What Kenny Dillingham Had to Say About Utah's Kyle Whittingham

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils and Utah Utes have had the fortune to get to know each other quite well over recent years - ever since the latter joined the Pac-12 conference in 2011.

The pair of programs has quietly been building up a rivalry over that time period, with several spirited battles having taken place and several division titles being up for grabs in games between them.

The mutual respect undoubtedly remains, as they have now renewed the competitive spirit in the Big 12 - Arizona State head coach had nothing but positive things to say about Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham when asked in his weekly press conference on Monday, ahead of the 2024 showdown between the teams on October 11.

Dillingham's Words on Whittingham:

"You guys know how I feel about Coach Whittingham. I think he's one of the best coaches in this generation. His ability to continually win and adapt and change, it's really incredible what he's accomplished there. Hopefully we're getting closer and closer and closer to creating a program similar to theirs."

Whittingham took over the program in 2004 in the midst of Urban Meyer departing for the Florida job - he has now become the second-longest tenured coach of a power four program in the process, trailing only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz.

The 65-year-old has frequently re-invented himself over the years, as alluded to by Dillingham - this season's example of adaptability was to reshape the offense around a dual-threat quarterback that has shown the ability to stay on the field consistently. The new quarterback, incredible offensive line, and trademark pesky defense have re-established the Utes as a threat to win the conference after a pair of down seasons that preceded this one.

The longtime coach has faced rumors of an impending retirement over recent seasons - but remains the blueprint of how to succeed with a program in the western half of the United States that is prone to be forgotten about on a year-by-year basis.

Whether Dillingham will continue to crack the code and become a legendary coach in the sport remains to be seen - he does have the right attitude, ability to adapt, amongst other factors that should lead to stacking up with someone of Whittingham's stature moving forward.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State's clutch-time victory over TCU here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.

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