Third Quarter Thoughts;
 - Brian Johnson, out, separated shoulder....Matt Asiata, out, broken leg.  If you would of asked Kyle Whittingham this week, what two guys would you least lke to see get injured, those two may have been your answer. 
 - Sean Smith tones of talent and very athletic.  I liked the decision to move him to corner.  Looks it is paying dividends early.  He's only a sophmore, too. 
 - Tommy Grady looks better in game than he did in camp...so far.  Ute fans hope for that to continue.  As bitter as fans might be seeing Brian Johnson go down, it's nice to see Tommy Grady's patience pay off.  I thought Grady got a raw deal last year in camp.  He, in my humble opinion, was the best signal caller in camp last year.  His reward was to be put into a game in a no win situation, and he failed.  That was the only chance he got to prove himself last season.    I've been hard on him this fall as he looked, at times, like he was just mailing in his senior season.  But if he can seize this oppurtunity given to him with Johnson's injury, that is a good story of perseveriance.  I don't know how long BJ is out, but this could be Grady's last chance to prove the transfer from Oklahoma wasn't a mistake.
 - Second timely penalty to save the Utes bacon.  Better to be lucky than good.
 -  Bernard breaks the 100 yard mark on 54 yard run.  Coach Whitt said they would have to hold him under 100 to give themselves a decent chance to win the game.  Still though neither team has stepped up to take control of the game.
 - Starting to get the sense that the horses up front for OSU are wearing down the Ute front seven.  If this is the case, the 4th quarte is going to get out of hand.
 - Tommy Grady continues not to screw up, but he isn't doing anything to impress either.  3 possesions...9 plays....11 yards...no first downs...no points.  If the Utes are going to win this game, Grady is going to have to make 3 to 4 plays, and Andy Ludwig is going to have to adjust his play calling to highlight Grady's strong points.  If not, it's going to be a long couple of weeks waiting for Brian Johnson to get healthy.
 - Quick toss to Bradon Godfrey...good call by Ludwig.  Easy pass play to give Grady some confidence and rythmn.
 - First impressive stat from the broadcast crew.  Utah 27 rushing attempts, only 26 yards.  This is the stat that Ute fans and coaches dreaded to hear.  A replay of last year, no running game.  No run game, no dominating preformance.  Are you comfortable with the rest of the season to depend on the arm of Tommy Grady, and Brian Johnson when he gets healthy?

Fourth Quarter Thoughts;
 - Now 28 attempts....13 yards on the night rushing.
 - The Utes really need to start wrapping up on tackles.  Bernard, has about 60 yards tonight on yards after contact.
 - Tommy Grady needs to set his feet before he throws.  He is ineffective while rolling out and throwing on the run.
 - I looks like the Utes have officially decided just to get out of Corvalis without someone else getting hurt.  You're down by 17 and you continue to hand the ball off without success, warm up the bus.

Final Thoughts.
 The Utes, believe it or not, got luck tonight.  This game should have been much like other games of the night where one team blows the other off the field.  Oregon State played sloppy and in the first half almost uninspired.  So if you are a Ute fan I guess this is one silver lining on the night.
 The biggest obstacle the Utes are going to need to over come this year has now changed.  It's no longer the tough schedule, or the mid season slump.  But it's now going ot be believing that this team can function without Brian Johnson.  Throughout fall camp, this was billed to be Johnson's team.  He is the emotional and on field leader of this team. 
 Now who is going to step up and take his role on the offensive side of the ball?  Tommy Grady?  I don't think so.  He is going to be too busy just trying to wrap his head around his responsibilies.  Brent Casteel?  Still needs to mature some.  Talented?  Yes, but doesn't seem like a guy who teammates are going to look for for leadership (Please reference his post touchdown celebration).  I'm not sure where the leadership is going to come from.  If you are Kyle Whittingham, this has got to be frightening.  Just look back to last year, who was the leader then as well?