Upcoming Event: Football versus Idaho on September 3, 2026
Football
vs Idaho
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
11/17/2008 12:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2008
Opening statement:
I felt that we played a good football game on Saturday, particularly on offense. Brian (Johnson) might have had his best game of the season - he distributed the ball very well. He did turn the ball over once, but it was a near perfect game. The receivers played very well. Freddie Brown had a big night and David Reed had some big catches and overall the receiving corps did a nice job. We ran the ball effectively, particularly Matt Asiata. We did a lot of good things on offense - turnovers were at a minimum, we put points on the board and had very few penalties. We only had one false start. It was a clean game. Defensively, we didn't play our best - we were a little soft at times - but we did have three takeaways. Deshawn (Richard) had two of those at the end to get the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week. That's a nice honor for him. The special teams were not much of a factor. Brent (Casteel) and David Reed had some nice returns - it was good to see some big plays generated. Louie (Sakoda) did not punt once, the way we controlled the football is a credit to our offense. He did not have a chance to kick a field goal but he was perfect on PAT's. It was a positive way to go into our final week of the season.
Obviously we are getting ready for the rivalry game, but it's business as usual as far as preparation. Our mentality is not going to change and we are not going to change anything we are doing. There is a little more intensity than a regular conference game but you can't deviate from the formula that you have. It will be a normal week of practice. A lot is at stake in this game, we all understand that - it's the main reason the game is gathering so much attention, the circumstances we are playing under. We have to keep things in perspective, play our best football, control what we can control and not worry about the postseason.
On the seniors:
There are 19 of them and it's been a very good class with great leadership. They've had a heck of a run here. A handful have been here for five years and they have been to five bowl games - to end with a Mountain West Conference championship is fitting for those guys. It's a very strong class, we are going to miss those guys. A big thanks for all they have done for our program and for their hard work and dedication.
On pressuring the quarterback:
That will be big factor with both quarterbacks. TCU was able to do that against Max Hall. Any quarterback that sits back and has 4-5 seconds is tough to defend. Pass defense starts at the line of scrimmage and getting to the quarterback. Each and every week that is job No. 1 in the throw game.
Brian (Johnson) is very mobile and has done a good job with his ability to escape. He took sacks early and started to do a much better job of that. I know we're above where we are in the first half as far as avoiding sacks.
On Utah's offense:
They've had a lot of people analyzing them all season long. They are leading the conference in scoring offense and are third in total offense. They haven't always been as potent at times, but you have to judge the season as a whole and they are doing a nice job. If you look back the offense has been pretty effective.
On injuries:
We have some bumps and bruises - the standard toll a season will take on you. Kenape Eliapo took 25-30 snaps last week and we sat Koa Misi in the second half for precautionary reasons but he will play next week.
On not practicing on Monday:
We haven't practiced the last four or five Mondays, except last Monday when we had a short turnaround. We have to make sure we don't wear guys out during the season.
On Freddie Brown:
He keeps getting better and better. We saw it in the spring - he was the most improved guy in the spring. We were expecting it to be a breakout year, we started off good and as we've gotten better it's culminated in our best game last week. The light switch went on and he is continuing to get better.
On Austin Collie and the BYU offense:
We have to cover him. Max Hall is a good quarterback and Collie runs good routes. We have to play good pass coverage. He leads the nation in receiving yards per game and is certainly one of their go-to guys. Between him, the tight end (Dennis Pitta) and the running back (Harvey Unga), those are three good weapons Max has at his disposal.
They do a great job of setting things up for [Collie]. A lot of his deep balls come off action passes - they will set up the run to set that up for him.
On BYU's defense:
Their front seven are physical and they have good size up front. They have given up a few things in the throw game but they played several quarters of shutout ball at one point. They are not as consistent as they'd like to be but they have been effective.
On the rivalry:
Our guys have got to treat it as if it was a normal week. We can't go crazy and lose our composure and poise. We have to prepare the same way we have for 11 straight weeks. There is a pep rally today and things going on around campus, but our guys are well ground and they understand the big picture and will handle things just fine. The fans are rabid and passionate and they will get after each other a little - that's the name of the game.
We are putting up good numbers on offense, their defense is playing well, our offense is playing well and they've played a lot of solid football games on defense. You can analyze 19,000 different angles on paper but you have to go play the game. The last three seasons fans have gotten their money's worth.
Players Mentioned
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - College football analyst Yogi Roth
Wednesday, May 06
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley
Wednesday, April 29
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Utah Football legend Brian Johnson
Friday, February 20
Utah Football Head Coach Morgan Scalley Introductory Press Conference | 1.06.25
Tuesday, January 06