Here’s a breakdown of Whittingham’s press conference:
-They find themselves in a similar situation to last year—having to beat a really good team twice.
-USC is very efficient on offense. They’re No. 1 in total yards per play. That’s more important to Whittingham than total offense number. They’re best statistic is the turnover margin. 27 takeaways to 4 turnovers.
-The second half of the USC game was a turning point for the Utah defender.
-Whittingham joked that nobody counts Covid, so the Utes are in their 4th championship game in 4 seasons. It’s a real testament to the football team and how bought in and dedicated they are.
-Ja’Quinden took a huge step forward, he’s really starting to settle in and be productive. Whittingham says they grade ball security—not just fumbles but how the guys hold the ball. His ball security score went way up. Micah Bernard really had an opportunity to get out and run and showed great things. Jaylon Glover did some really nice things as well.
-They expect Dalton Kincaid to play. It’s not a guarantee, but they expect it to happen.
-USC went from 10-personnel to 11-personnel since their last meeting.
-Someone during the game showed Whittingham an ESPN game predictor and at one point it showed Oregon at 99.3 percent. He started getting a steady flow of info on that game with about 7 minutes left in their game against Colorado.
-Responding to some people who say they backfired their way into the championship game, Whittingham said, no, they won the games they needed to win to get in.
-Establishing the run is their MO and will remain that way on Friday.
-Having all the experience they have in the Pac-12 Champion Game should help a lot. They have guys who have been there and done that. A handful of guys have been to four of them.
-Kincaid is so dynamic and special that you have to get him the ball as much as possible. Whittingham expects USC to really key on him come Friday.
-Caleb Williams is the most difficult QB they’ve ever had to try and sack. What he’s doing is special and he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman.
-There’s been no dropoff for USC since Travis Dye was lost for the season.
-Answering as politically correct as possible, Whittingham was asked if he was surprised with how fast Lincoln Riley has turned things around. He said he’s not surprised because of the transfer portal. It used to be a 3-4 year turnaround, now it’s 1-2 years.
-On David Shaw stepping down at Stanford, Whittingham said he respects him a ton. He’s a tremendous football coach and a tremendous person. He gave back to the game a lot off of the field through football committees. The news took Whittingham by surprise, but he expects him to be back in coaching. There just comes a time for everybody when it’s time.
-Everyone pretty much has USC already winning, going to the CFP, and Williams winning the Heisman. Whittingham says he loves the chip on the shoulder role with nobody giving them a chance. He mentioned that they seem to thrive in that capacity.
-It’s important to keep Williams caged up and not allow him to get outside the pocket.
Ends it with, “Okay guys, see you in Vegas.”
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