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Kyle Whittingham Weekly Press Conference: Colorado
11/20/2023 12:40 PM | Football
SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham held his weekly press conference on Monday, meeting with members of the media inside the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center.
Selected quotes from Coach Whittingham can be seen below.
Opening Statement
"Words of advice, don't go down 28-0 to a really good team in just over 15 minutes, especially a top-20 team. That was the big issue on Saturday. Credit to (Arizona), they executed outstanding. Offensively, the quarterback was lights out, the receivers were what we thought they were going in. Very talented crew. (The first quarter) was really the big reason for the outcome. To our credit, we kept fighting, cut it to 28-10 after the first drive of the second half. Then we stalled out offensively a couple more times, and of course they added a couple more touchdowns.
"Moving forward, we've got our last home game of the season at Rice-Eccles. It'll be an opportunity for our seniors to play in the stadium and finish off great careers. These guys have had a lot of success while they've been at the University of Utah, both academically as well as football-wise. Very proud of them. Every year, when you see your seniors walking out the door, you think 'how are you going to replace these guys?' It's the same thing every year, you think 'gosh, we won so many football games with these guys, now what?' But that's the college football cycle, that's how it is. Next class moves up, you recruit a new class to come in and take the spot of the freshmen. Then you just keep going. I have very fond memories of these guys.
"We've got to get ready for Colorado. They've had a struggle the last several weeks, been going through some things. But they've got a lot of talent and the receiving corps is really good…quarterback is very talented. He's completing (almost) 70% of his balls, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's been outrageously efficient. We'll have our work cut out for us in that regard. We've got to regroup, we got beat up a little bit this last game. We'll see who's available, but whoever's available will go out there and has got to get the job done."
On Cameron Rising's decision to come back in 2024…
"Going forward for our program, (that decision) is a huge component to our team and in recruiting. It'll help a few guys (decide) that are on the fence…Cam has got to be one of the best, if not the best, returning quarterbacks in the country. He's won two championships for us. He's the ultimate leader, an alpha dog. Can't tell you how excited we are. It's going to be a great start and a big part of our outlook on next season."
On how many guys will take part in the pregame Senior Day ceremony…
"Maybe 12 to 15, as high as 18. But just because you walk doesn't mean you're (moving on). We had several guys walk last year that have played really good football for us this year. We tell them to do that, err on the side of walking rather than not. That way, if you come back, OK, great you're back. But if not, at least you've been recognized."
On the benefits of extra practices afforded through a bowl game…
"Very important. I've said it many times before, it's similar to having an additional Spring ball. Not quite as much, but there's some similarities there. I think we've done a great job in the past of structuring the practices so that our young guys get a ton of work. You don't want to wear your starters out or the upperclassmen. But it's really beneficial for the young, developmental guys—many of whom will be counted on to play next season."
On the program's evolution since joining the Pac-12…
"The Pac-12 was instrumental in building the program, not just beneficial. Having that Pac-12 moniker on our shirt; that conference affiliation ramped up everything in this program. Facilities, recruiting, budget, salaries, everything. Making the move to Power Five was a game-changer for the program, the university and the community in my opinion.
"I think we've done a pretty good job evolving. There was some tough sledding early. There was a transitional period in some respects…we came into the league fully equipped to compete at the line of scrimmage, but not on the perimeter. It took a few recruiting classes to get the roster where we needed it to be. About 2016 or 2017, we started to really get traction. Then the last four years we've played in the (Pac-12) Championship Game and won the last two. I'd say it's turned out as good as we could have hoped it would."
On the benefits of the younger guys getting game reps in spite of the injuries this season…
"It's invaluable. If there is a silver lining, that would be it. We've had a lot of guys that weren't really expected to play much this year, play a lot. This week, you might even see more. We got beat up a little bit in this last game. You might see more guys get an opportunity this week."
On Deion Sanders' first year at Colorado…
"They've won more games (this season), every home game was a sellout, turned the roster over almost completely. Is the program better in every way? I think it is. I haven't studied every single component, but from where I'm sitting, there's been a huge infusion of excitement, passion, interest, you name it."
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
Utah will finish up the regular season at home on Saturday, Nov. 25 when its hosts the Colorado Buffaloes. The game will be Utah's Senior Day with kickoff at 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network.
Selected quotes from Coach Whittingham can be seen below.
Opening Statement
"Words of advice, don't go down 28-0 to a really good team in just over 15 minutes, especially a top-20 team. That was the big issue on Saturday. Credit to (Arizona), they executed outstanding. Offensively, the quarterback was lights out, the receivers were what we thought they were going in. Very talented crew. (The first quarter) was really the big reason for the outcome. To our credit, we kept fighting, cut it to 28-10 after the first drive of the second half. Then we stalled out offensively a couple more times, and of course they added a couple more touchdowns.
"Moving forward, we've got our last home game of the season at Rice-Eccles. It'll be an opportunity for our seniors to play in the stadium and finish off great careers. These guys have had a lot of success while they've been at the University of Utah, both academically as well as football-wise. Very proud of them. Every year, when you see your seniors walking out the door, you think 'how are you going to replace these guys?' It's the same thing every year, you think 'gosh, we won so many football games with these guys, now what?' But that's the college football cycle, that's how it is. Next class moves up, you recruit a new class to come in and take the spot of the freshmen. Then you just keep going. I have very fond memories of these guys.
"We've got to get ready for Colorado. They've had a struggle the last several weeks, been going through some things. But they've got a lot of talent and the receiving corps is really good…quarterback is very talented. He's completing (almost) 70% of his balls, 27 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's been outrageously efficient. We'll have our work cut out for us in that regard. We've got to regroup, we got beat up a little bit this last game. We'll see who's available, but whoever's available will go out there and has got to get the job done."
On Cameron Rising's decision to come back in 2024…
"Going forward for our program, (that decision) is a huge component to our team and in recruiting. It'll help a few guys (decide) that are on the fence…Cam has got to be one of the best, if not the best, returning quarterbacks in the country. He's won two championships for us. He's the ultimate leader, an alpha dog. Can't tell you how excited we are. It's going to be a great start and a big part of our outlook on next season."
On how many guys will take part in the pregame Senior Day ceremony…
"Maybe 12 to 15, as high as 18. But just because you walk doesn't mean you're (moving on). We had several guys walk last year that have played really good football for us this year. We tell them to do that, err on the side of walking rather than not. That way, if you come back, OK, great you're back. But if not, at least you've been recognized."
On the benefits of extra practices afforded through a bowl game…
"Very important. I've said it many times before, it's similar to having an additional Spring ball. Not quite as much, but there's some similarities there. I think we've done a great job in the past of structuring the practices so that our young guys get a ton of work. You don't want to wear your starters out or the upperclassmen. But it's really beneficial for the young, developmental guys—many of whom will be counted on to play next season."
On the program's evolution since joining the Pac-12…
"The Pac-12 was instrumental in building the program, not just beneficial. Having that Pac-12 moniker on our shirt; that conference affiliation ramped up everything in this program. Facilities, recruiting, budget, salaries, everything. Making the move to Power Five was a game-changer for the program, the university and the community in my opinion.
"I think we've done a pretty good job evolving. There was some tough sledding early. There was a transitional period in some respects…we came into the league fully equipped to compete at the line of scrimmage, but not on the perimeter. It took a few recruiting classes to get the roster where we needed it to be. About 2016 or 2017, we started to really get traction. Then the last four years we've played in the (Pac-12) Championship Game and won the last two. I'd say it's turned out as good as we could have hoped it would."
On the benefits of the younger guys getting game reps in spite of the injuries this season…
"It's invaluable. If there is a silver lining, that would be it. We've had a lot of guys that weren't really expected to play much this year, play a lot. This week, you might even see more. We got beat up a little bit in this last game. You might see more guys get an opportunity this week."
On Deion Sanders' first year at Colorado…
"They've won more games (this season), every home game was a sellout, turned the roster over almost completely. Is the program better in every way? I think it is. I haven't studied every single component, but from where I'm sitting, there's been a huge infusion of excitement, passion, interest, you name it."
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
Utah will finish up the regular season at home on Saturday, Nov. 25 when its hosts the Colorado Buffaloes. The game will be Utah's Senior Day with kickoff at 1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network.
Players Mentioned
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