Camp Kyle: Utes continue to grind as Kyle Whittingham assesses pressing spots on the roster

In week two of Fall Camp, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham addressed the media, focusing heavily on some of the more pressing spots on the roster.

Question: How was today coach?

Kyle Whittingham: "A little slow start. Coming off a day off, sometimes that happens. Took us a minute to get in the swing of things but finished strong and an overall positive day. It's day five so we're right in the grind right now, we've got all the rest of this week to finish, all next week and then school starts so we've got that week. The game is still far out there so we've got to stay focused, stay mentally tough, and just continue to grind. That's what is it is right now. It's an absolute grind."

Question: What does the backup quarterback battle look like behind Cam?

Kyle Whittingham: "Looks good. I mean, as far as some good things going on, we don't have...as far as making a decision, we're not going to make a decision before the first scrimmage which will be Saturday. But JJ is looking good, Bryson Barnes is doing a good job, Nate [Johnson] is really looking good. Brandon Rose probably has one of the strongest arms but is a little bit lacking in the conceptual phase of the offense. He'll spend more time in the film room which he will. But we've got a lot of good candidates it's just not separating itself right now. Hopefully after the scrimmage it will."

Question: What is the most pressing spot on the roster right now as you look towards that first scrimmage?

Kyle Whittingham: As far as the starters, getting the five offensive linemen solidified and working together, which we're very close to doing. Backup quarterback like we just talked about is a focal point. The secondary depth, making sure we have the secondary sorted.

Question: Where does Paul Maile fit into the offensive line situation?

Kyle Whittingham: "Paul Maile is the starting center right now. He's working with the ones. He didn't participate in spring so he's a little bit rusty...but he's done a good job and as of right now it's his job until somebody beats him out."

Question: How do you feel about the punting situation?

Kyle Whittingham: "It's much better. We're doing a much better job with the football. Jack [Bouwmeester] is really hitting the ball well, he's got a strong leg and we should be much improved in that area."

Question: Does Michael Williams still fit into the punting situation?

Kyle Whittingham: "He's number two right now out of two. There's only two guys. We'll see what happens. We'd ideally like to have one guy do all the duties...just one guy that is the main punter."

Question: How's the depth at the receiving core looking?

Kyle Whittingham: "Coming along. We have four or five proven guys that have been here for a while then four or five guys that are brand new. So that was probably another area of emphasis is trying to get those young guys sorted out and who is going to be among those seven or eight that travel with us."

Question: How do you manage expectations?

Kyle Whittingham: "Well you've just got to embrace them. They are there, there's no hiding from them. You just meet them head on and understand that we are getting a lot of national attention. We've gotta be mature enough to handle it and continue to go about our business the right way and not think we've got all the answers...but still understand that we do have high expectations."

Question: The defensive tackles are a bit lighter this year in terms of weight. Do you approach the position differently than in years past?

Kyle Whittingham: "No, but you're exactly right. Some of those guys need to add five, ten, fifteen pounds... But we usually have some bigger guys but the guys we do have are quick, tough guys that have good strength. But you're right, we're a little bit undersized with some of those guys. Not all of them."

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