Utah

How did Spencer Petras look in his return?

Published

4 months ago

September 21, 2024

How did Spencer Petras look in his return?

For months now, Utah State coaches — be it former head coach Blake Anderson, current interim head coach Nate Dreiling or offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo — have sung the praises of Spencer Petras.

The quarterback transferred to Utah State in the winter after a long collegiate career at Iowa and then, by the end of spring camp, won the starting QB job at USU outright.

As such, Petras started the season opener against Robert Morris, only he barely played since he suffered an ankle sprain that was initially thought to be a high ankle sprain, which would’ve cost Petras at least half the season.

The injury didn’t turn out to be quite that bad, so Saturday against Temple — after missing back-to-back games against USC and Utah — Petras was back in action for the Aggies.

And he played the entire game, all four quarters of Utah State’s 45-29 loss to Temple.

So how did Petras do in his return?

The veteran QB finished with a line of 26 of 44 — a completion percentage of 59% — for 293 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The 293 passing yards? That was a career high for Petras, breaking his former record of 265, set against Purdue in 2020.

The two touchdowns were the most of his Aggie career and not too far off his career high, which is three touchdown passes in a game.

His completion percentage was pretty on par for his career.

At Iowa he never finished a season with a completion percentage better than 60%.

There was good and there was bad.

Petras probably should’ve been intercepted another time or two. Temple defensive backs dropped multiple potential picks.

But Petras was fairly effective throwing the ball over the middle of the field — wide receiver Kyrese White was the main recipient and he finished the game with eight catches for 96 yards.

Petras isn’t a runner, but was only sacked twice, and he effectively ran Utah State’s RPO (run-pass-option) with running back Rahsul Faison for the majority of the game.

Dreiling, ultimately, was content with the performance. Not too high on Petras’ return, nor too critical.

“I thought he was spot on on most of his throws,” Dreiling said.

Dreiling admitted that he didn’t get to watch Petras play the entire game, as he spent a lot of time in the defensive huddle as USU’s defensive coordinator.

And he noted that on the interception that Petras threw, the ball — intended for wide receiver Jalen Royals — was “just a little high.”

Petras was, at times, pretty inaccurate with his throws. But he also strung together multiple drives where he picked apart the middle of the Temple defense.

The only real thing missing from his game was an effective deep ball, outside of a 28-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Jack Hestera, who was completely open after a busted Temple coverage late.

“The ball got out quick, he ran when he had to and he made good decisions on RPOs,” Dreiling said. “I mean our offense was clicking there for a while. They were moving the ball just about as good as anybody in the country. And then we just tailed off a little bit. I don’t know the reason why, but I think he (Petras) is going to continue to be a consistent guy who will put the ball where he needs to and spread it around.”

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Utah

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

Published

5 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

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

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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