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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Football Quotes: BYU
11/4/2024 6:23 PM | Football
Senior Running Back Micah Bernard
On the bye week…
"The bye week was amazing. You get your (body) back; my body's feeling amazing right now. A lot of guys are. The focus is back on football, making sure we stay in the playbook, execute and play hard."
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On what the Utah-BYU game means to him…
"It means a lot. When you think about the rivalry, and all the years we won…the first year I was actually playing, we (lost) one and it hurts that I'm a part of that team that actually lost that game. So it means a lot to me. I don't want to feel like that ever again. I want to be on the side of the record where we're winning, not in the loss column."
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On interim offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian continuing to settle in…
"We have a lot of football junkies on the team. The coaches love football. I know that during the bye week, they had no time off. They were working. It helped him a lot to get everything situated."
Sophomore Quarterback Brandon Rose
On what it means to approach this week with where the offense is at…
"We're confident in our ability. We've had a great bye week practice. We had a great practice today. We're just trying to stack days and we're looking forward to the game."
On what it was like to get his first chance to play…
"It was a dream come true. Everybody dreams of that moment when they're a kid, wanting to play big Division I football. We fell short, we got a loss, but you shake it off and it's on to the next."
Senior Defensive End Connor O'Toole
On the game coming up on Saturday…
I'm excited to go. It's a rivalry game, so we're excited to play them. We haven't played them since my freshman year, so definitely looking toward the opportunity. They're a great team, obviously undefeated. Looking forward to getting out there and playing.
On what he knew about the Utah-BYU rivalry growing up…
I didn't [know] growing up, but once I got here, I started learning and continue to learn over the years of what this rivalry means to so many people. Obviously, we have so many in-state guys. It means so much to them. I've been able to kind of be a sponge and learn from them.
On creating more havoc plays…
You have to do it within the scheme, too, because if you go out and try and play hero ball, it will end up turning into a disaster. Making plays within the scheme, it all comes back to fundamentals and technique. Those make you make small plays and just honing in on those, whether it be hand-placement, footwork, just going back to the details constantly, looking at how your technique can help you make plays.
Senior Linebacker Karene Reid
On what the Utah-BYU rivalry means to him…
"It means a lot. Obviously, I grew up in Utah. I started off as a BYU fan. I'm just excited. I grew up watching this game and to be a part of it will be a memory for a lifetime."
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On how the defense can create more havoc plays…
"It's just being very intentional about it; both myself and my teammates. Praising people when they're going after the ball, and not letting lazy effort be permitted around here. It's both being intentional, and leading others at the same time."
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On educating his teammates who haven't played in the rivalry game…
"It's definitely interesting. You assume growing up in Utah and there's players (from Utah) on the Utah team, that they know already. But that's not the case this year. Them being 8-0 is enough to get our guys hungry, outside of the rivalry. We're going to meet as a team and educate our team as far as the rivalry, where it came from and what it means."
Â
On what stands out about BYU's offense…
"Just very balanced. Somebody asked me what I thought their strengths were, and I think their strength is that they're very balanced. They play extremely well together; receivers, quarterback, offensive line, running backs, they're one. They play with a lot of unity."
Â
On the bye week…
"The bye week was amazing. You get your (body) back; my body's feeling amazing right now. A lot of guys are. The focus is back on football, making sure we stay in the playbook, execute and play hard."
Â
On what the Utah-BYU game means to him…
"It means a lot. When you think about the rivalry, and all the years we won…the first year I was actually playing, we (lost) one and it hurts that I'm a part of that team that actually lost that game. So it means a lot to me. I don't want to feel like that ever again. I want to be on the side of the record where we're winning, not in the loss column."
Â
On interim offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian continuing to settle in…
"We have a lot of football junkies on the team. The coaches love football. I know that during the bye week, they had no time off. They were working. It helped him a lot to get everything situated."
Sophomore Quarterback Brandon Rose
On what it means to approach this week with where the offense is at…
"We're confident in our ability. We've had a great bye week practice. We had a great practice today. We're just trying to stack days and we're looking forward to the game."
On what it was like to get his first chance to play…
"It was a dream come true. Everybody dreams of that moment when they're a kid, wanting to play big Division I football. We fell short, we got a loss, but you shake it off and it's on to the next."
Senior Defensive End Connor O'Toole
On the game coming up on Saturday…
I'm excited to go. It's a rivalry game, so we're excited to play them. We haven't played them since my freshman year, so definitely looking toward the opportunity. They're a great team, obviously undefeated. Looking forward to getting out there and playing.
On what he knew about the Utah-BYU rivalry growing up…
I didn't [know] growing up, but once I got here, I started learning and continue to learn over the years of what this rivalry means to so many people. Obviously, we have so many in-state guys. It means so much to them. I've been able to kind of be a sponge and learn from them.
On creating more havoc plays…
You have to do it within the scheme, too, because if you go out and try and play hero ball, it will end up turning into a disaster. Making plays within the scheme, it all comes back to fundamentals and technique. Those make you make small plays and just honing in on those, whether it be hand-placement, footwork, just going back to the details constantly, looking at how your technique can help you make plays.
Senior Linebacker Karene Reid
On what the Utah-BYU rivalry means to him…
"It means a lot. Obviously, I grew up in Utah. I started off as a BYU fan. I'm just excited. I grew up watching this game and to be a part of it will be a memory for a lifetime."
Â
On how the defense can create more havoc plays…
"It's just being very intentional about it; both myself and my teammates. Praising people when they're going after the ball, and not letting lazy effort be permitted around here. It's both being intentional, and leading others at the same time."
Â
On educating his teammates who haven't played in the rivalry game…
"It's definitely interesting. You assume growing up in Utah and there's players (from Utah) on the Utah team, that they know already. But that's not the case this year. Them being 8-0 is enough to get our guys hungry, outside of the rivalry. We're going to meet as a team and educate our team as far as the rivalry, where it came from and what it means."
Â
On what stands out about BYU's offense…
"Just very balanced. Somebody asked me what I thought their strengths were, and I think their strength is that they're very balanced. They play extremely well together; receivers, quarterback, offensive line, running backs, they're one. They play with a lot of unity."
Â
Players Mentioned
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