Photos by Hunter Dyke and Sophia Kuder
Coaches Corner: ASU Ahead
10/9/2024 1:12 PM | Football
Utes return from bye week with a Friday night contest in Tempe
SALT LAKE CITY – It's back to business this week for the Utah Football team as the Utes get ready for a trip down to Tempe, Arizona, and a Friday night meeting with Arizona State.
Looking to bounce back from a loss entering their bye week, the Utes will kick off against ASU at 8:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN. The Sun Devils are a familiar conference mate for Utah, which have been league foes in the early days of the WAC, then the Pac-12 and now Big 12.
"We've practiced well…How you prepare is a good indicator of how you (play)," said head coach Kyle Whittingham on Tuesday. "I hate byes where you're coming off of a loss, because you have to sit on that loss for two weeks. When you have a situation like that, you want to play and get back on the field right away. But the situation we're in is exactly that. We've had good practices. If there was a funk or cloud over your head, that could change things, but I think we've prepared well."
As Utah finishes preparation for Friday's game, wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted and cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah updated the local media on their position groups, as well as share how the Utes have navigated the bye week.
Wide Receivers Coach Alvis Whitted
On goals in the bye week…
"I would say, No. 1, getting healthy and helping guys get back to normal. Two, refine things that we always need to work on technique-wise. And then, just refocus, and get back to playing good football every day. Obviously, we still have some time to get ready for Arizona State."
On responding after the Arizona loss…
"Our guys are resilient. It's going to hurt a little bit. But I think we have very mature kids. And I think they handled it well. It stung, but we have to get back to the drawing board. Have to find a way to get this win—go 1-0. That's all that matters, and I think they're starting with the right mindset. Today was a great day of practice. Just have to keep rolling."
On progress with the wide receivers…
"They're steady, and getting better. I think we have a really good group, guys that care and really work in practice. They show it on the field, going and making plays, and doing everything they can to be a complete player on the field. I'm excited about the trajectory that we're going."
On the freshmen in the room…
"They're contributing in different ways. Guys are playing on (special) teams. That's a good start for those guys. I think that's a really good introduction for them to take some ownership. If they can do that, then they'll earn a role in playing receiver. Guys are wanting to play and wanting to get on the bus. If they can contribute in that way, it'll help them in playing receiver."
Cornerbacks Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Sharrieff Shah
On coming off the bye week…
"You hate to drop (a game) and then have to sit on it. That's the worst. The only thing good about it is that you're able to analyze it, go over it with your players, recognize where we went wrong and the type of corrections that have to be made quickly. Then, study your opponent. That's the good side. But I just don't like to sit on a loss."
On guys getting back in gear following the Arizona game…
"You sit around and think about it…we say 'alright, let's move on', you're still like 'had I made one more play, been a little bit better, made a tackle, held my leverage, maybe the outcome would've been different.' But at some point, you just excise the demons and you move on. We've been good at doing that. This week has been good, really good, in terms of the energy and moving forward with positive vibes. Coach Scalley has been awesome in that respect. He comes to every meeting with a very good, real-life story. It's not just about football. We have to remind ourselves that. As a coach, you always want to think about X's and O's. But it's so much more than that. In that respect, it's nice to sit back and say, 'alright, this loss allowed us to at least grow a little closer in ways we couldn't recognize.' Hopefully, that will manifest itself on Friday."
On younger players stepping up following Kenan Johnson's injury…
"We've done well, not as well as I'd like. But it's been good. When you lose (Kenan's) level of experience, that's hard to make up for. You just don't have anybody that has four-plus years of playing. You just want boys to get it faster. We've made a few plays; we've certainly missed on a few. For me, it's about being able to sit and say, 'OK, we're getting a little better. I want it as fast as we possibly can.' But I love their desire to work. So many of the boys are here at 5:30 in the morning with me (saying), 'Coach, let's just watch a little film.' I'm here if (they) want to come and sit in my office with me. And they do. And I love that."
FOLLOW UTAH FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Follow along with behind the scenes content and coverage throughout the season on social media through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
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!
Looking to bounce back from a loss entering their bye week, the Utes will kick off against ASU at 8:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN. The Sun Devils are a familiar conference mate for Utah, which have been league foes in the early days of the WAC, then the Pac-12 and now Big 12.
"We've practiced well…How you prepare is a good indicator of how you (play)," said head coach Kyle Whittingham on Tuesday. "I hate byes where you're coming off of a loss, because you have to sit on that loss for two weeks. When you have a situation like that, you want to play and get back on the field right away. But the situation we're in is exactly that. We've had good practices. If there was a funk or cloud over your head, that could change things, but I think we've prepared well."
Road trip fit ??????#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/MUq2F73IH2
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 7, 2024
As Utah finishes preparation for Friday's game, wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted and cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah updated the local media on their position groups, as well as share how the Utes have navigated the bye week.
Wide Receivers Coach Alvis Whitted
On goals in the bye week…
"I would say, No. 1, getting healthy and helping guys get back to normal. Two, refine things that we always need to work on technique-wise. And then, just refocus, and get back to playing good football every day. Obviously, we still have some time to get ready for Arizona State."
On responding after the Arizona loss…
"Our guys are resilient. It's going to hurt a little bit. But I think we have very mature kids. And I think they handled it well. It stung, but we have to get back to the drawing board. Have to find a way to get this win—go 1-0. That's all that matters, and I think they're starting with the right mindset. Today was a great day of practice. Just have to keep rolling."
On progress with the wide receivers…
"They're steady, and getting better. I think we have a really good group, guys that care and really work in practice. They show it on the field, going and making plays, and doing everything they can to be a complete player on the field. I'm excited about the trajectory that we're going."
On the freshmen in the room…
"They're contributing in different ways. Guys are playing on (special) teams. That's a good start for those guys. I think that's a really good introduction for them to take some ownership. If they can do that, then they'll earn a role in playing receiver. Guys are wanting to play and wanting to get on the bus. If they can contribute in that way, it'll help them in playing receiver."
Cornerbacks Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Sharrieff Shah
On coming off the bye week…
"You hate to drop (a game) and then have to sit on it. That's the worst. The only thing good about it is that you're able to analyze it, go over it with your players, recognize where we went wrong and the type of corrections that have to be made quickly. Then, study your opponent. That's the good side. But I just don't like to sit on a loss."
On guys getting back in gear following the Arizona game…
"You sit around and think about it…we say 'alright, let's move on', you're still like 'had I made one more play, been a little bit better, made a tackle, held my leverage, maybe the outcome would've been different.' But at some point, you just excise the demons and you move on. We've been good at doing that. This week has been good, really good, in terms of the energy and moving forward with positive vibes. Coach Scalley has been awesome in that respect. He comes to every meeting with a very good, real-life story. It's not just about football. We have to remind ourselves that. As a coach, you always want to think about X's and O's. But it's so much more than that. In that respect, it's nice to sit back and say, 'alright, this loss allowed us to at least grow a little closer in ways we couldn't recognize.' Hopefully, that will manifest itself on Friday."
On younger players stepping up following Kenan Johnson's injury…
"We've done well, not as well as I'd like. But it's been good. When you lose (Kenan's) level of experience, that's hard to make up for. You just don't have anybody that has four-plus years of playing. You just want boys to get it faster. We've made a few plays; we've certainly missed on a few. For me, it's about being able to sit and say, 'OK, we're getting a little better. I want it as fast as we possibly can.' But I love their desire to work. So many of the boys are here at 5:30 in the morning with me (saying), 'Coach, let's just watch a little film.' I'm here if (they) want to come and sit in my office with me. And they do. And I love that."
FOLLOW UTAH FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Follow along with behind the scenes content and coverage throughout the season on social media through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
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!
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