Cincinnati · W 49-25
4 tackles, 0.5 for loss, 0 sacks
The other 7 games average 3 tackles. This one was 1 above.
“Is this the last kid coach Elliss has, or do we have more in the pipeline?”
Elijah Elliss
Carries tight ends down the field in coverage. Played for two head coaches at Utah: Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley. On tape: 7 tackles and 1 sack against Iowa State, Week 4, 2026.
28 tackles · 2.5 sacks
Play style
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
28 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 4.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Elijah Elliss vs Idaho.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 4 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 66-14vs Idaho | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 43-10vs Arkansas | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 33-0vs Utah State | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-17@ Iowa State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 41-24vs Kansas | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 27-24@ Colorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-13vs No. 14 Houston | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 49-25@ Cincinnati | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 8 | 4.5 | 2.5 | — | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 49-25 at Cincinnati, play by play
4 tackles. His sack on 4th and 7 ended Cincinnati’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 4th and 7. Third quarter, up 42-6. Ended Cincinnati’s drive (downs).
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Utah’s defense played that day
Cincinnati’s 11 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 2 for him; the box score credits 1.
1 tackle, including 1 more for loss.
7 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 7, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 3-yard loss on 3rd and 11. Fourth quarter, up 24-17.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up. His sack on 4th and 23 ended Arkansas’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 4th and 23. Fourth quarter, up 43-10. Ended Arkansas’s drive (downs).
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -9 to +13 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
28tackles this seasonTFL rate
16%4 TFLSack rate
9%2 sacksPD rate
7%2 pass breakups28 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 2.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Morgan Scalley
Pass share
45.0%
247 pass / 302 run
Plays / game
68.6
8 games
Team sack rate
3.7%
272 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #151 at the position.
The No. 1,703 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big 12.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Kyle Whittingham → Morgan Scalley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
