What Whittingham said about Utah's matchup with Arizona
Opening Statement:
"First of all, a few thoughts on Thursday's game. Proud of the way our guys came out and handled adversity and rose to the occasion. Did what we needed to do to get the win. That was the bottom line, we found a way. Bryson Barnes did an exceptional job, given the circumstances he was thrust into. Thought our young backs did a nice job shouldering the load carrying the football. Dalton Kincaid had another outstanding game. Not as prolific as the game before, but certainly a big impact on the game. Probably the biggest positive was the way our defense responded and really did a good job keeping us in the game. It was the flip side of the game before, where the offense kept us in the game by keeping pace with the scoring. The defense kept us in the game this past week by getting stops. It was good to get out of Pullman with a win. Those wins there have not come easy. In fact, I think it's only the second win since we joined the Pac-12…that was that."
"Moving ahead, Arizona coming to town. Prolific on offense. They're doing a lot of good things offensively, 475 yards a game, 30-something points, ton of pass yardage, they're getting 340-ish throwing the football. Quarterback is just what we've seen the last several weeks. Very athletic, tough to sack, tough to keep in the pocket, can really do damage when he pulls it down and runs. Receiving corps is very productive; three guys, (Jacob Cowing, Tetairoa McMillan and Dorian Singer) that are all really good among a couple other guys. Running backs have been productive as well; although they're not as committed to the run as they are to the throw. But they're still getting enough rushing yardage to keep you honest. Primarily an '11' personnel team, one tight, three wides with their personnel. They played very well against USC offensively. Scored 30-something points. They were in it right until the end, when they weren't able to get the onside kick that would've given them a chance to win the game potentially. We've got our hands full. Got a 5:30 p.m. kick, which is not bad. Not great, not bad. We'll be there on Saturday at 5:30 p.m."
Question: Were there any season-ending injuries against Washington State?
Kyle Whittingham: "No. No season-ending injuries."
Question: Thoughts on Bryson Barnes performance given his limited prep time?
Utah Utes quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) moves the ball against Washington State Cougars defensive back Chau Smith-Wade (6) and defensive back Armani Marsh (8) in the second half at Gesa Field at Mart.
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "I think he did an admirable job, very admirable job given the circumstances. He didn't take many reps during the week, because Cam was taking them all. Given the preparation, lack thereof I guess you could say, I thought he responded well. That shows what kind of studier he is of the game plan and of film, to be ready under those circumstances. We'll integrate him as necessary. Cam is our guy, there's no doubt about that. There's no quarterback controversy, or anything like that…Bryson, the times he's been called upon, he's answered the bell."
Question: What was the sequence of Cam's game-time decision to not play?
Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) looks to pass during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Whittingham: "(Cam) had a little setback. It was nothing due to anything he did physically, as far as in practice or anything. We had a little setback the day of the game. , as I said before, if he says he can't play, he can't play. He's one of the most competitive players to ever come through here."
Question: What was Micah Bernards availability for Washington State?
Kyle Whittingham: "Very sparingly. He got dinged up in the USC game pretty good. He was virtually no practice until just a day or two before the (WSU) game. He was willing to try, wanted to try…first you have to get cleared by the medical staff. Once that happened, then you decide. He wanted to give it a shot, just wasn't effective."
Question: Thoughts on Jaylon Glover's performance against Washington State?
Utah Utes running back Jaylon Glover (1) carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium.
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "He's a guy that is capable. Just watch his high school tape and look at how much production he had, and how many opportunities (he had). He is a guy that can carry the football 20-plus times a game. He's only going to get better as he continues to marinate in the program and learn all the details of what's going on. Not that he doesn't know his assignments, but you just seem to pick up the little nuances that can take you to another level. He's a guy that we have a lot of faith in. (Ja'Quinden Jackson) played well in addition. He did have the fumble, but he's a guy that has added to what we're doing. When you lose Chris Curry and Micah and Tavion, we were down to guys that hadn't had much experience. It was good to see them step up."
Question: Why did you use a four-man-rush?
Kyle Whittingham: "It gives the defensive coordinator a lot more flexibility, a lot less risk-taking. Although there's still a place for pressure. You can't just say 'OK, we're going to get it done with four every snap.' I think we had four sacks in this past game. That is a big benefit for a coordinator, being able to do some creative things with his coverages and still not hang yourselves out to dry and impose too much risk upon yourself. You don't always have to sack him, just speed things up, knock him off his spot, do things to disrupt him. That's what we did with our last week."
Question: Thoughts on Arizona's run game?
Kyle Whittingham: "Solid. Like I said, about 140 yards a week, I think, is about what they're getting. They're a pass-first team, though, there's no doubt about that. They are throwing it, they're only second to Washington, I think Washington's first in the league throwing the football…That's what they're committed to. They've got a really good core of receivers, like I said. But they run it just enough to keep you honest and not become completely one-dimensional."
Question: What did you think of Sione Vaki's performance?
Kyle Whittingham: "He's a guy that is a really good player. He made the most of his opportunity. You will continue to see him being a factor for us on defense."
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