Top Five Takeaways From Utah Football’s Kyle Whittingham Week Three Press Conference
Sep 16, 2024, 2:38 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – On Monday, Utah Football head coach Kyle Whittingham addressed members of the media in his week four press conference of 2024.
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Coming off of a 38-21 win over in-state rival, Utah State, there are plenty of positives to build on. That’ll be important as Utah hits the road for their first conference game of the season against No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys.
To begin the week, Whittingham met with the media as he always does. After the 15-minute presser, here are five key takeaways from Utah’s head coach press conference.
One – Isaac Wilson played well and progression is all up to him
“Progression is better numbers, you know, numbers that are improving,” Whittingham stated. “This was his first sta rt and opportunity to have all the reps during the practice week to get tuned up for the game. His QBR was pretty good for the game and for a true freshman.”
Isaac Wilson earned a 60.2 QBR rating after he went 20-of-33 for 239 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He created 13 1st downs through the air and ran for another in the red zone.
In terms of his progression, it’s all about the playbook. There is a lot to grasp, which simply takes time and repetition to gain deep command of. There are a lot of checks in the run and throw game in Ludwig’s offense. He showed good command of that on Saturday and it’ll be up to him to get after it more this season.
“He needs to continue to gain command of the offense- Ludwig’s offense is not the easiest to learn but once you do, it’s very effective,” Whittingham said. “He just needs to continue to attack the learning curve.”
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Two – Bernard, Mitchell, Stanley top three RB’s… for now
Utah’s getting better production out of the run game. Micah Bernard has ran for back to back 100-yard games and established himself atop the depth chart. Meanwhile, Mike Mitchelland Dijon Stanley have also emerged as a consistent contributors early on.
“(Mike) has been hampered by a nagging injury that just keeps showing up every week. It’s not enough to keep him completely out of the game but it’s enough where he’s got to get out of the game long enough for it to… stop hurting I guess. As a freshman, he is a nice complementary back to Micah. He’s about 220 pounds, Micah about 205 pounds, so he gives us good complementary rushes, as does Dijon Stanley. He’s another guy that’s done a good job contributing to the run game. Those three guys are the guys that have emerged as the top guys, at least for the moment.”
“Perhaps the most maddening aspect of the game was Bryson Barnes’ performance under pressure vs kept clean.”
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Three – Caleb Lohner progressing towards bigger role
The converted basketball player has made a positive impact for Utah through three games. The 6-foot-7, 250 pounder has been hard at work since he joined the program.
He’s embraced the work and that’s really what has led to his early involvement and promising outlook this season.
“I think you’re going to see him become more and more of a factor offensively as the season wears on. Remember, he hasn’t played much football in his life. It’s been several years since he has. We’re going to try to continue to expand his role and opportunities. He’s really tough, eager- has a great desire to be successful and that’s a big part of it, why he’s off to a good start, is his attitude.”
The Utes stay locked in at No. 12 this week after true freshman @Isaac_kawika led them to a 38-21 win over Utah State.
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Four – Jonno Hall, Rabbit Evans, Cam Calhoun stepping up
Linebacker Johnathan Hall
“Saw some good stuff, especially from Jonno,” Whitt said. “I think he had 36 snaps- really was productive, he’s a very sure tackler. He’s a guy that once he gets his hands on you, it’s over, he can tackle as good as anyone we’ve got.”
Safety Rabbit Evans
Rabbit, there was some hot and some cold. He made a few nice plays, a few assignment errors. He’s still learning, he did not get here until the summer. Just like coach Ludwig’s offense, coach Scalley’s defense is pretty involved and there’s a learning curve there.
Cornerback Cam Calhoun:
“Very proud of Cam Calhoun. He stepped in and gave us some very good play on Saturday. Had that one nice interception and some other really good coverage reps. That’s huge for us to see him play like he did.”
Five – Dealing with Karene Reid’s absence
“Any time you lose a good football player, there’s some diminished results but that’s not to say the guys filling in for him didn’t do a good job cause they did,” Whittingham said. “That being said, it’s part of the game, so it’s next man up mentality as it always is.”
Sione Fotu is the guy that assume the bulk of those reps without Reid on the field. Jonno Hall also played a big role in that and will continue to moving forward.
However, Whittingham made it clear that it’s on Lander Barton to take on the bulk of what’s missed without Reid on he field.
“A lot more falls on Lander Barton when Karene is not in there to run the show,” he shared. “We put a lot of the ownus on the alignment of the front on the linebackers and making sure everyone is on the same page. So, Lander Barton’s probably got the biggest job when Karene’s not in there because it really falls on him.”
Utah will hit the road for their first conference game against No. 14 Oklahoma State. You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.
