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The University of Utah Athletics
Quotes From Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
9/18/2017 1:42 PM | Football
Opening Statement…
"I thought it was a good effort by our football team on Saturday night to close out non-conference play. All three phases made major contributions to the win. Defensively we got five takeaways, we sacked the quarterback, played the run physically and did everything we wanted to accomplish on Saturday night. Offensively we put up a bunch of points. We had a great deal of help from special teams on offense. I think we had eight drives start in San Jose State territory, so that really helps your production on offense. Tyler Huntley had another big night with nearly 400 yards of total offense. He is throwing the ball exceptionally well, over 70-percent completion percentage, which is outstanding. He took a few less hits on Saturday which is a good thing. We want to make sure we are trending in that direction. On special teams, Boobie Hobbs had a big night on returning the punts with nearly 100 yards in punt returns. Matt Gay continues to be outstanding and continues to be outstanding for us. He has not missed since taking over the duties early this year. There are a lot of positives and it is a good way to close out non-conference play. We are 3-0 heading into league play and it all starts off in Tucson on Friday night against the University of Arizona. They are coming off a big win over UTEP where there were a lot of points scored, so away we go with the Pac-12."
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On if San Jose State's run defense caused problems or if it was execution on Utah's part…
"It was kind of both. They were doing a lot of stunts, gap exchanges with their front, twists, loops, that kind of thing. It was just movement with their front and we didn't do a good enough job hitting that movement with our offensive line early in the game. As the game went on, we settled in and did a better job of handling it. You have to be able to handle movement up front because if you don't, you are going to get a huge dose of it every week until you prove that you can handle it. I thought we made progress as the game wore on, but there still is not enough production in the run game overall. We would like to get a little more production there, but it wasn't bad."
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On the keys to Tyler Huntley's efficiency…
"He is a tremendous athlete for starters. He has a great arm, he is accurate, he is well coached. Troy Taylor has done a great job of presenting the new offense to him and getting him where he needs to be as far as his reads, progressions and where he is going with the ball. He is a good decision maker. I know he has a couple throws that he wishes he could have back this year, but like I said over 70-percent completion, if we can keep that trend, we are going to have a very successful year."
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On if he feels the non-conference season prepared them for Pac-12 play…
"Well, the level of competition certainly goes up, we are aware of that. You play the games as they are scheduled and we have done what we are supposed to do in the first three, but I don't think there are a lot of teams in the country that know a whole lot about themselves still. It is still so early in the year, so we are still finding out about ourselves, what our strengths are, what we need to get better at. This will definitely be our stiffest test of the year."
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On Arizona's ability to run the ball against Utah in the past…
"They have had success, last year not so much I think it was 120 or 130 yards which is where you have to keep them if you want to win the game, but Rich [Rodriguez] has a great grasp of offensive scheme. He knows exactly what he wants to do and it starts with the run game with those guys. They run the read zone as well as anyone in the country. They have a quarterback that is an exceptional runner. That is exactly what they look for in their quarterback, the ability to be a dual threat. We have struggled with them. We beat them the first year and last year but then lost four in-between, so it all stems to the games we lost that we did not do a good job defending the run. So, that is going to be job No. 1 this week like it is every week."
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On Arizona having several newcomers to the team…
"As far as their new players, everyone in the country has new players and a new look to their roster. I never put any stock into someone being a young football team, I think that is way overblown and I don't even pay attention to it." Â
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On specific areas that need to improve heading into Pac-12 play…
"Overall as a team, penalties still need to get better. We were much better on Saturday night. I think we only had 50 to 60 yards of penalties which is about half of what we had been averaging, so that was good to see. We need to continue to put down touchdowns in the red zone, which we did a better job of doing that on Saturday and made a step in the right direction, but overall in the first three games we haven't been effective enough there. The running game in general we would like more production and more efficiency. Special teams wise, we haven't gotten much going in the kickoff return game. A lot of that is that everyone has a kicker that can kick the ball out of the end zone now. The kick return is becoming almost a dinosaur because you don't have as many opportunities with that. But the opportunities we have had with that, we haven't done much with. So, we have lots to work on. It is a short week so we will have to accelerate it this week, but we will continue to work on our deficiencies."
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On if the linebackers will be key going up against Arizona's run game…
"It is key every week against the run game. With Arizona, in particular it will be the defensive end play because they put that guy in a bind so often, so they have to make the determination is the ball given, do I need to play the cutback on the running back or is it pulled and I have to play the quarterback keep and then play action off of that. So, that is really the guy that has the most stress against Arizona in the run game are the defensive ends. That is going to be important and we played really well at that position last year which is one of the main reasons we had success. The linebackers are playing well though. Sunia Tauteoli was all over the place on Saturday night and had maybe on of his best games as a Ute. Kavika Luafatasaga seems to have picked up where he left off at the end of last year. It was like a light switch went on for him about the last third of the season. Cody Barton and Donavan Thompson come in and give us good reps. The whole defense, there hasn't really been a spot-on defense where you say that position hasn't been up to speed. Everyone has been playing well."
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On if they practice scramble punt plays or if Mitch Wishnowsky was able to improvise on Saturday night when he punted with his left foot on a scramble play…
"It was pure improvisation. Maybe we should practice those, but we don't. That was just a taste of his athleticism. He is a tremendous athlete. People think, they are just punters, but he is a guy that could very realistically play other positions at this level. He has 4.5 speed, he has size at 6-2, 220 and he has a lot of ability. I think you got a taste of that on that particular play. It was a great play and got us out of a bind."
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On how the chemistry on the offensive line has progressed and how newcomer Jordan Agasiva has fit into the group…
"The offensive has progressed each week and I think has gotten better game-to-game. They struggled a little bit this past game with movement by the defensive line, but they settled in and started to pick that up. Jordan is starting to settle in. He was pressing a little bit the first couple of games and actually got couple holding calls this last game, so he is still in a learning phase, but I think the group is coming together. It was good to see Alani Havili-Katoa come in and play about 25 really quality reps for us on Saturday night. That gives us confidence that we have another guy that we can put in with him and Paul Toala."
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On how important it is that Matt Gay has gotten a rhythm going into Pac-12 play…
"With the amount of field goals we have attempted, we are among the nation's leaders in field goals attempted and made for that matter. He was a huge factor a week ago in that game and we were stymie in the red zone a few times in this past game and he came through again. The two he hit with the 56-yarder, which is the second-longest in school history, and a 51-yarder, along with a couple of other chip shots, he is our guy so far. We are only three games in, but so far he is someone we can really rely on which is a good luxury."
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On Devonta'e Henry-Cole's performance against San Jose State and if his role will increase…
"We are going to try to get him more involved, but part of that is going to be up to him in being assignment sound and making sure he has all of his pass protections and blitz pickup and all of that type of stuff down. That has been holding him down a little bit, but he has been working hard to get up to speed on all of it. You saw when the ball is in his hands, he is a really talented runner and that is something that he brings to the table. There won't be any compromise though, he has to do his part as a complete running back and not just when the ball is in his hands. Kind of like our wide receivers, they have to block because it isn't just about when we throw you the ball, it's about when we don't throw you the ball. So, he is working hard and getting closer to where he needs to be and maybe this is the week where he has a chance to get some significant carries."
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On how Bradlee Anae is doing in a starting role…
"I think he is doing very well. I think he played his best game as a Ute on Saturday night. He was our team's defensive player of the game. He was all over the place in a good way. His motor is high and he has quickness, speed and a great use of hands. His pass rush was outstanding on Saturday night. He is a guy that has a ton of upside and is already playing at a level that is very impactful for us."
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On if Darren Carrington II has exceeded his expectations…
"Nope, he has been exactly what I was hoping he would be. We defended him so we knew him very well. He has not surprised me or exceeded what we were hoping, he is doing exactly what we had envisioned and we hope it continues. Him and Tyler seem to have great chemistry and trust. Tyler is very confident when he throws to him as he is with a number of our receivers. Raelon Singleton made a heck of a catch in the end zone on Saturday. So, I don't want to become the Darren Carrington show because that is part of who we are, but we have a lot of other weapons, but Darren has certainly lived up to expectations."
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On if they will focus on more of the pass rush against Arizona because of their dual threat quarterback's abilities…
"You have to account for him and when he drops back to pass, some teams have tried to put a spy on him and that spy better be pretty athletic because there is no point to have a spy if the spy can't make the play when it is there to be made. So, they have to be very conscience, the front of maintaining pass lanes and leverage on the quarterback and keeping him in that cage, because he is at his best when he escapes. So, we definitely have to be conscience of that."
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On if having Tyler Huntley on the team has helped Utah's defense prepare for a mobile quarterback…
"I think that helps to have a quarterback in our own system that is athletic and mobile, but the spread offense has been in vogue for so many years now that you just get used to it. More times than not, you play against a dual threat instead of just a pocket guy. So, I think the combination of the two has helped us be able to better defend these guys. This guy [Arizona's quarterback] is really dangerous."
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On the numbers that the defense is putting up…
"It seems to have gotten better each week as the season has progressed and it was outstanding to come away with five takeaways on Saturday. It puts our offense in a good position and helps them out. It is up to our defense to get our offense a short field as often as possible. We have a good group, I don't really see a weakness. Our front is playing well, the backers are playing well, all three levels are playing well. The secondary is doing a nice job, although they did get behind us a few times on Saturday night. It is never going to be perfect but overall, I think that defense has a chance to be pretty good and it seems like they are heading in that direction."
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On the correlation between leading the conference in time of possession but finishing last in third down conversions…
"Well time of possession is a team stat. If you defense isn't getting off the field, then you aren't going to possess the ball with your offense, so the combination is your defense getting out of drives and your offense hanging onto the ball in drives. Third downs you would think would play a big part in that, but so far it hasn't been a big factor because we have been able to do it without a good third down percentage to this point. I think we are getting better at third downs and we were certainly better in this last game. First and second downs have been very productive for us and I think that is the reason for that."
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On what Samson Nacua has done to get a bigger role in the offense…
"Well he has colored his hair and grown it out and it looks really good, and that was the starting point. After that, in all seriousness, he is running exceptional routes and his hands are as good as there are on the football team. Although he did have that one drop on Saturday night, but he is a very sure-handed receiver. He is physical after the catch, he is good running with the ball after the catch as you have seen the last few weeks. In this offense, it is all about finding the open space, and he has a great feel for finding that open spot in the defense."
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On if any of the results around the Pac-12, specifically the last weekend, have surprised him…
"Yeah, I think there were some games that we dropped in the Pac-12 that I wouldn't have thought would be the case, but all we are really concerned with is our own selves and Arizona this week. But when you look across the Pac-12, there have been some scores that were surprising in the first few weeks."
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On Darren Carrington II comparing Tyler Huntley to Marcus Mariota from Oregon…
"Well, they are certainly comparable in their athleticism and the way they are both dual threat. With Marcus, that is a pretty favorable comparison because Marcus Mariota was one of the first players taken in the draft, so that speaks to what Tyler has shown so far, but there are a lot of similarities in their style of play. Marcus was very accurate and so is Tyler, so yeah, I think there is some merit to that. It is very early in Tyler's career, he has a lot of football left to play with us, but what we have seen so far has been very positive."Â
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"I thought it was a good effort by our football team on Saturday night to close out non-conference play. All three phases made major contributions to the win. Defensively we got five takeaways, we sacked the quarterback, played the run physically and did everything we wanted to accomplish on Saturday night. Offensively we put up a bunch of points. We had a great deal of help from special teams on offense. I think we had eight drives start in San Jose State territory, so that really helps your production on offense. Tyler Huntley had another big night with nearly 400 yards of total offense. He is throwing the ball exceptionally well, over 70-percent completion percentage, which is outstanding. He took a few less hits on Saturday which is a good thing. We want to make sure we are trending in that direction. On special teams, Boobie Hobbs had a big night on returning the punts with nearly 100 yards in punt returns. Matt Gay continues to be outstanding and continues to be outstanding for us. He has not missed since taking over the duties early this year. There are a lot of positives and it is a good way to close out non-conference play. We are 3-0 heading into league play and it all starts off in Tucson on Friday night against the University of Arizona. They are coming off a big win over UTEP where there were a lot of points scored, so away we go with the Pac-12."
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On if San Jose State's run defense caused problems or if it was execution on Utah's part…
"It was kind of both. They were doing a lot of stunts, gap exchanges with their front, twists, loops, that kind of thing. It was just movement with their front and we didn't do a good enough job hitting that movement with our offensive line early in the game. As the game went on, we settled in and did a better job of handling it. You have to be able to handle movement up front because if you don't, you are going to get a huge dose of it every week until you prove that you can handle it. I thought we made progress as the game wore on, but there still is not enough production in the run game overall. We would like to get a little more production there, but it wasn't bad."
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On the keys to Tyler Huntley's efficiency…
"He is a tremendous athlete for starters. He has a great arm, he is accurate, he is well coached. Troy Taylor has done a great job of presenting the new offense to him and getting him where he needs to be as far as his reads, progressions and where he is going with the ball. He is a good decision maker. I know he has a couple throws that he wishes he could have back this year, but like I said over 70-percent completion, if we can keep that trend, we are going to have a very successful year."
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On if he feels the non-conference season prepared them for Pac-12 play…
"Well, the level of competition certainly goes up, we are aware of that. You play the games as they are scheduled and we have done what we are supposed to do in the first three, but I don't think there are a lot of teams in the country that know a whole lot about themselves still. It is still so early in the year, so we are still finding out about ourselves, what our strengths are, what we need to get better at. This will definitely be our stiffest test of the year."
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On Arizona's ability to run the ball against Utah in the past…
"They have had success, last year not so much I think it was 120 or 130 yards which is where you have to keep them if you want to win the game, but Rich [Rodriguez] has a great grasp of offensive scheme. He knows exactly what he wants to do and it starts with the run game with those guys. They run the read zone as well as anyone in the country. They have a quarterback that is an exceptional runner. That is exactly what they look for in their quarterback, the ability to be a dual threat. We have struggled with them. We beat them the first year and last year but then lost four in-between, so it all stems to the games we lost that we did not do a good job defending the run. So, that is going to be job No. 1 this week like it is every week."
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On Arizona having several newcomers to the team…
"As far as their new players, everyone in the country has new players and a new look to their roster. I never put any stock into someone being a young football team, I think that is way overblown and I don't even pay attention to it." Â
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On specific areas that need to improve heading into Pac-12 play…
"Overall as a team, penalties still need to get better. We were much better on Saturday night. I think we only had 50 to 60 yards of penalties which is about half of what we had been averaging, so that was good to see. We need to continue to put down touchdowns in the red zone, which we did a better job of doing that on Saturday and made a step in the right direction, but overall in the first three games we haven't been effective enough there. The running game in general we would like more production and more efficiency. Special teams wise, we haven't gotten much going in the kickoff return game. A lot of that is that everyone has a kicker that can kick the ball out of the end zone now. The kick return is becoming almost a dinosaur because you don't have as many opportunities with that. But the opportunities we have had with that, we haven't done much with. So, we have lots to work on. It is a short week so we will have to accelerate it this week, but we will continue to work on our deficiencies."
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On if the linebackers will be key going up against Arizona's run game…
"It is key every week against the run game. With Arizona, in particular it will be the defensive end play because they put that guy in a bind so often, so they have to make the determination is the ball given, do I need to play the cutback on the running back or is it pulled and I have to play the quarterback keep and then play action off of that. So, that is really the guy that has the most stress against Arizona in the run game are the defensive ends. That is going to be important and we played really well at that position last year which is one of the main reasons we had success. The linebackers are playing well though. Sunia Tauteoli was all over the place on Saturday night and had maybe on of his best games as a Ute. Kavika Luafatasaga seems to have picked up where he left off at the end of last year. It was like a light switch went on for him about the last third of the season. Cody Barton and Donavan Thompson come in and give us good reps. The whole defense, there hasn't really been a spot-on defense where you say that position hasn't been up to speed. Everyone has been playing well."
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On if they practice scramble punt plays or if Mitch Wishnowsky was able to improvise on Saturday night when he punted with his left foot on a scramble play…
"It was pure improvisation. Maybe we should practice those, but we don't. That was just a taste of his athleticism. He is a tremendous athlete. People think, they are just punters, but he is a guy that could very realistically play other positions at this level. He has 4.5 speed, he has size at 6-2, 220 and he has a lot of ability. I think you got a taste of that on that particular play. It was a great play and got us out of a bind."
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On how the chemistry on the offensive line has progressed and how newcomer Jordan Agasiva has fit into the group…
"The offensive has progressed each week and I think has gotten better game-to-game. They struggled a little bit this past game with movement by the defensive line, but they settled in and started to pick that up. Jordan is starting to settle in. He was pressing a little bit the first couple of games and actually got couple holding calls this last game, so he is still in a learning phase, but I think the group is coming together. It was good to see Alani Havili-Katoa come in and play about 25 really quality reps for us on Saturday night. That gives us confidence that we have another guy that we can put in with him and Paul Toala."
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On how important it is that Matt Gay has gotten a rhythm going into Pac-12 play…
"With the amount of field goals we have attempted, we are among the nation's leaders in field goals attempted and made for that matter. He was a huge factor a week ago in that game and we were stymie in the red zone a few times in this past game and he came through again. The two he hit with the 56-yarder, which is the second-longest in school history, and a 51-yarder, along with a couple of other chip shots, he is our guy so far. We are only three games in, but so far he is someone we can really rely on which is a good luxury."
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On Devonta'e Henry-Cole's performance against San Jose State and if his role will increase…
"We are going to try to get him more involved, but part of that is going to be up to him in being assignment sound and making sure he has all of his pass protections and blitz pickup and all of that type of stuff down. That has been holding him down a little bit, but he has been working hard to get up to speed on all of it. You saw when the ball is in his hands, he is a really talented runner and that is something that he brings to the table. There won't be any compromise though, he has to do his part as a complete running back and not just when the ball is in his hands. Kind of like our wide receivers, they have to block because it isn't just about when we throw you the ball, it's about when we don't throw you the ball. So, he is working hard and getting closer to where he needs to be and maybe this is the week where he has a chance to get some significant carries."
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On how Bradlee Anae is doing in a starting role…
"I think he is doing very well. I think he played his best game as a Ute on Saturday night. He was our team's defensive player of the game. He was all over the place in a good way. His motor is high and he has quickness, speed and a great use of hands. His pass rush was outstanding on Saturday night. He is a guy that has a ton of upside and is already playing at a level that is very impactful for us."
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On if Darren Carrington II has exceeded his expectations…
"Nope, he has been exactly what I was hoping he would be. We defended him so we knew him very well. He has not surprised me or exceeded what we were hoping, he is doing exactly what we had envisioned and we hope it continues. Him and Tyler seem to have great chemistry and trust. Tyler is very confident when he throws to him as he is with a number of our receivers. Raelon Singleton made a heck of a catch in the end zone on Saturday. So, I don't want to become the Darren Carrington show because that is part of who we are, but we have a lot of other weapons, but Darren has certainly lived up to expectations."
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On if they will focus on more of the pass rush against Arizona because of their dual threat quarterback's abilities…
"You have to account for him and when he drops back to pass, some teams have tried to put a spy on him and that spy better be pretty athletic because there is no point to have a spy if the spy can't make the play when it is there to be made. So, they have to be very conscience, the front of maintaining pass lanes and leverage on the quarterback and keeping him in that cage, because he is at his best when he escapes. So, we definitely have to be conscience of that."
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On if having Tyler Huntley on the team has helped Utah's defense prepare for a mobile quarterback…
"I think that helps to have a quarterback in our own system that is athletic and mobile, but the spread offense has been in vogue for so many years now that you just get used to it. More times than not, you play against a dual threat instead of just a pocket guy. So, I think the combination of the two has helped us be able to better defend these guys. This guy [Arizona's quarterback] is really dangerous."
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On the numbers that the defense is putting up…
"It seems to have gotten better each week as the season has progressed and it was outstanding to come away with five takeaways on Saturday. It puts our offense in a good position and helps them out. It is up to our defense to get our offense a short field as often as possible. We have a good group, I don't really see a weakness. Our front is playing well, the backers are playing well, all three levels are playing well. The secondary is doing a nice job, although they did get behind us a few times on Saturday night. It is never going to be perfect but overall, I think that defense has a chance to be pretty good and it seems like they are heading in that direction."
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On the correlation between leading the conference in time of possession but finishing last in third down conversions…
"Well time of possession is a team stat. If you defense isn't getting off the field, then you aren't going to possess the ball with your offense, so the combination is your defense getting out of drives and your offense hanging onto the ball in drives. Third downs you would think would play a big part in that, but so far it hasn't been a big factor because we have been able to do it without a good third down percentage to this point. I think we are getting better at third downs and we were certainly better in this last game. First and second downs have been very productive for us and I think that is the reason for that."
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On what Samson Nacua has done to get a bigger role in the offense…
"Well he has colored his hair and grown it out and it looks really good, and that was the starting point. After that, in all seriousness, he is running exceptional routes and his hands are as good as there are on the football team. Although he did have that one drop on Saturday night, but he is a very sure-handed receiver. He is physical after the catch, he is good running with the ball after the catch as you have seen the last few weeks. In this offense, it is all about finding the open space, and he has a great feel for finding that open spot in the defense."
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On if any of the results around the Pac-12, specifically the last weekend, have surprised him…
"Yeah, I think there were some games that we dropped in the Pac-12 that I wouldn't have thought would be the case, but all we are really concerned with is our own selves and Arizona this week. But when you look across the Pac-12, there have been some scores that were surprising in the first few weeks."
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On Darren Carrington II comparing Tyler Huntley to Marcus Mariota from Oregon…
"Well, they are certainly comparable in their athleticism and the way they are both dual threat. With Marcus, that is a pretty favorable comparison because Marcus Mariota was one of the first players taken in the draft, so that speaks to what Tyler has shown so far, but there are a lot of similarities in their style of play. Marcus was very accurate and so is Tyler, so yeah, I think there is some merit to that. It is very early in Tyler's career, he has a lot of football left to play with us, but what we have seen so far has been very positive."Â
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