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Quotes From Utah Football's Weekly Press Conference

Nov 17, 2020

Kyle Whittingham | Head Coach

On his thoughts on the passing of longtime Voice of the Utes Bill Marcroft…
"First thing I would like to say is that I want to acknowledge the passing of a Utah sports legend, Bill Marcroft, this past weekend. He was a good friend of mine. When I first got the job here way back when, he was a big help to me – a mentor if you will. I spent a lot of time with him during those early years in my head coaching career and I had the chance to get to know Bill very well in those 15 or 16 years. He will be missed. He was just an icon for Utah Athletics. I had the opportunity to go out to dinner with him and his wife Joyce a couple of times and the respect, admiration and love that he had for her was really inspirational. He was a great guy. Rest in peace Bill."

On how the week has gone…
"We have had an encouraging week so far. We had an excellent practice yesterday. You might expect the players' spirits to be a little down because of the disappointment the last couple of weeks, but that is not the case. They are eager and ready to go. Like I said, we had a very productive practice yesterday and we will get back out on the field today. Things are trending in the right direction for us as far as getting back to health and getting guys back out on the practice field. Right now, all of our efforts are geared toward getting ready for USC and we will hopefully be kicking off on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN, national television. We are excited about that opportunity."

On his thoughts about the possibility of getting a game on short notice, similar to the UCLA-Cal situation this past weekend…
"It is not ideal to prepare in that short of time to prepare for an opponent. I think it was like 48 hours that Cal and UCLA had, but if both teams are on the same footing and it is a level playing field where neither team had an extended amount of time to prepare compared to the other, then you have to go. We have to get games in. It is not really a factor for player health or safety, it is more a strategic factor with coaches not having enough time to prepare, plan or be able to put in things specific to that team. So, as long as it is not a health or safety factor for our players, we are good to go."

On if he has seen some growth in his young secondary in practice these last two weeks…
"We have definitely seen growth, but we have also seen guys miss a bunch of practice because of the circumstances. It has been a little bit of a double-edged sword where guys are getting better, but then guys that need reps are unavailable for practice. We feel that we have made progress, but we still don't know what we have. We haven't lined up against anybody yet. As far as their techniques, their skill and them grasping the schemes, we are getting better on a daily basis."

On what he hopes to get out of this really unique season…
"Well we hope to play, first of all. I think we are the only Power Five team that hasn't played yet, so first and foremost we just want to get on the field. We want to see what we've got with these new players and obviously be competitive. We have some good things going for us on offense with very few new players and it being a veteran group. We expect to be productive on offense. The key is also how quickly this defense can come around. We are always looking to win the South and get to the championship game, and win that. So, that is our objective and we will see what happens. We have to start playing at some point and hopefully this is the week that we do that."

Kiel McDonald | Running Backs Coach

On the challenge of starting against USC, who was picked to win the South…
"The thing is that they do have two games under their belt. They are very talented and very athletic. They are a good football team, but you play good football teams every week in the Pac-12. So, we are starting off with the Trojans and we couldn't be more excited to play them as our opener."

On if there is any advantage to have this extra time to hone in on skills his position group should be developing…
"Absolutely. You get a chance to work with them more and you get the chance to hone in on fundamentals, which is what this game boils down to. It is who's fundamentals can stay consistent for 60 minutes, that is the name of the game. So, we are getting the chance to break in a lot of guys that haven't gotten to play a lot of football for the Utes, but they are very talented and we have a chance to really buff and polish our fundamentals. I'm excited to see those guys out there using the techniques that we have practiced and have them show up on game day."

On if they are still four backs deep or if one or two players have emerged more than others…
"We are four backs deep. These guys have continued to compete day-in and day-out. And they have continued to develop, so you are going to see all four guys go out there and play in some sort of capacity. It is going to be fun. I think that we are going to continue to develop depth at that position. They are explosive and they are tough, so it should be a physical affair with that group of guys."

Devin Brumfield | JR | Running Back

On sharing reps with three others guys and how he has seen the running back group develop…
"It has been great. We all are there to push each other and make each other better. We don't look at it as us having to share our reps with three other guys, we look at it as the fact that we can do it as a group. Coach Ludwig, Coach Whittingham and Coach McDonald will put us in the position to be successful and that is all we care about."

On the benefits of being able to prepare longer against a team like USC…
"For us, it is just going to be us going out there and being who we are. We need to go out there and practice the way that we practice every week whether we have a game or we don't. We are going to be prepared. We just need to stay focused and believing that we have a game regardless of the outcome. Whoever we have to line up again we are going to be ready for sure."

Solomon Enis | JR | Wide Receiver

On the importance of staying focused emotionally and mentally during times like these…
"That is all you can do. You can't stress about what you can't control. What you can control is your effort and what you put into practice every day. It is about showing up. At the end of the day, it hurts, especially the day before the game and it gets cancelled, but you come into the next week and you work the same way you did before, and you hope it works out the rest of the week."

On how practice went yesterday and what the mood of the team is…
"Practice went well, same routine as always. You have to come in and work, put in the work throughout the week and hopefully you get a game at the end of the week. Everyone is locked in. Everyone is tired of the games getting cancelled, but that doesn't affect how we prepare. We have USC this week and it is a big game. I think we are ready to for it and everyone has been working hard."

Devin Lloyd | JR | Linebacker

On his role in making sure the team stays ready to compete…
"The biggest thing is just emphasizing that we still have a game to play. That is our mentality unless they tell us otherwise. We still have a game to prepare for against a really good opponent in USC. It is just getting the guys to understand that there can't be any fear or any doubt that we aren't going to play. Until that happens, it should be our mentality to come out and dominate the next game."

On staying focused during this time…
"With the guys on the team, I feel like this could easily get to them mentally and psychologically, but you have to look at it from the positive side. That is where leadership comes into play. I feel like you have to look at it from the positive side and know that we will hit the field eventually. This is just a little adversity, that's all. More than anything, it is important to understand that we will have our opportunity to play."