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Kyle Whittingham quotes from weekly press conference

By JazzyUte

Coach Whittingham held his weekly press conference Monday where he discussed the San Diego State game and the Utes upcoming battle with Boise State.

"Another outstanding performance by the defense - third week in a row. Five takeaways, two touchdowns scored on defense. That gives us four touchdowns scored on defense in the last two weeks and that's pretty darn good. They're playing very well.

"Eric Weddle was obviously the storyline - three interceptions and it could have been four. He very unselfishly knocked that ball down like he's supposed to in the Hail Mary situation. He was just outstanding. Eric's been kind of quiet the first three weeks of the season due to no fault of his own. They (opponents) just haven't been going his way. So they (SDSU) decided to go his way a little bit in this game and had one little bit of success early. After that, it was Eric Weddle taking over."

Here's hoping Boise State throws Weddle's way and Utah gets an interception early to set the defensive tone. The Utes defense has been pretty damn impressive this season and if continues playing this well, they'll give a lot of team fits.

"Offensively, it was a solid performance. I can't say enough about the offensive line. Still, through four games, they haven't given up a sack. And we're still rushing the football for close to five yards a carry. The offensive line is off to an excellent start. It is only four games in, but so far lights out by the o-line.

Last season the Utes' offensive line cost Utah games against Colorado State and New Mexico, it's good to see that they've improved this season. If Utah can go another game without giving up a sack to Boise State, they'll be in great position to win. Boise State has averaged 3 sacks per game this season, but I don't expect that to continue Saturday. The Utes line is just too solid to allow that many sacks in a game.

"Other than that, it was great to get off to a win and get off to a good start in Mountain West Conference play. San Diego State has been a tough venue for us to go down and play in years past. They've played us extremely well down there."

This was my biggest fear heading into the game because the Aztecs have been successful over the Utes recently. Prior to the game last Saturday there were only two conference teams Utah did not have a winning record over, them and Air Force. With this win, it's now only Air Force.

Whittingham then discussed the big game against Boise State.

"We've got obviously a big challenge ahead of us on Saturday. Boise State is ranked No. 22. It will be a great test for our football team to show what we're all about. We're excited for the game. I've got all the respect in the world for Boise State. They've got a very balanced offensive attack and they're playing very good defense. Their statistical numbers are very similar to ours. There is very little difference between the two football teams, so it should make for a good matchup."

Utah has an ax to grind after losing to the Broncos twice in the late-90s and they also can show the nation that the UCLA game was a fluke. Whittingham isn't downplaying the Broncos and overlooking them to the TCU game and that's good. A win here builds even more momentum heading into the TCU contest and of course puts Utah closer to the top-25.

On whether Utah is looking toward their game against TCU:

"There is no next little stretch. There is Boise State and that's it. It is a one-game season. This is it. Boise State is all we're thinking about. It is a non-conference game, but make no mistake there is no thought in the back of our mind that we'll take a little deep breath because it is a non-conference game. This is a big game. This is a game to get back some respect and to earn some respect."

The importance of this game can't be downplayed and I think Whittingham understands the importance of this game. This is a home game and no reason why the Utes can't win.

On whether this game will gauge the Utes' season

"I think so. I think it will be a good barometer of where we are in week five. It doesn't make or break the season by any means. No one game ever does. But it's going to be a good barometer of where we stand at about the mid-point of the season."

Yup, couldn't have said it any better myself. This game will tell us if Utah is for real or not.

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