COLUMN: Southern Watch
University of Utah
Football
Although starting quarterback Jordan Wynn did not play due to an injured thumb, the Utes beat UNLV this weekend at Rice-Eccles Stadium 38-10. Last year’s starter Terrance Cain filled in for Wynn, but his performance was not enough to fool anyone into thinking that he is the Utah starting signal caller.
Cain completed 13 of 20 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, including one at the end of the first half to Jerome Brooks to give Utah a 17-3 lead. Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham said he was pleased with the way Cain handled himself on the field.
“I was proud of Terrance Cain,” Whittingham said. “He made a lot of good decisions and made almost all of the right throws.”
The win was the 19th-straight home victory for Utah, which has now been ranked by both the AP and USA Today polls as the No. 14 team in the country, moving up six places from last week’s No. 20 rank.
Volleyball
The Utah Women’s Volleyball team lost all three of their games this weekend at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in Springfield, Missouri. The closest the team came to winning was on Saturday when it took Missouri State University to five sets.
The tournament losses take Utah’s record down to 5-5. Ute head coach Beth Launiere was not happy with the results.
“We struggle with our block, our defense and getting kills all weekend,” Launiere said. “We’re passing and serving well but we’re not stopping teams … We just have to get better.”
Despite the losses, freshman Morgan Odale was named to the all-tournament team. The 6’1″ outside hitter from Star, Idaho was the only representative from Utah to earn the distinction.
Brigham Young
Football
Quarterbacks Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps accounted for only 88 yards passing in the team’s embarrassing 35-14 loss at Air Force on Saturday. Although they were never able to come up with a sack, the Falcon defense denied BYU any points on the scoreboard after the first quarter. Cougar head coach Bronco Mendenhall said he thought Air Force’s defense played well.
“I was impressed with their defense,” Mendenhall said. “They deserved to win the game.”
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun was equally impressed and excited about his team’s defensive performance.
“I just thought our defense was absolutely special today,” said Calhoun. “After the initial drive, we probably played as well defensively against Brigham Young as we have maybe ever. “
The Falcons shredded BYU with the their rushing attack. The team ran for 409 yards, with Asher Clark leading the way. The 5’8″ junior used his 185-pound frame to take the ball 18 times for 121 yards.
BYU is now 1-1 and win-less in conference play. Their next game can be seen on ESPNU when they travel to Florida State on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3:30 p.m. Florida State was previously ranked No. 17, but has dropped from the rankings this week after losing to No. 10 Oklahoma.
Women’s Soccer
After beating Marquette 2-1 on Saturday, the No. 10 Cougars are still undefeated.
Lindsi Lisonbee scored her second goal of the season in the first minute on a header after a corner kick to give BYU the early lead. Freshman Lynda Hercules was substituted into the game in the 34th minute and scored her first ever collegiate goal a minute later.
The only goal from the Golden Eagles came late in the game as Rachel Brown found the net after an assist from Katie Hismeth. BYU will next travel to face the Rice Owls in Texas Sept. 18.
-tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu