Weird things have happened to Arizona in Salt Lake City in recent years. In 2022, an unbeaten Wildcats squad fresh off a dominant performance at the Maui Invitational laid an egg against Utah, and two years later the UA needed triple overtime to get past the Utes.
Arizona
This is what bus safety looks like in southern Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The focus on safety on school buses is reaching new heights following a crash on Interstate 10 Tuesday that injured dozens of kids and staff.
However, local safety administrators are pumping the brakes on concerns over school bus safety in southern Arizona.
“A school bus is the safest means of transportation for our students and passengers,” said Teresa Ramirez, the southern Arizona board member for the Transportation Administrators of Arizona.
Previous Coverage
Man arrested after school bus crash in Marana leaves victim with amputated hand
TMC talks about response, preparedness following serious school bus crash in Marana
Statistically, it is safer for children to travel on a bus than a car, with an average of six student deaths per year to 2,000 in a car, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
However, to analyze what safety standards are in place for buses in southern Arizona, administrators have to look at each district individually.
“Every district has the opportunity to design a fleet that is specifically for the needs of that district,” Ramirez said.
A district like the Tucson Unified, which has the largest number of bus users in southern Arizona, requires larger buses.
It can be limiting for safety features like seatbelts compared to smaller districts in rural communities that can use smaller buses or caravans with seatbelts to transport students.
But one common thread between all these buses is the design of the seats which do protect the children.
“We have the panels that are extremely high where it protects our students from lunging forward. We have the anti-air brakes in most of our busses,” Ramirez said.
The large seat cushions or panels are familiar to anyone who rode a bus growing up as the length of the seat provides a cushion to brace any impact from a potential crash.
“In the event of having to stop quickly, really what they do is prevent a student to going over a seat,” Ramirez said.
While Arizona saw more than a 50% decrease in bus crashes from 2012 to 2022, according to data from the ADOT, many still question if the cushions are enough in a high-speed crash.
“Seat belts are independently different due to what district you’re at and what your necessity is,” Ramirez said.
In 2018, the NTSB recommended that every state require seatbelts on buses, but Arizona has not implemented it.
That means it’s up to the individual districts to implement what they see fit.
“Typically, districts get together and talk about what is needed or necessary in their own district and what they have come across,” Ramirez said.
TUSD just received a new fleet of buses, and 13 News reached out to see if there are different safety features like seatbelts on those buses but we have not received a response yet.
Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold
Copyright 2025 13 News. All rights reserved.
On today’s Digital Pregame Show presented by Little Caesars, J.B Long, D’Marco Farr, and Maurice Jones-Drew preview the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 18 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. The trio discuss key players to watch, game predictions, and more. Tune in for kickoff at 1:25pm PT on FOX.
Arizona State is bringing in Kentucky transfer quarterback Cutter Boley after he played 10 full games as a redshirt freshman in 2025, FootballScoop’s John Brice first reported with SunDevilSource’s Chris Karpman confirming.
He gives the Sun Devils a signal-caller with three years of eligibility who had major flashes as a young starter in the SEC, including a career-high 330 yards and five touchdown passes on 74.3% passing against Tennessee on Oct. 25.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Boley had 2,160 yards (65.8%), 15 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions on the season with 85 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
He was expected to take a two-day visit beginning on Saturday, but he committed before getting to the second day.
ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham extended an offer to Boley as a high school junior while he was the 24th quarterback in the 2024 class and the coach was serving as offensive coordinator at Oregon.
Dillingham took more of an active role in the offense during the Sun Bowl on Wednesday, and he said postgame recent changes in administration have allowed him to focus more on football. It would make sense the active role carries over to the development of Boley.
He gets to ASU after the departure of Sam Leavitt, who has fittingly been linked to Kentucky in what could be a 1-for-1 transfer swap of quarterbacks.
More about ASU transfer QB addition Cutter Boley
The youngest SEC quarterback to get substantial time this season, Boley played mostly as a game manager with quick passes behind or near the line of scrimmage.
His six big-time throws — tracked by PFF as passes with “excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tight window” — were tied for last among 15 qualified SEC passers.
His 18 turnover-worthy plays, another PFF-tracked stat, were tied for fourth out of 15.
Comparing the stats to ASU’s quarterbacks this season, Leavitt had 18 big-time throws and 12 turnover-worthy plays in seven games. Jeff Sims had eight big-time throws and nine turnover-worthy plays in eight contests.
Because he has three years of eligibility remaining, Boley could eventually have to compete with young ASU quarterbacks Cam Dyer and Jake Fette, who will be redshirt and true freshmen, respectively, in 2026.
No such drama this time around.
Top-ranked Arizona jumped out to a 17-point lead before the second media timeout and then coasted to a 97-78 win at Utah on Saturday afternoon to open Big 12 play.
The Wildcats (14-0, 1-0) saw their streak of wins by at least 20 points end at eight, tying the school record set in 1928-29. But the victory was no less dominant than the previous seven, with the UA shooting 53.6 percent, finishing plus-13 on the boards and again getting five scorers in double figures.
Tobe Awaka and Jaden Bradley led the way with 18 points apiece, Awaka going 6 of 7 from the field and 2 for 2 from 3 while adding 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Bradley was 7 of 11 from the field and added five assists.
Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each scored 17 and Ivan Kharchenkov added 13 for Arizona, which scored in the 90s for the 10th time this season including eight of the last nine games.
Utah (8-6, 0-1) got 26 points from Terrence Brown and 15 each from Keanu Dawes and Don McHenry but shot 44.3 percent overall and just 5 of 17 from 3. The Utes turned it over 12 times, leading to 18 points for the Wildcats, who had 11 steals for their seventh game with at least 10 swipes.
The UA led 58-39 at halftime, its most points in the first half of a conference game since dropping 63 on ASU in 1998. That offensive explosion did not immediately carry over to the second half, though, as Arizona didn’t make its first post-halftime field goal until 17:06 left.
But then things went back to normal, with an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 70-46 with 13:56 to go. Utah followed with a 12-3 run to get within 15 but that was the closest it would get.
The only real drama down the stretch was if Arizona would again win by 20. It led by 21 after a Burries basket with 51 seconds remaining but Bradley fouled Utah’s Brown with 49.8 seconds to go in order to let backups come in and Brown made two free throws.
Utah scored the game’s opening basket and then Arizona followed with 14 in a row, which included a few baskets off Ute turnovers. Six of those points were byKharchenkov, who scored twice off steals.
The rout appeared to be on early, withAwakanailing a 3 to put the Wildcats up 27-10 with 12:16 left in the first half. But the UA went three minutes without a field goal, allowing Utah to cut the deficit to single digits.
A second-chance 3 by Brown got the Utes within 34-26 with 7:49 left in the half. But Arizona righted the ship on both ends, using a 10-0 run (with another Awaka 3) to build a 46-28 advantage. The Wildcats made their final six shots before the break, shooting 61.1 percent overall in the first half.
The UA plays its Big 12 home opener Wednesday against Kansas State. K-State (9-5, 0-1) fell 83-73 at home to No. 10 BYU on Saturday.
Tennessee2 minutes ago
Tennessee launches country’s first public database tracking domestic abusers
Texas8 minutes ago
Some Venezuelans in North Texas celebrate Maduro’s capture, hopeful for the future: “We know this is just a first step.”
Utah14 minutes ago
Ukrainian family in Utah facing separation, with 2 family members fearing deportation
Vermont20 minutes ago
VT Lottery Lucky For Life, Pick 3 results for Jan. 4, 2026
Virginia26 minutes ago
Virginia state trooper injured in Beltway crash following pursuit
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Politics3 hours ago
Trump vows US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela as he reveals if he’s spoken to Delcy Rodríguez
World4 hours ago
Trump’s abduction of Maduro escalates concerns over potential war with Iran
News4 hours ago
Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela
Politics15 hours ago
Dan Bongino officially leaves FBI deputy director role after less than a year, returns to ‘civilian life’
World16 hours ago
Hundreds march in silence to honour Crans-Montana fire victims
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
News1 week agoRoads could remain slick, icy Saturday morning in Philadelphia area, tracking another storm on the way
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply
-
News1 week agoMarijuana rescheduling would bring some immediate changes, but others will take time