Kyle Whittingham called out the Utes' offense after an inconsistent showing in Tuesday's practice and it appears to have worked, as the offense returned yesterday with strikingly different results.
Here are some quotes from the Deseret News article:
While I'm glad they came out with a far better attitude, it shouldn't take getting called out by the head coach to flip the on switch. If that switch isn't flipped this close to the season, I wonder if they will be able to sustain their focus.
Yup and every team goes through what Utah is going through right now. But only the great teams know that you've got to put in 100% effort every day if you're going to build a foundation for a successful season.
Do it. Do it harder and do it better than you did it before. If there is pain, fight through it. If it's hot, wipe the sweat from your forehead get back into the action. This is the most vital point of the year, because it sets the tone for the upcoming season. That tone should never be tied to the word quit and hopefully this year it isn't.
"It's not acceptable. If you want to be an 8-5 team or a 7-5 team that was an acceptable scrimmage," Johnson said. " ... But we set our goals higher than that as a team. We set our standards higher than that."
Perfectly stated. We don't want to be an 8-5, 7-5 team. We want to win conference championships, compete for the top-25 and yes make a run at a BCS Bowl game. We should never accept mediocrity because it feels successful enough. 8-5 is not good enough and should not be tolerated as such. And I'm glad Whittingham agrees with Johnson.
No reason at all, Coach. And if this team isn't effective on offense this year, the blame will be solely on you.
These surely are the dog days of summer and hopefully Utah's offense isn't in Whittingham's doghouse for much longer.