Midweek Notebook: Utes Finishing Prep for Washington State
10/26/2022 9:39 AM | Football
Checking in on Utah and looking at Washington State before Thursday night’s game on FS1
SALT LAKE CITY – The No. 14 Utah football team is back to business, coming off its bye week and Pullman-bound for a Pac-12 Conference matchup at Washington State's Gesa Field. The Utes will depart Salt Lake City on Wednesday, ready for the program's 100th regular season conference game since joining the league in 2011.
While the Thursday kickoff (8 p.m. MT) marks the first midweek matchup of this season, it's not unheard of for the Utes. Utah played a pair of Friday night Pac-12 contests during the 2021 regular season and opened up last year with a Thursday game as well.
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This time around against Washington State, it just means a couple small tweaks to the practice schedule. The Utes had a couple days off during the bye week, then came back last Thursday to get ready for the Cougars.
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"We picked up [last] Thursday as if it was a Monday, then just carried on through," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Gave them Sunday off, so (Monday) is kind of like a Wednesday/Thursday hybrid practice, I guess you could say. (Tuesday) will be like a Thursday, then we're right on track for a Wednesday/Thursday routine that is the same as a Friday/Saturday."
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In the end, the on- and off-field prep is the same for Utah as any other game week and any other opponent.
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Wide receiver Devaughn Vele complimented the Washington State defense, noting the Cougars' cohesiveness as a unit.
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"They're very fundamentally-sound," Vele said. "They play hard. They try not to trust too much in individual effort, but more in team effort. Everybody's making sure they're doing their own jobs, and making sure they understand everybody [else] is doing their own jobs as well. That's what's making them such a great team defensively that they keep it low-scoring games."
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Whittingham, too, spoke highly of what the Cougars have put on film in all phases, but particularly as Utah looks to solve a defense that is allowing the fewest points per game in the Pac-12.
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"(Daiyan Henley) is exceptional, I think he's second in the league in tackles. They've got a couple defensive ends that put pressure on the quarterback. Secondary is talented and plays hard."
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On offense, the Utes have drawn some similarities between Washington State and the what the team faced two weeks ago against USC.
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Said defensive end Jonah Elliss, "I think (the quarterback is) really similar to USC's, just in the fact he's really elusive. It's hard to get him down…I think he's really similar to a lot of these athletic quarterbacks."
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NEXT UP
Utah takes on the Washington State Cougars on Thursday, Oct. 27. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. MT on FS1.
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FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
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— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 26, 2022
We are a player-first program. Our players choose the uniform combo each week. We're honored to play another game with these helmets on. pic.twitter.com/gvI4pCcaIw
While the Thursday kickoff (8 p.m. MT) marks the first midweek matchup of this season, it's not unheard of for the Utes. Utah played a pair of Friday night Pac-12 contests during the 2021 regular season and opened up last year with a Thursday game as well.
Â
This time around against Washington State, it just means a couple small tweaks to the practice schedule. The Utes had a couple days off during the bye week, then came back last Thursday to get ready for the Cougars.
Â
"We picked up [last] Thursday as if it was a Monday, then just carried on through," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "Gave them Sunday off, so (Monday) is kind of like a Wednesday/Thursday hybrid practice, I guess you could say. (Tuesday) will be like a Thursday, then we're right on track for a Wednesday/Thursday routine that is the same as a Friday/Saturday."
Â
In the end, the on- and off-field prep is the same for Utah as any other game week and any other opponent.
Â
Wide receiver Devaughn Vele complimented the Washington State defense, noting the Cougars' cohesiveness as a unit.
Â
"They're very fundamentally-sound," Vele said. "They play hard. They try not to trust too much in individual effort, but more in team effort. Everybody's making sure they're doing their own jobs, and making sure they understand everybody [else] is doing their own jobs as well. That's what's making them such a great team defensively that they keep it low-scoring games."
Â
Whittingham, too, spoke highly of what the Cougars have put on film in all phases, but particularly as Utah looks to solve a defense that is allowing the fewest points per game in the Pac-12.
Â
"(Daiyan Henley) is exceptional, I think he's second in the league in tackles. They've got a couple defensive ends that put pressure on the quarterback. Secondary is talented and plays hard."
Â
On offense, the Utes have drawn some similarities between Washington State and the what the team faced two weeks ago against USC.
Â
Said defensive end Jonah Elliss, "I think (the quarterback is) really similar to USC's, just in the fact he's really elusive. It's hard to get him down…I think he's really similar to a lot of these athletic quarterbacks."
Â
NEXT UP
Utah takes on the Washington State Cougars on Thursday, Oct. 27. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. MT on FS1.
Â
FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
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