Senior running back Micah Bernard received a game ball for his performance in the win at Oklahoma State last weekend.
Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
Q&A With Utah Football’s Micah Bernard
9/24/2024 11:15 AM | Football
Senior reviews the Oklahoma State win, reflects his time at Utah and talks a little golf
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football is 4-0 for the second straight season, coming off of a 22-19 road win this past Saturday at then-No. 14 Oklahoma State. It was the first-ever win for the Utes over OSU and first trip to Stillwater in program history.
A solid contingent of Utah fans made the trek to historic Boone Pickens Stadium with the sea of red getting louder as the game progressed. Their cheers came thanks to a total team effort in all three phases, but one of the highlights of the day was a 25-carry, 182-yard performance by senior running back Micah Bernard.
The Big 12's reigning Offensive Player of the Week had the most rushing yards in a game by a Ute since 2019, also becoming the first player since 2020 to have three straight 100-yard games for the team.
He had an impressive 62-yard run down the sideline during the third quarter, breaking several tackles and faking out another Cowboy during the scamper, which ultimately led to a Utah field goal.
"I heard the play call and I saw a guy come through the line of scrimmage just like last week, gave him a little [stiff arm]," Bernard said after the game. "I was just thinking that we need to get [away] from being backed up. The coaches put the ball in my hands and let me see what I can do with it and just keep moving your feet and special things happen."
Now with film review in the books, UtahUtes.com had a chance to visit with Bernard to talk about the game, his career at Utah and even the game of golf as a hobby.
How would you asses the season so far?
"I think we can only go up from here. We still have yet to play our best game of football; that's still to come. We have a long season and our offense keeps building, and is going to get better every single week. As for myself, I just want to continue to grow, show everybody what I'm capable of doing and just let it go from there."
What in-game adjustments were you able to make to ultimately have the second-half performance that you did?
"Just keep chipping away. You can't have big runs all the time—you have to chip away sometimes and they'll come. Mine came late in the game. I'm happy it did, because we needed a little push. We just have to keep chipping away."
How would you say you've grown as a player and person in your seasons at Utah?
"I've matured a lot. I've learned a lot here both myself and through a lot of people that have helped me over the years. Getting better at the game every single day. Just have to continue to grow—and I thank Coach Q for that."
What did you learn from some of the guys you've shared the RB room with?
"Zack Moss is a great player and a great guy. I think I stole a lot of tricks in his book in how he does things. I appreciate him. As for Ty Jordan; great, phenomenal player, great guy. What I learned from him is to be happy and love the sport that you're playing."
Have the new technology changes in college football (namely in-game tablet video) helped you?
"It's had a lot of impact, actually. Every time I go to the sideline now, I'm trying to look for the tablet and just see what happened on a play. Trying to see what I can do better, and what needs to happen in order for us to have a successful play. I hated not being able to watch what happened, because I can't fix it in that moment—you don't know exactly what happened. But now you can go to the tablet and see, did I miss a gap? What kind of defense are they playing? Where might this same run play hit different because of what the defense just did? I love being able to talk to Coach about it on the sideline, rather than waiting until the next day to go over it on film."
Golf emerged as a hobby for you a while ago—how's that going?
"I still love golf, but it's tough nowadays with schedules. I haven't been able to golf recently. But I love chipping a lot. Everyone's putting from the fringe; I chip from the fringe. I just love seeing the ball bump and roll, hole out or something. I just love that part of the game. But if I can hit a straight drive, I'll say driving is my favorite part of golf. If I can hit a straight drive, I can hit it about 280 to 300 yards."
Crunchin' The Numbers
Facts and figures to toss around during Saturday's Dark Mode tailgate…
7 – number of times Utah has started a season 4-0 under head coach Kyle Whittingham. It's the second straight year the Utes have accomplished the feat (2008, '10, '15, '16, '17, '23, '24).
5.5 – sacks this season for defensive end Van Fillinger. It ties him for the FBS lead, and is among Fillinger's 19.0 career sacks—one away from breaking into the top-10 list in Utah history.
36 – consecutive games played with at least one catch for tight end Brant Kuithe. The native of Katy, Texas had both a receiving and rushing touchdown at Oklahoma State, becoming the first Ute to do so since Oct. 1, 2022.
5 – passes defended by Smith Snowden in the last two games. It ranks second in the Big 12 for the 2022 Deseret News Mr. Football selection and Lehi, Utah product.
106 – points scored by kicker Cole Becker since joining the Utes in 2023. Ten came in the win over Oklahoma State.
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!
A solid contingent of Utah fans made the trek to historic Boone Pickens Stadium with the sea of red getting louder as the game progressed. Their cheers came thanks to a total team effort in all three phases, but one of the highlights of the day was a 25-carry, 182-yard performance by senior running back Micah Bernard.
The Big 12's reigning Offensive Player of the Week had the most rushing yards in a game by a Ute since 2019, also becoming the first player since 2020 to have three straight 100-yard games for the team.
He had an impressive 62-yard run down the sideline during the third quarter, breaking several tackles and faking out another Cowboy during the scamper, which ultimately led to a Utah field goal.
"I heard the play call and I saw a guy come through the line of scrimmage just like last week, gave him a little [stiff arm]," Bernard said after the game. "I was just thinking that we need to get [away] from being backed up. The coaches put the ball in my hands and let me see what I can do with it and just keep moving your feet and special things happen."
He was NOT going down ??@Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/ZazyscNPav
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 24, 2024
Now with film review in the books, UtahUtes.com had a chance to visit with Bernard to talk about the game, his career at Utah and even the game of golf as a hobby.
How would you asses the season so far?
"I think we can only go up from here. We still have yet to play our best game of football; that's still to come. We have a long season and our offense keeps building, and is going to get better every single week. As for myself, I just want to continue to grow, show everybody what I'm capable of doing and just let it go from there."
What in-game adjustments were you able to make to ultimately have the second-half performance that you did?
"Just keep chipping away. You can't have big runs all the time—you have to chip away sometimes and they'll come. Mine came late in the game. I'm happy it did, because we needed a little push. We just have to keep chipping away."
How would you say you've grown as a player and person in your seasons at Utah?
"I've matured a lot. I've learned a lot here both myself and through a lot of people that have helped me over the years. Getting better at the game every single day. Just have to continue to grow—and I thank Coach Q for that."
What did you learn from some of the guys you've shared the RB room with?
"Zack Moss is a great player and a great guy. I think I stole a lot of tricks in his book in how he does things. I appreciate him. As for Ty Jordan; great, phenomenal player, great guy. What I learned from him is to be happy and love the sport that you're playing."
Have the new technology changes in college football (namely in-game tablet video) helped you?
"It's had a lot of impact, actually. Every time I go to the sideline now, I'm trying to look for the tablet and just see what happened on a play. Trying to see what I can do better, and what needs to happen in order for us to have a successful play. I hated not being able to watch what happened, because I can't fix it in that moment—you don't know exactly what happened. But now you can go to the tablet and see, did I miss a gap? What kind of defense are they playing? Where might this same run play hit different because of what the defense just did? I love being able to talk to Coach about it on the sideline, rather than waiting until the next day to go over it on film."
Golf emerged as a hobby for you a while ago—how's that going?
"I still love golf, but it's tough nowadays with schedules. I haven't been able to golf recently. But I love chipping a lot. Everyone's putting from the fringe; I chip from the fringe. I just love seeing the ball bump and roll, hole out or something. I just love that part of the game. But if I can hit a straight drive, I'll say driving is my favorite part of golf. If I can hit a straight drive, I can hit it about 280 to 300 yards."
Crunchin' The Numbers
Facts and figures to toss around during Saturday's Dark Mode tailgate…
7 – number of times Utah has started a season 4-0 under head coach Kyle Whittingham. It's the second straight year the Utes have accomplished the feat (2008, '10, '15, '16, '17, '23, '24).
5.5 – sacks this season for defensive end Van Fillinger. It ties him for the FBS lead, and is among Fillinger's 19.0 career sacks—one away from breaking into the top-10 list in Utah history.
36 – consecutive games played with at least one catch for tight end Brant Kuithe. The native of Katy, Texas had both a receiving and rushing touchdown at Oklahoma State, becoming the first Ute to do so since Oct. 1, 2022.
5 – passes defended by Smith Snowden in the last two games. It ranks second in the Big 12 for the 2022 Deseret News Mr. Football selection and Lehi, Utah product.
106 – points scored by kicker Cole Becker since joining the Utes in 2023. Ten came in the win over Oklahoma State.
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!
It's ???????? ????????????
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 23, 2024
Dark Mode, Homecoming, and Hall of Fame Game! Can't wait to see you all Saturday!
???: Rice-Eccles Stadium
?: SAT 09.28 | 8:15PM MT
??: ESPN
??: ESPN 700 AM / 92.1 FM#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/yEmHvdwEFO
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