It’s not hyperbole to say that Sione Vaki’s recent inclusion in the offense may have saved the Utah football team’s season.
Desperate for some offensive juice and big-play ability, the Utes’ coaching staff asked the safety and former high school slot receiver to step in on the other side of the ball and see what he can do.
And now, he’s been so undeniably brilliant, so absolutely necessary, that questions about finding the right balance for him as a two-way player have suddenly given way to questions about whether he’ll become a primarily offensive player.
“It seems to be trending in that direction. And so we’ll see where it ends up,” head coach Kyle Whittingham conceded.
There’s a simple reason for that.
As good as Vaki is as a safety — and he is very good — “the impact he’s made on offense is actually probably bigger than the impact he makes on defense,” Whittingham explained.
It’s hard to argue at this point.
A Utah attack that was stuck in neutral for much of the season has accelerated quickly with Vaki in place.
Against Cal, he rushed 15 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-clinching 72-yarder. Then last Saturday in Los Angeles vs. USC, he got 14 offensive touches accounting for 217 yards (nine rushes for 68 yards, five receptions for 149 yards) and two more TDs.
Fans have been in awe, the media has been in awe …
For that matter, so too have his teammates.
“Oh, man, I had no idea that man can play like that,” said offensive lineman Keaton Bills. “We kind of had him in a few goal-line packages, just little things. And all of a sudden that man comes out and he balls out every single play he touches the ball. … Keep giving him the ball, man! I don’t mind that.”
Tight end Landen King was even more incredulous.
“Ain’t nobody was expecting that! I’m a transfer coming in, so I don’t know everybody’s background — I didn’t even know Sione played offense [in high school],” he said. “Man, he came over to the offense, I said, ‘Bro, we need to keep him!’ He’s [an opposing defense’s] kryptonite! He’s like that. Whenever Sione gets the ball in his hands, he can take it to the crib, he can make any type of play with his feet.”
That seems to be the case.
Wildcat quarterback, running back, receiver out of the backfield … any time he touches the ball, he has a chance to do something electric.
Naturally, the sophomore from Antioch, Calif., is ridiculously humble, attributing his success merely to Utah’s coaches “putting me in the right positions, making the right play calls.”
Right.
Never mind that if it was just about the play calls, and not the player executing them, there would have been no need to import Vaki from the defense in the first place.
Simply put, not many players can do what he’s doing.
“Nah, you’re 100% born with that. Trust me, if people could train for wiggle like that, they would,” King said, laughing. “You can’t get it like that. Especially [like] Sione, man. He’s actually one of a kind, seriously.”
Utah running back Sione Vaki, right, celebrates after his touchdown with tight end Landen King during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Obviously, Vaki’s offensive talents didn’t come totally out of the blue.
Given that Vaki was a slot receiver in high school, Utah receivers coach Alvis Whitted was asked how long he’s known about the player’s offensive potential.
“Quite a while, quite a while,” he said. “… We want to find ways to get guys the ball to space and be able to use their God-given ability. And he’s shown that he can do that. Obviously did it in high school as [he was] coming out and being recruited. And he’s done a great job. He’s done a really good job, and man, it’s pretty awesome to see.”
Defensive backs coach Sharrieff Shah, meanwhile, remembers being in awe when he was recruiting Vaki out of Liberty High School.
“Long before he started doing what you guys are starting to see, I watched him as a high school player play in his high school championship, and I knew that he possessed those qualities and skills,” he said.
As for what exactly those God-given qualities and skills are, exactly …
“I think it’s just natural instinct and ability, offensively, and he’s just got a great feel for splitting defenders and making people miss, and also he has really good speed,” Whittingham explained. “I mean, you’ve seen his top end the last few weeks.”
Of course, a few select teammates got to discover Vaki’s talents a bit before.
Quarterback Bryson Barnes was ruefully shaking his head while recounting getting his first taste of what Vaki can do.
“During the summer, he would come out and he’d be working [defensive back] drills and stuff like that, and we asked him, ‘Hey, come over and do some routes. We heard what you did in high school.’ And the dude was electric!” Barnes said. “We’re like, ‘Hey, we gotta get you to the offensive side of the ball.’”
King recalled his eyes bugging out when Vaki first started getting in a little bit of work with the offense ahead of the Oregon State game, where he’d wind up getting one snap as a wildcat quarterback, and gained six yards.
He quickly suggested to Barnes that they do what they can to poach him.
“When he first came over and started working with the offense, I was telling Bryson, ‘Man, he might be a game-changer.’ And two weeks in, he is,” King said. “I’m happy to have him on that side of the ball. We really need to steal him from the defense! We need him more on offense.”
As for what Vaki wants, well, he was noncommittal.
That annoying humility thing!
Asked if he could only play one side of the ball — and if the decision was totally up to him — which he’d choose, he replied that he was, “Just here to help the team, that’s pretty much it.” He finally seemed to give a straight answer when he said, “I do like defense — I love defense.” But then he regretfully backtracked: “Ummm, I love offense as well.”
He did ultimately admit that it’s fun getting the ball, and that perhaps his proudest moment on the field at this point was his first rushing score against Cal, because, “That was pretty crazy — I never thought I would score a touchdown in college football.”
Everyone else on the Utes, meanwhile, is hoping there’s plenty more where that came from.
(James Roh | Special to The Tribune) Utah Utes running back Sione Vaki (28) runs the ball for a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
Initially, his offensive snaps and touches have been limited to keep him fresh, to enable him to play both sides of the ball, which was particularly necessary in the USC game with fellow safety Cole Bishop forced to sit out the opening half.
Now it seems that, bit by bit at least, his focus will increasingly shift to offense.
“Sione is exceptionally gifted,” said Whitted. “… We’re going to continue to use him in ways that we can find mismatches and utilize that skill set to help our football team.”
“That’s really what we need, especially on offense right now — we just need skill players, people that can really make plays, people that Bryson can just put the ball in their hands and they can just go off,” added King.
Whittingham attempted to suggest it’s not a foregone conclusion that it’ll soon become an uneven split.
While he noted that “it’s been a big plus for our offense, to say the least, to have him over there,” and acknowledged that, “You’ll continue to see him over there,” the head coach subsequently discussed not overloading Vaki, bringing up not only the physical toll it would take but also the mental one because safeties at Utah have so much responsibility, so much on their plate, handling all the coverage calls and adjustments.
And yet …
“It’s analytically proven, the impact of offense is greater than the impact of defense, and so we’re going to continue to have him be a big part of the offense and see how much he can handle,” Whittingham said. “It’ll become obvious, I believe, when we get to that saturation point where, ‘OK, that’s enough.’ But to answer your question, is he going to become more of an offensive player than D? I’m not going to rule it out, but not yet, we’re not there just yet.”
OK, fine, we’re not there yet.
But it seems inevitable that it’s going to happen.
Shah, naturally, is not thrilled at having less of Vaki at his disposal in the defensive backfield. But he’s resigned to preemptively embracing the silver lining.
“I’m elated, overjoyed — if he can get another first down to kill several minutes off the clock, I love Sione!” he said.
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