Utah
Deadspin | No. 17 Colorado not looking past scuffling Utah
No. 17 Colorado tracks on a clear path to the Big 12 Championship Game and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff, while Utah strives to play spoiler when the teams square off Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colo.
A three-game winning streak has the Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) in second place in the Big 12 and the subject of additional national media attention. The Buffaloes boast an explosive offense led by Shedeur Sanders, two-way star Travis Hunter, wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, and a defense that has become more physical throughout the season.
But the success is all outside noise for Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who said he’s focused on the next game and not looking back at how the Buffaloes overpowered Texas Tech last week in a 41-27 victory. The defense racked up seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries — including Shilo Sanders’ fumble recovery for a touchdown to ice the game — and an interception.
“I never take a step back,” Deion Sanders said. “I take a step up. I always have my head out the window and want to see around the corner.”
Because Jimmy Horn Jr. didn’t play after he suffered a lower-body injury in the first half against the Red Raiders, Deion Sanders said he won’t know the status of the senior wide receiver until he practices this week. Horn has 33 catches for 434 yards and a touchdown for an average of 13.2 yards per reception,
“It’s going to be day-by-day,” Deion Sanders said. “We hope he’s able to work Thursday. If he gives us a good Thursday and Friday, then he’s a go.”
Utah (4-5, 1-5) finds itself in an unfamiliar position near the bottom of its conference standings. The Utes moved to the Big 12 in August but were perennial Pac-12 contenders. An injury to seventh-year senior quarterback Cam Rising, who is out for the season, has Utah in danger of missing a bowl game.
But the Utes looked plenty dangerous in pushing No. 6-ranked BYU to the brink last week. Freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson is questionable with an injury and sophomore Brandon Rose got his first career start in the Utes’ 22-21 loss to archrival and Big 12 leader BYU in the “Holy War.”
“Our plan was to keep Cam healthy,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We didn’t expect Brandon or Isaac to be thrust into the position they have been in, but that’s how things played out. Given the environment and circumstances and everything he was up against Brandon did an admirable job.”
Despite their record, Deion Sanders said Colorado can’t overlook Utah. He said Whittingham was a “pillar of the Pac-12 and Big 12.” He added he wished he could “accomplish a portion” of what the Utes’ coach, who has been at the school 31 years and head coach for 20 years, has done.
“They haven’t quit, they are still tough, aggressive and stout defensively,” Deion Sanders said. “They can still do some things that force you into some looks. You cannot take this team lightly; I don’t care what their record is. As long as (Whittingham) is over there on that sideline, you better be prepared for a tough game.”
–Field Level Media
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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