Early returns indicate Cougs, not Utes are for real

After the results of the first two "big games" of the local college season, you have to say BYU is for real and Utah is not. The Cougars looked totally terrific in dismantling No. 17-ranked TCU on the road Thursday, while the Utes looked absolutely awful in getting rolled by No. 22 Boise State at home.

Not to say Bronco Mendenhall is the better coach — after all, he was outcoached by Kyle Whittingham in their only head-to-head meeting in last year's overtime loss in Provo — but the Cougars sure looked like the better-coached team last week. BYU had energy and executed almost flawlessly against the team with the longest-winning streak in the nation. On the other hand, for the second time this season, the Utes looked listless while laying an egg in a big-time game ...

It's easy to say "I told you so" now, but a couple of months ago I was one of those who couldn't understand the overwhelming support Brett Ratliff was getting over Brian Johnson as the U.'s quarterback. Sure, Ratliff was very impressive in the two season-ending wins over BYU and Georgia Tech, but he still had been an average junior college quarterback who was brought in to be a backup for the Utes. Looking back, Ratliff benefited from a horrible BYU secondary and a Georgia Tech team going through the motions.

What I tried to point out to others is that Johnson, despite a couple of sub-par games, was still very good for most of the 11 games he played while finishing fifth in the nation in total offense. If Ratliff had played in 11 games last year, would he have had those numbers? Not likely. Would he have had a couple of bad games? More than likely.

In fall camp, going head to head, Johnson also looked better than Ratliff, but Ute coaches decided to save Johnson for two years. It was probably the correct decision, but I don't think the Utes would have 21- and 33-point defeats right now if Johnson was playing ...

OK, if Ratliff and Tommy Grady struggle again this week against TCU, what should the Utes do? Bring in untested redshirt freshman Kevin Dunn? I don't think so. But why not use that former high school quarterback who is by far the best player on the Ute team, Eric Weddle? ...

Speaking of quarterback problems, another idea I had after Utah State was shut out in back-to-back games by Utah and BYU was that the Aggies should just forget about their unproductive first- and second-string quarterbacks and begin playing freshman Riley Nelson, who set all the records at Logan High a year earlier. Why should coach Brent Guy save Nelson for the 2009 season so he can have four years, when Guy may not even be around in 2009, the way things are going?