What Whittingham said after Utah's victory over Arizona
Opening Statement:
"Another good effort from our guys again tonight. We had some good performances from guys filling in for our other guys. played solid and blocked very well, I know he had the one fumble, but he did some really good things. , our freshman quarterback, came in and gave us a bit of a wildcat package that was productive and scored a couple of touchdowns. Our defense played well for the entire night, created takeaways, and was good on third downs. The real story of the game was our offense's ability to run the football with 300-plus yards rushing, and anytime you did that, you are going to control the game, which happened tonight. It was great to have Cameron [Rising] back tonight, but he wasn't as sharp as he usually is, but that'll come, and it was great to have him back in the lineup tonight. Overall another step in the right direction for us, as things wind down and we are still in the thick of it."
Question: What went into creating a package for Nate Johnson this week?
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.
Question: What kind of potential do you see in Nate?
Kyle Whittingham:
Question: What was the key to the run games success?
Kyle Whittingham: "The offensive line. The offensive line did a great job of blocking things up and reestablishing the line of scrimmage and getting knocked off on the line of scrimmage. The running backs ran hard, and they did some good things on their own, but nobody rushes for over 300 yards without the offensive line controlling the line of scrimmage."
Question: Thoughts on how Zemaiah Vaughn played?
Kyle Whittingham: "That was his best game as a Ute. He was making play of play and is a very talented kid. He got great speed, but he's doing a nice job for a former quarterback who has only been playing corner for a couple of years now."
Question: What kind of growth have you seen in Ja'Quinden Jackson since moving him to running back?
Utah Utes quarterback Ja'Quinden Jackson (3) reacts to a win against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports.
Kyle Whittingham: "He continues to make strides every week and become more comfortable every week in his role and in the entirety of the scope of the position with blitz pickups and the route running. The ball carrying came naturally to him because he had a lot of experience as a running back growing up and also was a quarterback in the shotgun. He did a lot of quarterback run game, but he's getting a good feel and a lot of confidence in the pass pro and the routes."
Question: Thoughts on the way Jonah Elliss played tonight?
Kyle Whittingham: "Jonah was all over the place tonight. He is a terrific athlete, and I'm confident that if we decided to do that, he could be a great middle linebacker. That is how athletic, fast, and agile he is, but right now, he is doing a great job on the edge for us, and he is a valuable commodity for our defense."
Question: Whats going on with Jaylon Glover and Ja'Quinden Jackson who both left the game early?
Kyle Whittingham:
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