Defensive ends coach Lewis Powell smiles as he walks toward Rice-Eccles Stadium back on Sept. 7 for Utah's game against Baylor.
Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
Coaches Corner: Sights Set on Stillwater
9/20/2024 11:00 AM | Football
Big 12 play begins Saturday at Oklahoma State
SALT LAKE CITY – After a three-game non-conference schedule saw the Utah Football team emerge with a 3-0 record, the Utes will open up conference play this weekend for the first time as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
Though this is not Utah's first road battle of the season—that was up in Logan last weekend at Utah State—this'll be the team's first flight of 2024 as the Utes square off with Oklahoma State. Both teams are ranked in the top-15 in the AP Poll, with the Utes checking in at No. 12 this week and Oklahoma State at No. 14.
Kickoff this Saturday is at 2 p.m. MT inside Boone Pickens Stadium. It'll be quite the test to open conference play for Kyle Whittingham's team, but the opponent makes no difference in how the Utes prepare week in and week out.
"They're all important," Whittingham said. "We play them as they're dealt to us. We don't care about kickoff times or the order of the schedule, home, away, doesn't matter. Give us a schedule and we'll play it. That's our mentality."
Utah has gone up against the Cowboys just once all-time, in a 1945 matchup that went the other way. Back in those days, Utah played in the Big Seven Conference and what was then called Oklahoma A&M was in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Before the teams meet for the first time as conference foes, Utah running backs coach Quinton Ganther and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell shared some quick thoughts on their position groups.
Running Backs Coach Quinton Ganther
On his position group, three games in…
"So far, so good. I think guys are getting better with the reps they're getting. I want to continue to develop the younger guys so that they can help us in the long run. These guys are talented, and now we have to see what they can do when we get into conference play."
On Micah Bernard's recent performances…
"I don't make the depth chart. This is a production-oriented business; as long as guys keep producing they'll keep playing."
On getting ready for the Big 12 Conference opener…
"This is business as usual. We're not looking at it as a Big 12 opener. We're looking at it as we have a good opponent. We have to be ready to go in and play a good team."
On Dijon Stanley's development…
"He's doing a lot of things right now. He's on every special teams play, for the most part. He's playing gunner, gunner control. He has to make sure he's focused."
Defensive Ends Coach Lewis Powell
On the Oklahoma State game…
"I think all of the games are important. We had a goal at the beginning of the season. This is a team that is in front of our goal. Hopefully it all works out this weekend."
How would you assess the defensive ends so far?
"Not bad. Every day is a competition and that creates great culture. Because of the competition, guys are playing at a high level. I'm excited. I just feel bad that not all of them can get on the field. Today was a great day of preparation for the group. Very excited for the challenge this weekend."
On Oklahoma State's offense…
"Their offense is awesome. I think they have 10 guys that are returners from last year. The offensive line has the most experience in the country, when you're talking about starts and snaps. They added to the experience they already had with a kid from Arizona State, Isaia Glass. He's an athletic offensive tackle. The offensive line has not only good individual o-linemen, but they all work really well with each other…The quarterback is a leader; they have two (2) thousand-yard receivers back."
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!
Though this is not Utah's first road battle of the season—that was up in Logan last weekend at Utah State—this'll be the team's first flight of 2024 as the Utes square off with Oklahoma State. Both teams are ranked in the top-15 in the AP Poll, with the Utes checking in at No. 12 this week and Oklahoma State at No. 14.
Kickoff this Saturday is at 2 p.m. MT inside Boone Pickens Stadium. It'll be quite the test to open conference play for Kyle Whittingham's team, but the opponent makes no difference in how the Utes prepare week in and week out.
"They're all important," Whittingham said. "We play them as they're dealt to us. We don't care about kickoff times or the order of the schedule, home, away, doesn't matter. Give us a schedule and we'll play it. That's our mentality."
Utah has gone up against the Cowboys just once all-time, in a 1945 matchup that went the other way. Back in those days, Utah played in the Big Seven Conference and what was then called Oklahoma A&M was in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Before the teams meet for the first time as conference foes, Utah running backs coach Quinton Ganther and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell shared some quick thoughts on their position groups.
Running Backs Coach Quinton Ganther
On his position group, three games in…
"So far, so good. I think guys are getting better with the reps they're getting. I want to continue to develop the younger guys so that they can help us in the long run. These guys are talented, and now we have to see what they can do when we get into conference play."
On Micah Bernard's recent performances…
"I don't make the depth chart. This is a production-oriented business; as long as guys keep producing they'll keep playing."
On getting ready for the Big 12 Conference opener…
"This is business as usual. We're not looking at it as a Big 12 opener. We're looking at it as we have a good opponent. We have to be ready to go in and play a good team."
On Dijon Stanley's development…
"He's doing a lot of things right now. He's on every special teams play, for the most part. He's playing gunner, gunner control. He has to make sure he's focused."
Defensive Ends Coach Lewis Powell
On the Oklahoma State game…
"I think all of the games are important. We had a goal at the beginning of the season. This is a team that is in front of our goal. Hopefully it all works out this weekend."
How would you assess the defensive ends so far?
"Not bad. Every day is a competition and that creates great culture. Because of the competition, guys are playing at a high level. I'm excited. I just feel bad that not all of them can get on the field. Today was a great day of preparation for the group. Very excited for the challenge this weekend."
On Oklahoma State's offense…
"Their offense is awesome. I think they have 10 guys that are returners from last year. The offensive line has the most experience in the country, when you're talking about starts and snaps. They added to the experience they already had with a kid from Arizona State, Isaia Glass. He's an athletic offensive tackle. The offensive line has not only good individual o-linemen, but they all work really well with each other…The quarterback is a leader; they have two (2) thousand-yard receivers back."
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!
Headed to Stillwater for our first official conference matchup of the season????
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 16, 2024
???: Boone Pickens Stadium
?: SAT 9.21 | 2PM MT
??: FOX
??: ESPN 700 AM / 92.1 FM#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/MbeCwtK0nK
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