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The University of Utah Athletics
Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
8/30/2010 12:00 AM | Football
Aug. 30, 2010
Opening statement:
The players and coaches are excited to get the season going. We had a very productive offseason. The guys have been working hard since January. We've been pointing to this game for a lot of months now.
Pittsburgh's very good. They have a lot of weapons. They have a tremendous running game with Dion Lewis. Jonathan Baldwin at receiver is a tremendous player. Their two defensive ends were high in the nation in sacks last year. There are a lot of positives for a team that was picked to win the Big East. Our guys are ready. They are having great practices. The work ethic is good, the focus is good.
We're relatively healthy. We won't have Sausan Shakerin (concussion), he is out indefinitely. J.J. Williams (foot) is questionable. Other than that, besides the guys who are out because of surgery, we're in decent shape. I am excited to get going. It should be a sold-out, standing room only crowd. The MUSS is at 6,000 strong, plus. We are excited to get the season kicked off.
On Utah's running game:
We feel we have two very good backs in Matt Asista and Eddie Wide. We have two starters and anticipate equal carries, but if one gets the hot hand, we will ride that hot hand, which is natural. If we rush 35-40 times in the game, I expect they will each get 18-20 carries. There is no target number, we just want to keep them fresh and rotate.
On Utah's defense:
We have two safeties who have never started a DI game. Justin Taplin-Ross was playing behind Robert Johnson, and true freshman Brian Blechen is playing opposite him. We will be particularly interested to see how Brian reacts. We expect him to play well but you never know about the transition. Our linebackers are guys who have experience in quality situations. Brandon Burton is a proven corner, and Lamar Chapman on the other corner was a full-time nickel last year. There are a few guys back there who don't have a lot of DI experience, but they are tough kids and have the ability and are excited to get an opportunity.
On the Pitt defense:
TCU is probably the best comparison, schematically. They're a middle/open defense. Not a lot of blitzing. They hardly blitz until they get in the red zone, at least last year. They have two very good defensive ends. That's going to present challenges for us. Personnel wise, they are very athletic, so that is probably the best comparison, what we saw from TCU last year.
On Pitt running back Dion Lewis:
Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon State) is the guy we have played in the past couple of years that he reminds you the most of. He is quick, fast, not great size, but he is the same type of back that Jacquizz is. He has great vision and balance, and he is a powerful runner in regards to his size.
On Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt:
I have never met him, but I have followed his career and he has been a lot of great places and done some very good things. His NFL flavor spills over into his schematics, and with the spread offense you don't see that very often. He has done a great job with personnel. This team is much more talented than the 2004 team in the Fiesta Bowl. He has done an excellent job in recruiting.
On playing on Thursday:
If we are going to play on Thursday, I would prefer it to be the opener because it gives us a few extra days to prepare for our next opponent. It's a little more disruptive in season. We haven't made any adjustments in our preparation.
On Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri:
A new starting quarterback can be good and bad. Sometimes you get a guy who comes in and lights it up but other times it takes a few games to get settled in. He threw the ball 17 times last year and didn't get a lot of playing time other than at the end. He is a quality player from what we can tell. An interesting side note is that his dad (Sal Sunseri) and I were seniors the same year, so there's a little bit of a connection there. Typically with a new quarterback, you are going to test him out and throw all the things any defensive coordinator would throw at a new quarterback.
Players Mentioned
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