What Whittingham said about Utah's matchup with Stanford
Opening Statement:
"Another good effort by our guys on Saturday night. Real team effort. I thought we played well in all three phases. Offense moved the ball, scored a bunch of points, made a bunch of first downs. Defense played really well—10 points up until the last couple minutes, which was a debacle in and of itself. But they played good the other 57 minutes. Special teams did some good things as well. A lot of improvement in areas. Came up with the big turnover with our punt team again; second time this year that we've stolen a possession with the punt team. Made all our kicks. A lot of good things in that game.
"Moving on to Stanford now. Last home game, Senior Night, we're going to be honoring our seniors as well as some underclassmen. It's going to be a late kickoff. It's fine. Whatever they tell us to do, we'll be there. It'll be an opportunity to have our seniors get recognized one last time (in Rice-Eccles). We've had a good run at home the last few years and need to keep that going. We seem to play very well in Rice-Eccles. A big part of that is our fans. They do a great job supporting us, The MUSS, the band, everything we've got going on there. Looking forward to those seniors being able to play in Rice-Eccles for the last time.
"Season-ending injury to Van Fillinger. He won't be with us these last three weeks, nor in a bowl game or any other games we have beyond. It's unfortunate; lower-leg injury. Van's a really good player for us, and has really done some good things the last couple years. We'll miss Van the rest of this season."
Question: Who can fill in for Fillinger?
Utah Utes sophomore defensive end Van Fillinger (7) prepares to rush the quarter back in the first half of the Utah Spring Football Game at Rice Eccles Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "We've got four guys that are going to get all the reps: Jonah Elliss and Connor O'Toole, Miki Suguturaga and Gabe Reid. Those four guys. We've been using five, but obviously now we'll use four guys."
Question: Thoughts on Nate Johnson's performance and his potential moving forward?
Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson (13) runs the ball for a touchdown against Arizona Wildcats cornerback Ephesians Prysock (7) in the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "Nate had his first reps as a Ute on Saturday. Scored a couple touchdowns, did a nice job with his role we had for him on Saturday. Will he become a marquee player? We believe he's got a high ceiling, lot of potential and has a bright future in the program. But still really early to make that determination in terms of how much he'll contribute in the future. But right now, we like his trajectory and what he's done. Really pleased with what he did on Saturday night."
Question: How does the running back room look right now?
Kyle Whittingham: "Have to be (okay). Have to be; we've got no choice. We'll put it together and have someone out there at running back. That's just how it is. We did get pretty beat up. But when you have problems and issues, 80% of the people don't care and 20% of the people are glad you have your issues. That's the old adage, so we never complain about who we do or don't have."
Question: How can Jaylen Dixon stay involved in the offense?
Kyle Whittingham: "Keep making plays, which he's done. Jaylen has been really good for the amount of touches he has, as far as the production that he's given us. His role has been expanded. He's been a guy—and it showed up again on Saturday—that has become a real play-maker for us."
Question: How has Devin Kaufusi contributed during his time as a Ute?
Kyle Whittingham: "Devin contributes in many ways. He hasn't had as much playing time as I'm sure he wanted this year. His snaps are down. But he's a captain; that tells you what his teammates think of him. He was voted a captain at the beginning of the season. He's got a great attitude. He's just a great guy to have on our team. Excellent teammate, and a guy that supports everybody, never complains. His playing time hasn't been what he probably hoped it would be, but he's all-in and does whatever we ask him to do."
Question: What do you see in Stanford this year compared to previous seasons?
Kyle Whittingham: "That's a good question. On offense, they've got good players, big receiving corps…the tight end's catching a bunch of balls, quarterback's got a big arm. Just haven't been able to get in sync very often this year. But yet, they beat Notre Dame at Notre Dame. They're a little bit hot and cold, but they do have talent. They play hard on defense. I know they didn't play their best Saturday against Washington State. But I know their defensive coordinator, Lance Anderson, very well. He's a good coach. Hasn't been a great year for them to this point, but we can't worry about that. All we're concerned with is how we play this week, and we're expecting that they'll play at their best."
Question: What have you seen in some of the younger guys who have had to elevate their game in spite of injuries?
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: "I think, I know for sure, that we've had some guys step up. Two young running backs come to mind right away; Ja'Quinden Jackson and Jaylon Glover. Bryson Barnes, we did get a taste of what he was in the [Rose Bowl] and he made the most of his reps. Thomas Yassmin, he's not a younger guy, but he's a guy that hasn't played a lot. Did some good things for us on Saturday. He really blocked well, too, which doesn't show up in the stats. In the secondary, Sione Vaki got his opportunity. It wasn't due to injury as much as just an opportunity that came up a couple weeks ago, and he made the most of it. There's guys that have stepped up and taken advantage of playing time."
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