Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
As a head coach, Kyle Whittingham has never taken a rookie quarterback into a hostile environment such as the one he’ll take junior college transfer Terrance Cain into this weekend.
Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, which is aptly dubbed "The House of Loud" for its raucous environment, is one of the toughest places in the country to play.
“We’re doing everything we can to duplicate the game day environment as far as crowd noise and that type of thing,” Whittingham said. “We can only do so much. It’s really impossible to get it exactly replicated, but we definitely have got the big giant speakers -- I’m sure everyone in the country does essentially the same thing -- and getting them ready for the noise. We’ve got to rely on hand signals and things like that that some weeks we wouldn’t have to rely as heavily upon.”
It was this time last season that Boise State brought it’s rookie quarterback, Kellen Moore, into Autzen after preparing in a way similar to Utah. Moore wasn’t deterred by the crowd noise or Oregon’s defensive line. He coolly completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns and led his team to a 37-32 win. The effort boosted Boise State in the national polls and helped Moore become a freshman All-American.
Whittingham thinks Cain has similar traits in terms of not being easily rattled. In Cain’s first two starts, he’s completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 534 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 91 yards and has the No. 18 Utes 2-0 on the season.
“Terrance is a very cool customer,” Whittingham said. “I believe that he’s going to handle it very well. Nothing fazes the guy; he’s very even-keeled. If there’s a guy that is a rookie quarterback that I think will be able to make that adjustment, it’s Terrance.”
Before the loss to Boise State last season, Oregon had not lost a home nonconference game since losing to Indiana in 2004. The Ducks had only lost 19 home games in former coach Mike Bellotti’s 15 seasons. New head coach Chip Kelly is 1-0 at Autzen after last week’s 38-36 win over Purdue.
Oregon has struggled this season. After starting the year ranked, the Ducks were manhandled by Boise State on the blue turf, which resulted in star running back LeGarrette Blount punching a Boise State player and subsequently being suspended for the rest of the season. Last week, the Ducks had to hold off a furious Purdue comeback to seal the win. Utah comes into Autzen with a 16-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.
While Cain might not be as experienced playing in noisy environments, many of the Utes are. Last season, they opened the year against Michigan at the Big House and came away with a win. Whittingham believes his young quarterback’s disposition is along the lines of that team.
“It’s more the personality of the kid more than his experience,” Whittingham said. “Brett had the right temperament and the right personality as well and Terrance is the same way. If you get a kid who’s real excitable and is up and down, I think that really is the type of kid that you worry about.”
As a head coach, Kyle Whittingham has never taken a rookie quarterback into a hostile environment such as the one he’ll take junior college transfer Terrance Cain into this weekend.
Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, which is aptly dubbed "The House of Loud" for its raucous environment, is one of the toughest places in the country to play.
“We’re doing everything we can to duplicate the game day environment as far as crowd noise and that type of thing,” Whittingham said. “We can only do so much. It’s really impossible to get it exactly replicated, but we definitely have got the big giant speakers -- I’m sure everyone in the country does essentially the same thing -- and getting them ready for the noise. We’ve got to rely on hand signals and things like that that some weeks we wouldn’t have to rely as heavily upon.”
It was this time last season that Boise State brought it’s rookie quarterback, Kellen Moore, into Autzen after preparing in a way similar to Utah. Moore wasn’t deterred by the crowd noise or Oregon’s defensive line. He coolly completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns and led his team to a 37-32 win. The effort boosted Boise State in the national polls and helped Moore become a freshman All-American.
Whittingham thinks Cain has similar traits in terms of not being easily rattled. In Cain’s first two starts, he’s completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 534 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 91 yards and has the No. 18 Utes 2-0 on the season.
“Terrance is a very cool customer,” Whittingham said. “I believe that he’s going to handle it very well. Nothing fazes the guy; he’s very even-keeled. If there’s a guy that is a rookie quarterback that I think will be able to make that adjustment, it’s Terrance.”
Before the loss to Boise State last season, Oregon had not lost a home nonconference game since losing to Indiana in 2004. The Ducks had only lost 19 home games in former coach Mike Bellotti’s 15 seasons. New head coach Chip Kelly is 1-0 at Autzen after last week’s 38-36 win over Purdue.
Oregon has struggled this season. After starting the year ranked, the Ducks were manhandled by Boise State on the blue turf, which resulted in star running back LeGarrette Blount punching a Boise State player and subsequently being suspended for the rest of the season. Last week, the Ducks had to hold off a furious Purdue comeback to seal the win. Utah comes into Autzen with a 16-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.
While Cain might not be as experienced playing in noisy environments, many of the Utes are. Last season, they opened the year against Michigan at the Big House and came away with a win. Whittingham believes his young quarterback’s disposition is along the lines of that team.
“It’s more the personality of the kid more than his experience,” Whittingham said. “Brett had the right temperament and the right personality as well and Terrance is the same way. If you get a kid who’s real excitable and is up and down, I think that really is the type of kid that you worry about.”
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