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The University of Utah Athletics
Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
9/13/2010 12:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 2010
Opening statement:
It's always good to get started on a positive note in conference play. It's important to get that first win. We played pretty good football against UNLV. There were a lot of things that showed up against Pittsburgh that got corrected this week. We were much more efficient in the red zone offensively. Defensively, they were in the red zone three times with one field goal. Our turnovers were done. We only had one turnover, which is one time too many, but it was better than against Pitt. The penalties were down. The areas we focused on, I feel like we made improvements between weeks one and two.
We had another punt blocked. That's a big problem that we have got to get corrected and it overshadowed a tremendous special teams effort. There were a lot of good things, Shaky in particular. He was named the MWC Player of the Week on special teams for an outstanding return game.
The defense did some good things, we gave up just one field goal. Points allowed is the best barometer for how the defense is. We didn't play so well on third down. We have to find a way to get out of long drives quicker - either take the ball away or win third down. Offensively, we did not have a lot of snaps so there were not a lot of numbers, but we were very effective when we did have the ball. No prolific numbers, but very efficient. Terrance Cain went about his business and did a nice job managing the offense.
We had a lot of positives, but there is still work to be done. We have New Mexico in Albuquerque on Saturday, and you have to be able to play well on the road if you want to be good. This is our first opportunity to have that challenge.
Injury update:
Zane Taylor is going to be ok. It's nothing major, and optimistically he would be back this week, but I wouldn't say that's likely, but he should be back in the next few weeks.
Jordan Wynn is still day-to-day with the thumb. We are relying on the medical staff to make that determination. We will see how things progress this week in practice. I can't give you a solid answer, but as we progress through the week it should be apparent.
We had a couple of sprained ankles. Sean Sellwood sprained his on the blocked punt, and Derrick Shelby tweaked his ankle. The ankle guys are probable as of now. We will know a lot more after practice today.
On Shaky Smithson:
That was a big positive for him and our football team. He struggled in week one and no one felt worse about that than he did. He came back and redeemed himself. He played with purpose, with great focus and passion and I was glad to see it happen and am proud of him for it.
On Chaz Walker:
He has been beyond productive for us. He is leading the conference in tackles and is in the top 10 in the nation. He is a great preparer. He studies film and does everything you want a player to do in preparation. He practices hard and is an attentive, detail guy. It doesn't surprise me he is having success.
On staying motivated:
New Mexico has had two tough games against two good opponents - Oregon and Texas Tech. Albuquerque has been a tough place to play for us. There's no answer as to why. Even in 2008 it was down to the wire (13-10). New Mexico has played us tough perennially and it's been a tough matchup. It's been a good series since I've been at Utah.
Players Mentioned
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QB
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