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The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Brooke Frederickson
Quotes From Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
9/10/2018 1:42 PM | Football
Opening statement…
"Alright, let's get all of your questions answered. Yes, it is good to be 2-0 heading into Pac-12 play. Yes, Zack Moss probably should have gotten a few more carries than he did. No, the offensive line didn't perform very well. We need to get better, we need to coach them better. We have good players up front and we expect them to be better this week. They are a prideful group and they will respond in our opinion. Yes, we had too many drops in the game. We had four or five drops, which are drive killers. That really was the offensive problem was that we weren't finishing drives. We moved the ball decently, but didn't finish drives. The name of the game is to score points, and we didn't do enough of that offensively. We understand that and give credit to Northern Illinois. They came in with an excellent plan and my guess is that they are going to win a lot of games this year in the MAC. Yes, Chase Hansen is a beast. He was all over the place. His transition to linebacker has been exactly what we hoped it would be. Yes, our special teams was disappointing again. Second week in a row and it is ironic because it was the same exact issues. We had another blocked field goal and another punt that was hit by one of our guys and returned by the opponent. So, the two exact things that happened in game one happened in game two, so that has to be corrected and it will be. The blocked field goal for those of you that were there, the wind was pretty strong that evening. He tried to kick it a little bit lower to get more of a piercing affect into the wind and just kicked it too low and unfortunately the guy blocked it. With the punt it was the same thing it was swirling around up there and our guy was trying to get his block in and it hit off his back and it was another turnover there. Washington is very much deserving of their top-10 ranking. They are as complete of a football team as there is in the country in my opinion. They have talent at every spot. Tough loss against Auburn. Auburn is a terrific football team as well and they slugged it out and went toe-to-toe with those guys and came up short. They bounced back last week and got a fairly easy win. It should be a great environment on Saturday night. We should get a great crowd and it is our Blackout Game with a late kickoff. We will be ready and we will see what we can do."
On what makes Jake Browning one of the more efficient passers in the country…
"Jake is extremely cerebral. I don't know him personally but you can tell just with how he operates that he is a smart kid. Troy Taylor knows him very well and says the same thing. He is a great decision maker, he has poise and he has pocket presence, which is maybe one of the most underrated aspects of being a quarterback. His leadership qualities are there. The team seems to rally around him. He seems to be exceptional in pressure situations. The bigger the stage and the more pressure, the more he responds."
On why he thinks there were so many sacks against NIU…
"They didn't bring much pressure, so it wasn't like they had a high dose of pressure and not being able to handle that, it was just not performing as well as we needed to up front. Receivers not uncovering as quickly as maybe they need to and maybe holding on to the ball a beat long at times, but six sacks is not good. It is awful and consequently hurts your rush yardage. We had 68 yards and that is what six sacks will do to you, but we have to get it fixed. We can't perform that same way this week and hope to have a chance to win the game."
On the reasoning behind fair catching all of the kickoffs so far this season…
"We did extensive research when they changed the rule this summer. We looked back several years at our kickoff return that was brought out of the end zone or an area near the end zone and some 80-plus percent, which this is not just us this is everyone we researched, did not reach the 25-yard line. We are not going to fair catch every ball. We have zones that where if it is kicked to a certain zone then they have the green light to return it, but the 25-yard-line is not bad field position. And after the research, the data backs it up to fair catch more often than not when the ball is deep. There are other factors involved like how dangerous is your returner and things like that, but just as a general rule looking at the raw data, it makes sense to just fair catch it."
On what the key has been in Chase Hansen's transition from the secondary to linebacker…
"Well first of all it wasn't that big of an adjustment because he spent a great deal of his time as a safety down in the box with a linebacker job description situation. So, it was not new to him in that respect. He has the size and the strength and he has great speed. He is prototypical for what they look for in that position at the next level. He is instinctive and tough. All of those same qualities he had at safety he has transformed just closer to the line of scrimmage as a linebacker. I am not trying to paint the picture that it is an easy transition, because not everybody can do it, but he has the skill set and the makeup to be successful there. It has helped us as a defense and made us faster. You want your best 11 on the field and with Corrion Ballard back at safety, there is a combination that allows us to do that."
On if Zack Moss getting more carries will come from play calling or decisions at the line of scrimmage…
"A little of both. We just need to feature him a little bit more. He is a tremendous back. He came away with 16 carries against NIU and that's not a ton shy of what he needs because you don't want to overwork the guy, but he is a weapon that we need to utilize a little bit more. That is on us as coaches."
On the fact that Utah has been able to play Washington better than a lot of other teams…
"We can stand toe-to-toe with them and play with them, and that is something that should give us some confidence. We have had some rough finishes with them and we've also been able to come away with a victory. We just have to be able to finish the deal. It was the punt return a few years ago and then last year letting them out of their own territory and then me calling a timeout trying to give our field goal kicker and opportunity, just some things that haven't worked out in our favor. But we have to find a way to get over that hump."
On what he thinks is the problem with special teams…
"First of all let's talk about the field goal blocks. The first one that was blocked two weeks ago was a breakdown in protection because we had penetration. Last week was just a low kick. Prior to that we had not had a kick blocked since 2012. Fluke, bad luck, I don't know. I would say the ball bouncing off our returners is just misfortune above everything else. They are working hard trying to get their blocks but we have to do a little better job to peep the football and locate where our returner is to make sure we are oriented properly. Kickoff return has really been a non-factor because we have been primarily fair catching and taking the ball to the 25. Punt game is all right. I think we are second or third in the Pac-12 in punting and that is without Mitch really getting into a grove yet. It hasn't been all a disaster, but it just isn't what we are used to and we have to get that corrected. Special teams is usually an advantage for us week-in and week-out, but that hasn't been the case the first two weeks."
On the differences between Orlando Umana and Nick Ford…
"Well their grades are not dramatically different and we are going to go into this game with the same mentality that they are both going to play. Neither one has really created that separation yet. Nick may be a little stronger and more physical while Orlando might be a better technician right now, but they are both second year players in the program. They both bring something to the table and they are both in that top-six. We will continue to do what we are doing until one of them separates and so far through two games, that has not happened."
On Utah's Pac-12 openers seeming to always be one of the top teams in the league…
"It is how the schedule lays out and we happen to play the clear cut favorite according to all of the preseason stuff. We just have to be ready to go. We've got two games on them and they have two games on us so there is some body of work to study. They haven't changed much. Ever since Coach Pete has been there it, they have been the same well-coached, talented team. I don't anticipate a lot of surprises or changes."
On if he is looking to get more production out of the wide receivers outside of Britain Covey…
"Yep we sure are. Jaylen Dixon in our opinion has earned the right to play more and will play more. Solomon Enis, you saw him continue to get integrated into what we are doing and Bronson Boyd made a nice catch on the sideline at NIU and will continue to get more playing time. And you are right, the production in that position outside of Britain has not been where we need it to be. Britain has been very good for us, but it has to be more than the Britain Covey show. We have to get other people involved. Right now I think we are starting to see separation and who needs to get more playing time."
On if drops by a wide receiver can cost them playing time…
"Yes if it is a consistent thing and a pattern then it can cost you playing time without a doubt. I don't know anybody that is going to go an entire season without a drop, it is going to happen on occasion, but if there begins to be a trend or a patter then absolutely it will cost playing time and it will start this week."
On if he is holding some of the offense back to save them for bigger games…
"No we are just trying to win. We don't hold anything back. We are trying to win every game and be as productive as we can offensively. It isn't a situation where we are trying to save things. We are trying to be as good as we can every week."
On if watching the game film on NIU made him more encouraged about the offense than he was right after the game…
"Yeah I think so. Some ignorant penalties showed up that I didn't address, but we had some holds that were behind the football and not relevant to the play and we need to coach and get better. But it is just a matter of finding ways to not kill drives, whether it is an ignorant penalty or a dropped ball or whatever the case may be. I overreacted after the game, which I have a tendency to do, but we will be alright. We will have a great week of practice and be ready to go this Saturday."
On if Francis Bernard is up to speed with the system…
"Yeah I would say he is very comfortable now after being here a little over a month. He is just behind two really good players. Chase and Cody have been very productive and outstanding for us, so there is not a lot of opportunity yet for him. My guess is though that before it is over he will have a chance to make an impact."
"Alright, let's get all of your questions answered. Yes, it is good to be 2-0 heading into Pac-12 play. Yes, Zack Moss probably should have gotten a few more carries than he did. No, the offensive line didn't perform very well. We need to get better, we need to coach them better. We have good players up front and we expect them to be better this week. They are a prideful group and they will respond in our opinion. Yes, we had too many drops in the game. We had four or five drops, which are drive killers. That really was the offensive problem was that we weren't finishing drives. We moved the ball decently, but didn't finish drives. The name of the game is to score points, and we didn't do enough of that offensively. We understand that and give credit to Northern Illinois. They came in with an excellent plan and my guess is that they are going to win a lot of games this year in the MAC. Yes, Chase Hansen is a beast. He was all over the place. His transition to linebacker has been exactly what we hoped it would be. Yes, our special teams was disappointing again. Second week in a row and it is ironic because it was the same exact issues. We had another blocked field goal and another punt that was hit by one of our guys and returned by the opponent. So, the two exact things that happened in game one happened in game two, so that has to be corrected and it will be. The blocked field goal for those of you that were there, the wind was pretty strong that evening. He tried to kick it a little bit lower to get more of a piercing affect into the wind and just kicked it too low and unfortunately the guy blocked it. With the punt it was the same thing it was swirling around up there and our guy was trying to get his block in and it hit off his back and it was another turnover there. Washington is very much deserving of their top-10 ranking. They are as complete of a football team as there is in the country in my opinion. They have talent at every spot. Tough loss against Auburn. Auburn is a terrific football team as well and they slugged it out and went toe-to-toe with those guys and came up short. They bounced back last week and got a fairly easy win. It should be a great environment on Saturday night. We should get a great crowd and it is our Blackout Game with a late kickoff. We will be ready and we will see what we can do."
On what makes Jake Browning one of the more efficient passers in the country…
"Jake is extremely cerebral. I don't know him personally but you can tell just with how he operates that he is a smart kid. Troy Taylor knows him very well and says the same thing. He is a great decision maker, he has poise and he has pocket presence, which is maybe one of the most underrated aspects of being a quarterback. His leadership qualities are there. The team seems to rally around him. He seems to be exceptional in pressure situations. The bigger the stage and the more pressure, the more he responds."
On why he thinks there were so many sacks against NIU…
"They didn't bring much pressure, so it wasn't like they had a high dose of pressure and not being able to handle that, it was just not performing as well as we needed to up front. Receivers not uncovering as quickly as maybe they need to and maybe holding on to the ball a beat long at times, but six sacks is not good. It is awful and consequently hurts your rush yardage. We had 68 yards and that is what six sacks will do to you, but we have to get it fixed. We can't perform that same way this week and hope to have a chance to win the game."
On the reasoning behind fair catching all of the kickoffs so far this season…
"We did extensive research when they changed the rule this summer. We looked back several years at our kickoff return that was brought out of the end zone or an area near the end zone and some 80-plus percent, which this is not just us this is everyone we researched, did not reach the 25-yard line. We are not going to fair catch every ball. We have zones that where if it is kicked to a certain zone then they have the green light to return it, but the 25-yard-line is not bad field position. And after the research, the data backs it up to fair catch more often than not when the ball is deep. There are other factors involved like how dangerous is your returner and things like that, but just as a general rule looking at the raw data, it makes sense to just fair catch it."
On what the key has been in Chase Hansen's transition from the secondary to linebacker…
"Well first of all it wasn't that big of an adjustment because he spent a great deal of his time as a safety down in the box with a linebacker job description situation. So, it was not new to him in that respect. He has the size and the strength and he has great speed. He is prototypical for what they look for in that position at the next level. He is instinctive and tough. All of those same qualities he had at safety he has transformed just closer to the line of scrimmage as a linebacker. I am not trying to paint the picture that it is an easy transition, because not everybody can do it, but he has the skill set and the makeup to be successful there. It has helped us as a defense and made us faster. You want your best 11 on the field and with Corrion Ballard back at safety, there is a combination that allows us to do that."
On if Zack Moss getting more carries will come from play calling or decisions at the line of scrimmage…
"A little of both. We just need to feature him a little bit more. He is a tremendous back. He came away with 16 carries against NIU and that's not a ton shy of what he needs because you don't want to overwork the guy, but he is a weapon that we need to utilize a little bit more. That is on us as coaches."
On the fact that Utah has been able to play Washington better than a lot of other teams…
"We can stand toe-to-toe with them and play with them, and that is something that should give us some confidence. We have had some rough finishes with them and we've also been able to come away with a victory. We just have to be able to finish the deal. It was the punt return a few years ago and then last year letting them out of their own territory and then me calling a timeout trying to give our field goal kicker and opportunity, just some things that haven't worked out in our favor. But we have to find a way to get over that hump."
On what he thinks is the problem with special teams…
"First of all let's talk about the field goal blocks. The first one that was blocked two weeks ago was a breakdown in protection because we had penetration. Last week was just a low kick. Prior to that we had not had a kick blocked since 2012. Fluke, bad luck, I don't know. I would say the ball bouncing off our returners is just misfortune above everything else. They are working hard trying to get their blocks but we have to do a little better job to peep the football and locate where our returner is to make sure we are oriented properly. Kickoff return has really been a non-factor because we have been primarily fair catching and taking the ball to the 25. Punt game is all right. I think we are second or third in the Pac-12 in punting and that is without Mitch really getting into a grove yet. It hasn't been all a disaster, but it just isn't what we are used to and we have to get that corrected. Special teams is usually an advantage for us week-in and week-out, but that hasn't been the case the first two weeks."
On the differences between Orlando Umana and Nick Ford…
"Well their grades are not dramatically different and we are going to go into this game with the same mentality that they are both going to play. Neither one has really created that separation yet. Nick may be a little stronger and more physical while Orlando might be a better technician right now, but they are both second year players in the program. They both bring something to the table and they are both in that top-six. We will continue to do what we are doing until one of them separates and so far through two games, that has not happened."
On Utah's Pac-12 openers seeming to always be one of the top teams in the league…
"It is how the schedule lays out and we happen to play the clear cut favorite according to all of the preseason stuff. We just have to be ready to go. We've got two games on them and they have two games on us so there is some body of work to study. They haven't changed much. Ever since Coach Pete has been there it, they have been the same well-coached, talented team. I don't anticipate a lot of surprises or changes."
On if he is looking to get more production out of the wide receivers outside of Britain Covey…
"Yep we sure are. Jaylen Dixon in our opinion has earned the right to play more and will play more. Solomon Enis, you saw him continue to get integrated into what we are doing and Bronson Boyd made a nice catch on the sideline at NIU and will continue to get more playing time. And you are right, the production in that position outside of Britain has not been where we need it to be. Britain has been very good for us, but it has to be more than the Britain Covey show. We have to get other people involved. Right now I think we are starting to see separation and who needs to get more playing time."
On if drops by a wide receiver can cost them playing time…
"Yes if it is a consistent thing and a pattern then it can cost you playing time without a doubt. I don't know anybody that is going to go an entire season without a drop, it is going to happen on occasion, but if there begins to be a trend or a patter then absolutely it will cost playing time and it will start this week."
On if he is holding some of the offense back to save them for bigger games…
"No we are just trying to win. We don't hold anything back. We are trying to win every game and be as productive as we can offensively. It isn't a situation where we are trying to save things. We are trying to be as good as we can every week."
On if watching the game film on NIU made him more encouraged about the offense than he was right after the game…
"Yeah I think so. Some ignorant penalties showed up that I didn't address, but we had some holds that were behind the football and not relevant to the play and we need to coach and get better. But it is just a matter of finding ways to not kill drives, whether it is an ignorant penalty or a dropped ball or whatever the case may be. I overreacted after the game, which I have a tendency to do, but we will be alright. We will have a great week of practice and be ready to go this Saturday."
On if Francis Bernard is up to speed with the system…
"Yeah I would say he is very comfortable now after being here a little over a month. He is just behind two really good players. Chase and Cody have been very productive and outstanding for us, so there is not a lot of opportunity yet for him. My guess is though that before it is over he will have a chance to make an impact."
Players Mentioned
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OL
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