Coaches' Corner: Andy Ludwig and Morgan Scalley
SALT LAKE CITY - University of Utah offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig and defensive coordinator/safeties coach Morgan Scalley visited with the media this week at the Spence and Cleone Eccles Football Center.
Ludwig and Scalley gave the press one final assessment of last week's opener vs. Weber State, while primarily looking ahead to Utah's matchup at BYU this Saturday. Kickoff down in Provo is set for 8:15 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Andy Ludwig
On an initial assessment of the offense following the season opener vs. Weber State…
"It was good to get started, but the full focus now is on today's practice and improving every day, getting ready for this next contest."
On improving on some of the drops and other areas following Weber State…
"You can hear the jugs machine working behind you right now with the receivers and tight ends. We're working on that daily."
On the running backs group…
"Every game is a little different. Tavion [Thomas] did do some good things last week. But he's got to come out and have a great, productive week of practice. It started off well today on this Monday, tomorrow is another day. We'll see where that brings us."
On Charlie Brewer's first start at Utah…
"Charlie did a nice job in his first start. I'm anxious to see him work in his second start now."
On the offensive line…
"There were some good things and bad things that I think Coach Whittingham addressed with the media after the game. Right now, we're completely focused on preparing and getting better for this week's opponent."
On what needs to go well on Saturday night at BYU…
"We have to protect the football and protect the quarterback. If we do those two things, we're going to be in good shape."
On the BYU-Arizona game and any takeaways for Utah from that matchup…
"I've watched it many times now. The number one priority in the game plan is protecting the ball. The number two priority in the game plan is protecting the quarterback. [If we do those,] good things are going to happen for the Utes."
Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach Morgan Scalley
On the defense's performance vs. Weber State…
"The issues that we had, the majority of them, were technique issues. The good thing is that that should improve from Week 1 to Week 2. I love the effort with which we played. I love the takeaways, would've loved to have one more. It was a good first start. The 17-play drive was a gut punch, we did a nice job finishing but it should never have gotten to that point. There were a couple third downs that we gave up that we should not have. But I love coaching this crew. And we have good coaches. It's fun right now."
On assessing players' upside following a shorter season in 2020 and early on in '21…
"You bet, particularly in the secondary. We have a young secondary that did not have the crowd involved in the games last year. That will be a factor in this week's game. You give up a play on the road and you got the fans going crazy—how are you going to respond? We're a man coverage team and we're going to give up plays. How do you respond? It'll be interesting. There's a lot of guys that played and started for the first time [last Thursday], and they're really starting to jell right now."
On being around the Utah-BYU rivalry for so long and if that impacts the message to the team…
"Not really. Nothing that is said will ever win you a game, or lose you a game for that matter. It's what you do on the field. It's the technique with which you play, it's being assignment-sound, knowing schematically where you're supposed to be and showing up on gameday and making those plays. They're a very good football team. They're very well-coached. If we don't show up and play disciplined football, it's not going to be a good day."
On defending the BYU run game and the challenges it poses…
"It's not only [Tyler Allgeier], you've got a quarterback. All of a sudden, things are locked down in the secondary and he can take off like he did against Arizona. He's very athletic. Allgeier is a very powerful back…they've got good offensive linemen, good tight ends that can block. It's like any other game, we preach to our guys that you have to stop the run. That's a big challenge this week."
On Xavier Carlton and Van Fillinger's performances vs. Weber State…
"I'm pleased. And they know they're not there yet. A few mistakes, but they are continuing to grow splitting that time. The length causes issues for people with X. And Van has got a little more quickness off the edge. They both have their unique talents. It was a good first game for them to learn from."