Deseret News | Utah Utes football: Whittingham, rivals say feuds are over

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Utah Utes football: Whittingham, rivals say feuds are over

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Fueds over? | 12:30 a.m. July 23, 2008

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

back and forth??? | 1:02 a.m. July 23, 2008

Since 2000, Utah is 7-1 against Wyoming. Thats "back and forth"? Kyle's being polite. The 1990s were back and forth but not lately.

grumolman | 5:26 a.m. July 23, 2008

"Kyle's being polite"? After kicking an onside kick after being up 50 points he'll never be mistaken for "polite" he's not real bright, setting his team up for an ambush in Laramie to an inferior team. No matter what he say's the Wyoming fans, players and coaches won't forget it.

Comments continue below

No more, no less | 5:32 a.m. July 23, 2008

Any lingering animosity Utah players may have for UNLV will likely be the same Wyoming players feel toward the Utes.

Ryan | 7:04 a.m. July 23, 2008

Kyle always seems to have the car red-lining. That either gets you an extra burst of torque... or it blows the engine out. That leads to another inevitable rollercoaster season for the Utes.

Re: grumolman | 7:25 a.m. July 23, 2008

Get over it...geez. Have you forgotten Mr. Glen flipped off Whittingham? Last time I checked there is nothing in the rule book that says you can't score as much as you want.....BYU knows this, they always ran up the score with Lavelle. Wyoming deserved everything they got that afternoon. Just go to one of their games as an opposing fan. See what happens to you in Laramie.

Silly Kyle | 7:50 a.m. July 23, 2008

Silly Kyle,

Don't you know anything? The fans are the ones that control feuds. We are the ones who say when things are over. Both sides took things way to far, and now you will just have to pay the price. No silly apology between coaches will work for us. The fans will decide when either side has been forgiven... and as of now, it is not over!

Burying Hatchet | 7:58 a.m. July 23, 2008

Yeah, I'm sure Wyoming fans and players will be more than willing to bury the hatchet...

in the backs of the Utes when they visit Laramie.

Kyle is new to being a head coach and he may live to regret his brainless decision to kick an onside kick with the game already decided. It would be a shame to see a promising season marred by one, stupid, unsportsmanlike act, of the coach no less, from the previous season.

JD | 8:46 a.m. July 23, 2008

I agree that Kyle isn't very bright, not impressed with his coaching style either. As far as the fans are concerned, the hatchet is NOT buried. The Wyoming game will be fun to watch this year. Go POKES!

Spin | 8:52 a.m. July 23, 2008

Coach Whitt and the other coaches are just putting on their 'sunday best' attitude for the press. Like the article says "(it) will likely be used as a little bit of motivation when the two teams meet Sept. 6 at Rice-Eccles Stadium."

It's their responsibility as coaches to put the positive spin on it for the press. But we all know those games will have added motivation for the side that got burned.

I'd still pick the Utes to come out the victor in both rematches. Clearly in the UNLV game and I think the week with the Cowboys will be a grudge match (literally for both sides)but the Utes look solid to win it in Laramie.

UNLV Fan | 8:56 a.m. July 23, 2008

We all know that the Rebels are still laughing at the Yewt defense. 27-0.

Its All Talk | 9:13 a.m. July 23, 2008

The coaches are just putting their best foot forward for the press. Come game time, you can bet those fueds will be revived! I think it is great for the MWC to have this type of excitment within the league. Whenever fueds exist, the fans are more passionate, TV viewership increases (which potentially increases ad revenues for the broadcast) and the players are more motivated for the games. I can't wait to watch the Cowboys, Utes,Rebels, Aggies, and Cougars square off against each other after all the bad blood last year between these 5 teams. It will be GREAT football!

Anonymous | 9:13 a.m. July 23, 2008

whittingham is a first class loser. we need him fired if we ever want to be successful again.

Re: Silly Posts | 9:13 a.m. July 23, 2008

Gotta love all these Ute lovers who think that one OOC road win a season (I hope you're not counting Utah State among your OOC road win successes) and beating an unmotivated, disappointed, middle-of-the-conference team in a bowl game makes for a successful season.

Urban is long gone, and Kyle still hasn't won a conference championship nor has he finished in the top 25.

Good luck in the Big House. Let's see if the U can get a real victory this time, instead of a moral victory, like they did last time they visited Michigan.

Hero of Canton | 9:27 a.m. July 23, 2008

First off, the Utes go undefeated this year.

Second off, when you have the football the point is to score. If the other team is so inept as to not be able to stop you that is their problem, not yours. There is no such nonsense as running up the score. If the other team is going to be a bunch of crying babies about it, here is a novel idea: STOP THEM FROM SCORING.

Thirdly, how about the team down south stop running their mouth about how they are superior and start backing up all their talk of being a good team. We have busted the BCS and we are going to do it again this year, what have you done? Go sip some caffeine free Mnt Dew like big boys and let me know.

James Halls | 9:48 a.m. July 23, 2008

Hey Hero of Canton,

16-0 in conference the last two years is why we can run our mouthes about how good our football team has been. The future looks bright and until the Utes knock us off our high pedestal we will continue to show you on the field how we are the superior team in the state and conference. 2004 is history! What has your team done lately? We wanted Coach Whit but I believe that we actually got the better man for the job in Coach M. Thank you Utah for saving us from ourselves and stealing Coach Whit away!!! Go Cougs!!!

Bryan | 9:52 a.m. July 23, 2008

RE: Hero of Canton...I don't think anyone is worried about the final score of the Wyo game, it was the onsides kick that riled most people up. Outside of Ute fans, (and some of them were not happy with it) there are very few people who would agree with coach Whittinghams decision. You can score as much as you want. IF your the better team, go ahead, just don't rub salt into the wound when it doesn't have to be that way.

Pot calls porcelain throne white | 9:57 a.m. July 23, 2008

Hey, Re: grumolman -- thanks for the best laugh of the morning. Nothing funnier than a Ute fan calling out a Wyoming fan for classlessness. The only perceivable difference between attending a game in Laramie or Salt Lake City that I can see is that in Laramie they cover the other team's leading receiver on the last play of the game with 9 men in pass coverage.

And last time I checked, there is nothing in the rulebook about flipping off an opposing coach either. Some things are just obvious -- they don't need to be in the rulebook.

Fued? | 9:57 a.m. July 23, 2008

Ute fan here and the only fued I have is with the sock and sandal wearing BYU fans who try to trash talk on Utah based articles. If you're going to bring it here, at least bring some good smack..not weak sauce stuff like "Good luck in the Big House. Let's see if the U can get a real victory this time, instead of a moral victory, like they did last time they visited Michigan."

Fact of the matter is we ARE playing in the Big House while the weak and scared teams are playing the Junior Varsity Nothern Iowa team on opening day. Bronco has got to grow a pair and start playing real teams. Maybe the reason he doesn't is because he is 1-5 against BCS teams in the regular season in his tenure (Wins - 2007 Arizona, Losses - 2007 UCLA, Arizona 2006, Boston College 2006, Boston College 2005, and Notre Dame 2005).

I guess the Qwest For Perfection is a little easier when you're scheduling the Northern Iowa's of the world though.....

Matt | 10:01 a.m. July 23, 2008

Re: Hero of Canton

I'm a Ute fan too, Hero, but you've got to relax and be a bit more logical in your arguments. Propping up a BCS victory four years ago, and directing it as a form of trash talk towards the Coug fans is nonsensical at this point. Our Utes have lost to the Cougs the last two seasons and have finished in the middle of the conference pack while BYU has finished first, comfortably. No BCS bowl makes up for the Utes' performance the past two seasons in conference. Isn't bringing up past BCS hysteria playing the history card we all accuse BYU fans of playing all of the time?

I am hoping along with my fellow Ute fans this year will be different. And I expect to not be disappointed. But there is a line between being myopic or a realist as a fan and you just crossed it.

OOC Road Games | 10:03 a.m. July 23, 2008

Utah 2005-2007 (with Kyle)
L @North Carolina (5-6) 17-31
L @UCLA (7-6) 10-31
W @Utah State (1-11) 48-0
L @Oregon State (9-4) 7-24
W @Louisville (6-6) 44-35

BYU 2005-2007 (with Bronco)
L @Notre Dame (9-3) 23-49
L @Arizona (6-6) 13-16
L @Boston College (10-3) 23-30
L @UCLA (6-7) 17-27
L @Tulsa (10-4) 47-55

So Mr. I'm-so-proud-of-Utah's-OOC-road-wins is hanging his hat on ONE road win over a 6-6 team vs. BYU's TWO undefeated MWC championships and TWO top 25 finishes?

Utah's average OOC losses on the road were by 17 points.

Even including a 26 loss at BCS bowl team Notre Dame, BYU's average OOC losses on the road were by 11 points. Excluding the Notre Dame loss, BYU's average OOC loss was by 7 points.

Zero of Canton | 10:05 a.m. July 23, 2008

Hey, Hero, you had me at "first off."

The Utes going undefeated is a pipe dream -- and I think we all know what's in that pipe.

Second off -- how many points a team scores is not the issue. It's how you score them. If you have your second string in, and you are running the ball and they still cannot stop you, so be it. When you are up 43-0 -- and you have scored already on several trick plays -- and you kick an onside kick, well, you are classless. Basically you are saying, we are not men enough to simply run the ball down your throat that last quarter and a half -- we still have to use trick plays. Again, it's how you do it. Whittinham was clearly showing Glenn up at the expense of the Wyoming players. That was classless -- but then, what do you expect from a coach who said "piss on ya" to his own fickle fanbase?

Thirdly -- what have you done since 2004? Congrats on two good years with a carpetbagging coach who left you high and dry. Score some points against UNLV, then pop off.

Re: James Hall | 10:11 a.m. July 23, 2008

The only ones who have put BYU on a high pedestal is their fans. They are the best team in the Mountain Weak Conference now but you guys like to think that you've beaten every team by 40 for the last half century. If you guys are THAT good, then why did you lose to TULSA AND UCLA? C'mon. Those games should not have even been close. Even the struggling UTE team kept with your ALMIGHTY and beloved Cougars. The Cougars are much better than the Utes, but they are not THAT good.

One | 10:18 a.m. July 23, 2008

One win is one win cougar lover.

Feuds over, | 10:18 a.m. July 23, 2008

but only a classless coach would order an onside kick when his team is dominating. Smile, pat the other guy on the back, take him to dinner, but that doesn't change a coach's character.

Rich | 10:18 a.m. July 23, 2008

Utah was not running up the score on Wyoming, they were practicing an onside kick in a real world situation. Coach Witt already covered this.
Utah played well all game and earned the right to use the rest of the game for practice.

All the great coaches do this. Please stop trying to make coach witt into a villain. The truth is that he is a top notch guy, who cares more about people then he does about the game.
I have seen this first hand with his interaction between a player and me.
He punished the player and apologized to me. He did not take sides even though this event could have hurt the team. He was objective and helped everyone involved.

Go Utes, There is a lot of talent on this team!!

UCLA | 10:26 a.m. July 23, 2008

MICHIGAN

Ten | 10:32 a.m. July 23, 2008

One OOC win and TEN in-conference losses

vs THREE in-conference losses Ute lover.

Utah Press Corps | 10:36 a.m. July 23, 2008

Rich, did you say that Whittingham punished a player? Why have we never heard of this? This would be front-page news!

McKay | 10:38 a.m. July 23, 2008

Rich: I personally am not a Kyle hater... although a BYU fan, I actually really like Kyle and (without knowing him personally) think he is probably a standup guy. That being said, you are high in the night if you think that "all the great coaches" order an onsides kick while up 43 pts. I am as much of a football junky as you will ever find and "all the great coaches" don't order an onsides kick while up 43. They have their 2's and 3's in, they give them the reps (in a real world situation) they build depth on their team in situations like being up 43 - 0... I don't think Kyle is a classless coach, but he made a classless decision which I'd be willing to bet he wishes he hadn't made.

Ryan | 10:38 a.m. July 23, 2008

NIU > Weber State, Ute fans, and it's not even close. In fact, they'd probably toast WSU by 3 touchdowns.

Come to think of it, they'd probably toast YOU by 3 touchdowns. Grow a brain and look at your own schedule before you decide to pop off about BYU's.

Re: Fued? | 10:41 a.m. July 23, 2008

Yo, Fued. Thanks for identifying yourself as a Ute fan right out of the chute, but the effort was redundant. Your spelling of "Feud" already clued the rest of us in.

Kevin Olson | 10:46 a.m. July 23, 2008

Rich,

I have only seen an on-side kick by a team up 43-0 ONCE. I guess all "great" coaches do this.

Score it: Coach Whit: 1, Everyone else: 0

Poor | 10:47 a.m. July 23, 2008

Yeah, Rich, "all the great coaches do this."

Name me one other great coach who has ordered an onside kick with his team leading by 43 points. In fact, I'll even settle for the name of any coach who has done this other than Whittingham.

Apparently the Utes did need the practice though, I'm with you on that. Because somebody forgot to teach the "special" teamers that you need to let the ball go 10 yards before pouncing on it like Urban Meyer on a fat contract. How embarrassing to call an onside kick to rub it in, and then you botch the play.

Dick | 10:53 a.m. July 23, 2008

I'm a diehard Ute fan. I've been one for over 30 years. I attend every home game and watch every road game.

Having said that, there is no way I can justify kicking an onside kick when leading 43-0. You just don't do that. Kyle messed up big time on that - there is no other way to say it.

Even with that incident, I'm still a Ute fan but I do have to say I have concerns about Kyle's ability to make decisions not based on emotion. If he got to emotional and decided to do the onside kick, how can I have confidence that his emotions won't get the best of him in a critical game situation?

I hope I'm wrong on this.

@Poor | 10:58 a.m. July 23, 2008

I hope you realize that onside kicks have less than a 50% chance of succeeding. Thus, the fact that it didn't work isn't an indication that something is wrong with Utah's special teams.

I cannot and will not defend Kyle's decision to call the play. As a Ute, I was very disappointed he did that.

But, it is not an embarassment to have an onside kick be unsuccessful. That is the norm, not the exception.

Re: Re: Fued? | 11:01 a.m. July 23, 2008

As already mentioned, if the Cewgars (spelling?) are going to smack talk here, please bring it harder than talking about almost winning at Michigan or spelling errors in a post.....pointless. Before posting here, make sure your brown braided belt is cinched up on your Levi shorts and that your 1984 Championship t-shirt is tucked in!

Weber vs. Nortern Iowa.....Utah is throwing a bone to an in-state school and to their former coach. BYU is.....Qwesting for Perfection (isn't it Quest too...why is BYU calling it Qwest...where is that BYU spelling bee champion that's posting on this article) and looking for a W.

In Bronco's tenure as Coach and Witt's tenure as head coach, the records against BCS teams is as follows:

BYU: 1-5
Utah: 3-3

Who cares about how many points either team won by....Utah clearly belongs with the big boys. Utah isn't scared of BCS teams but its clear why Bronco is......1-5 isn't something to brag about and he's afraid the Qwest will be derailed if they schedule, say, a Michigan!

Go NIU (aka This Year's Appalachian State)

He means UNI... | 11:04 a.m. July 23, 2008

Not NIU, of course. Everything else is spot on!

Mr. Obvious | 11:11 a.m. July 23, 2008

Dick, you, at least, sound like a sensible Ute fan. Congrats.

I don't think you are wrong on this, however.

Weber State? | 11:14 a.m. July 23, 2008

I love these Ute fans bashing BYU for playing Northern Iowa. They forget 2 important facts:
1- We are only playing them because lame Nevada backed out on us at the last minute, and left us scrambling to find an opponent
2- Utah is playing WEBER STATE. I know its an in state rivalry but they are also D2 just like Northern Iowa

So get off your high horse Ute fans. You do the same things as every other college in the D1.

Sherlock | 11:20 a.m. July 23, 2008

Re: @Poor,

Correct me if I am wrong -- but onside kicks that the kicking team attempts to recover before the ball has gone 10 yards fail 100 percent of the time.

The embarrassment is that not only did the Utes try the onside kick to make a statement, but that the statement was: We are not coached well enough to know basic rules. (Of course, in fairness to the Ute special teamers, they were the first players in college football history to be put in the position of trying to recover an onside kick in the third quarter ahead by 43 points.)

Kevin Olson | 11:26 a.m. July 23, 2008

Not converting the on-side kick may not be an embarassment, but doing it sure was. Not converting just added to the "crass" act.

Utah can talk BCS all they want. Fact of the matter is, they have a harder time than BYU scheduling BCS teams, even in the house the Olympics built.

michael | 11:31 a.m. July 23, 2008

no coach is above it. Kyle's on side kick was a bad idea, yes. So was Bronco's choice to leave John Beck and Max Hall in for almost every snap in several games that were in hand the last 2 years. Lavell was not running dive plays up the middle to run out the clock, he was throwing the ball down field.
Get over it, all these guys have egos and pride that gets the best of them including BYU's "Golden Calf", Bronco.

Laugh a Minute | 11:32 a.m. July 23, 2008

Re: Re: Fued, are you trying out material for your next standup routine? What's next: "Why do they call if Ovaltine? Shouldn't it be Roundtine?"

"Utah clearly belongs with the big boys?" Lay off the Red Bull there, Champ! Stop running away from Frank Summers like he's the Incredible Hulk and then get back to me.

Bronco v. Whitt records speak for themselves.

Head to head: Bronco 2, Whitt 1

League championships: Bronco 2, Whitt 1

Conference winning streak: Bronco 16, Whitt 0

Telling their fanbase "Piss on ya": Whitt 1, Bronco 0

Onside kicks with a 43-point lead: Whitt 1, Bronco 0

Getting shut out by the worst team in the league: Whitt 1, Bronco 0

I guess the numbers are about right for each guy -- they each are ahead in three categories.

You clearly do belong with the big boys!

Bob | 11:33 a.m. July 23, 2008

I'm getting excited. I have really grown to love MWC football and am really looking forward to being able to view these games in CA on Direct TV. This conference and the WAC also, should simply be BCS conferences. Don't tell me some of the big boy leagues don't have their weak sisters too. If a league has three teams capable of crackig the top twenty-five in a given year, they belong. The MWC has Coaches, Whit, Mendenhall and Patterson doing amazing work with their programs (among others) and have rabid fan bases. I pull against the Coogs every week, but don't try to tell me that they aren't a proud, quality program with an excellent Head Coach. It never ceases to amaze me how many Ute and Cougar fans chant OVER-RATED, or disparage the records and acheivements of the other programs, then leap with joy when they've beaten that same opponent. If your opponent is overrated, isn't the logical conclusion that your team isn't all that good either? That they just happened to score more points than a team that wasn't really that good?

Oooops | 11:48 a.m. July 23, 2008

I'm sure Laugh a Minute did this for comedy sakes, but Whitt has not won any league championships as a head coach. What he did with Utah the latter half of the 2004 season while Meyer was lookiing all over the country for a new job, technically doesn't count.

Spelling vs Math Feud | 11:51 a.m. July 23, 2008

While you're giving spelling lessons, try retaking that Math 99R class at the local CC. A grammar, spelling and punctuation refresher would also be helpful.

During the Mendenhall/Whittingham era, the correct record against BCS teams is:

BYU - 3-6
Utah - 4-4

Contrast that with their records against MWC teams (Whittingham lost as many conference games last season as Bronco has lost in the last 3 years):

BYU - 21-3
Utah - 14-10

Overall:

BYU - 28-10; 2 MWC championships; 2 top-25 finishes
Utah - 24-14

If you keep trying, you might be able to twist the numbers in some way to prove that Kyle has been more successful as a head coach than Bronco.

Ute homer | 11:57 a.m. July 23, 2008

But Bob, BYU is OVERRATED! There program has never really done anything to brag about and there coach is a bland robot.

I will always desparage the record of BYU -- cause they are overrated!

I guarantee you this -- I will be the first one on the field this November to help tear down the goalposts if we are lucky enough to beat that overrated Team Down South again!

Re: Laugh | 12:10 p.m. July 23, 2008

Correction:

League championships: Bronco 2, Kyle 0

Kyle is following in the proud tradition of most of the Utah football coaches over the last half century (except Urban) of NOT winning conference championships. So far:

Kyle:
2007: 3rd
2006: 3rd
2005: 4th (tie)

Bronco:
2007: 1st
2006: 1st
2005: 2nd (tie)

Kyle's best finish so far is not as good as Bronco's worst finish.

What is UNLV's.... | 12:35 p.m. July 23, 2008

record against the kittens in provo this decade? Just curious.

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