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The University of Utah Athletics
What They’re Saying: Pac-12 Play Begins with the Bruins
9/20/2023 10:56 AM | Football
No. 11 Utah hosts No. 22 UCLA on Saturday for Homecoming inside Rice-Eccles Stadium
SALT LAKE CITY – With the Utah Football team off to its first 3-0 start since 2019 and 12th undefeated non-conference slate under head coach Kyle Whittingham, the focus for the Utes now turns to Pac-12 Conference play.
Saturday's 1:30 p.m. kickoff vs. UCLA will be Homecoming for the Utes as well as the Stripe the Stadium game—fans can view this map for the color assignment (wearing either red or white) in their ticked section.
While some may place emphasis on this weekend being the league opener, Whittingham said that every game on the schedule is big, no matter the week and no matter the opponent.
"Every week is the same to me because every game counts the same to me, every game is important," he said in his weekly press conference. "I think that has been one of our strengths through the years, to not get on the rollercoaster, to just be at a high level every week and prepare the same way. We don't try to play outside of the framework of our structures. We have to handle adversity, which we've done an excellent job of doing this year so far."
Utah is currently ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll; it's the 13th straight week that the Utes have ranked top-15 in both polls.
Throughout this week, players and assistant coaches from both sides of the ball met with the local media to assess the first three weeks of the season and look ahead to the meeting with the Bruins.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Jim Harding | Offensive Line Coach
On where things are at going into Week 4…
"We certainly have a lot of work to get done. Thankful to be 3-0, but up front we have things that we each need to work on collectively, as well as individually. That will be the focus this week."
On freshman Spencer Fano…
"Certainly a tall task for him (to start as a true freshman). Every single time something happens, it's a new experience for him. But I think, all in all, he's done a nice job. Certainly, things we can improve upon. But he's done a nice job for an 18-year old kid."
Is there something you really like about this group so far?
"Right now, I think we've done a nice job communicating. I think Jaren (Kump) stepping in and communicating the front calls, flipping the protections, things like that; I think we can hang our hat on that. We know who to block, now we just have to go ahead and execute."
Luther Elliss | Defensive Tackles Coach
On UCLA…
"Very talented team. Very good O-line. Athletic, they move and work well together. Young quarterback, but you see his talent and see why they're playing him, what he's doing. They're just a talented team. It's going to be a great test for us. A true test."
On where his group is at right now…
"I think we're ahead of schedule, meaning I think we're further along than we were last year. It would be great to get our guys back at 100% and see what they can do, and see what we can continue to build together…It'll just be nice to have the whole unit intact."
Jonah Elliss | DE | Jr.
On the caliber of the defense in turn giving the offense some more latitude…
"We are trying to be the best in the country. And if that helps our offense, the better it is. As long as we do our job, we put our offense in a good spot. If we get three-and-outs, the more our offense is on the field, the better an offensive team we're going to be. That's what we're shooting for; three-and-outs every drive."
Jaylon Glover | RB | So.
On the depth of this team…
"We talked about that in the team meeting today. We've just got a resilient crew. You talk about depth; for us having [guys] down right now, [depth] means a lot. Utah does a great job in recruiting and they do a great job keeping us ready to go. Next man up mentality; I know y'all probably get tired of hearing it. But that's really how it is here."
Nate Johnson | QB | R-Fr.
On how he's come along in the offense…
"It's coming along well. From Spring ball, coming off an injury; in Fall camp my main goal was working on accuracy and building trust, both with Coach Ludwig and Coach Whittingham. Building the trust to get those snaps and reps in practice as well. The more reps I was getting, the more comfortable I became with the offense."
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 remain in Salt Lake City this week to host the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Sept. 23. The game is set to start at 1:30 p.m. MT on FOX.
Saturday's 1:30 p.m. kickoff vs. UCLA will be Homecoming for the Utes as well as the Stripe the Stadium game—fans can view this map for the color assignment (wearing either red or white) in their ticked section.
While some may place emphasis on this weekend being the league opener, Whittingham said that every game on the schedule is big, no matter the week and no matter the opponent.
"Every week is the same to me because every game counts the same to me, every game is important," he said in his weekly press conference. "I think that has been one of our strengths through the years, to not get on the rollercoaster, to just be at a high level every week and prepare the same way. We don't try to play outside of the framework of our structures. We have to handle adversity, which we've done an excellent job of doing this year so far."
Utah is currently ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll; it's the 13th straight week that the Utes have ranked top-15 in both polls.
???? @BanderLarton https://t.co/CP3KuSxXH3
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 19, 2023
Throughout this week, players and assistant coaches from both sides of the ball met with the local media to assess the first three weeks of the season and look ahead to the meeting with the Bruins.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Jim Harding | Offensive Line Coach
On where things are at going into Week 4…
"We certainly have a lot of work to get done. Thankful to be 3-0, but up front we have things that we each need to work on collectively, as well as individually. That will be the focus this week."
On freshman Spencer Fano…
"Certainly a tall task for him (to start as a true freshman). Every single time something happens, it's a new experience for him. But I think, all in all, he's done a nice job. Certainly, things we can improve upon. But he's done a nice job for an 18-year old kid."
Is there something you really like about this group so far?
"Right now, I think we've done a nice job communicating. I think Jaren (Kump) stepping in and communicating the front calls, flipping the protections, things like that; I think we can hang our hat on that. We know who to block, now we just have to go ahead and execute."
Luther Elliss | Defensive Tackles Coach
On UCLA…
"Very talented team. Very good O-line. Athletic, they move and work well together. Young quarterback, but you see his talent and see why they're playing him, what he's doing. They're just a talented team. It's going to be a great test for us. A true test."
On where his group is at right now…
"I think we're ahead of schedule, meaning I think we're further along than we were last year. It would be great to get our guys back at 100% and see what they can do, and see what we can continue to build together…It'll just be nice to have the whole unit intact."
Jonah Elliss | DE | Jr.
On the caliber of the defense in turn giving the offense some more latitude…
"We are trying to be the best in the country. And if that helps our offense, the better it is. As long as we do our job, we put our offense in a good spot. If we get three-and-outs, the more our offense is on the field, the better an offensive team we're going to be. That's what we're shooting for; three-and-outs every drive."
Jaylon Glover | RB | So.
On the depth of this team…
"We talked about that in the team meeting today. We've just got a resilient crew. You talk about depth; for us having [guys] down right now, [depth] means a lot. Utah does a great job in recruiting and they do a great job keeping us ready to go. Next man up mentality; I know y'all probably get tired of hearing it. But that's really how it is here."
Nate Johnson | QB | R-Fr.
On how he's come along in the offense…
"It's coming along well. From Spring ball, coming off an injury; in Fall camp my main goal was working on accuracy and building trust, both with Coach Ludwig and Coach Whittingham. Building the trust to get those snaps and reps in practice as well. The more reps I was getting, the more comfortable I became with the offense."
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 remain in Salt Lake City this week to host the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Sept. 23. The game is set to start at 1:30 p.m. MT on FOX.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballFormer Utah Football Head Coach Urban Meyer inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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