Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
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Quotes from Kyle Whittingham's Weekly Press Conference
Opening Statement: I thought we played our best game of the year on offense on Saturday. We got into a rhythm and had good production on points, first downs and yardage. Eddie Wide and the offensive line had over 100 yards rushing for the sixth-straight week for a school record. It was good to see him get that, it was well deserved.
We played solid defense. We gave up a few scores, but we played the run game pretty tough. Our special teams were solid. There were no real errors there and we did some good things in coverage units. It was a good evening overall.
Moving on to TCU, this is a big game. Every game is a big game, but this one has more implications as far as sole position of first place in the conference. Whoever wins as the season is winding down has the inside track. We will prepare for this game as we always do, by going through our routine, and we're going to need to beat a very, very good football team.
Injury report: Matt Martinez is out with a strained quad for 2-3 weeks. Kenape Eliapo still has an issue that is interrelated to his eye problem. He will not play this week and may be done for the season, but there is no exact determination on that. They are still running tests. Everything else that happened Saturday was minor. There is nothing that will cause anyone to miss the game.
On the offense: We have a good combination right now. We have helped ourselves with what we have done - the quarterback change, the play calling, and Dave Schramm on the sidelines. His energy and emotion and how he deals with them face-to-face have all been a big factor. Hopefully the changes will help us continue to head in the right direction.
On Jordan Wynn: He does not have one glaring deficiency, but he needs to tighten everything up - quicker reads, go through his progression a little faster, step up in the pocket a little and shorten those throws down, but there is no area that is glaring as a big problem.
On big games: It's going to be exciting and there is a lot of fanfare attached to the game, but once the ball is in the air, from a player's perspective, that stuff no longer becomes a factor because we are so focused on the job at hand. It will be a great atmosphere for the fans and hopefully a great game for the television viewers.
It's remarkable that Gameday has been on a MWC campus three weeks of the season and great for the conference.
On having two 100-yard rushers last week: The offensive line has done a nice job all year long. You are not going to get 100-yard games without the offensive line. We have also not been sacked excessively. They don't get enough credit or props, and they have done a nice job.
On TCU: Their roster is solid from top to bottom at every position. If you look at the stats, they are at or are near the top in all three phases of the game. Coach Patterson has done a great job assembling talent and I think they do a great job coaching them. There is no question that this is the best football team we have faced from them to this point.
Their run game is the best in the conference if you look at yards per carry. Andy Dalton is a talented kid, he feels comfortable in the scheme and when the running game is in high gear, it opens up the throw game. Jeremy Kerley is a terrific returner and a good receiver. He is a dangerous guy and they did not have him last year for this game. Jerry Hughes is a very good football player. He is a productive guy and you have to be aware of that and have to get him taken care of.
Game Notes
> Utah (8-1, 5-0 MWC), No. 16 in the BCS and Associated Press rankings, and No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches' poll, plays No. 4 TCU (9-0, 5-0 MWC) on Saturday, Nov. 14 in Fort Worth, Texas. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT (5:30 p.m. MT) in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
> The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports HD. ESPN College GameDay (TV and radio) will be on site and CBS C will also host a studio show. Utah has been featured on ESPN College GameDay once previously: In 2004, College GameDay came to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the Utah-Brigham Young game, won by Utah.
> For the second straight year, both Utah and TCU are nationally ranked and undefeated in conference play heading into their showdown. Last year, the Utes were 9-0 overall, 5-0 in conference play, No. 8 in the BCS standings, No. 9 in the coaches' poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press rankings when they played TCU. The Horned Frogs were 9-1 overall, 6-0 in league games, No. 12 in the BCS and No. 11 in the coaches' and A.P rankings.
> Utah leads the series with TCU 5-1, with the loss coming in overtime in 2005.
> The Utes are 7-0 all-time in games when both they and their opponent are ranked in the Associated Press poll.
> Kyle Whittingham is 5-3 against A.P. ranked teams as Utah's head coach, with wins over Georgia Tech (2005), UCLA (2007), TCU (2008), Brigham Young (2008) and Alabama (Jan. 2009). The losses were to Boise State (2006) and BYU (2006, 2007).
> Utah has won six straight games since a 31-24 loss to Oregon in Eugene on Sept. 19. The Utes have won 13 straight Mountain West Conference games.
> Utah has won 22 of its last 23 games and 29 of its last 31 games.
