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The University of Utah Athletics
News Out Of Practice: Nine Days Out
8/21/2018 7:02 PM | Football
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah football program spent another day on the field today as they continue to prepare for next week's season opener.Â
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It was a hot and steamy day, but that didn't stop the Utes from getting in quality work across the board. That work will become evident soon as the Utes have officially hit single digit days until the faceoff against Weber State on Aug. 30.Â
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Even though it is business on the field, UtahUtes.com caught up with Julian Blackmon after practice to play "Utah Football Would You Rather."
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Q: Would you rather get tackled full speed by Chase Hansen or get hit in the face by a ball thrown by Tyler Huntley?
A:Â "Probably a ball thrown full speed by Tyler because I would catch it."Â
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Q: Would you rather see offensive lineman Nick Ford play running back or linebacker Cody Barton attempt a field goal?
A:Â "Probably Nick play running back. That would be interesting."
Q: Would you rather get to drive head coach Kyle Whittingham's motorcycle for two hours or get to use his office and all of its amenities for a full day?
A:Â "Use his office and all of its amenities for a full day, absolutely."
Q: Would you rather have Morgan Scalley or Guy Holliday on your flag football team?
A:Â "That's tough but Scalley."
Q: Would you rather fly charter like you do for road games or get to use the tour bus of a musician of your choice to travel?
A:Â "I think I'd rather fly because I like to get there quick."
Q: Would you rather watch Leki Fotu do ballet or Chase Hansen sing "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion?
A:Â "Definitely Leki do ballet. That would be funny."
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With the season getting closer, preseason awards have continued to poor in for the Utes with Matt Gay and Mitch Wishnowsky both earning preseason AP All-America.Â
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Voices from Practice: Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
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On how things are developing…
"Good. It was our Tuesday routine today and it was a physical day with a lot of hard work and contact."
On if the offense has improved on third down and red zone situations…
"I hope so. We will find out. That has been a topic of conversation for a couple of years now, so we will see. If we haven't, we are in trouble so hopefully we are."
On if they have focused on those situations in practice…
"Yeah, we have practiced it a ton. We've been down in the red zone a whole lot last spring and in fall camp along with a lot of third down prep."
On if red zone work has changed this year…
"Yeah you tweek it a little bit because what we were doing didn't really work very well, so we added a few things. It is still going to come down to execution. It isn't about plays, but execution by the players. You can draw up a billion plays, but it comes down to the execution by the team."
On if there is any separation on the position battles that are still going…
"No everything is pretty well solidified. We still need to find out who the last two offensive linemen are. They are the last piece of the puzzle."
On Matt Gay and Mitch Wishnowsky earning preseason AP All-America…
"They performed well for us last year, but nobody cares about that because it is all about this year. It is nice to see them get recognition because they deserve it. But like I said, you start over with a clean slate and have to do it all again."
On Matt Gay's longest field goal during live drills so far in practices…
"I think it was 67 yards."
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Â"Don't accept average. Don't accept good."
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 21, 2018
- @UtahCoachWhitt pic.twitter.com/EUzIrhpDjI
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It was a hot and steamy day, but that didn't stop the Utes from getting in quality work across the board. That work will become evident soon as the Utes have officially hit single digit days until the faceoff against Weber State on Aug. 30.Â
Â
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) August 21, 2018Â
Even though it is business on the field, UtahUtes.com caught up with Julian Blackmon after practice to play "Utah Football Would You Rather."
Â
Q: Would you rather get tackled full speed by Chase Hansen or get hit in the face by a ball thrown by Tyler Huntley?
A:Â "Probably a ball thrown full speed by Tyler because I would catch it."Â
Â
Q: Would you rather see offensive lineman Nick Ford play running back or linebacker Cody Barton attempt a field goal?
A:Â "Probably Nick play running back. That would be interesting."
Q: Would you rather get to drive head coach Kyle Whittingham's motorcycle for two hours or get to use his office and all of its amenities for a full day?
A:Â "Use his office and all of its amenities for a full day, absolutely."
Q: Would you rather have Morgan Scalley or Guy Holliday on your flag football team?
A:Â "That's tough but Scalley."
Q: Would you rather fly charter like you do for road games or get to use the tour bus of a musician of your choice to travel?
A:Â "I think I'd rather fly because I like to get there quick."
Q: Would you rather watch Leki Fotu do ballet or Chase Hansen sing "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion?
A:Â "Definitely Leki do ballet. That would be funny."
Â
With the season getting closer, preseason awards have continued to poor in for the Utes with Matt Gay and Mitch Wishnowsky both earning preseason AP All-America.Â
Â
ÂAnother day, another preseason All-America honor for Mitch Wishnowsky and Matt Gay, this time from the Associated Press! #goutes https://t.co/ExoOI5ljCd pic.twitter.com/4u3xDHTAir
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) August 21, 2018
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ÂSix #Pac12FB @AP_Top25 preseason All-America first-team selections ties for the most of any conference in the country. With 12 total selections the Pac-12 is second only to the SEC's 13 honorees. More: https://t.co/EvEEuvkjLE pic.twitter.com/koEJ3UtJUe
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) August 21, 2018
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Voices from Practice: Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Â
On how things are developing…
"Good. It was our Tuesday routine today and it was a physical day with a lot of hard work and contact."
On if the offense has improved on third down and red zone situations…
"I hope so. We will find out. That has been a topic of conversation for a couple of years now, so we will see. If we haven't, we are in trouble so hopefully we are."
On if they have focused on those situations in practice…
"Yeah, we have practiced it a ton. We've been down in the red zone a whole lot last spring and in fall camp along with a lot of third down prep."
On if red zone work has changed this year…
"Yeah you tweek it a little bit because what we were doing didn't really work very well, so we added a few things. It is still going to come down to execution. It isn't about plays, but execution by the players. You can draw up a billion plays, but it comes down to the execution by the team."
On if there is any separation on the position battles that are still going…
"No everything is pretty well solidified. We still need to find out who the last two offensive linemen are. They are the last piece of the puzzle."
On Matt Gay and Mitch Wishnowsky earning preseason AP All-America…
"They performed well for us last year, but nobody cares about that because it is all about this year. It is nice to see them get recognition because they deserve it. But like I said, you start over with a clean slate and have to do it all again."
On Matt Gay's longest field goal during live drills so far in practices…
"I think it was 67 yards."
Â
Players Mentioned
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