Morgan Scalley is pleased with Utah's progress heading into ASU

Heading into Pac-12 play, Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is pleased with the progress from the defense.

Question: How would you assess the defense through one-quarter of the regular season?

Morgan Scalley: "What you're looking for is progress every week, particularly in the run game. Week 1—not good enough. It starts with us as a coaching staff. Week 2, obviously, you're making your best progress from Week 1 to Week 2 if you're doing it right. And I thought we did that. We play San Diego State [Week 3], a team that thrives on running the ball. To do what we did there, again, another improvement. I like the energy and the focus of our guys. They're intent on getting better. When you've got guys that understand how to handle adversity and how to handle what some would say was a Week 1 failure. That's a tough pill to swallow. They're resilient. It's a fun group to coach. I love these guys. It's a day-to-day, week-to-week deal. I feel like we're practicing the right way. I'm happy with the progress."

Question: What did you see after Florida that left you frustrated or believing you were a play or two away from winning that game?

Florida Gators linebacker Amari Burney (2) celebrate as he intercepted the ball against the Utah Utes during the second half at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Morgan Scalley: "The biggest thing was just a focus on the technical details. Assignment-wise, guys were lined up correctly…it is truly an 'own your role' defense with as much man coverage as we play. It just wasn't good enough Week 1. We feel like we've made the corrections. Guys see what needed to happen. That's the thing, you put on the film, that's where you can point out the issues. It's a fun group to coach because they're resilient, they're tough-minded and they made the corrections."

Question: What does it mean to have your safeties playing at such a high level?

San Diego State Aztecs running back Jordan Byrd (15) runs the ball against Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop (8) in the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Morgan Scalley: "They've been in the program, they've had success before, and it's expected from them. From the leaders on your team, it's what you have to have. From the safety position alone, I think we had nine missed tackles Week 1. That's not something that we're used to. They both spent a lot of time, both during practice and after practice, working on coming to balance and making sure their vision's correct on those tackles. It goes to show the resilience they have and the mentality they have. I'm happy for those guys. When you do things right and you do your assignment, plays will eventually come to you. And they've been making them. I'm happy for them."

Question: How would you assess Lander's performance so far?

Morgan Scalley: "Man, has he made strides every single week. Much like Van Fillinger, his freshman year, where you're seeing mistakes, but you keep putting him in there because you believe in his athleticism, you believe in his talent. He's picked it up fairly quickly, and that backer spot's not an easy one to pick up. I'm excited for his future, but he continues to have stuff to work on. He sees it every day and he's got a great [linebackers] coach in Colton Swan."

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