing yards when the field opened up after a fake to Booker. They look better than last year on offense, but still are probably below average. Their o line was getting dominated by Michigan, which contributed to Booker being shut down the whole game.

5) Michigan offense
Their QB is horrible. Their o line looked weak. Their offense shouldn't scare BYU. Nothing special to report. They're probably better than last year, but not by a ton. Definitely below average.