Utah
Utah cornerback Kenan Johnson out for the season following leg injury
Utah opened the 2024 season with a 49-0 win over Southern Utah on Thursday. However, the good start came with bad news this week. Utes cornerback Kenan Johnson suffered a season-ending lower leg injury during the first half of the game.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham confirmed the severity of Johnson’s injury on Monday, noting that while Johnson’s season is over, there is a possibility for him to return next year if he chooses. Before his injury, the Georgia Tech transfer had recorded three tackles and was expected to be a key part of the defense.
In Johnson’s absence, Utah will rely on Smith Snowden, Cam Calhoun, and Scooby Davis to fill the void at cornerback. Snowden, who had been playing the nickel position, showed versatility and performed well on the inside. Davis, who grabbed an interception against Southern Utah, provided solid contributions, while Calhoun, a transfer from Michigan, is expected to be back in action this week. Whittingham mentioned that the coaching staff would evaluate different configurations in practice to determine the best setup moving forward.
Three takeaways from No. 12 Utah’s win over Southern Utah
On the offensive side, the return of quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe was a highlight. The duo showcased their chemistry by connecting on three touchdown passes in the first half, underscoring their importance to the team’s success. Rising’s ability to find Kuithe in key moments was crucial and reaffirmed the dynamic nature of their partnership.
Additionally, freshman wide receiver Dijon Stanley emerged as a new offensive threat, recording three catches for 150 yards, including two long touchdown receptions. His performance added another dimension to Utah’s potent offense.
Looking ahead, Utah faces a tougher challenge as they prepare to host Baylor, a rematch of last season’s closely contested 20-13 victory in Waco. Whittingham acknowledged the need to elevate their play, as Baylor is a formidable opponent eager to avenge last year’s loss.
SALT LAKE CITY — A California man in Utah, as part of his duties with the National Guard, is accused of trying to solicit sex from a young teenager.
Joshua Ruben Rodriguez, 29, of Fresno, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with attempted rape of a child, a first-degree felony, and enticement of a minor, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began when an agent with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation posed as a 13-year-old girl on a “popular social media site … in an attempt to locate and apprehend adults attempting to have sexual contact with children,” according to charging documents.
On April 16, Rodriguez sent the agent a message — believing he was talking to a teen girl — that stated, “I’ll be direct with you, I would like to get to know you and (have sex with) your mind into a daze to where you feel like a woman,” according to charging documents.
When the “girl” asked if he had a problem with her age, Rodriguez replied, “I don’t have a problem with your age,” the charges state.
The agent told Rodriguez to meet at an apartment complex in Salt Lake County where the girl lived, claiming her mother would be gone. When Rodriguez arrived, he was taken into custody, the charges state.
“(Rodriguez) does not have ties to Utah. He is a resident of Fresno, California. (He) was in town as part of his military service with the California National Guard,” prosecutors stated in charging documents while requesting he be held without bail pending trial.
ST. GEORGE, Utah (KUTV) — One person was hospitalized at the St. George Regional Hospital after a car rolled and caught fire just south of the Utah-Arizona border.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department in Arizona said its crews responded to the crash near the Black Rock Road exit – roughly two miles south of the state border – on Sunday night.
Upon arrival, crews put out the car fire and found the driver had left the scene. A single occupant, who was able to get out of the car on their own, was transported to the hospital by a Beaver Dam ambulance.
MORE | Crashes
Their condition has not been publicly released.
Details on what led to the crash and the condition of the driver were not immediately available.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department said law enforcement investigated the scene.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz missed out on the NBA Playoffs, but still scored a big win thanks to a coin flip.
In Monday’s tiebreaker coin flip to determine who had the fourth-worst record in the league last season, the Jazz came out winners over the Sacramento Kings, who had the same 22-60 record.
Had the Jazz lost the coin flip, they would have been fifth in NBA Draft Lottery odds. Only the worst four teams are guaranteed to remain within the top eight of the lottery.
If Utah had fallen to fifth, there would have been the chance they could have dropped out of the top 8 teams in the lottery, and owed the draft pick to Oklahoma City, which was top-8 protected in a previous trade.
The Jazz now have an 11.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 10.
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