Utah Sports Cast: Recent Episodes

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No, I'm not referring to the former Jazz guard. It is with some sadness and a great bit of relief that we say goodbye to the Utah Sports Cast in its current form. It's been fun for about a year and a half to get together at some ridiculous hour once a week to bring you a rant or two about sports in our great state. But the luster has worn off a bit, and even though BYU looks to be winning the conference again in basketball and the Jazz are apparently playoff-bound, our weekly ramblings will cease. It's been fun.

Now this is not to say that we may not be back some time. College football season is our true passion, and we may bring this back as the "Red and Blue" college football podcast. If the Jazz go deep into the playoffs, we may have to put something together to celebrate. I'm sure you won't be able to keep us down long.

To all the radio stations that may or may not be looking for hosts for a weekend show: We're still interested! We're only getting tired of this in part because 1) we're doing it for free, and 2) there's no interaction. No callers, few emailers, etc.

And to our loyal fan: We know you're out there, somewhere. Thanks for listening. Now start up your own show. You can do it. Fill the void we're leaving behind.

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We are still several weeks away from college basketball taking center stage, and it’s about that same amount of time until the next major Utah sports team begins their season (Real Salt Lake). So this time of the year the Utah SportsCast is almost all about the Utah Jazz, and we have a lot to say about the team and their recently reacquired position atop the Northwest Division. Then we spend some time with Utah’s D1 college teams, and do some advanced scouting on their chances of making either of the postseason tournaments.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Johnnie Bryant

2. Kyle Korver

3. Andrei Kirilenko

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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We tried to divide our time between the Utah Jazz and College Basketball in this week’s podcast, but we ended up talking about all sorts of things, including European soccer, small college mascots, and Zach’s cell phone number. It was a bit more unusual than usual, if that makes any sense. As a bonus, if you have ever wanted to be a part of the Utah SportsCast, you will want to listen to this episode - please download us or go to iTunes and subscribe!

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Sam Burgess

2. Paul Millsap

3. Matt Harpring

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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This week in the podcast we address the recent four game home winning streak by the Utah Jazz, and debate whether that is sufficient to consider the crisis averted (hint: it’s not – not yet, at least). We also induct The Guy Who Looks like Demi Moore’s Husband into the Top 3 for the first time, and go through the local college hoops scene. All this among much, much more, as always.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Kyle Korver

2. Ashley Postell

3. Deron Williams

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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It’s been a little while since our last show, and while I enjoyed the break, it didn’t do anything for my podcasting skills. I would like to apologize in advance. If you are somehow able to only listen to Zach, you will be fine.

We spend most of our time this week talking about the Utah and BYU bowl games, even though they took place a few weeks ago. Both teams won, which was the outcome we both predicted and hoped for, and they were fitting conclusions to good seasons. Utah had a bit more exciting of a second half against Navy, while the Cougars did all of their damage to UCLA in the first half. Both games were competitive until the very end, so they were thrilling, if not satisfying.

As fans, we are anticipating bigger and better things next year. For Utah, they will be returning a big portion of their offensive line, Brian Johnson should be healthy, Darrell Mack and Matt Asiata could form a potent 1-2 punch, and their best offensive player, Brent Casteel, will be back from injury. Defensively, they will be hurt by significant losses: Martail Burnett, Gabe Long, Steve Tate, Joe Jiannoni, Molokai Mokofisi, and Kyle Brady, among others. A few emerging stars will return, such as Stevenson Sylvester, Paul Kruger, and Brice McCain. Incidentally, I hate to write this here, but I feel like I need to at least one more time: I hope McCain gets a few extra reps covering other teams’ best receivers on long throwing situations. Sorry. I just had to get that out of my system, again.

BYU will have most of their offense back, including their very potent tandem of Max Hall, Harvey Unga, and Dennis Pitta. Austin Collie is expected to return as a deep threat, and Travis Bright should be fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered in the UCLA game. They will be losing all-purpose receiver Matt Allen and a few others, but should have enough good underclassmen to increase their production next year. However, and like Utah, they will take their most serious hits on defense. It would be enough to lose Bryan Kehl – perhaps the best athlete on the team – and Kelly Poppinga among the departing linebackers. But BYU will also graduate Quinn Gooch, Ben Criddle, Corby Hodgkiss, Kayle Buchanan, and Dustin Gabriel, which accounts for nearly their entire playing defensive secondary.

I am tempted to say that Utah’s losses will be less significant than BYU’s, and that the power could shift in the conference next year. After all, Utah will have a senior quarterback behind an experienced line, and perhaps a bit of an easier job of retooling on defense. However, BYU is now the two-time defending conference champ, and Coach Bronco Mendenhall proved this year that he can adjust his plans for player departures. Under a lesser coaching staff this would have been an average season for the Cougars, but Mendenhall and his cohorts simply did not let that happen. BYU has not lost in the Mountain West Conference since November 19, 2005, and at the end of this season, they have to be the favorites to win next year.

There is more to be had in our podcast, including a little about college hoops and the semi-pro team that plays in the Energy Solutions Arena.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week (a cumulative list):

1. Austin Collie

2. Brian Johnson

3. Bronco Mendenhall

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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Christmas Season Status as been officially changed from “Right Around the Corner” to “Practically Here” at the Utah SportsCast, so we figured it was about time to do a little shopping for some of our favorite local sports figures. We made a list of everyone we talked about this year, and what we thought they would either like or need. Some of the gifts were pretty easy to find (a box of tissues for Larry H. Miller, for example, or an English-Portuguese dictionary for Freddy Adu), but the others proved a bit more challenging. Here are some of the highlights:

We started our holiday gift giving with the Utah Jazz, and Jerry Sloan was first. For Christmas he will receive Long Overdue Kudos, for producing one of the most remarkable careers a head coach has ever had in the NBA. There is a curious reluctance among basketball insiders to give Coach Sloan credit for his body of work. It is often mentioned that he has never won an NBA Championship as a head coach, although plenty of others have won awards like Coach of the Year without the hardware.

When USA Basketball used to change head coaches in the 20th Century, it was always the previous team’s first assistant that was given a chance at the helm. Remember who had come up through that system and was due to coach the national team when they decided to disregard the long-standing accolade and just give it to Mike Krzyzewski? Does anyone believe USA Basketball would have made such a drastic change if the next coach had been Phil Jackson or Pat Riley, instead of Jerry Sloan? Incidentally, how many NBA Championships has Coach K won as a head coach? A little respect from the national media will do a lot of good for Coach Sloan this year.

Next on the list is Andrei Kirilenko, and we are giving him a Reliable Jumpshot for Christmas (or whatever they celebrate in Russia). This is basically the only thing AK really needs as a basketball player, as his lessons with Jeff Hornacek do not seem to have borne fruit yet. We want to give him a little jumpstart, and turn Kirilenko into that third offensive option the Jazz desperately need.

For Matt Harpring we would like to offer him a free Turning Back of the Clock. Of all the problems Harpring has dealt with this year, the most pressing seems to be the slow, steady creep of his odometer. Perhaps an extra year or two (kind of similar to what the NCAA does for medically ineligible athletes) would heal a lot of persistent pains and rejuvenate the hardest working man on the team.

Paul Millsap is next, and for him we have picked Four More Inches of Height. Millsap is a talented, strong, and determined player who can be very good for an NBA team, preferably the Jazz. However, being just a little bit taller would take him to another level. Do you think he comes up with some amazing rebounds and unbelievable blocks now? Wait until he is as tall as Dwight Howard. We almost gave him a Great Nickname as his Christmas gift, but we thought he could make good use of the height upgrade now, and save that for another year.

For the BYU Football team we began with Bronco Mendenhall. This was an obvious choice, and something we know he really wants. We would like to give Coach Mendenhall A Few More Non-Conference Wins as his Christmas gift. The conference hasn’t been a problem for the last few years, and he seems to have the Utah rivalry figured out. So the only thing he really needs to take this program to another level is a few more wins in the non-conference schedule. Of course, there will be a whole new set of arguments from the national BCS apologists when the Cougars go 12-0 next year, but at least BYU will be a part of the conversation.

We think Max Hall will make good use of the Quicker Decision Making Ability we are giving him. Hopefully it will keep him from being dismembered in the pocket as often as he has in the past twelve games. In addition to concern for his personal welfare, he should also be able to find smaller passing seams and hit more receivers, which will be nice. It was either that or A Mustache, which would make him look more old-school, but we wouldn’t want him to have Honor Code issues.

Bryan Kehl won’t be playing for the Cougars next year, but we are giving him a gift anyway. He will be getting More National Attention, which has been sadly missing for an athlete of his caliber. Not only will this benefit Kehl as a football player (not to mention his soon-to-be-bulging bank account), but an NFL team will find themselves with an exceptional, adaptable defensive player. With his size and speed, Kehl could be one of the scariest safeties in the league, or a tough, blitzing linebacker. Congratulations, Bryan, and you’re welcome.

[Note: Here I wanted to give Harvey Unga the gift of Becoming the Starting Running Back for the University of Utah, but Zach vetoed the idea, rather dramatically. Sorry, Harvey.]

We started our list for the University of Utah football team by giving Kyle Wittingham a Season with No Significant Injuries. Every coach knows that being hurt is a part of football (the game does involve wearing armor and hitting other people, after all) but Coach Wittingham seems to have had unusually bad luck in that department last year. There are plenty of theories as to why: some people think it comes from over-practicing, and others claim it is really under-practicing. We say: no worries either way. With this gift, no Utah player will miss significant time due to injury, and then we can really evaluate the season, without disclaimers.

The gift of Durability for Brian Johnson was an easy call. We wanted to give it to him during the first half of the first game this year, when he was trudging into the locker room with an injury. This was after just a quarter-and-a-half of competitive football in a little under two seasons. But we didn’t have that kind of foresight, and besides, Christmas was still a few months away. When Johnson came back he was tentative at best, and looked like he thought every hit may be his last. A little dose of durability should give him the confidence he needs to have a great senior season.

Brice McCain was a bit difficult to shop for, and you know there is always at least one on your list. I wanted to give him a Time Machine, so he could go back a few weeks and properly cover Austin Collie on fourth and 17, but that wouldn’t really solve the problem (and I imagined another nixing coming from Zach). We finally settled on The Ability to Stop Making Rookie Mistakes, which should be beneficial in the future.

We also remembered Jason Kreis, the head coach of Real Salt Lake. We are giving him Greater Public Support as his gift, which will help a lot as he struggles in the coming years. We considered giving Coach Kreis More Offensive Weapons to help him win over the soccer-ignorant masses, but instead we just went right to the source.

Finally, to Nick Rimando of Real Salt Lake we would like to give a Reliable Back Line. The best defender RSL has had in their brief existence (Eddie Pope) is now retired, and he was overburdened as it was. Having one of the best young keepers in the league is great, but he needs to be making one or two great saves per game rather than five or six. With our gift of talented defenders, he doesn’t have to be miraculous in order to get a clean sheet here and there.

That’s it for the holiday gift highlights, and thank you for reading. Please download and listen to our show for previews of the Poinsettia Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl, a little ranting and raving about the woes of the Utah Jazz, and a little bit about local college hoops.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Ronnie Brewer

2. Lee Cummard

3. Jaycee Carroll

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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As promised (or threatened, depending on how you look at it), an open letter to the Brigham Young University football team:

Dear Cougar players, coaches, and administrators,

First and foremost: congratulations Champs! That’s two in a row, after not having won one for a few years. Not too shabby, if you ask me. Fans in other conferences would have liked to see their team chase bigger dreams after a good season, but you guys have your priorities in order. Besides, that makes two straight undefeated seasons in your conference, which is pretty impressive, and looks good on a resume.

Of course, it would be nice if you could win a few of the higher-profile non-conference games, and get a shot at the real prizes, but don’t worry too much about it. Besides, the Las Vegas Bowl loves having you, right? It’s the closest bowl to Provo (if I’m reading my map correctly), so everyone can come down and see it. Besides, nobody wants to travel during the holidays, even if it is New Orleans, Pasadena, Phoenix, or Miami. Get a nice, early bowl game and be home in time for Christmas. That’s wise of you.

I should start by thanking Coach Bronco Mendenhall and his excellent program for putting things together. There is a coaching sweet spot where at the end of the year your fans are somewhere between Overjoyed About A Fantastic Season and Wish They Had Done Just A Little Better. Coach Mendenhall has found that hard-to-reach place for two seasons running, and good for him. That spells “job security” and “managing expectations,” right? Hey, the flippin’ stadium is named after the last coach who was consistently good, and Bronco has already learned the scowling reticence bit. A win or two against some of those mediocre Pac-10 and C-USA teams would probably help the legacy, though.

As a fan, it was nice to see Bryan Kehl have a good senior year. He will certainly go down as one of the most athletic defenders to ever strap it up for BYU, and could almost have played any position on the field. In fact, a few times I thought it was too bad he wasn’t playing every position, particularly when Tulsa’s receivers were 15 yards behind his buddies in the defensive secondary. Oh well, like the old saying goes, you can’t win them all. Besides, BYU’s stars have always been on the other side of the ball. Good luck in the future, Bryan, we hope to see you in the NFL. We are really, really, REALLY going to miss you next year, when the fans will be hoping that opposing teams elect to neither run nor pass against the defense.

Hey, speaking of offensive stars, how about that Max Hall kid, huh? It isn’t easy to step into the Legendary BYU Quarterback position, and he did it pretty well, for an underclassman. Naysayers and doubters thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it, but he looked comfortable in the pocket. Sure, that comfort led to a few rip-roarin’ hits and ugly interceptions by some lucky defenders, but he’s young (that’s “young” as in age, and not a comparison to “Steve Young”). Besides, if they ever hold an “NCAA Quarterback Who Looks the Most Like Comedian Will Farrell” contest, he has to be a finalist, at the very least.

The real revelation of the season was Harvey Unga, who even set freshman team rushing records. We were every bit as excited about him this year as we were last year when it was Fui Vakapuna making the headlines. Now, Fui’s numbers may have dropped off a bit in 2007, but that’s okay, he’s still an exciting player, right? I would like to offer a word of advice to young Harvey, though. You may want to avoid two things in the off-season: (1) Your Sofa, and (2) Buffets. Given your 1,000+ yards and solid freshman season, we will expect nothing less than the Greatest Running Back to Ever Wear Blue out of you. We want you to help erase the painful memories of Luke Staley’s Senior Season That Never Was. So, you know… no pressure and good luck with that.

Well, that’s about it. We sure hope you figure out something for that missing Nevada game that will be winnable and impressive to voters. Obviously, we would like to see you steer clear of any Division II teams, but you already know that. Ohio State can play cupcakes and still end the season highly ranked, but BYU cannot. Even if we, the fans, think you should, sometimes.

With more hopefulness than you might expect,

Nate N.
Co-Host, Utah SportsCast

There is plenty more in the podcast, particularly considering that we really didn’t talk much about BYU football. So, tune in for our quarter-season grades for the Utah Jazz, and a few words about college hoops.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Luke Nevill

2. Trent Plaisted

3. Deron Williams

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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Hello Utah SportsFans and thank you for listening and reading. I would like to apologize for what will be a very brief blog entry this week. Not that anyone besides me reads them (well, Zach does), but I still wish I had time enough to offer something better.

Next week we will return to regular posting with an open letter to the Brigham Young University football team. Until then, please enjoy our podcast efforts. As always, there is plenty to (hopefully), including a big win for the Utah Jazz, BYU’s season ending win, and even some local hockey.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

T-3. Harvey Unga

T-3. Jan Jorgensen

1. Andrei Kirilenko

2. Carlos Boozer

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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An open letter to the University of Utah football team:

Dear Utah players, coaches, and administrators,

First of all, and on behalf of Utah fans everywhere, I would like to thank you for a good season, and for a series of entertaining football games. We are uncomplicated when it comes to our expectations, and you have certainly exceeded mine. Congratulations on tying for third in the Mountain West Conference.

The fans of other teams in other conferences would find it odd that three wins short of the conference championship qualifies as a “good season,” but that is how we roll around here. Utah fans are content if there are more wins than losses, and the team ends up in a third or fourth tier bowl. Besides, they may be headed to San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl, and that is one fantastic city.

I was a bit disappointed that you had a chance to beat The Team to the South and choked it away in the final minute (again!), but no hard feelings. Those pesky Cougars are pretty tough, and they have been ranked both years, so it’s easy to see why you may have been intimidated. Of course, UCLA was ranked as well, and you managed to obliterate them from the field, but this isn’t the same situation. Better luck in 2008, when you get them on The Hill.

Thanks go especially to Coach Kyle Wittingham and his staff of football experts. It was a bold season strategy for your team to look really good in some games and really poor in others. I don’t know as much about the sport as you guys, so from my perspective it just seems like you didn’t prepare the team properly. But, you won seven games in a row and were a blown defensive coverage away from beating your arch-rivals, right? So whatever you were doing was clearly working well. Besides, we don’t expect championships as fans of Utah – 5-3 in conference sits well.

Speaking of the blown defensive coverage, I would like to thank Brice McCain for being an NFL prospect. I heard this several times from several different national commentators (well, the Versus and CSTV guys, but still), and it really raises the credibility of the program to have such high caliber players. I would think a professional-level player wouldn’t leave the other team’s best receiver to try and cover a poor-running quarterback who stands a zero percent chance of shambling for 18 yards, but that’s just my take on it. I am sure a high-caliber football mind, like yours must be, knows better.

I also want to give kudos to Louis Sakoda, for being the very best player on the team. Usually when the kicker/punter is the most clutch player on the roster it can be a bit nerve-racking (See BYU circa 2003-04), but you pulled it off. Maybe when Brent Casteel comes back from season-long injury next year he can give you a bit more competition for that title.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Brian Johnson! We heard a lot about your good decision-making skills in the pre-season, and you didn’t disappoint. Well, except for the times when your decision was to attempt a pass of over 20 yards. As a fan, there is something disheartening about watching a ball sail eight feet over the head of a wide-open receiver, but don’t worry about that. At least they were incomplete and not interceptions (usually), so we weren’t as upset as we could have been. Besides, you still have that senior season to finally live up to your potential.

Anyway, that’s about it. There were some great times this season, and I am already looking forward to next year. Maybe one of these years you guys can go back to being consistently strong on both sides of the ball, although it is great that you are considered a “defensive” team. It would also be nice if you could challenge for the Mountain West title sometime, rather than losing it in a week four shutout at the hands of the worst team in the conference. But these are small, nitpicky things, and only suggestions. Besides, it’s only been a few years since Utah was a national football power, and we don’t want to be greedy fans.

Thanks again, and good luck in your insignificant bowl game! Here’s to a good 2008!

With no bitterness whatsoever,

Nate N.
Co-Host, Utah SportsCast

There is much, much more in the podcast, including the big rivalry game, the Utah Jazz, and college hoops. Visit us next week for an open letter to the BYU football team.

Our All-BYU Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Max Hall

2. Jan Jorgensen

3. Austin Collie

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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The much-anticipated Rivalry Week is finally here. Utah’s next scheduled game is in Provo, Utah against BYU, and vice-versa. Within a week the hype will be silenced, the preparation will be over, the plays will be run, the dust will have settled, and one team will stand triumphant over the other. I could not be more excited.

Both Utah and BYU stretched their winning streaks to seven games last week, with significant wins over conference teams. Utah played at home, fending off a motivated New Mexico team with defense and luck. The Lobos had looked bad-to-shaky in past weeks, and were still fighting for the postseason. Utah was still swaggering after a dominating win over Wyoming, and with BYU looming on the horizon, was in danger of a potential let-down game.

As has been the case in the past few weeks, Utah’s defense was the best squad on the field for either team. To be fair, New Mexico also has a good defense, and the offenses for both teams have been somewhat hit-or-miss this season, but it was the consistent play on defense that secured the game for the home team. Utah benefited from a few special teams mistakes by the Lobos, notably fumbled punts, and also managed a defensive touchdown as Koa Misi returned a fumble toward the end of the fourth quarter. The final score was 28-10, which means Utah’s offense was only responsible for three touchdowns. All things considered, that was probably not the best way to prepare for your in-state rivals.

Meanwhile, BYU was in Laramie to take care of a fading Wyoming Cowboys team who had lost two of their last three, including the surreal 0-50 drubbing against Utah. The Cougars had not looked their best in past weeks, with offensive question marks and a shaky defensive secondary, but seemed to right the ship against the otherwise hapless Cowboys. Max Hall was shaken up by another big hit (note to BYU’s coaches: that’s something you may want to work on), but returned to close out the game and key a 35-10 victory. For the record, Wyoming has now been outscored 85-10 in two weeks, and lost three of their last four.

In terms of offense, BYU looks solid. Hall still makes a few bad decisions and throws a few bad passes per game, but he looks solid going into the big game. The excellent backfield pieces of Harvey Unga, Manase Tonga, Joe Semanoff, and Fui Vakapuna anchor a formidable running attack, as well as contributing to a good overall passing game. The defense has played well, and it’s difficult to argue with allowing only 10 points on the road, but there are some holes in the secondary.

Our best guess is that the game will be won between Utah’s vaunted defense and BYU’s potent offense. Even more specifically, it will come down to Utah’s quick defensive line against BYU’s solid offensive line. However, we made almost those same exact predictions last year, and after a crazy, exciting game, realized we were simplifying things a bit too much.

So our best guess is probably that it’s anyone’s game. Will Kyle Wittingham’s big-game passion trump the clinical detachment of Bronco Mendenhall? Can Utah’s underrated running game evade the overexposed linebacking corps of BYU? Is Utah’s brave, powerful defense up to the challenge of BYU’s self-important, overrated offense? Am I allowing my cheering interest to compromise any objectiveness I may have had? The answer is yes to all of those questions. [Note: I am a fan of Cougar Football as well, but during rivalry games I have to suspend my usual trying-to-sit-on-the-fence trick. After this week I will be back to root for the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl.]

I typically write that we have much more in the podcast, but in fairness, there isn’t much. We are all about the rivalry this week, although we do mention some of the other noteworthy items, including Utah State’s first win of the season (as reflected in our Top 3, below).

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

T-2. Brian Johnson

T-2. Max Hall

1. Rob Myers

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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On the surface, this was a pretty good week for the Utah SportsCast. The Jazz swept all four of the games they played since our last show, BYU won a critical conference game in Provo, and Utah completely outmanned their hapless opponent. That is a 6-0 combined record for the “big three” of this point in the sports season, and a fan could hardly ask for more than four game, five game, and six game win streaks, respectively.

However, results do not always tell the complete story, and there is a deeper level of concern for each of these teams. The Jazz are off to a quick start at 6-2, but the wins seem to have come against lesser competition (although I still say Cleveland is a good team), and the two losses at by the only good conference teams they have played. BYU has a perfect conference record and only two early-season losses, but their offense didn’t look great in the second half against TCU. They still won, and their defense secured the game in the second half, but they did so without much scoring support.

Then, there was the Utah game.

I am the designated Utah fan here at the Utah SportsCast, and while I don’t have a fancy t-shirt indicating as much, I consider myself an invested follower of the team. I mention this because I have also noticed a vague and uncertain negative emotion – centered on the team – that bubbles up in me on occasion. I usually just ignore the feeling, and have never bothered to understand it, but it all crystallized early in the third quarter of the Wyoming game: Sometimes it’s hard to be a Utah fan, because sometimes they behave despicably.

The latest example was the nationally-covered brouhaha between Kyle Wittingham and Wyoming coach Joe Glenn, but this isn’t the first time I have felt that way about Coach Kyle’s program. Every time a Utah player jumps up to strut around after a big play, I cringe. Each camera shot of Utah’s bench horsing around on the sidelines or laughing at the other team causes me to turn away. Any on-field mocking conversations cause me to shake my head in disapproval. Don’t get me wrong, it is just a game and I think players should be passionate about it. I like the excitement that comes after big plays, and I don’t have a problem with not being buddies with the other team. But Utah’s brand of attitude sometimes comes across as mocking, and that is intolerable, in my opinion.

Worst of all is when that despicable behavior comes from the top. I could not have disagreed more with Coach Wittingham kicking onside when they were up by six touchdowns. After the game he made a lot of growled excuses about still playing in the third quarter and responding to guaranteed victories from Coach Glenn, but that point was made when it was 40-0 at halftime. Winning big without going out of the way to embarrass the other team would have been a more powerful statement; instead, the Utah coaching staff came across as petty and vindictive.

The commotion is beginning to fade now that both coaches have apologized, and the Mountain West Conference has publicly reprimanded the obscene gesture. But deep down inside, anyone who watched it live, saw it on replay, or heard it described felt that Joe Glenn was justified in his one-fingered opinion. But that is the burden of being a Utah football fan: sometimes you have to deal with despicable behavior from your team and coach.

As always, we have much more in the podcast, including more about BYU’s big win, a good start for the Utah Jazz, and local college basketball.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Gabe Long

2. Max Hall

3. Andrei Kirilenko

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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It was good to have Brigham Young University back on the field after their rescheduling bye. It was only the second home game for the Cougars since September 22nd, and they hosted the bottom-dwelling Colorado State Rams. As predicted, suspected or hoped-for, BYU won by a large margin: 35-16. The Cougars are now undefeated in their past 12 conference games.

Max Hall saw a return to earlier excellence, which, according to Zach, was the second most important thing BYU had to accomplish this week (winning being the first, of course). The entire passing game was the most potent part of the Cougar offense, racking up 355 pass yards with two receivers going over 100 yards, and seven different receivers touching the ball. The running game was more subdued, perhaps by design, although five different players rushed for positive yards (the punter being one of them). The team rushed for around 100 yards total.

The defense looked good at times, like when they held CSU to one field goal for three first-half trips inside BYU’s 20 yard-line, but they were not impenetrable by any standard. The secondary was still a bit shaky, and if the Rams running backs could get beyond the defensive line, they usually picked up decent yardage. It is true that most of the scoring came against second string competition, but the level of effort from the first team may not have sufficed against a better team.

All in all, it was a good opportunity for BYU to get back on track for the concluding games of the season. They have a much more stringent test coming up Thursday, November 8th against TCU, who is coming to Lavell Edwards Stadium following a 37-0 demolition of New Mexico. The short week for both teams should minimize the impact of strategic preparation, and the respective talent of each team will be exaggerated. Whether that translates to a BYU win will remain to be seen, although it should be a good opportunity to extend their streak.

Please check out the podcast for much more, including a preview of Utah vs. Wyoming, and some Utah Jazz Talk.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Jan Jorgensen

2. Deron Williams

3. Max Hall

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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I am a big fan of sports, which should be evident by the fact that I voluntarily wake up at 4:45 AM once a week to participate in this podcast. I have a reasonably broad range of sports I enjoy following, as well as some specific teams or players within that range. The same is true of Zach, I know, and I suspect could be said of most other sports fans in the world. We enjoy sports, we follow them, and for the most part we have more than one team/sport we follow.

These are very pedestrian, general facts about sports fans, of course, and I only mention them because 2007 has been an unusual year for Zach and me. As purveyors of a “sports media outlet,” we watch and analyze sports much more than we did as everyday fans. Our once-casual “catch that game last night?” conversations have now become in-depth breakdowns of games, players, and leagues. We discuss interpretation of rules, quality of coverage, and socio-cultural impact. This is all on a very amateur scale, of course – the Utah SportsCast is just a free-time activity for us.

To add to that pleasant confusion, both Zach and I have become soccer fans in earnest during the past year. We have outlined some of this in a new blog/podcast experiment we are trying to produce (visit at The Beautiful Podcast), so it doesn’t require mentioning for this blog entry beyond the fact that we now have new teams and leagues to follow. This just means more items to digest from our already groaning smörgåsbord of sports.

To summarize, we are in a position where we have many different sports and teams to follow, with a semi-legitimate reason to do it. With that in mind, it’s not a surprise that I follow sports as closely now as I did as a teenager (I suspect the same is true for Zach, but I can’t speak for him). I suppose I could count the sports I follow, along with the associated leagues and teams, but that’s probably unimportant and I would miss some anyway. The short answer: A lot.

So I was very surprised, in the midst of some fantastic sporting competition, when I realized that I have a single favorite team – one that stands above all other teams in all other sports. It does so in spite of my recent obsession with soccer, and in spite of an exciting year for local college football. Two NFL teams I enjoy are doing well this year, and “my team” in that league looks playoff-worthy, but it’s not one of those. It’s not even a national team, and there are few times I enjoy being a sports fan more than when I am following Team USA in anything.

No, my all-time favorite team to follow is the Utah Jazz.

[Note: The reader may have expected me something like “the Human Team” as my favorite, and me to praise the Beauty and Complexity of competition as my highest ideal. That probably would have been more philosophical and meaningful, and I wish I could write it here, but it wouldn’t be true.]

I came to this realization two nights ago, and as mentioned, it was really quite surprising. I was watching them win their season opener against the Golden State Warriors, and it occurred to me that I invest more emotion and interest in the success of the Utah Jazz than I do any other team. Further compounding the strangeness for me is that I am not really an over-the-top fan of the NBA, certainly not more than other sports leagues. If I don’t have a rooting interest, I would probably rather watch a random game from the NFL, NHL, NCAA Football, or Barclay’s Premier League.

It could be that the Jazz were my “first love” as a young sports fan – the team that got me interested in sports to begin with. Maybe it’s because they are the only local team of genuine national significance (sorry Real Salt Lake, and Major League Soccer). Maybe it’s because I really like basketball players and coaches with ties to the state of Illinois. I don’t really know. But I am certain that I am more anticipatory, I celebrate more plays, I bemoan more bad calls, and I am more superstitious about the Utah Jazz than any other team. There are other individual games that may reach that high status for me (Utah versus BYU in football, for instance), but as far as daily interest goes, nothing touches the Jazz. That may not be crucial to me as a fan, but it was nice to find out where my heart lies. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the 2007-2008 season.

There is much more to enjoy in the podcast, which took a few unusual turns this week. Hopefully, it will make for entertaining listening. If not, well, our iron-clad guarantee holds true: you will love this podcast or your money back.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Steve Tate

2. Ronnie Brewer

3. Carlos Boozer

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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I should start this blog entry with a disclaimer: I didn’t watch either the Utah or the BYU games this past week. It wasn’t a lack of interest, but I had other, previous engagements during both games. I did catch a bit of each on the radio, and read the post-game articles, but that was it. I only mention this in the interest of full disclosure. Well, that, and it gives me an excuse when all of my thoughts and opinions are more foolish than usual.

Anyway, I had written Utah off for the year as recently as the afternoon of Friday, October 5th, just prior to their win over Louisville. At that point they were a shaky 2-3, and already with two conference losses. Their only wins at that point were a bizarre rout of UCLA that seemed to have come from another team, and a very pedestrian showing against Utah State.

On that same afternoon, BYU was 3-2, and undefeated in two conference games. Their two losses were non-conference away games, and they were looking every bit like the team to beat in the MWC. They had beaten Air Force, who started strong, and opened the year with a nice win against Pac-10 Arizona.

Since that afternoon, Utah has rolled off three wins in a row – two of them on the road against teams that were projected to be their respective conference champions. BYU has won twice, both in games where they were favored. There are a few similarities at this point in the season: both teams have won four games in a row, each with two wins at home and two on the road. Both teams have five total wins on the season. Both teams have a win and a loss against Pac-10 schools.

However, Utah seems to be playing better football than BYU, at least at the moment. Last Thursday Utah held on for a big conference road win against TCU, and the next day local radio shows were buzzing with talk of the “swagger” returning. Two days later – and in spite of beating Division 1-AA/Championship Division/Whatever Eastern Washington by five touchdowns – the Cougars did not impress their fans or the local media. The consensus seems to be that Utah is coming together as a team, and BYU may be losing their focus a bit.

The Cougars have a significant advantage in conference record (BYU 3-0, Utah 2-2), even though the overall standings are fairly close. Utah is still alive in the conference race, although they would need BYU to lose at least once before the Utah/BYU game, and then beat the Cougars in Lavell Edwards Stadium, accompanied by Air Force losing both of their remaining conference games. That is an unlikely scenario, to say the least.

For BYU, all they need to do is keep on winning; which could be prove difficult considering they have to play TCU at home and Wyoming on the road in the weeks leading up to the Utah game. The unplanned bye this week may help them refocus and heal some nagging injuries, but it will also extend their regular season a week longer. If their level of play doesn’t improve, it could be disastrous. The final conclusion for both teams is far from clear, and the season is much more interesting than it was on the afternoon of October 5th.

We have more about BYU and Utah in the podcast, as well as a bit about the end of RSL’s season, and even some preseason Jazz talk. We also rolled out a special edition “Top 3 from Real Salt Lake” to commemorate the very forgettable season:

Our Top 3 from Real Salt Lake:

1. Eddie Pope

2. Nick Rimando

3. Robbie Findley

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Martail Burnett

2. Harvey Unga

3. Steve Tate

Finally, we want to extend our thoughts, prayers, and best wishes to everyone in Southern California who has been misplaced by the wildfires.

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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There's been a year or more of UtahSportsCast episodes. I suppose it was bound to happen that I put the wrong file up there eventually. It's all fixed now, just click the "listen" link above and you'll get the right show.

Sorry about that folks!

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To begin, I would like to present a quote from this very blog as posted last week. It was the latest version of my developing opinion about the University of Utah football team:

If they lose big this Friday at Louisville (as, unfortunately, I am expecting) then the “mediocre” definition will probably stick. If Utah manages to keep the score close and look good (or, in another shock, win), then we may have to back to the drawing board.

So, I was shocked (as predicted) when Utah not only beat Louisville 44-35 at Papa John’s Stadium, but looked pretty good in the process. They dominated the first half and scored enough in the second half to hold off the best quarterback in the NCAA. A big loss would have answered more questions than the highlight win, so I find myself again at the proverbial drawing board.

In one way, this game was even more impressive than the UCLA tilt because everyone watching that knew it was a world-class fluke. Not so much that Utah won, but that they dominated every aspect of the game. They took a top-ranked team and made them look like the biggest cupcake they would play all year. It didn’t help that UCLA gave up halfway through the third quarter, but the damage was done by that point.

The Louisville game was much different. Again, Utah dominated the first half, but Louisville brought it back to as close as six points in the fourth quarter. It was a fight to the end, in other words, before Reliable Louie Sakoda booted a 46 yard clinching field goal with about 90 seconds left. The running game for Utah was spectacular, behind Darrell Mack’s 163 yard, 3 touchdown performance. Brian Johnson threw for 312 yards and added two more touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), with no interceptions.

Utah’s line played great on the defensive end, controlling the line of scrimmage and holding Louisville to just 26 total rushing yards. Unfortunately, that opened the field to the Cardinals’ Brian Brohm (the afore-mentioned “best quarterback in the NCAA”), who lit up Utah’s secondary for 467 yards and four touchdowns. He was sacked three times in the game, which doubled his total sacks on the season, but some of that had to do with his two best receivers being out for the game. As a fan, I would be curious to see how different the game would have been with those star receivers playing. Then again, if Utah had Brent Casteel and Matt Asiata, it would have made a difference, as well.

It was a great, exciting win, and Utah looked good in the process. However, it also reinforced the inconsistency theory, and created more questions about the team. Utah has now won three of their last four, including two in a row (their first winning streak of the season). Two of those wins came against teams that had been ranked in the top 15 at one point in the season. The one loss was an embarrassing shut-out to one of the worst teams in the conference (UNLV’s only other win, ironically, was Utah State).

So, was the Louisville game the beginning of a long winning trend? Was it a sign that the UNLV game, like the UCLA game, was something of a fluke? Is the real Utah team now emerging, ready to challenge for a bowl game (and with a lot of luck, the conference title)? Or is this yet another tantalizing hint of what could be? A peek at how talented and explosive the offense really is, when they have consistent playcalling? Is another bumbling loss just around the corner?

I would like to say that I have stopped guessing and analyzing, and that I will just take each game as it comes. That would be completely untrue, but I do wish I could say it. Utah plays San Diego State at home and TCU in Dallas for their next two games. One of those games should be relatively easy and the other a tough contest, although the way this season is going I’m not so sure which is which. Time will tell… I hope.

There is much more in the podcast, as always. Well, maybe not much more, but it’s more entertaining, anyway.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Brian Johnson

2. Tim Toone

3. Darrell Mack

We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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Zach and I were able to get together last Saturday and watch both Utah vs. Utah State and New Mexico vs. BYU. It was not the first time we had watched games together, of course, but it’s pretty rare that we have a chance to do it. It was good to see Utah get a cruise-control victory in the driving snow. It was also nice to find out that BYU could stumble a bit against a motivated opponent, and still pull out a win. After the game we celebrated by playing a few rounds of FIFA ’06 on my Xbox. A good time was had by all.

The problems surrounding the University of Utah have been ground up by the local media (including us, if we qualify as “media”) for several weeks, now. It started as a bad luck story with key players out with injuries, turned very bright for one week, and now seems to have settled into understanding. My current diagnosis is that Utah is just a mediocre team that played dynamite for one week. Under this theory, the “inconsistency” I have mentioned before is changed to read “mediocrity.” Yes, they put up 34 points last Saturday, but that was against a below-average team. Not to mention Utah State scored 18 in the process.

We should have a handle on this team after five games, but the anomaly of Utah/UCLA still looms large. If they lose big this Friday at Louisville (as, unfortunately, I am expecting) then the “mediocre” definition will probably stick. If Utah manages to keep the score close and look good (or, in another shock, win), then we may have to back to the drawing board. I am tempted to hope for a loss, just so we can finally figure this team out. Of course, my internal fan won’t let me make that mental jump.

The bigger story this week was BYU’s timely win at New Mexico. Watching the game as a somewhat less passionate fan (I couldn’t wear one of those “Fully Invested” shirts – it just wouldn’t be right) I can say that New Mexico has good athletes, they scouted BYU well (point courtesy of Zach), and were excited and prepared. The Cougars, on the other hand, did not play a great game. The offense had trouble moving the ball, the defense seemed confused much of the time, and they were relying on athleticism and big plays to win.

Where it becomes good news for Cougar fans is they still managed to win. The score was close at the end, but BYU played through a bad week, on the road, and pulled out a victory.

I don’t know whether to credit superior talent or better coaching, because I don’t think BYU is much better in either of those categories. After the game, UNM head coach Rocky Long said BYU deserved to win, but they are not a better team than New Mexico. I can’t say I completely agree with that, but the difference in talent level is much closer than blinkered BYU fans may think.

Not having seen any other New Mexico games this year I can’t evaluate their relative level of play. It could be that they stalled a bit, as well. Regardless, I wonder if Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s emphasis on mental toughness and discipline made the difference against New Mexico. BYU has been an oft-penalized team this season and has turned the ball over with disappointing frequency, both of which are always pointed to as a lack of discipline. The penalties and turnovers were still there, but it could be that his young team finally understood what Mendenhall has been yelling about all this time and won the game on sheer determination.

There is much more in the podcast, including a conversation about the Utah win, more on BYU and a vaguely-interested discussion of Real Salt Lake.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Derrek Richards

2. Bryan Kehl

3. Darrell Mack

Thanks to our listener who submitted a reader e-mail this week! We hope to hear from many more in the future. Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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There is almost always something interesting going on around the Utah Sports Cast, with the possible exception of that slow, dull time in mid-summer when we half-heartedly cover baseball while waiting for a blockbuster Utah Jazz signing. The rest of the year is split between football and basketball seasons, so we don’t generally have a problem finding things to talk about.

At this time of the year (early fall) the primary teams/sports we follow are Real Salt Lake, The University of Utah football, and Brigham Young University football. I mention this because last week these three teams tallied one win (Utah) against three losses (BYU and RSL lost twice). This week the “Big Three” went 2 – 2, with RSL splitting two games, BYU winning, and Utah losing. The one team that won last week had their collective heads handed to them, and the teams that lost managed to find some victories.

So it is being a Utah sports fan. Our teams are often mediocre – enough so that flashes of real, legitimate success are remembered for a long time (what BYU fan doesn’t smile at the simple mention of the year 1984?). More often than not we have teams that look fine one week and shaky the next. In that sense, September has been a very typical month in Utah sports.

The ultimate expression of this inconsistency was displayed during the past two weeks by the University of Utah. They started with a significant, career-defining win over a nationally ranked opponent one week, followed by a pitiful shutout loss at the mercy of a team that was at the very bottom of division-one football last year. Utah went from looking like a great, underrated team with a potent offense and an iron-clad defense to being throttled by one of the conference cupcakes.

To give UNLV their due, they do seem better this year from last; and they were prepared, motivated, and eager for the game. All the same, the Utah team that kicked UCLA to the curb would have blown the Rebels all the way back to Dixie. Not that history has much to do with it, but this was the first time Utah had lost to UNLV since the Ford Administration. That provided motivation for the Rebels, and left Utah without excuses.

I suspect Utah will win another few games. In fact, they may have a winning streak sometime in the season that will bring their record to more respectable numbers. Then, like every other Utah Sports fan, I will be predicting brighter days and bigger victories to come. I will probably even write about it on this blog. Then, with another bottom-tier bowl in the books, I can look forward to 2008 with much more optimism than the situation deserves. Not that I mind -- that is the life of a Utah sports fan, after all.

In other news, BYU played well and looked pretty good. I’m not trying to ignore that, but the stuff we have in the podcast about them is very interesting and I wouldn’t want to spoil it.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Kyle Brown

2. Travis Bright

3. Harvey Unga

Thanks again for listening and reading! Please feel free to contact us at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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This past weekend, the temperature for Utah sports was hot, cold, and lukewarm, all at the same time. The University of Utah football team was very hot, and looked virtually perfect as they trounced 11th ranked UCLA 44-6. Real Salt Lake managed a lukewarm 0-0 draw against Toronto, but considering they were down a man for most of the game and playing in Canada, the effort was hot. BYU’s offensive statistics were hot (they got in the end zone seven times), but the rest of the team was lukewarm at best (they still lost by more than a touchdown), and the special teams were downright cold. Utah State, sorry to say, is neither hot, nor cold. Following a 54-3 drubbing at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners, the only word to describe them is: bad. Not bad that they lost to the #3 team in college football – bad that the overwhelming defeat was expected by everyone.

The question lurking in the midst of all this is: which of the many teams we have seen are the real ones? Is Utah the team that is capable of demolishing strong Pac-10 opponents? It wasn’t just a loss, either – Utah beat them in every possible way, and made UCLA hang their heads. Or are they the team that can’t manage more than one touchdown against a lesser-talented (but very hard-working) Air Force defense? Which BYU will take the field next Saturday – the team that worked over Arizona? Or will it be the team that racks up lots of offensive yards but also lots of penalties and turnovers? Even RSL has had flashes of brilliance in the midst of their dismal season. At least Utah State is consistent, even if it is consistently awful.

The upcoming games will provide interesting tests for the two biggest college programs. Utah’s game will not be as much a test of athletic ability as an indication of preparation and concentration. The same team that can wipe out a significant Pac-10 school should have no problems with a bottom-of-the-pack conference foe. If Utah does play well and beat UNLV in Las Vegas, then we have reason to hope they could recover from a shaky start and produce a good-if-not-great season. The injuries have been significant, but Utah has shown that they have enough talent to make up for the missing players.

The Cougars have a bit more significant of a test, hosting Air Force this Saturday. The Falcons are on a tear right now, having beaten the other two “elite” schools in the Mountain West Conference (Utah and TCU) in the past two games. If they could knock off BYU, that would complete the task and put Air Force as the standing favorites to win the conference. Among the problems BYU will face is that Air Force runs an unusual offense designed to keep opposing defenses off-balance. If that sounds familiar, consider this reminder: Tulsa 55, BYU 47. BYU’s defense has been questionable since the Arizona game, and their special teams are just bad. Field position is important when facing a ball-control offense like Air Force, and the Cougars have had their struggles winning that battle. On the other hand, the offense is still high-powered enough that they may just be able to outscore the Falcons. The bottom line is BYU needs to win this game, and if they can do it with convincing defense, the light at the end of the tunnel may not be a freight train after all.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Nick Rimando

2. Darrell Mack

3. Robert Johnson

There is much more on the podcast, and we hope you check it out. We would also love to hear from you at comments@utahsportscast.com.

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It was a rough stretch of days for fans and followers of Utah’s major sports teams. Real Salt Lake lost on the road against the Houston Dynamo as a follow-up to their first winning streak (2 games) this season. Utah lost in two ways, not only dropping the home opener against Air Force, but losing their best offensive player – Brent Casteel – for the season to a knee injury. Utah State lost to Wyoming, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed the team for more than a month. The Salt Lake Bees lost the conference playoff to the Sacramento River Cats, ending their season. Even BYU – the team I am counting on to provide some interest for my fall sports season – lost a tough away game to ranked UCLA. Like I said, it was a rough stretch.

Because of my own personal loyalties and interests, the toughest of these losses for me to digest was Utah 12, Air Force 20. Not because of the Falcons, who, in my opinion, are one of the most disciplined and respectable teams in the NCAA, but because of Utah’s poor play and blown opportunities. It is true that they have opened the season with a stretch of very unlucky injuries, but they have enough depth of talent that playing a middle-of-the-pack conference opponent like Air Force at home should result in a win.

Instead Utah fans were subjected to a game that could have been taken from last year’s campaign. The offense was shaky due to a terrible performance at quarterback, which was augmented by poor play-calling. The defense struggled to keep the team in the game, but never really had a chance to catch their breath because the offense was so anemic. Their tackling became very sloppy and the linebackers played the entire second half back on their heels (Air Force rushed 63 times for 334 yards). Utah’s best-looking drive came at the very end of the fourth quarter, but they failed on three straight downs to score from inside the five yard line.

There is plenty of ammunition for finger-pointing. Tommy Grady’s statistics improved over the previous week, but most of his positive numbers came on one unsuccessful drive. For most of the game he had trouble with long passes, short passes, shovel passes, pitches, quick handoffs, hot reads, outlets, and screens. He managed the long, reaching handoffs okay, most of which were quickly stopped by an energetic-if-undersized Air Force defense. He completed a pass here and there, and seemed surprised when it happened (I might have made up that last part – maybe it was just me that was surprised). He gave up two interceptions and looked uncomfortable for most of the game.

The coaching staff deserves some of the blame, as well. I am not adept with football strategy, by any measure. As I have said before on the podcast, any play calling knowledge I may have comes from playing NCAA Football on my Xbox. I have no experience – on any level – with team or game management. However, in spite of my towering ignorance, I know it’s not a good idea to call a long-developing wide receiver reverse on third-and-1 during a critical drive in the fourth quarter. Especially if my running backs were producing, as Utah’s had been at the time. However, that is exactly what Utah’s offensive coordinator called. As one might expect, Air Force was already playing up – anticipating some sort of dive or keeper – and blew up the play for an eight-yard loss. Utah punted on the next down.

I believe coaching is a lot more difficult than most people understand – that the men and women in various coaching positions sacrifice their health, their other prospects, and their family lives for a generally thankless career. I’m sure Andy Ludwig – the offensive coordinator at Utah – is a very nice man. I know he is old buddies with head coach Kyle Wittingham, and they have a great working relationship. But that doesn’t do a thing to address the team’s problems; namely that there is no imagination to the offensive play-calling. I don’t write that because I can do better, or I know what needs to happen. I write that because I watch a lot of football, and I know a bad offense when I see it.

It can’t be easy to lose three of your five best offensive weapons in the first two games of the year, and only hope to get one of them back for part of the season. It would be very discouraging to have your best offensive lineman go out for the year before the first game was played. There may be a lot of head-hanging and feeling-sorry-for-themselves going on during Utah’s practices, and I can’t say they would be unjustified.

But the point of having depth charts and constantly recruiting talent is so there is someone ready for these scenarios. Even though the fans and the team are disappointed at the injuries, there are a few players who should be thrilled for the opportunity they now have to show what they can do and help the team.

If the coaching staff can call a good game, keep opposing defenses guessing, and tailor the plays to the available players, then there is still hope for the season. At this point, an average team would be tempted to concede the season and use the time to develop their younger talent. A great team, however, would – and hopefully will – rise to the occasion.

There is plenty more to hear in the podcast, including discussion of the BYU game and our top three in Utah breakdown.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Louie Sakoda

2. Max Hall

3. The Salt Lake Bees

Thank you very much for reading and listening to the Utah SportsCast! We would love to hear from you, either by commenting on the blog or sending an e-mail to comments@utahsportscast.com.

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America’s true national pastime is back, and if I might speak for sports fans around the country, it’s about time. With college football kicking off last week and the National Football League about to start regular season play, it feels a bit like the cool end of a long, hot summer.

The teams followed by the Utah SportsCast played this last week, with Utah kicking off their season at Oregon State. This game was most noteworthy – from a Utah fan’s point of view – because of the significant injuries to Utah players. Starting quarterback Brian Johnson went down with a separated shoulder, which is expected to keep him off the playing field for 3-5 weeks. He did manage to play almost two whole quarters of football before returning to the injured list, so that was a nice treat for fans. With any luck, he may be able to start in a few games this year.

Also bitten by the injury bug was Matt Asiata, who was Utah’s big pickup among Juco transfers. He was going to be the featured running back this season, before a routine tackle broke both bones in his lower leg. It was one of those potential career-ending injuries, but fortunately, he is expected to recover. It won’t happen anytime soon, of course; but at some point, in the distant future, Asiata may play again.

With two star players out, and the Utah offense terrorized by a big, fast, talented Oregon State defense, they were lucky to escape with only a 24-7 beating. Brent Casteel scored their only touchdown, hauling in one of Johnson’s early passes. He was also about the only player in red who seemed to be able to match speed with Oregon State.

Two days later, the story was completely different for BYU. Not only did they manage an injury-free game, but they discovered another potential star running back, their brand new quarterback looked good, and their defense was smothering (to say the least). The visiting Arizona team managed a touchdown in the final quarter to avoid the shutout, but still went home on the wrong end of a 20-7 loss.

Cougar fans may have a lot to be excited about this year, as they seemed to have room for improvement, in spite of playing a solid game. If they can play a respectable game against a ranked UCLA team this week, it may be the start of another great season.

So to recap, injuries and lack of depth cripple Utah and they lose a winnable game. Yet another stud running back and an awesome defense drive BYU to an impressive win. If you switched jerseys on the teams you might wonder if it’s 1994 all over again.

There is much more to enjoy (we hope) in the podcast, so please listen! We welcome any and all feedback to comments@utahsportscast.com

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

1. Brent Casteel

2. Nick Rimando

3. Harvey Unga

Thanks again to our sponsor, ZAGG Inc., for their support!

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Summer in Utah is hot.. Temperatures vary based on geographic region, but 100+ degree days are common in just about any part of the state. In the southern half of Utah, particularly the southwestern section, it isn’t unusual to see 110+ degree days, sometimes for weeks in a row. It’s usually a dry heat (for example, right now the temperature in Salt Lake City is 91 degrees with 28% humidity), which is less oppressive than heavy, moist conditions, but leaves one feeling a bit dried out by the end of summer.

I mention this because autumn has always been my favorite time of the year for a variety of reasons, and I am very excited to see the end of August/start of September this year. The growing crispness in the air is nice, and a welcome respite from the heat. But the cool nights and changing leaves also means football season is upon us – and that is a very good thing.

This week all three of Utah’s NCAA Division-1 schools play their opening games. The University of Utah travels to Oregon State, Brigham Young University hosts Arizona, and Utah State University welcomes UNLV. The Utah SportsCast aspires to support and report on all local athletics, although we tend to feature those we follow as fans, namely Utah and BYU. We extend our apologies to Utah State for not giving equal time, but we are trying to cultivate a rooting interest. So, hopefully we will have more on the Aggies in the future.

[Incidentally, it would help if USU could provide a better program. I’m not trying to be overly critical, and we’re not waiting for the bandwagon to come around or anything, but more than one win would be nice.]

Anyway, Zach and I have been looking forward to the big preview show all summer, and you can find all the good stuff on the podcast. Here are a few of my thoughts, in addition:

Utah: This year should be a small improvement over last, although I wouldn’t expect anything dramatic. Another year under the belt is bound to help Head Coach Kyle Wittingham and his team. I don’t think they will contend for the conference title this year, but they should still make a late-December bowl game.

Should be strengths:

Wide Receivers: Brent Casteel, Utah’s most explosive offensive player, should benefit from playing with the very mobile Brian Johnson. If the quarterback is a running threat it could keep safeties and linebackers back a step, which would give Casteel more space in which to operate. Derrek Richards (last season’s leading receiver), Marquis Wilson, and Brian Hernandez will be other key targets in Utah’s deep, talented receiving corps.

Offensive Line: This was predicted to be a weakness last season because of the youth at nearly every position. They played much better than expected, and so, in theory, should only have improved. They graduated an All-Conference tackle, but are returning the majority of last year’s line. Zane Beadles at left tackle should be one of the standouts.

Linebackers: Utah will start three seniors this year, including Joe Jiannoni, who was one of the backbones of last year’s defense. Kyle Brady and Malakai Mokofisi are the other two starters; Stevenson Sylvester – a freshman standout last year – should also see plenty of action.

Special Teams: Louie Sakoda will be returning as both punter and placekicker. Last year’s Mountain West Conference Special Teams Co-Player of the Year was a critical component in several key wins last year, including the win over TCU. Utah doesn’t have specialists as punt returners and kick returners, but they should be better than adequate.

Could be weaknesses:

Running Backs: Darryl Poston is coming back for his 10th season (or something like that), although he was not very effective last year. Darrell Mack will redshirt this year, which should mean more carries for junior college transfer Matt Asiata.

Tight Ends: Matt Sims and Colt Sampson traded duties last year, and they both return for another year. Both are valuable as blockers, but neither is a great target at receiver. A different, mobile quarterback could boost the value of the position, however.

Defensive Line: Martail Burnett is returning, and Gabe Long is expected to be around for the full season. But graduating two all-conference linemen would hurt any team, and the rest of the D-line seems to be relatively young and inexperienced.

Secondary: It doesn’t matter how good the replacements are, losing a consensus All-American will hurt the team. Steve Tate is the only senior in the secondary, although all of the projected starters have at least one year of previous playing experience.

The big question mark:

Quarterback: It’s been around 22 months since Brian Johnson was carted off the playing field with a wrecked knee. His physical condition is reported to be excellent, but he still hasn’t taken a snap in regular competition in over two years. He is an intelligent, poised player, with a strong arm and good running ability. If he has a great year, Utah could do very well. If he is inconsistent and shaky, it will be a long season.

BYU: It’s very difficult to imagine the Cougars will have as magical a season this year as they did last (unless you are a supporter, of course, and then there is no difficulty whatsoever). Bronco Mendenhall’s program is running along smoothly enough, but too many key players graduating is likely to spell fewer wins in 2007.

Should be strengths:

Running Backs: BYU graduated one of their all-time greatest backs last year. Applying the same logic as used above, it would make sense that this could be one of the shaky points of the offense. However, they are returning Manase Tonga and Fui Vakapuna, both of which are strong, exciting runners who had great seasons in 2006.

Wide Receivers: This has been a strong suit for the Cougars for several years, and should continue to be this year. Matt Allen and Bryce Mahuika will be primary targets, as well as Austin Collie, the former Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year.

Linebackers: Bryan Kehl and David Nixon are returning to anchor a squad that graduated their all-conference leader last season. In spite of that, this is one of the deepest and most talented facets of the team, and will be a noteworthy strength.

Secondary: Returning quality players like Dustin Gabriel, Quinn Gooch, and Ben Criddle will help BYU’s defense win a few games for the team. This was the embarrassing weakness of the team as recently as pre-season last year, but they have improved dramatically.

Could be weaknesses:

Quarterback: Max Hall has a lot to live up to, and is going to struggle at times this year. It’s that simple. He is reported to have a strong, accurate arm and great decision-making ability, but he has never taken a snap in an actual collegiate-level game. He will probably have flashes of greatness, but the coaching staff will also have to figure out how to lessen his negative impact at times.

Tight Ends: BYU’s tight end was almost as critical as the quarterback last year. Also like the quarterbacks, both the starter and the backup graduated in this position. This has been a traditional strength for the Cougars, but the youth and lack of previous playing time will be difficult to overcome.

Offensive Line: The team has been through some struggles with their O-line in recent years, although 2006 signaled a return to good form. They will struggle to replace a departed all-conference tackle, and will suffer from protecting a less-savvy quarterback. Guards Ray Feinga and Travis Bright are the only projected starters with more than one year of experience.

Defensive Line: If BYU has defensive struggles it will be at the line, where they are likely to start three sophomores. The 3-4 defense minimizes the role of the line somewhat, but they still need to plug the middle on runs and provide some pressure on quarterbacks in the pocket. Last year they relied on linebackers to do much of that, so an improved D-line would really help the overall plan.

The big question mark:

Special Teams: Special teams had a very significant negative impact last year. Missed field goals in two early games were the difference between their excellent 10-2 year and what could have been: A perfect 12-0 season and Cougar Immortality (as well as a likely BCS Bowl bid). They don’t seem to have improved on any level, but their new, freshman kicker is named Mitch Payne, which should sound familiar to fans. If he is anything like the previous Payne, it could be a step in the right direction.

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The first few weeks of August are interesting times in the life of nearly all American sports fans. Regardless of which sport (or sports) you follow, there is likely something to capture your attention. Among other things, the playoff races are beginning in earnest in Major League Baseball, the PGA Championship is contended, and most European soccer leagues begin their seasons. Football fans start to see preseason games and news reports, and basketball fans can watch the off season trades and summer hoops leagues.

This has also been an interesting summer outside of the competition, on both the national and international stages. The subject of cheating in sports has been a major topic in the past weeks, between Barry Bonds chasing a hallowed record, the free-fall of the Tour de France, and the game-fixing of at least one NBA official. PGA legend Gary Player even said he believed some tour players were taking steroids. My reaction was probably similar to others’: I first laughed at the idea that pro golfers would take steroids, and then stopped and realized it was not as outrageous as I would like it to be.

I am afraid this will be a tip-of-the-iceberg situation. The Tour de France was an embarrassment to the world of competitive road racing, but the governing body is doing the right thing by being aggressive against cheating. I wonder how the NFL would fare if they adopted a Tour-style program with regards to blood testing. If all the players on the various winning teams were tested each week, how many suspensions would the Commissioner have to hand out each round? Would the National Football League – the most financially successful sports league in the world – survive the purging that would inevitably follow? Would Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association (the number two and three most financially successful leagues in the world) endure any better?

It could be that we, as fans, are not concerned that athletes are accelerating their muscle development and growth with illegal and dangerous drugs. I wonder how many people watch a balloon-headed home run hitter or a lightning-fast defensive back and really care whether they come by that skill naturally. I know most of us wish steroids and blood doping was not a part of sports, but we have a hard time summoning outrage about it (and I am as guilty of this as anyone). Does our dislike for Barry Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s record have more to do with his admitted doping or his dislikable personality?

I am not sure if the steroid conversation will dim as football season approaches, but it wouldn’t surprise me. There is enough of an issue now that it won’t disappear, but soon there will be more results to discuss.

There is much, much more in the podcast, including Real Salt Lake’s recent unsurprising loss, the release of the NBA schedule, and some guesswork about how the Mountain West Conference will stack up this football season.

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We are now almost two weeks into July, and the sports year (as I choose to observe it) is just about over. Almost all of the sports I like to follow are in their off-season right now, Utah sports in particular. Fortunately, we will soon be celebrating the New Sports Year with the beginning of football season, which is only about six weeks away. Until then, I have at least one Utah sports item that will have to tide me over.

At the top of the very short list is Real Salt Lake, who would be much more exciting if they would just win a few games. I have been a casual soccer fan for about 15 years and a legitimate fan for the past three years. This means I am still getting used to The Beautiful Game being a part of my regular sports rotation, but I’m excited about it. However, in the last year or so I have made what feels like a Soccer Breakthrough, and my interest level is now teetering on the brink of “big fan.” If this is the case, and I continue to progress along those lines, then I could graduate to “soccer hooligan” in 5-7 more years.

The genesis of this personal escalation came with the expansion of Major League Soccer into my home town. I probably would have been happy to labor along as a casual follower for many more years – watching the World Cup and the Olympics, checking on a game if I happen to channel surf past it – but then a tier one team became headquartered a few miles from my house.

Unfortunately, RSL has not given me much of a reason to be a fan this year. They have taken several large steps backward from last year, when they just missed qualifying for the playoffs. The addition of Freddy Adu was supposed to improve their midfield play and make the team better. The results have been much worse, and they have been losing or jettisoning players as they go. In fact, they are currently on par to post the worst season in MLS history.

There are plenty of theories as to why this is happening, and we have considered a few of those in our podcast/blog. But the point I am trying to make here is that in this year, my Soccer Breakthrough year, RSL could have sewn up a lifetime of good will and impassioned fandom from me. It wouldn’t have even taken a championship or anything, but a few exciting wins would have done the trick.

While I know the issue of my interest level in the team is strictly a personal deal, I believe it’s symptomatic of a greater problem facing RSL. I’m sure they want to win games just as much as fans want them to, but they are losing potential fans by not producing victories. Some games have been very close, and they have lost or tied in spite of playing very well. But that may not translate to the sports fan who is trying to drum up some interest in soccer. That casual observer will just see the failures, and probably not come back to see more.

I guess it’s not too late for RSL to turn things around this year, but I don’t see any reason why they will win more than one or two more games before the season ends. A team that has managed one win in 12 games probably isn’t about to roll of seven wins in a row. They are not yet “mathematically eliminated” from the playoffs, but almost certainly “realistically eliminated.”

Meanwhile, my summer of soccer is being fed by the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa America (where the US National Team embarrassed itself) the U-20 World Cup (where Freddy Adu is playing extremely well), and my new favorite team, Hammarby IF of the Swedish Allsvenskan. (A team I have paid attention to for a few years, but rose up this summer to take what could have been RSL’s place as “My Team.”)

[By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I know who has had to endure my blathering and gushing about Hammarby these past few months. I can’t seem to help doing it, and even the UTAH SportsCast has been inundated now. My sincerest apologies.]

That’s about it for this blog entry, although there is much more good stuff in the podcast. We discuss a lot more about the Utah Jazz, who are chasing free agents right now, along with some draft pick consideration. Please tune in and check it out!

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In fact, Zach promised to read aloud, on the podcast, every listener e-mail that we get between now and our next show. I am still uncertain why that is incentive to write, although listener comments are bound to be more enlightening than us, right?

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We issued the challenge, and Real Salt Lake delivered. We promised to mention RSL on our podcast if they won a game, and they made it happen. It took them over 90 days of the regular season to get it; but win they did, so we suspended our summer furlough to make good on our part of the bargain.

This has not been a good year for RSL, as we mentioned in earlier podcasts and Zach described in his last post. They had actually won two games this year prior to last week’s victory over DC United, but neither counted for their league record. So to finally get that monkey off their backs is bound to be a good thing. At 1-5-6 they are still in the basement of the league, but who knows? Perhaps this is a turning point. I wouldn’t bet my house on it, but I will try to remain optimistic.

It’s easy to blame the horrifying season on the departure of certain key players, although that probably doesn’t tell the whole story. It didn’t help that keeper Scott Garlick decided to retire shortly before the first game, for example, but the lack of offense has been their primary problem. With that in mind, the decision to give Jason Kreis a permanent seat on the bench was a bit puzzling. This was followed by trading last year’s leading goal scorer, Jeff Cunningham.

The most recent deal sent veteran Chris Klein to Los Angeles, which doesn’t leave very many big-name, big-reputation guys on the team. Combine that with Eddie Pope’s announced retirement and Freddy Adu (who came to RSL primarily to play for fired coach John Ellinger) pining for the European leagues, and the team seems headed for a more of the same.

But, the recent win may have given fans a glimmer of hope for the future. Robbie Findley, who was acquired in the Klein deal, scored two goals in his debut with the team. Forward Alecko Eskandarian swapped places with Cunningham, and he has shown flashes of his lauded ability while coming back from a concussion. Nick Rimando seems to be getting comfortable in the net lately. So, the foundation of a winning team might be there. They are last in the conference (and the entire league), but only one team in the conference has fewer losses than RSL. It is not outrageous to think they could climb right back in the race if they can put a winning streak together.

The greater question is: will they? Real Salt Lake has only scored 11 goals in 12 games this season, which is pretty stingy even for the Western Conference where leader FC Dallas has 19 goals in 15 games. It could be worse, though. Three different teams in the Eastern Conference have scored 20+ goals in their first dozen games (New England 24, New York 24, Kansas City 23).

It would be nice timing if RSL made the playoffs this year. The dispute over the stadium has polarized a lot of potential fans, and a successful campaign might soften a few hearts. Even more important is the long-term success of soccer in this market. There is a great deal of potential between strong youth programs and immigration from soccer-loving parts of the world. Even the interest generated through returning LDS missionaries is significant. There is an opportunity to create a strong center of soccer here, and RSL is a major part of that.

Does that mean soccer in the greater Salt Lake City market will fail if RSL only wins 4 games this year? Well, probably not… but I think we stand a good chance of finding out.

There is much more in the podcast, including congratulations to the Utah Blaze for making the playoffs. We discuss the upcoming draft and mention a few names that may be on the back of a Jazz uniform next year. I could write some of them here, but I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.

Our Top 3 in Utah

1. (tie) Ryan Dennard and Orshawante Bryant

2. (tie) Alecko Eskandarian and Jason Kreis

3. Robbie Findley

We were very indecisive this week and ended up with two ties. Not only that, but we were knocking a little rust off during this show, so it may not be up to our usual standards. Please feel free to let us know how ridiculous you thought we sounded at:

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