Upcoming Event: Men's Swimming & Diving versus Hawaii on December 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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Men's Swimming & Diving
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The University of Utah Athletics
QUOTES FROM KYLE WHITTINGHAM’S WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
Opening Statement
It was a good football game Saturday with two heavyweights going at it.
We stood in there and slugged it out. They were who we thought they were, a well-coached, very physical, talented football team. Bottom line, they made one more play than we did, the punt return that was the tipping point and turned out to be the difference. They did a good job and beat us. We are still not throwing the ball as effectively as we need to. We still need to get more out of the throwing game but I still like the position we are in. With all that being said, we are 7-2, and it’s come down to a three-game season. We are in position, going into November, to control our own destiny. Our position is good. It’s not perfect or ideal but it is pretty darn good. We feel like we still have a chance to finish with a positive season and it’s been positive so far. We want to finish correctly and that starts in 10 days in Tempe
On getting Marcus Williams, Harrison Handley and Sam Tevi back for ASU
We hope. A lot of it is optimistic thinking but we have extra time this week and we’re hoping we get some guys back. It’s way too early in the process to say definitively but projection-wise, that’s what we anticipate
On having the week off
It certainly comes at a good time. We would have liked it two weeks ago, ideally. We have had nine-straight weeks of games and as I outlined, going into a three-game season essentially, the timing is very good in that aspect to heal and get rejuvenated to be ready to play a week from Thursday night
On a statement made last season that Joe Williams could not carry the ball as many times a game as Devontae Booker
I was clearly wrong. He’s a different guy since he has come back he has been a warrior. I can’t say enough positive things about Joe and what he’s meant for our football team these past three weeks. I underestimated his ability co carry the ball
On the UW punt return touchdown
No comment, we just have to play it better. We had a chance to terminate it and missed a tackle. The kick was not ideal. It did not have enough hang time and was not in the zone we called for. It was a directional kick so we expect it to be in the right zone. The irony is if we execute punt right, it would have been the best punting game in the last 15 years. It was a phenomenal day kicking the ball but you can’t take that away. It put a damper on things but overall, a good outing for Mitch Wishnowsky
On being two plays away from an undefeated season
Two plays from undefeated and a couple plays got us wins at the end so that evens out a little.
On always being in games
First, the toughness and resiliency of this team, they don’t flinch. Nothing to them is insurmountable as football players. They believe they’re in every game and they never point fingers or get down. They keep fighting and swinging. The other part is our overall talent level. Our depth and talent level is the best it’s been since we joined the Pac-12 and that shows up in these games. We’re talented enough to overcome and recover from some adversity we faced early in games
On the possibility of a Cory Butler –Byrd suffering a season-ending injury
No, definitely not unless something unforeseen has happened. We would have made an announcement if that were the case. We’re expecting and hoping he’s ready to go
On the offensive line’s performance this weekend
It was the best front seven we’ve faced, unequivocally, in terms of their schematic, fits and physicality. So I think our line did a really nice job. We rushed for over 220 yards, Joe had 170 of them. I’d say our offensive line played well. We didn’t give up a bunch of sacks. The last play might have been the only sack. A big one at that, because we had the wheel route open because a defender fell down and it would have been a touchdown on the second-to-last play
On how the defensive backs are able to get so many interceptions
Recruiting good athletes in the secondary. That’s what it comes down to. Guys that are athletic that have good ball skills combined with a pass rush that speeds quarterbacks off so they are off balance or get rid of the ball before they want to. It’s a combination of those two things. Over the last two or three years we’ve had a nice production when it comes to getting pass deflections and interceptions
On whether Joe Williams was expected to be the primary back upon returning
Yes, that’s why we brought him back, for that very reason. He said ‘Coach, I’m going to be your guy.’ He said it very confidently and said ‘don’t worry about taking me out, I want the ball’ and so that’s exactly what’s happened
On how he thinks they can fix some things in the passing game
All of the above - We have to get Troy opportunities early in the game to get some completions. We have to dial up some more throws, be more accurate and have fewer drops on the receiving end. It’s a combination of things and we are not going to identify one particular area that’s responsible. It’s just a bunch of moving parts.
On penalties
Right now we are seventh in the league and I’ve said before I never want to be least penalized team because that means we are not aggressive. We play an aggressive style. We need to get rid of the pre-snap penalties, the false starts. That stuff has got to be addressed. This weekend, it was another case of movement on their front, stemming around and we have to handle that. We have not handled it as well as we should have. That’s on us. I don’t care what’s being said. I know I made the comment after the Arizona game where they were giving commands but if they are great, good for them. I was not complaining about it. We need to do a better job of handling it and making sure we have an answer. We still don’t because we had four false starts Saturday but overall we are not excessively penalized. We are averaging probably 65 yards per game and we’d like to be around 45 yards per game
On the scheduling of bye weeks by the Pac-12
That’s how the Pac-12 sets it up usually. They try and make sure it’s as level a playing field for both teams. We are both in the same boat after playing Saturday and having this weekend off so there’s no advantage or disadvantage to either team. The biggest advantage is health wise. This comes at a good time to get our guys healed up which will be great for us.
On who fills the defensive end spot opposite Hunter Dimick
Filipo Mokofisi is more of a run stuffer played a bulk of the snaps at defensive end and Hayden Clegg was at outside linebacker but due to our structure I can see how it was possible that he looked like he was playing at end. So it’s really either
Pita Taumoepenu or Filipo at defensive end. Pita is more of a pass rusher and excels in rushing the quarterback and Filipo is a big 280-pound body that’s tough to move. Those guys will handle the workload there. Filipo probably played two-thirds of the snaps at end and three-fourths at the other. That’s the reason for that. When we play a running team, we’ll have a bigger body out there and against a passing team, more of a speed rusher.
On his selling point to recruits
We are trending upward and we are on the rise. We have gotten better every year on the field in the Pac-12 even though the record doesn’t directly show that. We are making great strides and a team that will get better as recruiting continues to spike. We have had some nice commits this year that I’m not allowed to touch on and we think we are headed in the right direction. If we want to be the team we want to be, we need to get those high-profile guys committing to our program, which is happening.
On who he sees in the linebacker role moving forward
Clegg is about 10 or 15 pounds bigger than Cody Barton and more of an outside linebacker while Cody is more of an inside linebacker. Our real answer at the stud linebacker spot would have been to have Kylie Fitts at that position but he got hurt. He’s a prototype for that position and now it really comes down to what’s the best combination of the three.
On the linebacker play
The linebackers didn’t have their best game. They know that it was not our best outing. We are doing things with underneath blocks and not so much, over pursuing, but taking bad angles. We need to take better angles. Sunia Tauteoli was a little rusty.
On the temperament of the locker room this week opposed to the Cal loss
There was a lot of disappointment and frustration. No one was hanging their head or feeling sorry and it was more a sense of anger. We still control our own destiny and have done a lot of positive things. The Cal game was a little more deflating so to me, there was a lot different feel in the lockers
On whether or not Troy Williams was affected by the hype surrounding the UW game
No it was a nonfactor. He had a few errant throws early and then he settled in and played well. If you’re asking if there was anything negative that spilled into the game then no I don’t think so.
On having a propensity for takeaways
The focal point of our defense is to create turnovers and change the momentum and outcome of the game. It’s always job number one. It’s preached and those are the expectations. It’s at the top of the pyramid in defensive football along with points allowed
On the center spot
There will be a good battle for the spot this week. Lo Falemaka could not practice in pads last week. For as long as he’s been out, to throw him into a game without a padded practice is a little much. It will be a competition this week and next to see who gets that starting spot. Whoever is better will get the start
On playing nine conference games
In my opinion the Power Five conferences should all play the same number of conference games. There needs to be a level playing field and some standardization. A ninth game is another chance to suffer a loss. If every Power Five team that won their conference got to the playoff, then it would be a non-factor. Not only do you need to win your conference but also you need to have a glossy record to go with it. I’d like to see the standardization of conference games among all Power Five leagues and for every champion to get in and they cant do that until they expand the playoff. It does not make any sense to not have a level playing field and every champion fail to be included.
On what it means to him that the team moved up in the rankings despite a loss
I think that’s a sign of respect and positive to see. It’s also respectful toward Washington and how good they are. People understand how good a game it was and good an opponent Washington was and how well we played them
On what it means to be so close to being undefeated
It’s incremental progress and we take steps forward every year since we joined the league. It is another indicator that was are making progress as a program and we want to continue on that path
On the team’s bye-week plans
They are going to get some down time. We will take today to evaluate the film. We will get some lifting and conditioning in. then they will be off the next three days. We come back Friday as if it were Monday on a typical game week and take it from there.
It was a good football game Saturday with two heavyweights going at it.
We stood in there and slugged it out. They were who we thought they were, a well-coached, very physical, talented football team. Bottom line, they made one more play than we did, the punt return that was the tipping point and turned out to be the difference. They did a good job and beat us. We are still not throwing the ball as effectively as we need to. We still need to get more out of the throwing game but I still like the position we are in. With all that being said, we are 7-2, and it’s come down to a three-game season. We are in position, going into November, to control our own destiny. Our position is good. It’s not perfect or ideal but it is pretty darn good. We feel like we still have a chance to finish with a positive season and it’s been positive so far. We want to finish correctly and that starts in 10 days in Tempe
On getting Marcus Williams, Harrison Handley and Sam Tevi back for ASU
We hope. A lot of it is optimistic thinking but we have extra time this week and we’re hoping we get some guys back. It’s way too early in the process to say definitively but projection-wise, that’s what we anticipate
On having the week off
It certainly comes at a good time. We would have liked it two weeks ago, ideally. We have had nine-straight weeks of games and as I outlined, going into a three-game season essentially, the timing is very good in that aspect to heal and get rejuvenated to be ready to play a week from Thursday night
On a statement made last season that Joe Williams could not carry the ball as many times a game as Devontae Booker
I was clearly wrong. He’s a different guy since he has come back he has been a warrior. I can’t say enough positive things about Joe and what he’s meant for our football team these past three weeks. I underestimated his ability co carry the ball
On the UW punt return touchdown
No comment, we just have to play it better. We had a chance to terminate it and missed a tackle. The kick was not ideal. It did not have enough hang time and was not in the zone we called for. It was a directional kick so we expect it to be in the right zone. The irony is if we execute punt right, it would have been the best punting game in the last 15 years. It was a phenomenal day kicking the ball but you can’t take that away. It put a damper on things but overall, a good outing for Mitch Wishnowsky
On being two plays away from an undefeated season
Two plays from undefeated and a couple plays got us wins at the end so that evens out a little.
On always being in games
First, the toughness and resiliency of this team, they don’t flinch. Nothing to them is insurmountable as football players. They believe they’re in every game and they never point fingers or get down. They keep fighting and swinging. The other part is our overall talent level. Our depth and talent level is the best it’s been since we joined the Pac-12 and that shows up in these games. We’re talented enough to overcome and recover from some adversity we faced early in games
On the possibility of a Cory Butler –Byrd suffering a season-ending injury
No, definitely not unless something unforeseen has happened. We would have made an announcement if that were the case. We’re expecting and hoping he’s ready to go
On the offensive line’s performance this weekend
It was the best front seven we’ve faced, unequivocally, in terms of their schematic, fits and physicality. So I think our line did a really nice job. We rushed for over 220 yards, Joe had 170 of them. I’d say our offensive line played well. We didn’t give up a bunch of sacks. The last play might have been the only sack. A big one at that, because we had the wheel route open because a defender fell down and it would have been a touchdown on the second-to-last play
On how the defensive backs are able to get so many interceptions
Recruiting good athletes in the secondary. That’s what it comes down to. Guys that are athletic that have good ball skills combined with a pass rush that speeds quarterbacks off so they are off balance or get rid of the ball before they want to. It’s a combination of those two things. Over the last two or three years we’ve had a nice production when it comes to getting pass deflections and interceptions
On whether Joe Williams was expected to be the primary back upon returning
Yes, that’s why we brought him back, for that very reason. He said ‘Coach, I’m going to be your guy.’ He said it very confidently and said ‘don’t worry about taking me out, I want the ball’ and so that’s exactly what’s happened
On how he thinks they can fix some things in the passing game
All of the above - We have to get Troy opportunities early in the game to get some completions. We have to dial up some more throws, be more accurate and have fewer drops on the receiving end. It’s a combination of things and we are not going to identify one particular area that’s responsible. It’s just a bunch of moving parts.
On penalties
Right now we are seventh in the league and I’ve said before I never want to be least penalized team because that means we are not aggressive. We play an aggressive style. We need to get rid of the pre-snap penalties, the false starts. That stuff has got to be addressed. This weekend, it was another case of movement on their front, stemming around and we have to handle that. We have not handled it as well as we should have. That’s on us. I don’t care what’s being said. I know I made the comment after the Arizona game where they were giving commands but if they are great, good for them. I was not complaining about it. We need to do a better job of handling it and making sure we have an answer. We still don’t because we had four false starts Saturday but overall we are not excessively penalized. We are averaging probably 65 yards per game and we’d like to be around 45 yards per game
On the scheduling of bye weeks by the Pac-12
That’s how the Pac-12 sets it up usually. They try and make sure it’s as level a playing field for both teams. We are both in the same boat after playing Saturday and having this weekend off so there’s no advantage or disadvantage to either team. The biggest advantage is health wise. This comes at a good time to get our guys healed up which will be great for us.
On who fills the defensive end spot opposite Hunter Dimick
Filipo Mokofisi is more of a run stuffer played a bulk of the snaps at defensive end and Hayden Clegg was at outside linebacker but due to our structure I can see how it was possible that he looked like he was playing at end. So it’s really either
Pita Taumoepenu or Filipo at defensive end. Pita is more of a pass rusher and excels in rushing the quarterback and Filipo is a big 280-pound body that’s tough to move. Those guys will handle the workload there. Filipo probably played two-thirds of the snaps at end and three-fourths at the other. That’s the reason for that. When we play a running team, we’ll have a bigger body out there and against a passing team, more of a speed rusher.
On his selling point to recruits
We are trending upward and we are on the rise. We have gotten better every year on the field in the Pac-12 even though the record doesn’t directly show that. We are making great strides and a team that will get better as recruiting continues to spike. We have had some nice commits this year that I’m not allowed to touch on and we think we are headed in the right direction. If we want to be the team we want to be, we need to get those high-profile guys committing to our program, which is happening.
On who he sees in the linebacker role moving forward
Clegg is about 10 or 15 pounds bigger than Cody Barton and more of an outside linebacker while Cody is more of an inside linebacker. Our real answer at the stud linebacker spot would have been to have Kylie Fitts at that position but he got hurt. He’s a prototype for that position and now it really comes down to what’s the best combination of the three.
On the linebacker play
The linebackers didn’t have their best game. They know that it was not our best outing. We are doing things with underneath blocks and not so much, over pursuing, but taking bad angles. We need to take better angles. Sunia Tauteoli was a little rusty.
On the temperament of the locker room this week opposed to the Cal loss
There was a lot of disappointment and frustration. No one was hanging their head or feeling sorry and it was more a sense of anger. We still control our own destiny and have done a lot of positive things. The Cal game was a little more deflating so to me, there was a lot different feel in the lockers
On whether or not Troy Williams was affected by the hype surrounding the UW game
No it was a nonfactor. He had a few errant throws early and then he settled in and played well. If you’re asking if there was anything negative that spilled into the game then no I don’t think so.
On having a propensity for takeaways
The focal point of our defense is to create turnovers and change the momentum and outcome of the game. It’s always job number one. It’s preached and those are the expectations. It’s at the top of the pyramid in defensive football along with points allowed
On the center spot
There will be a good battle for the spot this week. Lo Falemaka could not practice in pads last week. For as long as he’s been out, to throw him into a game without a padded practice is a little much. It will be a competition this week and next to see who gets that starting spot. Whoever is better will get the start
On playing nine conference games
In my opinion the Power Five conferences should all play the same number of conference games. There needs to be a level playing field and some standardization. A ninth game is another chance to suffer a loss. If every Power Five team that won their conference got to the playoff, then it would be a non-factor. Not only do you need to win your conference but also you need to have a glossy record to go with it. I’d like to see the standardization of conference games among all Power Five leagues and for every champion to get in and they cant do that until they expand the playoff. It does not make any sense to not have a level playing field and every champion fail to be included.
On what it means to him that the team moved up in the rankings despite a loss
I think that’s a sign of respect and positive to see. It’s also respectful toward Washington and how good they are. People understand how good a game it was and good an opponent Washington was and how well we played them
On what it means to be so close to being undefeated
It’s incremental progress and we take steps forward every year since we joined the league. It is another indicator that was are making progress as a program and we want to continue on that path
On the team’s bye-week plans
They are going to get some down time. We will take today to evaluate the film. We will get some lifting and conditioning in. then they will be off the next three days. We come back Friday as if it were Monday on a typical game week and take it from there.