Upcoming Event: Baseball versus Utah Tech on May 12, 2026 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Baseball
vs Utah Tech
The University of Utah Athletics
QUOTES FROM KYLE WHITTINGHAM’S WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Opening statement
I’m proud of our guys for being able to get back on track after a disanointing loss the week before. They responded very well. We have gotten into a habit of getting behind so in any event they handled it well. They showed resiliency again which seems to be a recurring theme.
It was a tale of two halves. In the first half we were sluggish and didn’t get a lot done defensively. In the second half, it was a whole different outcome. We played very well in the second half and moved the ball offensively. Defensively, we got three turnovers. You don’t lose too many games up 3-0 in the turnover margin.
Armand Shyne is done for the year and we are down to our sixth running back with Joe Williams retiring and the four guys before him going down. Jordan Howard, who finished the game, is unavailable as well. We just have to deal with it and move on.
We don’t have an answer right now but we well have an answer very soon.
It was good to see the special teams step up, probably our best game of the year in that area. Kickoff return game was good as was kickoff coverage. We knocked most of them out of the end zone. Mitch Wishnowsky was outstanding. He was the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week for the second time this season. He had an outstanding night; six punts, 50-yard net average, and two or three inside the 10, six inside the 20
It was good to get a win and we’re back on the road this week. Oregon State played well vs. Cal. They did a nice job on offense and it will be a typical conference game
On giving the team a letter grade
I’d say 5-1 is a solid place to be, although we’d rather be 6-0. We’re tied for the Pac-12 South Division with a couple teams at one loss. So for a letter grade, B+, A-
On switching players from other positions to fill the running back spot
We’re going to have to. We’ll have to see what makes the most sense. Some guys have experience at running back from high school and junior college. We are looking at any and all options at running back.
On the injury status of the team
This is the worst I can remember and I’ve been here a lot of years. I can’t remember this many injuries
On putting more of the offensive onus on Troy Williams
That will come into play as well. We may need more of the quarterback run game. We are going to look at any and all available options because we are in a pretty desperate situation
On the starting center spot
We’re looking at a few different options there. Lo Falemaka may still not be an option, could be a bit of a reach this week. Nick Nowakowski didn’t play poorly but we want to get the five best guys out there. If there’s a better combination, I’m interested in that.
On if there is a common theme with the injuries
None whatsoever. The one that’s been the most relevant has been the foot injury the lisfranc. The injuries are happening during games so they’re not being beaten up in practice. It’s just been a run of bad luck
On the division winner having the most success on the road
You have to win on the rod in order to win a championship or division. It may well come down to that. We have played four at home and two away so that flips during the back end of the schedule, so we have to be prepared to win on the road. That’s part of being a good football game
On the possibility of getting Tyler Huntley more involved
Troy has played really well and we hoped to see Tyler get more reps but as games have played out it has not been something we’ve been able to get done. We had a red zone package for him last week and the bad snap took the air out of that. We’ll try and use Tyler as much as we can but so far, it’s been pretty few and far between
On the wide receiver play without Tim Patrick
They stepped up. Raleon Singleton is starting to emerge as a dependable guy. Demari Simpkins had a couple nice catches and a drop he wishes he got back. Tyrone Smith had some nice catches including the one-handed snag in the end zone. I think we are still a work in progress and definitely more potent with Tim but guys are stepping up. Cory Butler-Byrd took that crossing route about 60 yards and that was a big play for us.
On the usage of the tight ends going up
No particular reason. We like our tight ends. Harrison Handley and Evan Moeai have done some nice things for us, not just in the throwing game. In the run game, they are dependable blockers. There has not been a concerted effort to get them more involved week to week. We just have been getting them more targets based on the way the defense is set up.
On the running games effectiveness despite the injuries
We rushed for over 200 yards, 220 thereabouts, and conversely the thing that hurt us against Arizona is years past is the ground game. We held them to 120 so that was one of the biggest keys in the game, our ability to run it more efficiently and effectively
On Zack Moss’ status
Zack will be a game time decision this week and that would solve a lot of problems but we can’t rely on that. We have to have some alternative plans and make sure we have a contingency plan. Marcel Manolo is a possibility. He is healthy which is the first thing that’s important. He’s available and right there in the mix in determining whom to use
On his relationship with Gary Andersen
We have a great relationship. We talked Saturday night very late so congrats to him. It was his first Pac-12 win and it was a nice win over Cal. We have maintained a close relationship. We are close friends and its ongoing and that’s where we’re at.
On the safety
It seemed to get things fired up because we got a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Safeties tend to do that, get everyone fired up. The impact plays get the crowd going, the defense in particular. It gave us a spark and things picked up from there.
On Oregon State
They run the ball very effectively and that was a big deal against Cal. They have a big back. Ryan Nall is big, physical back. They have really good run schemes with a lot of misdirection and fly sweeps. They have a whole arsenal in their repertoire. That’s the main thing, trying to stop them running the football.
On his thoughts about Utah’s run defense based on last week
The Arizona quarterbacks were slippery and athletic and that made it tough for us to tackle them. As far as our run defense, it was great to have Lowell Lotulelei back and tackle to tackle, there’s not much there. It forces teams to go to the perimeter. We are third in the league against the run and we feel we have been stout in most games this season.
On Darell Garretson
He’s a big kid, 6-feet, 210 pounds and is a good runner. He has not been a drop back passer this year, more of a roll out or bootleg style thrower. He is doing a good job running their offense and is a quality player.
On the referee issue prior to the safety
For whatever reason I didn’t get an opportunity to decline it. I had to burn the timeout to get my point across. No one wants a one- yard penalty. I didn’t seem to get a response and brought them over and told them exactly my intentions. I hoped to get that timeout back because it wasn’t our doing. The positive was that we got the penalty reversed but we lost the timeout.
On the argument with Coach Harding
Well we had 11 false starts and three more that should have been called. It was very unnerving and both of us were frustrated and trying to get things solved. Arizona was doing a great job with that. I wish we were as good at that as they were. The officials made a point of it to stop that and penalize the defense. Arizona did a great job of that. It’s like stealing signals and it’s our job to combat it and we didn’t do a good job of that. It took us too long to get it figured it out but we finally got it solved in the second half. I’m not complaining about Arizona. Congratulations to them on getting us to react. We were doing a poor job reacting to it
On the possibility of Joe Williams coming back
It was discussed in our staff meeting. There’s nothing to it now but I wouldn’t put it out of possibility
On how well Armand had been playing
Very well. He will miss spring ball now and that’s how extensive the injury is. He was the first back to go over 100 yards this year and was starting to come into his own. It’s just a shame. He has two years left after this injury and we will be able to have him around. It was just a fluke thing. His leg planted and gave out. It’s unfortunate
On Devonta'e Henry-Cole
He’s available, but he’s in redshirt mode. If disaster strikes, which it has, you have to rethink things. He is a possible scenario to help us out. He will definitely get reps this week and we’ll evaluate.
On if OSU’s win over Cal keeps the players focus more than if they would have lost
It certainly gets their attention. Our guys do a good job of getting focused. You have to get your mind right and your preparing the right way. Seeing a team beat a team that we lost to is an attention getter and they will pay attention to what’s going on
On if he feels this is still his best recruiting class
I would agree with that 100 percent. Some guys, like Leki Fotu are not making a huge impact because we have depth at certain positions. It’s definitely the best we’ve ever had.
I’m proud of our guys for being able to get back on track after a disanointing loss the week before. They responded very well. We have gotten into a habit of getting behind so in any event they handled it well. They showed resiliency again which seems to be a recurring theme.
It was a tale of two halves. In the first half we were sluggish and didn’t get a lot done defensively. In the second half, it was a whole different outcome. We played very well in the second half and moved the ball offensively. Defensively, we got three turnovers. You don’t lose too many games up 3-0 in the turnover margin.
Armand Shyne is done for the year and we are down to our sixth running back with Joe Williams retiring and the four guys before him going down. Jordan Howard, who finished the game, is unavailable as well. We just have to deal with it and move on.
We don’t have an answer right now but we well have an answer very soon.
It was good to see the special teams step up, probably our best game of the year in that area. Kickoff return game was good as was kickoff coverage. We knocked most of them out of the end zone. Mitch Wishnowsky was outstanding. He was the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week for the second time this season. He had an outstanding night; six punts, 50-yard net average, and two or three inside the 10, six inside the 20
It was good to get a win and we’re back on the road this week. Oregon State played well vs. Cal. They did a nice job on offense and it will be a typical conference game
On giving the team a letter grade
I’d say 5-1 is a solid place to be, although we’d rather be 6-0. We’re tied for the Pac-12 South Division with a couple teams at one loss. So for a letter grade, B+, A-
On switching players from other positions to fill the running back spot
We’re going to have to. We’ll have to see what makes the most sense. Some guys have experience at running back from high school and junior college. We are looking at any and all options at running back.
On the injury status of the team
This is the worst I can remember and I’ve been here a lot of years. I can’t remember this many injuries
On putting more of the offensive onus on Troy Williams
That will come into play as well. We may need more of the quarterback run game. We are going to look at any and all available options because we are in a pretty desperate situation
On the starting center spot
We’re looking at a few different options there. Lo Falemaka may still not be an option, could be a bit of a reach this week. Nick Nowakowski didn’t play poorly but we want to get the five best guys out there. If there’s a better combination, I’m interested in that.
On if there is a common theme with the injuries
None whatsoever. The one that’s been the most relevant has been the foot injury the lisfranc. The injuries are happening during games so they’re not being beaten up in practice. It’s just been a run of bad luck
On the division winner having the most success on the road
You have to win on the rod in order to win a championship or division. It may well come down to that. We have played four at home and two away so that flips during the back end of the schedule, so we have to be prepared to win on the road. That’s part of being a good football game
On the possibility of getting Tyler Huntley more involved
Troy has played really well and we hoped to see Tyler get more reps but as games have played out it has not been something we’ve been able to get done. We had a red zone package for him last week and the bad snap took the air out of that. We’ll try and use Tyler as much as we can but so far, it’s been pretty few and far between
On the wide receiver play without Tim Patrick
They stepped up. Raleon Singleton is starting to emerge as a dependable guy. Demari Simpkins had a couple nice catches and a drop he wishes he got back. Tyrone Smith had some nice catches including the one-handed snag in the end zone. I think we are still a work in progress and definitely more potent with Tim but guys are stepping up. Cory Butler-Byrd took that crossing route about 60 yards and that was a big play for us.
On the usage of the tight ends going up
No particular reason. We like our tight ends. Harrison Handley and Evan Moeai have done some nice things for us, not just in the throwing game. In the run game, they are dependable blockers. There has not been a concerted effort to get them more involved week to week. We just have been getting them more targets based on the way the defense is set up.
On the running games effectiveness despite the injuries
We rushed for over 200 yards, 220 thereabouts, and conversely the thing that hurt us against Arizona is years past is the ground game. We held them to 120 so that was one of the biggest keys in the game, our ability to run it more efficiently and effectively
On Zack Moss’ status
Zack will be a game time decision this week and that would solve a lot of problems but we can’t rely on that. We have to have some alternative plans and make sure we have a contingency plan. Marcel Manolo is a possibility. He is healthy which is the first thing that’s important. He’s available and right there in the mix in determining whom to use
On his relationship with Gary Andersen
We have a great relationship. We talked Saturday night very late so congrats to him. It was his first Pac-12 win and it was a nice win over Cal. We have maintained a close relationship. We are close friends and its ongoing and that’s where we’re at.
On the safety
It seemed to get things fired up because we got a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Safeties tend to do that, get everyone fired up. The impact plays get the crowd going, the defense in particular. It gave us a spark and things picked up from there.
On Oregon State
They run the ball very effectively and that was a big deal against Cal. They have a big back. Ryan Nall is big, physical back. They have really good run schemes with a lot of misdirection and fly sweeps. They have a whole arsenal in their repertoire. That’s the main thing, trying to stop them running the football.
On his thoughts about Utah’s run defense based on last week
The Arizona quarterbacks were slippery and athletic and that made it tough for us to tackle them. As far as our run defense, it was great to have Lowell Lotulelei back and tackle to tackle, there’s not much there. It forces teams to go to the perimeter. We are third in the league against the run and we feel we have been stout in most games this season.
On Darell Garretson
He’s a big kid, 6-feet, 210 pounds and is a good runner. He has not been a drop back passer this year, more of a roll out or bootleg style thrower. He is doing a good job running their offense and is a quality player.
On the referee issue prior to the safety
For whatever reason I didn’t get an opportunity to decline it. I had to burn the timeout to get my point across. No one wants a one- yard penalty. I didn’t seem to get a response and brought them over and told them exactly my intentions. I hoped to get that timeout back because it wasn’t our doing. The positive was that we got the penalty reversed but we lost the timeout.
On the argument with Coach Harding
Well we had 11 false starts and three more that should have been called. It was very unnerving and both of us were frustrated and trying to get things solved. Arizona was doing a great job with that. I wish we were as good at that as they were. The officials made a point of it to stop that and penalize the defense. Arizona did a great job of that. It’s like stealing signals and it’s our job to combat it and we didn’t do a good job of that. It took us too long to get it figured it out but we finally got it solved in the second half. I’m not complaining about Arizona. Congratulations to them on getting us to react. We were doing a poor job reacting to it
On the possibility of Joe Williams coming back
It was discussed in our staff meeting. There’s nothing to it now but I wouldn’t put it out of possibility
On how well Armand had been playing
Very well. He will miss spring ball now and that’s how extensive the injury is. He was the first back to go over 100 yards this year and was starting to come into his own. It’s just a shame. He has two years left after this injury and we will be able to have him around. It was just a fluke thing. His leg planted and gave out. It’s unfortunate
On Devonta'e Henry-Cole
He’s available, but he’s in redshirt mode. If disaster strikes, which it has, you have to rethink things. He is a possible scenario to help us out. He will definitely get reps this week and we’ll evaluate.
On if OSU’s win over Cal keeps the players focus more than if they would have lost
It certainly gets their attention. Our guys do a good job of getting focused. You have to get your mind right and your preparing the right way. Seeing a team beat a team that we lost to is an attention getter and they will pay attention to what’s going on
On if he feels this is still his best recruiting class
I would agree with that 100 percent. Some guys, like Leki Fotu are not making a huge impact because we have depth at certain positions. It’s definitely the best we’ve ever had.