Utah suffered its first loss of the season in Los Angeles against USC, and after the game, head coach Kyle Whittingham is certain the Trojans were the best team they have faced this year. But there’s one thing the Utes cannot do — they cannot let USC beat them twice.
All the players are aware there could be some sort of hangover effect from defeat, but they will need to make sure they fully recover from the past weekend and continue on just as before.
“We got to rebound from our loss last weekend and refocus and be able to get ready for our next opponent,” Whittingham said.
Although there were some bright spots from the loss, such as Gionni Paul, who had 17 tackles, and Britain Covey, who had 129 yards receiving and two touchdowns, this was not enough to give Utah a shot at winning.
Next week, these two expect to have the same type of performance while the rest of the team will need to get its act together if Utah wants to remain atop the Pac-12 South division.
“Bottom line is we didn’t get it done,” Whittingham said.
Limiting turnovers
Whittingham knows if the Utes are to get back to its winning ways, they will need to take better care of the ball. Wilson threw four interceptions against USC. In Whittingham’s eyes, the first one is what really deflated the team.
The Utes were driving when Wilson’s first pick was returned to their own four-yard line. The Trojans eventually evened things at 14 apiece on this interception and then took full control of the game.
“We can’t go minus-four in the turnover margin and have a chance to win a game like that,” Whittingham said. “That was the biggest factor of the game.”
Although Wilson takes full responsibility for the turnovers, Whittingham says it wasn’t all his fault. Whether it was a misread on a route by both the receiver and Wilson, or something else, he is sure Wilson will correct his faults this weekend.
“He understands what’s at stake, and he’s played really good football for us this year. Saturday just wasn’t one of his better games,” Whittingham said.
Staying positive
The players are not happy with a loss on their record but at the same time are remaining positive. Because of this loss, Utah is completely focused on their next game against Oregon State on Saturday.
Whittingham is not looking down on the players, but he needs them to work harder than ever to get another win. The Utes will also need to look at the big picture, which is that it’s just one loss on the season.
“You can’t let one loss affect the next game,” Whittingham said. “We still control our own destiny.”
After the game, Paul gave the team a speech reassuring them that all hope was not lost. The Utes have five games left and have to finish strong, and just like USC got them, he will make sure to get his revenge against the Beavers.
“I never look back,” Paul said. “We got a kettle on the stove, it’s boiling. We got to punch our next opponent in the mouth.”
@kbrenneisen