What Whittingham said about the Rose Bowl vs Penn State this week
Opening Statement:
Kyle Whittingham: "We're elated to be here, to be back here. Second time in a row. Honored to play Penn State, a storied tradition, a steeped-in-tradition program, I should say. Absolutely a complete football team."
"You watch them on tape, strong at every position group. Without question the best defense we've played this year. Very impressed -- I'm a former linebacker so I'm looking at those guys, very impressed with their linebacker corps, got to be one of the best in the country without a doubt."
"We've got our hands full in that respect, but proud of our guys for working their way back into this game."
"We had some adversity that we had to handle throughout the course of the season. They responded and answered the bell each and every time, and for our program to get back-to-back Pac-12 championships was a huge step in the evolution of our program, and like I said, very proud of our coaches and players for what they accomplished, and now we get the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl Game, so we're excited about that."
Question: What have the adjustments been like in the absence of Dalton Kincaid and Brant Kuithe?
Utah Utes tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) celebrates the victory against the Southern California Trojans in the PAC-12 Football Championship at Allegiant Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "Yeah, that's obviously a position that has had a lot of production for us this year, but like everyone else in the country, we've got injuries and guys that opted out. It's almost like this isn't the team you played with during the regular season. It's a transitional team, transitioning into next year where you don't have your recruits yet for next year but you're missing a bunch of guys from the regular season, and everyone in the country is in the same boat."
"We've got a couple more tight ends we feel really good about, Thomas Yassmin is the guy who really is going to be picking up a slot of the slack for what those two guys that we're missing; Logan Kendall, more of a blocking tight end that's invaluable to us. What he brings to the table in the run game, and he can also catch, as well, but he's a guy that does the dirty work for us."
"Then , so we've still got some guys there, but obviously it's tough to be missing guys the caliber of those two tight ends. We thought we had maybe the best tandem in the country, but they're out, so we move on, next man up mentality, and away you go."
Question: What does defensive success look like in this day and age of college football?
Kyle Whittingham: "Okay. First of all, winning the game. If they score 50, you've got to score 51, so whatever you've got to do to win the game."
"Our philosophy, and it appears Penn State is very similar, is to be tough against the run. If you take away the run, if you can tell a team they can't run the football and turn them one dimensional and get them to third down, third-and-long ideally and get after the quarterback, that's really the simple formula in its most simplistic terms for us is take away the run, get after the quarterback on third down, and that's what we strive for."
Question: What are your thoughts on Penn State's freshmen running backs?
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "As far as the running backs, two tremendous backs. One is closing in on 1,000 yards, the other is closing in on 900 yards. They've got exceptional vision. They're tough. They've got size. They can run inside or outside."
"Obviously no running backs can have great success without an absolutely phenomenal front, and these guys have a great front. They play well together. They're efficient. They're physical. They do a great job committing to the run game, much like us. There's so many similarities between these two teams would be my opinion. It's very intriguing."
"But they're committed to the run like we are, and throw the play-action pass scheme off of that, and that's really the formula for success, and those guys have done a great job running the football for them this year, and again, the offensive line moving people around is really where it starts."
Question: What has the preparation been like when you are facing a team similar to your own?
Kyle Whittingham: "I would say as a general statement, it does help you prepare to a certain degree. There's certainly enough differences in what we do that you've got to make sure you cover all your bases and expose your players to what they're going to -- all the things they're going to see.
"We do good-on-good, as Coach (Franklin) mentioned, all season long. That's our MO. We did it just the other day. That does help us when you're playing a team where the offenses are so similar.
"We've had a lot of time to prepare. I think we've had 15 practices. I'm sure we're going to see some things that they haven't shown on tape, as will they from us. Get ready for their core offense and their core runs and what they do, and like I said, being as similar as we are to each other, that does help a little bit."
Question: Thoughts on Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter?
Kyle Whittingham: "Well, first of all, their entire defense, as I mentioned is phenomenal. He's a great player, great motor, very skilled, obviously. But we've got respect for every single level of their defense. As I mentioned, no question this is the best defense we've faced all year long, so we can't really focus on one particular position group or one particular guy. We've got to be ready to try to move the ball somehow, some way against what they do."
"But got a lot of respect for him, obviously, and he's a tremendous player."
Question: What would winning the Rose Bowl Game mean for your program?
Utah Utes tight end Brant Kuithe (80) celebrates after a play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half during the 2022 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl.
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports.
"Well, first of all, going to the Rose Bowl has been phenomenal. They treat you right. We've been to a lot of bowl games, and it's a great experience for our players."
"Second time around, we came up short last year against a very good Ohio State team, lost by one or two points there, last drive of the game decided the outcome. But if we were able to get a win, that would obviously be another step in the right direction for our program."
"But I can tell you right now, the season is a success regardless, for our program to be able to go back-to-back from where we started when we joined this conference 11 or 12 years ago was a big step in the right direction, and we talked about that all season that getting to the top is one thing but staying on top is another. It's a bigger challenge and it's harder to sustain success than get there the first time, and I think our guys did a great job of taking that to heart. So here we are back again."
"But yeah, if we were able to pull out a win, that would be another big step in the right direction for us."
Question: What are you most confident in about your team?
Kyle Whittingham: "You know, proud of our football team. Showed a lot of resiliency this year. As I mentioned, we got off to a horrible start down in The Swamp against Florida, dropped that ballgame, dropped a couple Pac-12 games along the way, but they just kept fighting, kept persevering. There's no quit in our football team. They're a bunch of warriors. I love being around them.
"We only have seven seniors, so what you see with us is going to be very similar next year. We will have some guys that move on to the next level, underclassmen, but we also have those conversations and give our guys advice when they seek it.
"You've got to be careful when you have those conversations because it's got to be their decision. You can't be too forceful one way or the other because ultimately it's their careers, their lives. Our stance has always been during the season, it's all about the team. After the season, it's always about what's best for the individual. That's our approach. We'll see what happens here with some of our underclassmen, but I think we're going to get the vast majority of them returning, and that would be a good thing for us."
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