- Jason Beck's positionless offensive scheme boosts Utah's scoring and total offense rankings.
- Beck uses players like Semi Taulanga in versatile roles to challenge defenses.
- Coach Whittingham praises Beck's strategy for creating mismatches and maximizing player strengths.
SALT LAKE CITY — Whatever Jason Beck wants he gets.
Reality is probably less definitive, but Beck has certainly been afforded more access to the full roster than others under Kyle Whittingham to utilize a player's ability on the offensive side of the ball.
In Whittingham's tenure, it's been more likely than not to have a player on the offense transition to the defense as opposed to the other way around. Certainly there's been a few exceptions, but the defense has traditionally been given access to players with whom can make a difference on the defensive side of the ball.
With Beck, some of that thinking has changed. And while it's not completely unique to Beck, he's accelerated the opportunity in just a short time.
Take true freshman defensive tackle Semi Taulanga, for example. Taulanga projects to be a solid player on the defensive line in years to come, but he's buried behind other players this season. Beck has taken the opportunity to use the 5-foot-11, 315-pound tackle as a fullback the last two weeks.
(By the way, Taulanga graded out as the second-best player on offense against Wyoming, and the top-graded run blocker, according to grades by Pro Football Focus.)
When in need, any player is available for Beck — even star players on the defensive side of the ball like Smith Snowden and Lander Barton, among others.
It's all part of a positionless system Beck has utilized this year to provide the offense with a multitude of avenues to move the ball. And while the challenge for the season will only get more difficult — none more than Saturday's tilt against Texas Tech — the offense has been effective and efficient through three games.
Coming off a dismal 2024 season, Beck already has Utah ranked 13th in scoring offense (45.7 points) and 15th in total offense (517.0 yards), and the team is seventh in rushing yards (290.0 yards).
It's the first time in known modern history (at least dating back to 1995) that Utah has started off the year with three consecutive games with over 250 rushing yards as a team.
And while the players are credited for the success, Beck deserves praise for identifying the talent and utilizing it in a way to create mismatches.
Whittingham said Beck likes to "pickle the defense," or put them in a situation that presents a challenge or conflict.
"Not only schematically within coverages, but by position — putting defensive ends, linebackers in situations where they can't be right," Whittingham said. "If they do one thing, we do this; and if they do the other thing, we do that. So that is a big part of it."
It's all about being versatile with as many positions as possible — or positionless in its true definition.
Tight end Hunter Andrews, for example, has been used in many ways, including on the line of scrimmage as a tight end and lining up in the backfield as a ball carrier. On Saturday, he was used in Wildcat on multiple plays for Utah's final drive, where he capped off the drive with an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the Wildcat.
"That's exactly what he does," Whittingham said, speaking to Beck's system. "And what it does is puts D-coordinators in a situation where: 'How do we treat this guy? Is he a wideout? Is he a running back? Is he a tight end? What exactly is the match up going to be?' And that, in particular, is a challenge for teams that have sub packages, or that sub in and out with your different groups.
"It certainly causes problems and how to identify the guy and how to categorize the guy," he added. "Jason has a really good feel for getting the most out of his guys and putting them in positions where they can do the things they do best. Instead of asking the guy to do something that maybe is not his cup of tea, he does a great job of finding their role and maximizing that role."
Beck said it's all about wanting to "play to our strengths" so as to be "difficult to defend." It's not a new concept by any means, but Beck is trying to put added stress on defenses in any way possible. And if that means using a player in many different looks, it only adds to the advantage of the offensive scheme.
"Just always working off that premise," Beck said. "And then just how the game goes just dictates the situations. And that pushes other calls more or less than you think going into it. But yeah, that's what we look to do."
And if it means long, extended drives or ones in which the offense moves quickly down field on "explosive" plays, it doesn't matter to Utah's offensive coordinator.
"If somebody ripped off a 50 yard run, nobody would be upset about it," Beck said. "Right now, we've been really efficient moving the football, which has been awesome. And the more we can hit big plays, great. But at the same time, I don't know if that's totally just our identity.
"I think to this point, they've come a little more naturally when they've happened and just dial it up and watch it on the field and connect that way. It looks like we're kind of emerging as an efficient football team. Guys are consistently getting their jobs done at a good level, and we just want to keep going that route and make a little more chunk plays as we can."
