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The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
Kyle Whittingham Weekly Press Conference: Arizona State
10/7/2024 12:50 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. The press conference video is available here.
Opening Statement
"The bye week came at a really good time for us. Gave us a chance to regroup a little bit and get some of the bumps and bruises that have accumulated, healed up. We've been going since August 1, so over two months straight without any sort of a break. So it's good for these guys to get a break. As we do every year (in the bye week), we try to strike a good balance getting some practice in while giving them some downtime to refresh.
"Arizona State and a road trip this week. They're playing well, 4-1. I'm impressed with a lot of things about their football team. They're much more productive offensively this year than they were last year. The tailback is a tough, hard-nosed guy. Some good receivers. Just very productive on offense. The quarterback is definitely a dual threat. We've got our work cut out for us. It's going to be hot, which is nothing new for us. We've had a few hot games this year; I think 97 (degrees) at kick is what it's projected to be. But it's the same for both teams, just like always. So we'll have to handle that. That's where we're at."
On Isaac Wilson's progression…
"I would say his entire game just needs to continue to get tighter and better. Cut down on the interceptions, first of all…But there's not any one glaring area where you can say he's really lacking in this or that. He's a freshman; a true freshman. There's going to be a learning curve, there's going to be mistakes made that you're going to have to live with. The more reps he accrues and the more playing time he gets, the less those mistakes will show up and trending in the right direction. That's really what you're looking for."
On the running backs…
"Micah Bernard has been the bell cow. He's been RB1, he's played himself into that role. He was not in that role initially at the beginning of the season; we let some things sort themselves out, which they have. He is the guy that is getting the vast majority of the carries. Mike Mitchell is a freshman, still learning, but he's added some value to that room and had some good carries this season. Dijon Stanley's done the same thing, although he's more of a limited package guy. Charlie Vincent's contributed. Jaylon Glover is a guy that you may see start to get more time. But Micah is the No. 1 guy and his play has been outstanding. That's why he's gotten the majority of the carries."
On how the bye week helps not just the players but the coaches as well…
"It gives us a good opportunity to evaluate everything. There's a lot of recruiting as well happening during the bye week, so it's not just football. Our coaches were on the road for half the bye week. Recruiting never stops; you're doing some form of recruiting every single day. When you have a bye week, it lets you physically get off campus, go watch players and evaluate. That was going on, but being able to self-evaluate and help make personnel decisions going forward, all that type of stuff, the bye week is a good time to get that done."
On the run defense…
"If we can stop the run, you've got a good chance of winning. And we did not do a good job against Arizona. We'd done a pretty good job all season up until that game. But that'll be the key this week; (ASU) is a run-heavy team. They're well over 200 yards per game rushing. If we're as non-effective as we were in the Arizona game, it's going to be a long night. That is big challenge for our defense…to become what we know we can be against the run."
On managing the gameday schedule with the late kick at Arizona State…
"Good question. On game day, when it is a late kick, we have some meetings; short offense and defense meetings, walkthrough, we have a flex period where the players stretch and stay loose. We have a designated nap period. Three meals that day; you've got breakfast, lunch and the pregame meal later on. So we find a way to keep them occupied but make sure they have enough time to rest and relax and get themselves ready for the game. It'll be important this week to hydrate. Obviously, that'll be part of it, pushing fluids on gameday as well as all week long. That's a big part of it."
On recent red-zone struggles…
"Cameron Rising is very good in the red-zone, historically. That's part of it. We're about 20% off where we need to be. It's not like we're absolutely horrible. We're at 50%, which isn't good by any means, but 70% is our target. If we can be 70% in the red-zone, which we have been for several years…then that's good production. An experienced guy like Cam that has as much accrued football time, he's going to be very adept in the red-zone."
On what stands out about ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt…
"His athleticism. He's a true dual-threat. He's doing a good job with the QB run game for (ASU). He's still really young, so his development is still ahead of him. His efficiency rating right now is about 133 throwing the ball, so he still has some work to do there. But he's doing a really good job of doing what they're asking him to do. They're doing a really good job of making sure the offense is tailored to his skillset. Very capable runner. He's a tough kid, (in the transfer portal) we liked everything about him. We thought he could be a terrific safety as well or a linebacker. He's one of those QBs that could play two or three other spots. So athletic—like a Chase Hansen."
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Selected quotes from Coach Whittingham can be seen below. The press conference video is available here.
Opening Statement
"The bye week came at a really good time for us. Gave us a chance to regroup a little bit and get some of the bumps and bruises that have accumulated, healed up. We've been going since August 1, so over two months straight without any sort of a break. So it's good for these guys to get a break. As we do every year (in the bye week), we try to strike a good balance getting some practice in while giving them some downtime to refresh.
"Arizona State and a road trip this week. They're playing well, 4-1. I'm impressed with a lot of things about their football team. They're much more productive offensively this year than they were last year. The tailback is a tough, hard-nosed guy. Some good receivers. Just very productive on offense. The quarterback is definitely a dual threat. We've got our work cut out for us. It's going to be hot, which is nothing new for us. We've had a few hot games this year; I think 97 (degrees) at kick is what it's projected to be. But it's the same for both teams, just like always. So we'll have to handle that. That's where we're at."
On Isaac Wilson's progression…
"I would say his entire game just needs to continue to get tighter and better. Cut down on the interceptions, first of all…But there's not any one glaring area where you can say he's really lacking in this or that. He's a freshman; a true freshman. There's going to be a learning curve, there's going to be mistakes made that you're going to have to live with. The more reps he accrues and the more playing time he gets, the less those mistakes will show up and trending in the right direction. That's really what you're looking for."
On the running backs…
"Micah Bernard has been the bell cow. He's been RB1, he's played himself into that role. He was not in that role initially at the beginning of the season; we let some things sort themselves out, which they have. He is the guy that is getting the vast majority of the carries. Mike Mitchell is a freshman, still learning, but he's added some value to that room and had some good carries this season. Dijon Stanley's done the same thing, although he's more of a limited package guy. Charlie Vincent's contributed. Jaylon Glover is a guy that you may see start to get more time. But Micah is the No. 1 guy and his play has been outstanding. That's why he's gotten the majority of the carries."
On how the bye week helps not just the players but the coaches as well…
"It gives us a good opportunity to evaluate everything. There's a lot of recruiting as well happening during the bye week, so it's not just football. Our coaches were on the road for half the bye week. Recruiting never stops; you're doing some form of recruiting every single day. When you have a bye week, it lets you physically get off campus, go watch players and evaluate. That was going on, but being able to self-evaluate and help make personnel decisions going forward, all that type of stuff, the bye week is a good time to get that done."
On the run defense…
"If we can stop the run, you've got a good chance of winning. And we did not do a good job against Arizona. We'd done a pretty good job all season up until that game. But that'll be the key this week; (ASU) is a run-heavy team. They're well over 200 yards per game rushing. If we're as non-effective as we were in the Arizona game, it's going to be a long night. That is big challenge for our defense…to become what we know we can be against the run."
On managing the gameday schedule with the late kick at Arizona State…
"Good question. On game day, when it is a late kick, we have some meetings; short offense and defense meetings, walkthrough, we have a flex period where the players stretch and stay loose. We have a designated nap period. Three meals that day; you've got breakfast, lunch and the pregame meal later on. So we find a way to keep them occupied but make sure they have enough time to rest and relax and get themselves ready for the game. It'll be important this week to hydrate. Obviously, that'll be part of it, pushing fluids on gameday as well as all week long. That's a big part of it."
On recent red-zone struggles…
"Cameron Rising is very good in the red-zone, historically. That's part of it. We're about 20% off where we need to be. It's not like we're absolutely horrible. We're at 50%, which isn't good by any means, but 70% is our target. If we can be 70% in the red-zone, which we have been for several years…then that's good production. An experienced guy like Cam that has as much accrued football time, he's going to be very adept in the red-zone."
On what stands out about ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt…
"His athleticism. He's a true dual-threat. He's doing a good job with the QB run game for (ASU). He's still really young, so his development is still ahead of him. His efficiency rating right now is about 133 throwing the ball, so he still has some work to do there. But he's doing a really good job of doing what they're asking him to do. They're doing a really good job of making sure the offense is tailored to his skillset. Very capable runner. He's a tough kid, (in the transfer portal) we liked everything about him. We thought he could be a terrific safety as well or a linebacker. He's one of those QBs that could play two or three other spots. So athletic—like a Chase Hansen."
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Players Mentioned
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QB
/ FootballFormer Utah Football Head Coach Urban Meyer inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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