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The University of Utah Athletics
Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
9/22/2008 12:00 AM | Football
Sept. 22, 2008
Opening statement:
It was another tough game against Air Force just like we've had over the years. There were a lot of positives defensively. We played the option better than I can remember ever playing it. That is a tribute to our defense, the coaches and players, and the work they put in during the week. We did some good things offensively, but had some turnovers in the first half. We have some things we need to continue to work on and those will be addressed. Overall, the offense did some good things. Maybe the most critical thing is that we controlled the clock for 36-plus minutes, which is very difficult to do against Air Force. The run game in the second half was good with both backs gaining over 100 yards. I thought Brian (Johnson) threw the ball very well. The interception was a great play by Air Force, but we have to do a better job taking care of the ball. The stats are very skewed towards us. The thing that kept the game close was the turnovers in the first half. Special teams had a solid effort. Louie (Sakoda) had two difficult kicks. Both had plenty of length, and those are two kicks that he will make most of the time. In the punt return game, Terrell (Cole) caught the ball, so that was a non-factor. We are 2-0 in conference play, 4-0 through the first third of the season. We are in good shape. We have the middle third of our season coming up, then we have a bye week before the final third.
It was a physical game this weekend. We will not practice today, but we will condition and lift. This is a good time to get a little bit of freshness back into our players, so we will go back to work tomorrow. We usually do this 2-to-3 times a season at intervals and let the guys get their legs back underneath of them and regroup.
On injuries:
We've got some guys banged up. If we have a question about someone and have a backup we feel good about, we will probably air on the side of caution. There is no way we will overlook this game and we won't make any wholesale changes.
On turnovers:
It hasn't been any one particular guy or situation. It has been a combination of holding the ball and protection breaking down - a couple of times we have missed pickups and blitz packages. There is no one common thread. We emphasize taking care of the football daily.
On the defense against Air Force:
You are only as good as your last performance, and ours was pretty darn good. The way they were able to control the run game - it has been 28 years since Air Force was held to that few rushing yards. They are getting a bunch of three-and-outs and are in the top two in the nation in first downs allowed. The key is to get out of drives. We did give up some things in the throw game, but if you can take away the run game, you can live with a few miscues in the throw game.
On playing an in-state opponent:
Anytime you play in-state, there is a certain intensity and flavor to the game. Weber State has a lot of Utah players and there are a lot of guys who played against each other in high school. There is an added intensity and intrigue because of that.
On Weber State head coach Ron McBride:
I have a great deal of respect for him. He is responsible for the resurgence of the Utah football program and the majority of the players on the 2004 team were his recruits. He gave me my first Division 1 job and I am indebted to him for the opportunity. He is a close friend and a genuine guy. I learned a lot from him, particularly in the recruiting area.
On three Mountain West Conference teams in the top 25 (BYU, Utah, TCU):
It's been a great start for the three of us. We all play each other down the road and we will start beating each other. There has never been three ranked teams in the history of the conference. TCU has Oklahoma this weekend. That will be a good test for them. The conference is in a great situation with the exposure.
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