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The University of Utah Athletics
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What They’re Saying: Back to Business with the Bears
10/11/2023 2:19 PM | Football
Utah hosts California on Saturday in annual Ute Proud game
SALT LAKE CITY – It's game week once again in Salt Lake City as the Utah Football team is back inside Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time since late September. It'll be a 1 p.m. showdown on Saturday vs. California, with the forecast calling for a nice Fall afternoon along the Wasatch Front.
Saturday's contest will serve as the annual Ute Proud game, with Utah Athletics set to honor several groups in recognition of the university's Ute Proud tradition. More information on the celebrations and the university's special relationship shared with the Ute Indian Tribe can be found in the Game Week guide.
Utah, of course, is coming out of its bye week looking to avenge a Sept. 29 loss at Oregon State. Injuries have presented the team with its fair share of challenges this season, but head coach Kyle Whittingham praised how his group has pressed forward while approaching the halfway point of the year.
"I think (the players have) done a nice job handling adversity because we have had some tough spots through the season and they have had a great attitude and mentality toward that," he said on Monday. "They have stuck together through that. We have played better on defense than we have on offense, but there has been absolutely no finger pointing. They have done a nice job of staying unified."
Among the highlights through five games has been the lockdown effort of the Utah defense, which is allowing just 11.8 points per game to lead the Pac-12 and rank top-five in the nation. Up front, defensive tackle Jonah Elliss has made 7.5 sacks to lead Power Five football.
Midseason awards are beginning to trickle in, and offensive lineman Spencer Fano was tabbed to On3's Midseason True Freshman All-American Team.
As the Utes get ready for Cal, several of the players plus linebackers coach Colton Swan and tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham met with the local media.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Colton Swan | Linebackers Coach
On defending the pass game…
"There are good challenges coming up. From the linebacker position, our guys are really intuitive as far as the depth in their drops and the routes they've got to cover. With hybrids, we've got to cover the pass and the run. I think Lander Barton and Karene Reid, especially, do a really good job of reading and understanding concepts behind them. We've had two pick-sixes from the group; I think that speaks for itself as far as pass coverage."
On increasing defensive takeaways…
"(Creating turnovers is) a constant work in progress not just for the linebackers, but for the entire defense. Our whole job is to get the ball back to the offense, and give them as many opportunities to score. If we can (score) that's a bonus. But creating turnovers is one thing at the linebacker position that we're constantly working on. (The two) interceptions for touchdowns from Karene Reid and Lander Barton were from drills that we do throughout the week. It's nice to see it come to life in a game. We spend a lot of time as linebackers trying to get the ball back to the offense."
Freddie Whittingham | Tight Ends Coach
On what he's most confident in with his group…
"What I'm most confident in is that I've got a bunch of guys that care. They know their plays and they do the best they can to execute their plays. We haven't been perfect as an offense; that goes for every position group. It's something we have to take pride in and put some points on the board."
What does it take to get the tight ends going and help the offense?
"Every position group needs to get up and going, including (the tight ends). We have to be great in run blocking. If we can successfully run the ball, that opens play-action pass, the throw game and everything else. It all starts with the run. We've got to have great footwork, pad level, technique, effort and finish. That goes across the board for all tight ends. If we can do that, I feel good about everything else falling in place."
On what he's seen from Landen King…
"Landen is a very good receiving tight end. In his development, what I would like to see is him putting on bulk, and getting up to the weight of a true tight end. He's got to take that upon himself and make sure that he is adding weight every single week, to get to a level where we can line him up at the line of scrimmage against a 270-pound defensive end and feel good about it."
Jaylon Glover | RB | So.
On Nate Johnson…
"Nate has all the attributes to be a leader. With all this experience right now, it's going to help him down the line. Ultimately, from the highs and lows, I think he can really learn from this. For us as a unit and team, we can learn from all the adversity that we've been facing this season.
"[Nate] is really composed in the huddle. There's no jitters, no shaking of the play call. When we break the huddle, we're ready to go. Just have to execute it in the right way. As for Nate personally, he's really poised and you can tell he's ready to compete."
What did you get out of the bye week?
"Coming into the bye with the [Oregon State] loss, energy was a bit low. We are 4-1, but we know how good this team can be. We really got to sit down and reflect, watch more film than we usually would from the Oregon State game and get a head start on Cal. I think it was a benefit, all-in-all. Coach Ludwig said there couldn't be a better time for this bye week and get ready for the rest of the season."
Junior Tafuna | DT | Jr.
On generating more turnovers and pressure on the quarterback…
"We're going to do our jobs, but we need a little more to happen. We've been working on that. Coach Elliss talked about wearing a badge of honor, going out there and playing our half of the ball. Get the ball over to the offense and give them more opportunities. It's about the mindset of just going out there, doing it and believing in it."
Devaughn Vele | WR | Jr.
What did you get out of the bye week?
"We got some good practices in. It was also nice for the injured guys, especially, to get some rest and hopefully get back soon."
On Nate Johnson…
"He has a great attitude. Obviously, it's a hard position to ask of him. Some big shoes with Cam being out so far. We're asking a lot of him as a freshman, but I think he's handling it well. As a veteran group, we're trying to help him along and get him comfortable in the pocket."
On Nate breaking the huddle and managing on the field…
"He tries to talk to us as much as we try to talk to him. Especially when things aren't going our way, we try to keep him calm; just understand that we have to stick to what we have to do, execute the game plan, things like that. As he gets more experience, his confidence level and comfort level will exponentially get better."
FOLLOW US!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program during its journey through the 2023 season, follow the Utes on social media along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
Twitter: @Utah_Football
Instagram: @UtahFootball
Threads: @UtahFootball
Facebook: Utah Football
TikTok: @Utah_Football
UP NEXT
The Utes will host the California Bears on Saturday, Oct. 14 for their annual Ute Proud game. The game will kickoff at 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
Saturday's contest will serve as the annual Ute Proud game, with Utah Athletics set to honor several groups in recognition of the university's Ute Proud tradition. More information on the celebrations and the university's special relationship shared with the Ute Indian Tribe can be found in the Game Week guide.
Utah, of course, is coming out of its bye week looking to avenge a Sept. 29 loss at Oregon State. Injuries have presented the team with its fair share of challenges this season, but head coach Kyle Whittingham praised how his group has pressed forward while approaching the halfway point of the year.
"I think (the players have) done a nice job handling adversity because we have had some tough spots through the season and they have had a great attitude and mentality toward that," he said on Monday. "They have stuck together through that. We have played better on defense than we have on offense, but there has been absolutely no finger pointing. They have done a nice job of staying unified."
Among the highlights through five games has been the lockdown effort of the Utah defense, which is allowing just 11.8 points per game to lead the Pac-12 and rank top-five in the nation. Up front, defensive tackle Jonah Elliss has made 7.5 sacks to lead Power Five football.
#SackLakeCity, say hello to your Mayor. @jonah_elliss pic.twitter.com/8NXaygRbbl
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 10, 2023
Midseason awards are beginning to trickle in, and offensive lineman Spencer Fano was tabbed to On3's Midseason True Freshman All-American Team.
On3 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team via @CharlesPower??
— On3 (@On3sports) October 9, 2023
Read: https://t.co/qR383sFA4O pic.twitter.com/NSEA4IJboS
As the Utes get ready for Cal, several of the players plus linebackers coach Colton Swan and tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham met with the local media.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Colton Swan | Linebackers Coach
On defending the pass game…
"There are good challenges coming up. From the linebacker position, our guys are really intuitive as far as the depth in their drops and the routes they've got to cover. With hybrids, we've got to cover the pass and the run. I think Lander Barton and Karene Reid, especially, do a really good job of reading and understanding concepts behind them. We've had two pick-sixes from the group; I think that speaks for itself as far as pass coverage."
On increasing defensive takeaways…
"(Creating turnovers is) a constant work in progress not just for the linebackers, but for the entire defense. Our whole job is to get the ball back to the offense, and give them as many opportunities to score. If we can (score) that's a bonus. But creating turnovers is one thing at the linebacker position that we're constantly working on. (The two) interceptions for touchdowns from Karene Reid and Lander Barton were from drills that we do throughout the week. It's nice to see it come to life in a game. We spend a lot of time as linebackers trying to get the ball back to the offense."
Freddie Whittingham | Tight Ends Coach
On what he's most confident in with his group…
"What I'm most confident in is that I've got a bunch of guys that care. They know their plays and they do the best they can to execute their plays. We haven't been perfect as an offense; that goes for every position group. It's something we have to take pride in and put some points on the board."
What does it take to get the tight ends going and help the offense?
"Every position group needs to get up and going, including (the tight ends). We have to be great in run blocking. If we can successfully run the ball, that opens play-action pass, the throw game and everything else. It all starts with the run. We've got to have great footwork, pad level, technique, effort and finish. That goes across the board for all tight ends. If we can do that, I feel good about everything else falling in place."
On what he's seen from Landen King…
"Landen is a very good receiving tight end. In his development, what I would like to see is him putting on bulk, and getting up to the weight of a true tight end. He's got to take that upon himself and make sure that he is adding weight every single week, to get to a level where we can line him up at the line of scrimmage against a 270-pound defensive end and feel good about it."
Jaylon Glover | RB | So.
On Nate Johnson…
"Nate has all the attributes to be a leader. With all this experience right now, it's going to help him down the line. Ultimately, from the highs and lows, I think he can really learn from this. For us as a unit and team, we can learn from all the adversity that we've been facing this season.
"[Nate] is really composed in the huddle. There's no jitters, no shaking of the play call. When we break the huddle, we're ready to go. Just have to execute it in the right way. As for Nate personally, he's really poised and you can tell he's ready to compete."
What did you get out of the bye week?
"Coming into the bye with the [Oregon State] loss, energy was a bit low. We are 4-1, but we know how good this team can be. We really got to sit down and reflect, watch more film than we usually would from the Oregon State game and get a head start on Cal. I think it was a benefit, all-in-all. Coach Ludwig said there couldn't be a better time for this bye week and get ready for the rest of the season."
Junior Tafuna | DT | Jr.
On generating more turnovers and pressure on the quarterback…
"We're going to do our jobs, but we need a little more to happen. We've been working on that. Coach Elliss talked about wearing a badge of honor, going out there and playing our half of the ball. Get the ball over to the offense and give them more opportunities. It's about the mindset of just going out there, doing it and believing in it."
Devaughn Vele | WR | Jr.
What did you get out of the bye week?
"We got some good practices in. It was also nice for the injured guys, especially, to get some rest and hopefully get back soon."
On Nate Johnson…
"He has a great attitude. Obviously, it's a hard position to ask of him. Some big shoes with Cam being out so far. We're asking a lot of him as a freshman, but I think he's handling it well. As a veteran group, we're trying to help him along and get him comfortable in the pocket."
On Nate breaking the huddle and managing on the field…
"He tries to talk to us as much as we try to talk to him. Especially when things aren't going our way, we try to keep him calm; just understand that we have to stick to what we have to do, execute the game plan, things like that. As he gets more experience, his confidence level and comfort level will exponentially get better."
FOLLOW US!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program during its journey through the 2023 season, follow the Utes on social media along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
Twitter: @Utah_Football
Instagram: @UtahFootball
Threads: @UtahFootball
Facebook: Utah Football
TikTok: @Utah_Football
UP NEXT
The Utes will host the California Bears on Saturday, Oct. 14 for their annual Ute Proud game. The game will kickoff at 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Networks.
Players Mentioned
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