Despite the 34-18 final score against ASU on Saturday, it was a close contest throughout the first three quarters. Head coach Kyle Whittingham is proud of the way his players never got down on themselves, despite making some mistakes throughout.
He saw a look of determination in each of his players and knew they would not take another loss to the Sun Devils.
“They handled the adversity extremely well,” Whittingham said.
One thing they did have to push past was a botched trick play on special teams. Britain Covey got called for an illegal forward pass in Utah’s own end zone that resulted in a safety and subsequently a field goal.
“It was horrible,” Whittingham said. “If you don’t execute it [a trick play], you’re idiots. If you do, you get to go on a speaking circuit and write a book about it. In hindsight, wish we wouldn’t have run it.”
This was not the only thing to go wrong on special teams, however.
The kick return defense struggled a couple of times to stop ASU from running the ball back on kickoffs — one return even resulted in a 100-yard touchdown. Whittingham knows the Utes will need to clean up their act if they are going to stand any chance against USC.
Late in the game against ASU, the Utes felt like the Sun Devils were picking up their plays. So they started to huddle up, and it worked in their favor. They did not want to give anything away, and all the players, one being Siaosi Aiono, trusted their ability to listen to one another.
“It worked in the fourth quarter, and they didn’t see anything coming,” Aiono said.
Defense stepping up
Though the defense struggled to find its footing early in the season, it has been making up for that in recent weeks. Last season, the Ute front seven was known for its ability to sack the quarterback. But this year’s team is making more of a name for itself when blocking the run.
The defense is ranked first in run defense in the Pac-12, and despite Utah’s own troubles running the ball against ASU, the Utes only allowed the Sun Devils 15 yards rushing.
“Great defense starts at the line of scrimmage, and our front has been playing very well,” Whittingham said. “The only thing tougher than us running the ball on Saturday was Arizona State trying to run the football. Our run defense was far superior than their run defense.”
Another upside for the defense right now is that the Utes lead the nation in interceptions. Whittingham likes that his players are finally capitalizing on the moments during the game, unlike some previous years.
Players like Marcus Williams and Dominique Hatfield look more athletic and are more prepared than some of the secondary players in years past, but the main reason they are seeing success is simple — they aren’t dropping the ball.
“We’re taking advantage of every opportunity to intercept the ball,” Whittingham said.
Injury update
Wide receiver Tim Patrick was regarded as a player who would see significant playing time yet still has not been on the field this season. That said, Patrick has been slowly working his way back and Whittingham is hopeful he will be able to make his return against USC.
But in the end it will be up to Patrick and whether he feels ready to go.
“He’s making progress every week — he’s gotten a little bit better,” Whittingham said.
Tight end Siale Fakailoatonga suffered a season-ending injury against Arizona State, and Whittingham knows it will be a struggle to replace a player like him on the field.
“He’s a good player and a good kid, so it’s unfortunate,” Whittingham said.”We’ll miss him.”
Fakailoatonga will take this time to gear up for next season. For now, Harrison Handley will be filling in the tight end position and even caught a touchdown pass against ASU. Caleb Repp will also be seeing more time on the field.
Jared Norris suffered an injury against the Sun Devils, but his was not a season-ending one so the Utes expect him to be back on the field in the near future.
@kbrenneisen