Clark Phillips III Explains Why Utah Is Playing Better In Second Half Of Games
Oct 20, 2021, 1:51 PM | Updated: 1:53 pm
Copyright Bonneville International
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah football program is on a three-game winning streak and is the only program in the conference with an unbeaten Pac-12 record this season.
A lot of that is due to the improvement of the offense, making adjustments at halftime and feeling a new energy going into conference play after a 1-2 record in non-conference.
Clark Phillips III talked about that and much more on the latest episode of Faith, Family and Football. You can listen to the full show, below.
Utah Playing Better In Second Half Of Games
Over the last three games, Utah was outscored 37-35 in the first half of those games. In the second half, the Utes have dropped 66 points while holding their 46 opponents to 46 points. In the fourth quarter alone, Utah has outscored their opponents 35-16.
What has led to that success?
“There’s a lot of answers to the question,” said Phillips. “I feel like one of the biggest things is adjustments, the coaches being able to adjust on the fly, halftime adjustments are big. Belief, the team’s grit, we put in a lot of work in offseason and we continue throughout the season. The guys really do believe in each other and you see that where teams start to fall apart on the other side of the ball and we come together. We feel like as our team gets older and as our team transitions game after game after game, we get stronger and we become more and more of a family.”
Utah Not Point Fingers Anymore
Following the win over Arizona State, quarterback Cam Rising mentioned that one of the reasons why this team has come closer together is they are not pointing the finger anymore like they were in the first three games of the season. Phillips went into further detail on that.
“When adversity strikes, you either become closer or you allow it to divide,” stated Phillips. “I feel like we are allowing it to make us closer as a family. It’s important because a lot of teams start pointing the finger. We look to each other and lean on each other. If they are struggling, we put our arm around our brother. You can see it because in those big moments, that player that was struggling makes the play of the game.”
Utah will hit the road to face Oregon State on Saturday, October 23 at 5:30 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
