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The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Eli Rehmer/Utah Athletics
Coaches Corner: Headin’ up North
9/13/2024 10:00 AM | Football
Taking a look in the trenches as the Utes head up to Utah State
SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time this season, the Utah Football team is taking the show on the road.
Saturday afternoon will see the Utes renew an old in-state rivalry with Utah State up in Logan inside Maverik Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
Utah's first two wins at home came thanks in part to strong performances on the offensive and defensive lines. The defense combined for eight sacks over the team's first two games—all from the guys in the trenches. On the other side, the offensive line allowed just one sack in the season opener, before opening holes against Baylor for running back Micah Bernard to tally 118 yards.
Before the Utes load up the bus for the trip to Cache Valley, defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss, along with offensive line coach Jim Harding, visited with the local media to share their takeaways from two games.
Defensive Tackles Coach Luther Elliss
On how his position group has played to start the season…
"I think we're heading in the right direction. I think guys are getting better every week, understanding how we play and the things we do and I see each one of them getting better every week, so that's a good thing."
On what practice looks like with such a veteran group…
"The biggest thing I think is conditioning, running, being full speed and breaking that stack, meaning turning and running after the ball because we're so talented, I feel like we're so deep, so there's no reason to save anything. I want you to go 100 miles per hour. If you have to spring 50 yards, 100 yards, you have to spring all 50 or 100. Then, we'll get you a break. I think the biggest thing I have to do right now is stay on them and press and continue to run like there's no tomorrow."
On the balance between letting players get a feel for the game and having fresh bodies on the field…
"That's a great question. The biggest thing is having a feel for the guys and what they're doing. They might be able to go a couple series in a row. It depends on what happens in the series. If it's a 10, 12, 13-play drive, we're probably going to give them a break next time because they should've been in a groove by that time. I think it's just how you feel. If we're going three-and-out, we'll probably give them a couple series to let them go."
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Jim Harding
On the Baylor game…
"We certainly started out well and fast. There was a little bit of a lull there in the middle. We certainly have to do our part to raise our game in light of anything that's going on. I was proud of the way that the guys finished. We had a little-over-seven-minute drive to essentially ice the game. The tail end of the second quarter, and all of the third quarter, we've got to be much better at."
On progress at tackle from Week 1…
"I think there was a lot of progress. The defensive ends that Baylor had, they had good length, athletic guys. I thought Spencer Fano played really well and that Caleb Lomu took a step forward. Now we've got to do it again this week."
On the offensive line adapting for the run game…
"I think it fits their skillset. This is one of the more athletic offensive lines I've had since I've been here. Coach Ludwig is really good about designing different things as well. Hopefully we can continue to build on it."
What is the next step for the offensive line?
"We've got to finish at the second level. I think we did a nice job on the initial push. I thought (Baylor's) linebackers did a nice job of disengaging. We've got to do a better job of fitting that up and finishing at the second and third levels."
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!
Saturday afternoon will see the Utes renew an old in-state rivalry with Utah State up in Logan inside Maverik Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
Utah's first two wins at home came thanks in part to strong performances on the offensive and defensive lines. The defense combined for eight sacks over the team's first two games—all from the guys in the trenches. On the other side, the offensive line allowed just one sack in the season opener, before opening holes against Baylor for running back Micah Bernard to tally 118 yards.
Before the Utes load up the bus for the trip to Cache Valley, defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss, along with offensive line coach Jim Harding, visited with the local media to share their takeaways from two games.
Defensive Tackles Coach Luther Elliss
On how his position group has played to start the season…
"I think we're heading in the right direction. I think guys are getting better every week, understanding how we play and the things we do and I see each one of them getting better every week, so that's a good thing."
On what practice looks like with such a veteran group…
"The biggest thing I think is conditioning, running, being full speed and breaking that stack, meaning turning and running after the ball because we're so talented, I feel like we're so deep, so there's no reason to save anything. I want you to go 100 miles per hour. If you have to spring 50 yards, 100 yards, you have to spring all 50 or 100. Then, we'll get you a break. I think the biggest thing I have to do right now is stay on them and press and continue to run like there's no tomorrow."
On the balance between letting players get a feel for the game and having fresh bodies on the field…
"That's a great question. The biggest thing is having a feel for the guys and what they're doing. They might be able to go a couple series in a row. It depends on what happens in the series. If it's a 10, 12, 13-play drive, we're probably going to give them a break next time because they should've been in a groove by that time. I think it's just how you feel. If we're going three-and-out, we'll probably give them a couple series to let them go."
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Jim Harding
On the Baylor game…
"We certainly started out well and fast. There was a little bit of a lull there in the middle. We certainly have to do our part to raise our game in light of anything that's going on. I was proud of the way that the guys finished. We had a little-over-seven-minute drive to essentially ice the game. The tail end of the second quarter, and all of the third quarter, we've got to be much better at."
On progress at tackle from Week 1…
"I think there was a lot of progress. The defensive ends that Baylor had, they had good length, athletic guys. I thought Spencer Fano played really well and that Caleb Lomu took a step forward. Now we've got to do it again this week."
On the offensive line adapting for the run game…
"I think it fits their skillset. This is one of the more athletic offensive lines I've had since I've been here. Coach Ludwig is really good about designing different things as well. Hopefully we can continue to build on it."
What is the next step for the offensive line?
"We've got to finish at the second level. I think we did a nice job on the initial push. I thought (Baylor's) linebackers did a nice job of disengaging. We've got to do a better job of fitting that up and finishing at the second and third levels."
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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