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SALT LAKE CITY — The solution was never going to be easy.
When a once potent offense fails to put points on the board consistently, change becomes a necessary part of the job — even if it means losing an offensive coordinator that is responsible for some of the biggest moments in Utah football history.
An undefeated 2008 season capped off with a victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. A first-time Pac-12 championship victory and an ensuing Rose Bowl berth in 2021, where Utah led Ohio State by two scores before a heartbreaking loss. And a follow-up victory in the Pac-12 championship in 2022 over a USC program expected to make the College Football Playoff.
In all of that, Andy Ludwig was the mastermind orchestrating a Utes offense that methodically and effectively diced up opposing teams.
But even the best among us have a tough time staying on top forever.
As such, Ludwig became the sacrificial lamb for an offense that managed only 7 points in a loss to TCU at home, and one that has struggled to get any flow or rhythm for much of the season.
In a football program that preaches family as its main selling point, losing a beloved coach — one that many in the country consider to be one of the best at the position — is like losing a member of the family, especially one that has spent so much time with the Utes over the years.
"Can't say enough good things about Andy as far as our relationship, what he's meant to this program," Kyle Whittingham said on Monday. "We go way back — 30 plus years me and Andy go back — and consider him a close friend. Tremendous offensive coordinator, won a bunch of games together, championships together, and he will be missed.
"He's the consummate professional, and, again, a great person and an outstanding football coach, and has had a very storied career. We wish him the best in whatever future endeavors he undertakes."
Ludwig leaves the program, but that, alone, won't suddenly correct an offense that ranks 95th in scoring (24.0 points per game) and is 99th in offensive efficiency. But the hope is that a "new voice" — a switch to interim offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian, who previously served as an offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach — will be enough.
"Andy just felt it was time for the offense to hear a new voice, have new leadership," Whittingham said. "He was really at a loss for why we were in the situation we're in. I mean, he's a guy that is as detailed as they get, and he really just had no solution to where we're at and felt like, again, that maybe a new direction, or at least a new leader at that position would maybe provide a spark."
For some on the team, it's an instant move to help fix the problem plaguing Utah.
"I feel like he's gonna break the offense, give us a spark we need," receiver Money Parks said.
But for others, that transition is a little more personal and difficult to quickly move on from — even though there's no other option but to embrace a new path forward.
"I mean, obviously, it's a hard thing to go through," quarterback Isaac Wilson said. "I committed here to play under coach Lud. It's a hard thing to go through, but we've got to keep moving forward. I mean, with this three-game drought, we've gotta get winning. I have full faith in coach Bajakian; he's been our quarterback coach for a little bit now, and we have full trust in him."
For Bajakian, it's been "a whirlwind" couple days.
The veteran coach — who has had stops at Northwestern, Boston College, Tennessee, Cincinnati and in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — said there's "a lot of emotions that play into it" after coming to Utah to learn from Ludwig. Bajakian hoped to learn from "an elite coach" and "an elite football mind."
But he recognizes that his promotion to offensive coordinator is meant to help the players see something new, with hopes of returning Utah to where it expected to be at the beginning of the season. What that means and whether it will work is anyone's guess.
Bajakian, though, hopes to simplify aspects of an offensive system that Ludwig crafted. He'll attempt to make "tweaks" to help open up new potential, while sticking to much of what the players already know and understand.
"The system is the system," he said. "There'll obviously be tweaks, but we'll address those as they come. I don't want to show the hand too much; at the same time, there's only so much you can do with a system in place.
"I don't think there's a magic potion that's going to fix things."
Bajakian said he'll rely on all members of the coaching staff — not just offensive personnel — to give input on how Utah can improve and "get back to what we need to do to win football games."
At the top of that, he said, is just stressing "the little things that make the biggest difference," such as the team's effort.
"We're going to emphasize doing the little things, from our effort, to our physicality, to trying to change things with our passion and our energy," Bajakian said. "And we'll address the scheme and all that as we go."
That includes playing to the strengths of his freshman quarterback — doing things to help his skill set and help provide him some comfort in the offense as he attempts to move the ball down field.
"We're not recreating the wheel here," Wilson said. "We're gonna just keep it simple, really help out our O-line, our speed and space, just the simple stuff — really simplify things for our team."
Bajakian will have "complete autonomy," Whittingham said, to be the team's play-caller.
"It will be his show."
