Upcoming Event: Football at Baylor on November 15, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Football
at Baylor
.png&width=31&height=31&type=webp)
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah vs. Oregon State Postgame Quotes
10/31/2015 12:00 AM | Football
Oct. 31, 2015
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Quarterback Travis Wilson
On the opening to the contest:
We were just executing our plays. We were going fast and playing with great confidence so that's something we need to carry with us to the next game. We need to stay more consistent throughout the entire game.
On if he thought OSU did anything special defensively:
No. They have a good defense and they made plays. Our offense needs to execute on our part.
On not turning the ball over tonight:
It was really big. This game I just focused on holding on to the football but wanted to take some shots down the field. I was glad we were able to land a couple near the end of the game. I had a lot to prove after the performance in the USC game. I just wanted to give it my all today and leave it out on the field
Linebacker Jared Norris
On how the defense performed:
I think we started out pretty well. They started to get us on the jet sweep, the outside run. We made adjustments at halftime and executed.
On what he expected from Coach Gary Andersen and Coach Kalani Sitake:
They have run the defense before and they know what we can do. We didn't think about that. We prepare like we always do every week.
On the game's emotions and connections to the OSU coaching staff:
I think it was an emotional game for everyone on the defense. We care about them but with everything that happened we wanted to put our best stuff out there against our old coaches.
Running back Devontae Booker
On his performance:
My line was blocking well for me tonight. I just try to continue to run hard and hopefully good things will happen when the ball is in my hands.
On why he had so many carries to start the game:
I think they couldn't stop me early so the coaches believed in me and kept giving me the ball.
Tight end Harrison Handley
On his touchdown catch:
We had been studying their defense and noticed the safeties biting. Travis was able to throw a good pass and the line has some outstanding blocking. We were able to execute and get a touchdown.
On the No. 87 on his arm:
The 87 is for Siale [Fakailoatonga]. When he went down it was hard to see. I will wear the number on my arm for the rest of the season.
On the team's emotions during the game:
I don't know. It was the vibe in the huddle that we knew we needed to pick it up later in the game and get a few touchdowns.
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Opening statement:
It was good to get a win. 7-1 was the objective coming into tonight and that was the only thing we were concerned about. We remained first place in the Pac-12. Bottom line is we are 7-1 and head to Seattle next week with sole possession of the Pac-12 south.
On the offense:
Offensively, some good, some bad. Started out really fast offensively. We had almost 200 yards in the first quarter and two touchdowns and then we hit a lull for a long time. We fired it back up again after a few quarters so we have to figure that out. We can't be as inconsistent offensively as we have been. Even though we did a lot of nice things, we need to be more consistent.
On the defense:
Defensively, we did a nice job keeping points off the board. You are not going to lose a lot of games giving up only 12 points. However, we didn't force any turnovers so that's two-straight games [without one]. We have to get that corrected. We had only one sack. We are usually a defense that makes impact plays weekly and we did not have any tonight. Although we kept points off the board, which is the number one objective, we need to find a way to give our offense short fields.
On special teams:
Special teams were solid. Andy Phillips had a couple big kicks. He hit a couple 40-some yarders and those were big. At the time, the first one sent it to a two-score game. He was lights out. Tom Hackett was very good. We did not get much out of the return game. We had a big one that got called back so we didn't get anything there.
On the offensive struggles:
It just bogged down. There was nothing different. We wound up 370 yards of offense but that was just in the first and fourth quarters. We didn't do much in the second and third quarters, maybe 70 yards total. Consistency is something we have to figure out.
On the offense having zero turnovers:
They did a nice job taking care of the football. We did also. The turnover battle was 0-0. Our offense did an outstanding job taking care of the football. There are calls you can make that are more risky than others offensively in terms of ball security.
On Travis Wilson:
He did a pretty good job. I thought he was accurate. He started out 9-of-10 and finished 14-of-17. We did not throw the ball that much. He completed over 75-percent of his passes, had two touchdowns, no interceptions and over 200 yards. Those are not big numbers but when we asked him to throw, he did successfully. We probably should have thrown the ball more. That seems to be the theme now.
On what he saw from Oregon State:
Well, Kalani [Sitake] has done a nice job with the defense. There were some similarities. They played a lot more quarters coverage, more than we ever did here. That's something they are doing a good job of. They have some different flavors offensively and it looked similar to what [Gary Andersen] did at Utah State.
Oregon State Head Coach Gary Andersen
On the outcome of the game -
"Congratulations to Utah. Obviously, they are a quality team. A lot of big moments and big plays. There are some good things we can learn from on that tape, no question. We fell down and we fought. All of those things that we've done all year, it's good to see those things. But again, we have to be able to make the special plays in the special situation. And a lot of the plays that weren't made, especially at the beginning of the game, weren't routine plays. It's hard to tackle a guy in the open field, but you have to tackle a guy in the open field. It's hard to sack the quarterback when you're coming off the edge, but you have to sack the quarterback when you're coming off the edge. And those are just a couple points.
"Same thing on offense. You have to be able to throw it and catch it. When you play a good team, without getting too technical, you have to be able to execute in those critical moments and make the plays to get yourself down the field, and you have to be able to score touchdowns. We just weren't effective enough offensively. I thought we did some good things. Defensively, I thought we hung in there and we battled like crazy, especially after the first few drives. We did some good things on the defensive side of the ball but we gave up too many plays."
On how freshman QB Nick Mitchell and the new offensive linemen played -
"I thought Nick was in command of the offense. We got into a situation a few times where there was some heavy pressure that Utah was bringing, and it was one of those things where we hope it goes better for us as we continue to grow up. It's one of those situations where the offense has to work at a high level and the defense has to work at a high level, and whichever one works the best is going to be successful. [Nick's] command seemed good. His overall poise was pretty impressive. We kind of held some things back, but I was proud of Nick overall against a very good defense and an aggressive defense. I thought those two kids who came in on the left side of the offensive line at tackle and guard, that was a very tough situation to come into against a very a good defensive line and I thought we handled them.
"You could knock this team down and you could knock them in the mouth, but they're going to keep on battling and they're going to keep on fighting, and they showed that again tonight. Nick is just like that. He kept on fighting."
On adjustments he made after Utah scored on the first two drives -
"The biggest thing is, honestly, we tackled better. We had a great opportunity to get them in that third and long situation and we missed Travis [Wilson] on the sack, and scrambled I don't know how far. Our kids were, by far, in the best command with the most complex defensive scheme we had so far this year as far as the number of calls and we handled it by far the best. The alignment, the assignment, the communication."
Was it emotional for him coming back to Utah -
"No. It's the second time I've been in this setting as a head coach. It's great to come back, but the problem is I've come back here twice as a head coach and I'm 0-2. I'd like to come back here one day and get a victory. Hats off to Utah."
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
P
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K
/ Football
QB
/ FootballUtah: 45, Cincinnati: 14 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, November 01
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 10.27.25
Monday, October 27
Utah: 53, Colorado: 7 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, October 25
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - ESPN's Fran Fraschilla
Wednesday, October 22