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The University of Utah Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. UCLA
11/3/2017 11:39 PM | Football
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Opening statements…
"Heck of a lot better than the last four weeks. I am very proud of the coaching staff. It was a great plan they put together, both coordinators, Troy Taylor and Morgan Scalley. The plans they had, their assistants worked hard all week and the players did a great job executing. The key this week was that we were able to run the ball effectively and stop the run. Football does not change. Week to week, if you can run the ball efficiently and stop the run, you win. We took of the ball, no turnovers. We did not have any on defense, but the one on the punt, which was big and we capitalized. It was a great game. We had over 500 total yards of offense. They had under 300. It was very lopsided. Â I am proud of our guys. After four tough weeks it could have spiraled out of control and the leadership stepped up. The work ethic from the coaches was phenomenal and it was good to get back on track. Hopefully, we can build on this win and I am glad to break this little streak."
On running the ball…
"The first quarter was rough and a little out of sync. Then we got in a rhythm and kicked it into gear. By the third quarter, we were going. The offensive line was outstanding. Zack Moss ran hard. Tyler Huntley chipped in with some runs. What you saw tonight was supposed to be what this offense looks like."
On Tyler Huntley…
"Tyler was back to his old self tonight. We lost Darren Carrington at halftime and he could not finish the game. The other receivers stepped up. Troy McCormick, Jr. had a couple big plays. Siaosi Wilson caught a deep ball. I thought our defense was great. The only disappointing thing was the end of the half, they went down and scored with two great catches. That was the only real negative defensively."
On the offensive rhythm…
"It was more of a rhythm tonight and as more of the scheme sinks in, it is only the first year and we made some wholesale changes in terms of route running and terminology, we hope to build on it. It was a very good game offensively and we need to build on it next week."
On having Tyler Huntley run as much as he did…
"We just wanted the offense to be wide open until we went into snail mode in the fourth quarter. Tyler had 101 yards on 18 carries. Not all of them were carries, some were on some scrambles. I thought he protected himself pretty well, diving for daylight and getting down when he should."
On the defensive line…
"The defensive line was outstanding tonight, especially versus the run. We were much better than the last few weeks especially on the perimeter. It has not been interior run game efficiency. It has been on the perimeter. We played the edge much better. We were not perfect. We did not get any sacks and we are not as good as we have been in years past but when you allow fewer than 300 yards and 17 points, you should win the game."
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On whether this was a make-or-break game…
"Not make-or-break, but very important on getting to bowl eligibility. We are 5-4 now and we want to get these seniors sent off the right way, with a bowl. That is definitely a topic of conversation."
On playing with a chip on your shoulder…
"It was a point of emphasis to play with a chip on our shoulder. We needed to get back to that mentality and they did a good job. It is just a mentality, a thought process, playing angry and with a purpose. They always play hard and there is a difference between playing hard and playing with a chip."
On Zack Moss being the catalyst…
"Zack Moss was running well and the offensive line was opening creases. I thought the play calling was outstanding. We hit some home runs in the third quarter. The first play of the second half was a home run. I thought Troy Taylor did a nice job of calling the game and setting some stuff up with early plays."
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UTAH PLAYER QUOTES
Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley
On getting the win…
"It felt great to get a win. The defense was keeping them out of the end zone and as an offense, we did a nice job of getting the ball in the end zone. It was fun to get a win."
On the touchdown to start the second half…
"We talked to each other at halftime about how we had to come out throwing. We knew we were getting the ball, so I threw one to Troy and he ran for his life and scored a touchdown."
On the improvement from last week…
"We have a better rhythm, but we still made some mistakes. Once we fix those, we will keep going from there."
On what clicked at halftime…
"We started realizing we could win the game and we took advantage of their defense. Our defense took advantage of their offense."
Utah running back Zack Moss
On running the ball more…
"That was the game plan this week, to get the running game going. It opens up a lot of things for us. We could complete a lot of deep passes. Their defense was off balance all game so that helped us."
On what changed in the second half…
"I thing we got our swagger back in the first half. We did a lot of good things. Now, we also did some bad things, but we knew if we cut down the penalties we would be more explosive so we just jumped on them."
Linebacker Sunia Tauteoli
On what the difference was defensively opposed to the last few weeks…
"We played more physical today. We took it to them. We did not wait around and wait for things to happen."
On what the mindset was coming into the game…
"Having those couple of losses dragged on the team, but if we come out of a sharp week of practice, we are usually sharp on game day."
Running Back Tory McCormick
On the touchdown catch…
"I did not see anyone covering me, so I told Tyler to throw it up to me."
UCLA QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Mora
On the game…
"Tough loss. I've never been a part of anything like this before, but you have to find ways to endure. We lost some guys today. I've never seen anything like this before. We'll just keep fighting and the next man has to step up and do the best they can."
On how QB Devon Modster did before leaving the game…
"I thought he did fine. The thing that hurt us in the first half is that we were not able to stay on the field on third down. And then the turnover. And then the third quarter was just really not good. At halftime, I think he was 7-for-7."
On being shut out in the third quarter in the last two games…
"Any time you are fighting with your backup quarterback and then your third guy, that's a factor. Not getting off the field is a factor. Not staying on the field on third downs is a factor. All of those things are factors."
How close was QB Josh Rosen to playing tonight…
"We did not bring him on the trip."
What can be done with the defense at this point…
"We're trying to plug holes. We're down and we were playing nickel against 22 personnel there at the end. So, just try to keep plugging holes. Bring guys up. You see who's out there, we've got a lot of kids out there trying to play. We played well in the first half, and then the bottom fell out, and then we started losing guys. Just real tough to absorb that. But they will keep fighting. They are a group of good kids and they'll keep trying to get better every day at practice and in meetings. That's what we'll try to do."
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Players Mentioned
QB
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/ FootballFormer Utah Football Head Coach Urban Meyer inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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