Utah

College Football 25 simulation: Who wins when Utah State visits USC?

Published

4 months ago

September 7, 2024

College Football 25 simulation: Who wins when Utah State visits USC?

Note: With EA Sports’ College Football 25 bringing college football back to the video game world, the Deseret News is simulating every Utah State game against an FBS opponent this season.

Utah State started its 2024 season with a solid warm-up game against Robert Morris last week.

This week? Bring on the No. 13 USC Trojans.

The Aggies head to LA Memorial Coliseum for a matchup where USU will be heavy underdogs.

Can Utah State show well in California?

The Deseret News ran a simulation of the game on EA Sports College Football 25, and it had positives — and expected struggles — for the Aggies.

How the simulation was set up

There were a couple ground rules in place: The simulation used 12-minute quarters — with the option to adjust that if necessary in future simulations — and I let the computer simulate the game with no user interference.

Injuries and depth chart changes were also implemented, and it changed a couple things for Utah State.

After starting quarterback Spencer Petras was injured in the Aggies’ opener and his status for the USC game was questionable, I went ahead and moved Bryson Barnes into the starting QB spot for the game.

Running back Roberts Briggs was also slide down the depth chart — he suffered a season-ending injury last week — but on the CFB 25 lineup, Briggs still could theoretically get a few carries because I could only move him to third on the depth chart.

For USC, there was one roster move: pushing linebacker Mason Cobb, a former Provo High star, down the depth chart after his injury in Week 1. He is questionable for the game, but in this case, better safe than sorry (though he still ended up playing some in the game).

How did the simulation between Utah State and USC play out?

Final score: USC 45, Utah State 23

Key sequence: The Barnes-to-Jalen Royals connection was humming in the first half, and Royals caught his second touchdown pass of the day on a 28-yarder with 1:14 left until halftime to push Utah State ahead 17-14.

USC, after a slow start, jump-started its offense on the ensuing drive, though.

Woody Marks broke off a 31-yard run on third down three plays into the drive, then Miller Moss connected with the Trojans’ top wide receiver, Zachariah Branch, for a 39-yard touchdown with 26 seconds on the clock to put USC up for good.

Moss threw a beautiful ball that Branch caught in the back of the end zone for the momentum-swinging score.

USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch catches a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone during a simulated game between Utah State and USC in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. | EA Sports College Football 25

How the game transpired: Things looked good early for Utah State, even after a Barnes interception on the game’s first possession.

The Aggies rebounded by taking their second drive into USC territory and converting a third down to advance inside the Trojans 30 before the possession stalled. Elliott Nimrod scored the game’s first points on a 39-yard field goal.

Following USC’s second straight three-and-out to start the game, Royals got behind the USC defense and scored on a 64-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 Aggies.

That score seemed to wake up the Trojans.

USC’s offense finally got on track and scored two touchdowns — a pair of Marks short scoring runs — to go ahead 14-10, which set up the wild final two minutes of the first half where each team scored a touchdown.

Utah State briefly kept it competitive in the third quarter.

After Branch snagged another touchdown grab to push the USC lead to 28-17, Royals caught a 75-yard touchdown pass — his third of the day — on Utah State’s first play of the ensuing possession to cut the lead to 28-23. Utah State went for two to try and make it a three-point game, but the run was stuffed well short of the end zone.

From there, USC enforced its will.

The Trojans methodically moved the ball and scored touchdowns on two of their next three possessions while Utah State punted twice in a row. A Barnes interception deep in Aggie territory led to the game’s final score, a 37-yard USC field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Star players: Even in a loss, Royals was a star. He finished with six catches for 261 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on touchdowns of 64, 28 and 75 yards.

Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals catches a 75-yard touchdown pass during a simulated game between Utah State and USC in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. | EA Sports College Football 25

Barnes threw for 338 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

On the USC side, Moss threw for 312 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, Marks ran for 246 yards and three touchdowns and Branch caught 11 passes for 138 yards and two scores. He also had a couple nice punt returns to set up the USC offense.

Final stats: The Trojans ended the game with 553 yards, while Utah State had 417.

The Aggies’ run game was contained, putting up 79 yards, while USC was able to control the clock by rushing for 241 yards.

The Trojans also held a 2-1 advantage in turnovers.

How realistic was the simulation?

My analysis: Other than the high passing numbers for Barnes and a painfully slow start for USC, this one seemed to be right on track with what could happen in the game.

Then again, the final result — a 22-point USC victory — seems right in line with what is expected to happen, so some of the details to get to that final really aren’t that big of a deal.

If a game like this happens, it would provide some positives for Utah State to take back to Logan.

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Utah

Utah State Running Back Transfer Commits To South Carolina Over Florida State

Published

4 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah State Running Back Transfer Commits To South Carolina Over Florida State

Florida State came up short in its pursuit of a top running back transfer.

On Tuesday, Utah State running back transfer Rahsul Faison announced he was committing to South Carolina. Faison chose the Gamecocks over FSU, Alabama, North Carolina, UCLA, and UCF.

The Seminoles hosted Faison for a visit last weekend but he continued to take trips elsewhere. Florida State could very well kick the tires on another transfer during the spring window.

Faison spent two seasons with the Aggies and had a career year in 2024 where he rushed 198 times for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 22 passes for 99 yards. He had five games of 100+ rushing yards, including a season-high 20 carries for 191 yards and a touchdown in a 55-10 victory against Hawaii on November 16. He was named second-team All-Mountain West for his performance last fall.

During his first season at Utah State, Faison rushed 118 times for 736 yards and five touchdowns. In total, he appeared in 25 games, making 13 starts, and totaled 316 carries for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. Faison also caught 33 passes for 151 yards.

The Pennsylvania native signed with Marshall as a two-star prospect in 2019. He ultimately spent that season at the junior college level at Lackawanna College and was with the Thundering Herd in 2020. Faison didn’t appear in a game with either program and elected to go back to the JUCO level with Snow College. He rushed 88 times for 355 yards and six touchdowns prior to transferring to Utah State.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back has at least one season of eligibility remaining due to the new junior college ruling.

READ MORE: Elite FSU Quarterback Commitment Gets First Chance To Meet New OC Gus Malzahn

Florida State has six scholarship running backs eligible to return in 2025; redshirt senior Roydell Williams, redshirt senior Caziah Holmes, redshirt junior Jaylin Lucas, redshirt sophomore Samuel Singleton Jr., sophomore Kam Davis, and redshirt freshman Micahi Danzy.

The Seminoles signed four-star Ousmane Kromah during the Early Signing Period.

READ MORE: Standout Utah State Running Back Transfer Lists Florida State In Top-Six

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Football throughout the offseason

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• Florida State Adds FCS Quarterbacks Coach To Off-Field Staff

• Florida State Lands Explosive Tennessee Wide Receiver Transfer Squirrel White

• Florida State Secures Veteran Memphis Linebacker Transfer Elijah Herring

• Former FSU Defensive End, Seminole Legacy Transferring To Third School In Three Years

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Utah junior high teacher arrested for alleged possession of child porn

Published

12 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah junior high teacher arrested for alleged possession of child porn

PROVO, Utah — A teacher within the Alpine School District is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor after allegedly uploading child porn to the internet. Travis Adamson, 49, is currently being held without bail.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, investigators were first notified of the potential crime at the end of April 2023. Adobe Inc. reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via CyberTip that a user had uploaded files containing depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on their account.

The CyberTip also included account information regarding the suspect user, including an IP address and email address that belonged to a teacher within the Alpine School District. Detectives used geo-location to trace the suspect’s IP address and found it was located within or near the city limits of Provo.

The school district confirmed to investigators that Adamson was still an employee within the district.

On Monday, detectives interviewed Adamson at the school where he confirmed that he was the sole user of the Adobe account and admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material.

Adamson also told detectives that he had downloaded several thousand images and videos onto his hard drive which is located at his home. He denied ever photographing or doing anything sexual or inappropriate with his students or other kids.

Detectives are now working to get access to Adamson’s hard drive and more charges could be coming.

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Utah cracks AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball poll before key matchups

Published

20 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Utah cracks AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball poll before key matchups

The Utah Utes have made headlines by cracking the AP Top 25 at No. 22 for the first time this season, following a hard-fought 75-67 win over Iowa State. This marks Utah’s third consecutive season being ranked, despite an unexpected coaching change early in the season. Head coach Lynne Roberts departed for the WNBA, leaving longtime assistant Gavin Petersen to step in. Under Petersen’s leadership, Utah has thrived, demonstrating resilience and cohesion.

Petersen credited the team’s ability to stay focused and overcome adversity. “Our resilient crew has stepped up and faced the adversity that’s in front of them,” Petersen said. Utah’s win over Notre Dame during a Thanksgiving tournament was a pivotal moment that signaled their strength and potential.

Utah has ‘big money’ problem with a billionaire calling NIL shots for rival

The competition for dominance in women’s college basketball continues to intensify as the Big Ten and SEC assert themselves as the sport’s premier leagues. This week’s Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll highlights the strength of both conferences, with each boasting seven ranked teams, including four in the top 10.

The Big Ten’s recent expansion with the addition of No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC has bolstered its claim as the top league. UCLA’s consistent performances, including a victory over South Carolina, solidify their place at the top of the rankings, earning 30 of 32 first-place votes. Meanwhile, the SEC has also grown stronger with No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma joining the conference. South Carolina, a perennial powerhouse, remains No. 2 and will face Texas in a highly anticipated showdown.

This week, the Utes prepare for a marquee matchup, hosting No. 12 Kansas State at the Huntsman Center. This game not only pits two top-25 teams against each other but also serves as a litmus test for Utah’s aspirations in the Big 12.

As Utah continues its unbeaten run in conference play, upcoming matchups against No. 11 TCU and No. 17 West Virginia will provide further opportunities to climb the rankings and solidify their standing among the nation’s elite.

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