SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah head football coach
Kyle Whittingham held his weekly press conference on Monday, meeting with members of the media inside the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center.
Selected quotes from Coach Whittingham can be seen below.
Opening statement…
"It was a great response by our players and coaches this past weekend. I thought we came out and played exceptionally well. The coordinators had excellent plans on both sides of the ball and the players did a great job executing it. I couldn't be more pleased with our coaching staff and our players. We needed to have a reset and get back on track. We have a big challenge this week on the road against the No. 5 team in the country. We have to be at our best. We can't just play good, we need to play great and that is what it is going to take. It will take another week of great preparation and focus on our players' part, and that is exactly what they did last week. We are excited about the opportunity."
On what Washington brings to the matchup…
"They have excellent personnel. The thing that stands out is obviously their quarterback and their throw game. I think they lead the nation in throwing the football. They also have an outstanding running back, although I think their focus is throwing the ball – and they do it better than anyone in the country. Their defense is solid and they are getting everyone's best shot because you have to score a lot of points to try and win a game against the Huskies."
On Ja'Quinden Jackson's toughness…
"He is exceptionally tough. He has battled this ankle injury all season long, and he just keeps coming back. During the week he gets it to the best he can and then on game day he just lets it rip until he can't go anymore."
On getting more packages on offense for Nate Johnson and Sione Vaki…
"We are going to do whatever we can do to supplement the offense the best we can. Nate has been a part of that in some games this year, as has Vaki, so we are going to try to fashion a plan that gives us the best chance to win. So, if that includes those two guys, that is what we are going to do."
On Devaughn Vele…
"He has tremendous consistency with effort and practice habits. He is a great teammate. On weeks he doesn't get as many touches, he never complains, never says anything, just comes out and works hard. So, it has been great seeing his production go up in the last couple of weeks. He is one of the best receivers in the Pac-12 in my opinion, and certainly does a great job for us. We need to continue to make sure he gets the targets."
On playing in day games on national TV and if that has had a positive impact on recruiting…
"Yeah, anytime you can get national exposure and build your brand is great. Our recruits have certainly taken note of that and are excited about the exposure we have gotten. It is a two-edged sword though, you've got to be on national TV and play well, you don't want to underperform each week. But, I feel like we have performed pretty darn well most week, and that has caught the attention of our recruits, which is a plus."
On Dijon Stanley's versatility…
"He is a guy that when we were looking for guys to supplement what we were doing on offense, he stood out in practice so we thought maybe we could try to get him out in space a little bit and do exactly what he did against Arizona State. He has really excelled at that, there isn't a big sample size, but he has done well. He is also a really valuable special teams contributor. He is one of our gunners on punt and he runs down on kickoff. He is has a really bright future here."
