This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There may be a moment when Jason Whittingham has a chance to speak with Kalani Sitake before the Utes and the Beavers clash this Saturday. It will be strange not to call him "coach." It might slip out accidentally.
The familiarity on each sideline is no secret this week: Defensive coordinator Sitake and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki were on the staff just last year, helping Utah to a 9-4 record. Oregon State coach Gary Andersen was the defensive coordinator for several great Utah teams, including 2008.
There's likely to be pregame opportunities to chat — Whittingham said he hadn't spoken with Sitake since he called to say he was headed to Corvallis — but the defense hopes to push it out of mind as they concentrate on preparation.
That being said, it's hard to suppress at least a bit of an extra buzz.
"I feel like some players on the team do feel that way that it has more of a rivalry to it, just because three of the coaches were here," Whittingham said. "I feel like a lot of players are motivated to play extra hard because we're good this year, and we're trying to bounce back from a loss to USC."
In that loss, coach Kyle Whittingham said the defense overall played well, citing Utah's four sacks and how the defense allowed only 2.6 yards per carry on the ground.
"I think on defense, we got put in bad spots," he said. "The biggest problem on defense is the field position we were facing a lot of the time."
Against Oregon State, Utah figures to be on advantageous footing. The Beavers are dead last in scoring in the Pac-12 (20.4 ppg) and one of the nation's least efficient passing offenses (No. 116 in passing offense, No. 122 in passing efficiency).
The last two weeks, OSU has turned to two quarterbacks — Seth Collins and Nick Mitchell — but both are freshmen. To further complicate matters, Andersen announced that his starting left tackle, Sean Harlow, was lost for the season due to injury.
Gionni Paul said the defense looks forward to match-ups like this one.
"We believe we gonna eat them quarterbacks alive," he said. "They haven't faced pressure like University of Utah."
Covey part of short playmaker wave
Just because he's 5-foot-8 doesn't mean Britain Covey can't grow.
Sorry: improve.
The freshman Ute receiver is taking notes all the time as he looks around the country and sees other guys his height (or even a little bit taller) generating head-turning plays in college football.
Christian McCaffrey may be listed at 6-feet, but at barely 200 pounds, he's smaller than the average back. And yet the Stanford sophomore is leading the nation with almost 260 all-purpose yards per game.
"I used to watch him last year, and I've been watching him this year," Covey said of McCaffrey.
"I think he's an amazing player, and he's got a lot of total yards for sure."
For his money, Covey loves watching Ryan Switzer, a North Carolina receiver who was an All-American punt returner in 2013. As Covey realized his best college opportunities might come on special teams, he tried to model some of his game after Switzer, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.
But much of his game, he said, comes from intuition. Covey has a long way to go to join the likes of McCaffrey, ranking at No. 150 nationally in all-purpose yards, but he feels validated that the transition is easier than most told him it would be for the former Timpview quarterback.
There might not be a better example than his 40-yard punt return. Covey cut back again and again, flummoxing USC and looking a lot like the player in his Thunderbirds highlight film.
"I don't know, I guess it reminds me of high school a lot," he said. "I had a lot of people tell me I couldn't run like that at this level. I don't care, I'm just trying to run away from those guys. I don't want to get hit."
Patrick seeks medical hardship waiver
Senior receiver Tim Patrick hasn't made a catch this year, but generated plenty of intrigue by warming up for multiple games but not ending up playing. He took the field only once against Utah State.
On Monday, Kyle Whittingham removed Patrick from the depth chart, saying he is seeking a medical hardship waiver from a serious leg fracture during the 2014 season.