Quotes From Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference

Quotes From Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference

8/27/2018 1:24 PM | Football

Opening Statement…
"We are eager to get the season started. As always, every year at this time you are anxious to hit somebody else besides yourselves. We had a very good fall camp and came out of it relatively healthy. Very few injuries other than a few bumps and bruises and then a couple of guys that are not going to be with us this year. The team has been working hard. They have a great work ethic and have been very focused. I for one am very excited to watch them play on Thursday night."

On a Hauati Pututau and Mike Tafua earning starting jobs…
"First of all, we have four defensive tackles that we think are all starting tackles in Leki Fotu, Hauati Pututau, Pita Tonga and John Penisini. All four of those guys for the most part are on equal footing and are interchangeable, but Hauati has had a little more of an edge through camp as far as consistency. Mika Tafua really started to come on in the second half of camp. Things started to click for him and he started to feel comfortable at the spot and ended up earning that defensive end spot. Him and Bradlee Anae are the clear starting defensive ends and it isn't as even as it is as defensive tackle."

On his thoughts on Weber State head coach Jay Hill and his ability to resurrect that program…
"First of all Jay and I are very close. He was one of my first hires when I got the head job way back when. He coached very well for us his entire time here and he was very versatile. He coached special teams, he coached offense, he coached defense and he was an outstanding recruiter. He was very valuable to the success we had here. Then he moved on and had the opportunity to be the head coach at Weber. It doesn't surprise me at all what he has been able to do there and the success he has had and will continue to have. He is a smart guy that is well organized and very disciplined. He has a very good rapport."

On if he sees some Utah when he looks at Weber State game film because of the coaching connections between the two programs…
"A lot on the defensive side of the ball with similar philosophies and techniques. Offensively, their new coordinator Dave Schramm was at Fresno prior and so we went to the Fresno film from a couple of years back. It is markedly different from what we were doing when he was here for the most part. We did start to get into some of that stuff, but Dave is a guy that knows what he likes to do and did a good job at Fresno and had success there. So, anytime you are in an opener it is a lot of guesswork because you aren't really sure what you are going to see. You have to stay vanilla on both sides of the ball."

On how the decision on the quarterback order came about…
"It was a very heated battle between No. 2 and No. 3. Jason Shelley just had slightly edged Jack Tuttle out and that combined with the fact that Jack has a redshirt year and Jason doesn't, put us in the situation where now Jason is No. 2 and Jack is No. 3. They are still competing and Jack will continue to get some reps during the course of the week. It could change, but the plan right now is to get the redshirt on Jack this year and be able to preserve that year of eligibility. We will see how it unfolds."

On if it is a testament to how deep the wide receiver group is with Solomon Enis and Terrell Perriman not making the two-deep…
"Solomon is going to play and Terrell is probably a little further away. We just have a pretty talented group of receivers, at least we think that anyway. Solomon is going to figure in to what we have going this year and then Terrell will most likely be a redshirt if we can do that. With the new rule, hopefully you can play some but hopefully not more than four games unless he is pressed into duty by virtue of injury at that position. We have some guys that we really think are good players and Solomon is amongst those guys, he's just not quite in the two-deep. But he will be in the rotation."

On starting another year with Tyler Huntley at quarterback and how he has progressed and handled the competition at the position…
"He is doing everything better than he was last year. He was very good last year for us, but he is a year older and is more mature. He has that year of competition under his belt and he is a seasoned veteran now I guess you could say. He has done a good job running the offense in the offseason ever since last spring. His decision making is better, not that it was bad, but he has just improved in all areas. There was no glaring weakness, the thing that was concerning was the amount of hits he took last year. He knows that and we have talked about it a lot and that is one of the primary objectives of this year is to make sure he is not subjected to as many hits"

On whether he has a preference of playing a local FCS team or one from around the country…
"Not really, not personally. If it keeps more dollars in the state and the programs in Utah, I think that is a good thing. Outside of that though, I don't really have a preference either way."

On how the game mentality is different when you play in-state teams vs. out-of-state teams…
"In this case, I don't think there is a different mentality opening up with Weber State as opposed to some of the other teams we have opened up with in years past. Obviously, the rivalry game has a little different flare to it, but I don't think there is a huge difference particularly in the opener."

On what he saw from Francis Bernard to earn the back-up spot at linebacker…
"Francis has gotten better and better ever since he joined us, which is what you would expect. He was a little out of shape, and obviously didn't have a great knowledge of our scheme yet, but he has been on an upward trajectory ever since he got in the program. He is a tremendously hard worker, he pays attention to the detail and he works extra in the film room. In that respect, it is making him a better football player. He is a guy that just kept elevating each practice and making more plays. That is why he is here and why we welcomed him with open arms to our program is because we know he is a talented kid."

On if left guard on the offensive line is going to be decided…
"It will be decided by their play. It isn't going to be a situation where it will be anything but productivity. They are both going to get reps and if there becomes a separation between the two, then the reps will be divvied up accordingly, but if they continue to be on equal footing then they will both continue to play. It should be noted that Nick Ford will be our first tackle if we had issue at either tackle and then Orlando Umana would step up in the guard spot."

On why he thinks Troy Taylor is more comfortable up in the booth…
"I think he just has better perspective. You can see things unfolding better from upstairs and just the vantage point is better. Other than that, there is no real benefit other than being able to see defensive schemes and what coverages they are rolling to and things like that."

On what keeps him excited about coaching from year to year…
"The competition, for one thing. Just being in a competitive arena, being around the players. I love watching these young men develop, mature and grow in your program. As I've said many times, when we joined the Pac-12, it was like getting a new job. Everything changed. So that was definitely a shot in the arm. You know I just enjoy coaching. Every year, every aspect of it, particularly on game days."

On what his reaction is to the news that 2018 is considered a national poll championship now…
"Yeah that is interesting. I still haven't been completely educated on the particulars of it, but I thought we were a pretty good team that year. I voted us No. 1. We were the only undefeated team in the country. It is all, even now, is speculative. Until they have a full-on real playoff system and not people voting who is in it or voting who is the best, then it is all speculation and best-guess scenario. Again, we thought we were pretty darn good that year and we felt we did everything we could have done to state our case, but I don't think we are going to be self-proclaimed and put up a banner or anything. I haven't talked to our administration about it to be quite honest, so we will see what the best course of action is, but right now I haven't given it a lot of thought."

On if he is planning on splitting carries between Armand Shyne and Zack Moss…
"Armand Shyne will get time and get carries, but Zack Moss is the lead back. We don't have an exact percentage that we've talked about as far as who is going to get what, but Zack I believe is an elite back in the country and particularly in the Pac-12. And Armand Shyne is a guy we have a lot of faith in as well, it is a great problem to have. We will utilize both of them, but Zack is the lead back."

On if there is a drawback to opening the season against an FCS team vs. a Power Five opponent…
"There are benefits to opening up against a Michigan like we did a few years ago and there are benefits to opening against an FCS team. We don't really concern ourselves too much with who we are playing. Your preparation is very similar and there isn't really a difference in your fall camp or anything like that. You just play them as you unfold and whoever is up next is where our focus is."

On if there is a benefit to getting tested early in the season if you open with a Power Five opponent…
"I think that is relative to the team you have coming back. If you have an experienced team, then you are probably a little more equipped and more willing to be tested right off the bat. Weber is going to be a test. They are a good football team. They went deep into the playoffs last year. They are well coached and could have beat Cal last year."

On it being the 10^th straight year they've opened on a Thursday and if he likes that kind of scheduling and has a favorite game in that stretch…
"Probably that Michigan game. Opening on a Thursday there are a few pros and cons. You have to start camp a few days earlier, which makes it a shorter summer for your guys. You get extra time for that second game because you get nine days instead of seven, so there is that. It is pluses and minuses."

On if Tyrone Smith will factor into the rotation…
"He is. He has an injury that has kept him out and will continue to keep him out for a period time of longer. Once he is healthy, he will be back in that two-deep, just right now he is not available."