Utah Utes College Football Pregame Quote, 11/18/2024

Opening Statement:

“The biggest issues in the game on Saturday in no particular order- we weren’t able to run the ball almost at all. We went 31 yards on 30 carries which is abysmal. There is no way to win a football game with that rushing. Four turnovers- a problematic area that has been consistent this year, and defensively, an inability to make plays up the field. [Colorado] had a terrific wide receiving core- the best we’ve faced by far, and they made plays up the field. 12 [Travis Hunter] is as advertised. He’s a bonafide All-American and one of the best players in college football. The quarterback [Shedeur Sanders] is terrific. As bad as it was, we had the ball in really good field position in the fourth quarter with an 11-point deficit having a chance to make it a one possession game, and proceeded to throw an interception. That dashed our hopes right there. They ended up capitalizing on that turnover with a touchdown, and that was pretty much the ball game. Credit to them. They are a good football team. Said it after the game a couple of times, they are the best team we’ve played this year. No question, and coach Sanders has done a great job turning that thing around in a short period of time. Hats off to those guys.”

“We’ve got Iowa State coming in this weekend. Senior Day for a big group of seniors. We’ve typically had anywhere from eight to 12 the last two or three years. We have around 25 this year. A lot of turnover, outgoing players who will be out of eligibility, so we’re hoping the crowd will show up and wish those guys all the best and thank them for what they gave to the program. A lot of those guy have won a lot of games for us over the years. As with every year, we’ll miss them. It’s tough to see them leave, but that is the nature of college football. Iowa State is a really good team. Number one in the conference in scoring defense. They have a good offense, very balanced. A complete team. They are a very balanced football team. A lot like us offensively in their personnel usage. A lot of 12 personnel, in fact that is our starting group- two tight ends. Some 11 and even some 13 which we do as well- 13 personnel, so carry over in that respect. Our defense is used to seeing those personnel groupings and hopefully it is a little better matchup for us than the spread attack we saw last week. They are battling for a spot in the conference championship game so we are going to get everything they have.”

How Has This Season Impacted Your Recruiting Approach?

“It’s going to be going forward, pretty much how it has been- 50/50. It’s going to be an influx of 40-54 guys when all is said and done. Now, we are fairly confident, fairly certain the roster limits will go down to 105 which will mean only 20 walk-ons instead of 40. That is going to have some impact as far as scholarship players- it will be close to half the roster that you turnover. That half of that roster is split pretty equally between high school and portal. Maybe a little more towards the high school, but not much. It’s going to be a heavy shopping season for us.”

On What The Deal Has Been With The Short Kick-offs?

“We would like every kick-off to be out the back of the end zone and not have a chance to return it. It’s a point we make, and we’ve had a higher percentage this year than last year, I believe. Not a ton higher, but I think our touchback percentage is a little higher. Going back to the game- that was another negative is we had just another horrific play on special teams where they returned a punt for a touchdown during the game which was one of the top four or five momentum changing plays in the game.We would love to never have to cover a kick-off and just spot the ball on the 25, and start playing.”

Utah’s Plan For The New Revenue Sharing As Recruiting Season Ramps Up:

“Well, we are using it as we have been except it is going to be a bigger bump for us. Some schools it is a huge cut, but for us it is a big bump and we already have all of the numbers budgeted. Spreadsheets galore as far as what we are allocating to each position. How much O, how much D- it’s all mapped out now. It’s just a case of going shopping in the portal and filling those needs within those financial parameters.”

On What Utah Has Done To Try And Help Along Freshman Quarterback Isaac Wilson:

“Extra meetings within the rules, of course. Extra film time. He comes in on his own and watches a ton of film, so we are doing everything we can- he is doing everything he can to continue to develop, see things quicker. That was another issue particularly early on- he got better as the game wore on, but holding the ball too long. He needs to go through those reads and spit it out, or tuck it and run. There is a clock in your head that people talk about coaching quarterbacks that when that clock expires there is nothing there- you’ve got to get out and go because otherwise bad things are going to happen.”

Whitt Discusses Putting Together Offensive Coordinator Candidates:

“That is going on right now- evaluating what we are doing, attractive candidates outside of the program, and evaluating everything right now, getting the shortlist ready. That will be job one as soon as the timing is right to get that filled. Recruits want to know who the coordinator is going to be, and that is something we will need to have solved sooner rather than later.”

On How “Development” Culture Has Changed With Transfer Portal Rules:

“No excuses but that was our formula- recruit, develop, manage, and with the turnover- the way the portal is now, that system is- I don’t want to say a dinosaur, but it is very hard to continue to have work. That also plays into- you have to take a hard look at your scheme. Your schemes had better be “plug and play” now because you can’t have a scheme that is so complicated, and so in-depth that it takes a guy two or three years to learn it. You don’t have that time anymore. That is another conversation we’re having and facet of what we are doing that needs to be streamlined, because like I said, you can collect all the talent in the offseason and hope it gels. Then you better be able to assimilate the offense and defensive schemes in that short period of time in order to function. That is something we are looking at hard and making sure we are getting corrected.”

Whittingham Discusses Morgan Scalley’s Involvement In New OC Hire:

“Very involved. Very involved and it would be an injustice if he wasn’t. So, given our situation he’s working side by side.”

Discussions With Current Guys On The Roster About Next Season:

“We’ve already started discussions with certain players that will continue to expand these last two weeks. The portal is right around the corner and these guys deserve to know where they stand, what the financial picture looks like because it is not fair to us or them. We need to try and get on the same page. Some guys will say that is good, and will be locked in. Some guys will need to investigate and take a look around the market. It is happening and will continue to happen more- more concentrated effort as the season ticks down because the ninth is- 27 days away. It’s close. It’s coming quick.”