Hyundai Sun Bowl Coaches’ Press Conference [AUDIO]

On Thursday, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson were in El Paso to preview their upcoming Hyundai Sun Bowl game. Both head coaches discussed their matchup and keys to victory. Georgia Tech began their season 6-0 and were ranked as high as 12th in the nation. The Yellow Jackets won two of their final six games, but that included  a 31-17 win over previously unbeaten Clemson. Coach Johnson runs a triple option offense and explained the origins of his system.

“When we first started out, it was a combination option, run and shoot, and sprint-out type game. The first few years, we actually threw the ball a lot.”

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Johnson’s system has produced  a number of quality NFLplayers, including Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, and Tashard Choice.

“Since I’ve been at Georgia Tech, we’ve had the first wide receiver taken in the draft, our last two running backs are playing in the NFL, and we’ve had four or five offensive linemen in the NFL.”

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The Utah Utes enter this game with a 7-5 record, and were a win away from playing Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game. All of that changed after a loss to Colorado, which head coach Kyle Whittingham says still hurts.

“That was a big disappointment. Had we been able to win our last game against Colorado, we would have been in that conference championship game against Oregon.”

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Whittingham has also been happy with his school’s move to the Pac-12 conference.

“I would determine it a good start….but it’s very evident that we have to continue to improve in all areas.”

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