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Pick Six Previews: A look into Utah’s road trip to SEC country (+ game prediction)

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Pick Six Previews: A look into Utah’s road trip to SEC country (+ game prediction)


Estimated learn time: 5-6 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — Contemporary off their highest preseason rating at school historical past, No. 7 Utah is dealt one of many hardest exams of the opening weekend.

In a uncommon Pac-12 vs. SEC matchup, the Utes journey right down to Florida for an evening sport in The Swamp. Though Florida is unranked, they recruit at a top-10 stage and have a roster full of NFL prospects.

Recreation Grader

(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance by way of Choose Six Previews)

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3-year common (2019-21): Utah 68.9 (seventh) | Florida 65.2 (tenth)

2021 Season: Utah 69.5 (seventh) | Florida 53.6 (thirty first)

2022 Season: N/A

Regardless of Florida’s 6-7 file final yr, the Recreation Grader formulation nonetheless positioned them thirty first out of the 66 Energy 5 packages. It was actually a story of two seasons, as Florida took eventual SEC champion Alabama to the wire and began 4-2 with a top-20 rating, however then misplaced 5 of their remaining six FBS video games. FCS Samford dropped 52 factors on their protection and the Dan Mullen period resulted in a meltdown.

Florida with the ball

Quarterback Anthony Richardson takes over because the full-time starter after splitting reps with Emory Jones final season. Richardson is presumably the quickest quarterback in America and might rating from anyplace on the sphere.

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His dynamic scrambling means might require further assets from the Utes protection, with a spy or extra zone protection. Richardson has some room for enchancment within the cross sport after a 59% completion charge and 6-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio final season.

Florida’s offensive line posted excessive grades in each my Run Push and Cross Safety metrics in 2021. Three starters return, together with O’Cyrus Torrence, who transferred in from Louisiana-Lafayette with new head coach Billy Napier. The teaching transition and new schemes make the offensive line tougher to forecast, a minimum of straight away within the season opener.

A key positional matchup might be Florida’s large receivers towards Utah’s secondary. Within the Rose Bowl, Utah’s nook depth was skinny; and whereas Florida does not have the identical first-round firepower of Ohio State’s receiver group, they’ve loads of weapons.

The highest receiver of 2021, Jacob Copeland, transferred out of Florida to Maryland, however the Gators added Arizona State’s yardage chief in Ricky Pearsall. Justin Shorter is a stable possession receiver who completed with 5 50+ yard video games over the second half of the season, and Xzavier Henderson has a top-100 billing and brings a vertical risk.

Napier’s offense at Louisiana operated primarily out of 11 personnel, or one again and one tight finish. They had been principally out of shotgun, pistol, and had considerably much less quarterback-designed runs than Mullen’s offense. We’ll see how inflexible that’s, contemplating Richardson’s spotlight means.

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Utah with the ball

Utah’s 2021 offensive line ranked No. 1 in my Run Push metric, No. 2 in Cross Safety, and returns three starters from that group. The steady of working backs drew the uncommon four-way “OR” on the depth chart and contains a headliner in touchdown-machine Tavion Thomas and group chief Micah Bernard.

I count on Utah to have success within the run sport, as Florida’s line of defense has youth on the two spots round potential first-round choose Gervon Dexter.

Cameron Rising was the season-changer at quarterback after the group began 1-2 with out him; the group ranked No. 4 nationally in Recreation Grader with him because the starter.

After a number of down seasons, Florida’s secondary is getting stronger and is skilled. It is going to be a problem for the Utah receivers to realize separation, however the tight finish duo may very well be the game-changer. Each of Utah’s tight ends, Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid, positioned on my preseason All-Pac-12 groups, with Kuithe incomes a fourth group All-America spot.

Schematically, new defensive coordinator Patrick Toney is off of the Ron Roberts teaching tree (together with Baylor’s Dave Aranda) in how they attempt to confuse quarterbacks. They disguise blitzes, usually drop an finish or edge participant again into protection, and change him with a rusher from the linebacker or security stage.

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Florida definitely has the athletes for this advanced scheme, however that is the season opener, and we’ll see how rapidly they put in all the pieces in spring ball and fall camp.

Recreation prediction

Napier’s first transfer was to rent an “military of staffers” to bolster the operations and recruiting. Their official team program photo is placing, as they take up nearly a whole stadium part. I believe it is a matter of time earlier than Napier has Florida harnessing the elite in-state highschool expertise and returning to the nationwide high 5 in recruiting. The medium- and long-term outlooks are robust.

However Utah catches them within the opening sport of the transition season, which can also be Napier’s first Energy 5 sport as a head coach. Conversely, Utah brings in all of the coach continuity, expertise, confidence and group identification. I picked Utah to not solely win the Pac-12 but in addition to make the 2022 playoff. Whereas this opener might be a troublesome check, search for Utah to depart SEC nation with an announcement victory.

No. 7 Utah (-2.5) 27 | Florida 20

P.S. I’m not shopping for “Humidity-Gate.” Nationwide pundits are utilizing the Gainesville humidity as the explanation to choose towards Utah. This jogs my memory of when the media picked Florida to beat Nebraska within the 1995 nationwide title, due solely to the sport being performed on grass and never turf. They had been lifeless unsuitable, and Nebraska rolled up the largest title sport blowout in school soccer historical past and is taken into account one of the best group ever.

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Most up-to-date Utah Utes tales

Brett Ciancia is the proprietor of Choose Six Previews, a university soccer preview journal graded because the “Most Correct Season Preview” since 2012 (by way of Stassen). Ciancia was named a Heisman Trophy voter in 2019 and was invited to the FWAA’s All-America Staff choice committee in 2020.

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Utah

Utah family creates 'Giving Gallery' to spread joy of art

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Utah family creates 'Giving Gallery' to spread joy of art


COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — You might have heard of little libraries in neighborhoods, but have you heard of Giving Galleries?

A family in Cottonwood Heights is using their love for art to bring joy to those around them.

On the corner of Promenade and Camino is Abigail Bradshaw.

“I’m standing next to an art gallery, my art gallery. That’s my house,” she proudly said.

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Abigail is showing her tiny art gallery filled with pieces made by her family and others who want to contribute. This home used to be her great-grandmother’s.

“She was an artist, and so, I wanted to continue that legacy,” said Katie Bradshaw, Abigail’s mom. They found a box, painted it, propped it up, and filled it with tiny art. Anyone can just look at the art, pick up something they like, or put their own piece inside.

Miles Jacobsen is a friend who saw what the Bradshaws were doing and added his artwork to the box.

For people who want to make their own masterpieces, there is also a box of free art supplies in the gallery box. You can come by to pick up paint, paintbrushes, and tiny canvasses to create your own art, which you can drop off at the “giving gallery” to bring joy to someone else.

“I feel really glad that people come and get some art and put it in there,” said Abigail.

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Filling the box is something Katie does with her kids.

“I hope that they can carry this with them, that they continue sharing art, no matter where they are,” she said.

Spreading joy to everyone who walks by, and letting the cycle continue.

“I want them to feel happy and glad that they got some, so they could return some back here,” added Abigail.





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Amid traffic, Utah walked to Leafs’ arena pregame

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Amid traffic, Utah walked to Leafs’ arena pregame


TORONTO — The Utah Hockey Club said players were forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night.

The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.”

Several city streets had been closed during the day for an annual Santa Claus parade.

The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2.

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The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation.

It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time.

In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena.



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Utah Highway Patrol responds to your suggestions on making Utah roads safer

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Utah Highway Patrol responds to your suggestions on making Utah roads safer


SALT LAKE CITY — FOX 13 News is Driven to Change and that includes bringing you reports on important topics like road rage, construction, and wrong-way drivers. During our coverage, we continually ask for any questions or concerns you may have along Utah’s roadways.

The feedback has gotten an enormous response, so FOX 13 sat down with Lieutenant Cameron Roden on Good Day Utah to help address input we have been getting, from the perspective of Utah Highway Patrol.

Speeding in Utah, there’s so much of it, and then you can sometimes say that that leads to tailgating, which may lead to road rage incidents. What are you seeing out there in terms of speed and what can we do to lessen the effects of that?

Lt. Cameron Roden: Speed is our number one thing that we see. That’s our number one traffic stop that we make, and we know that it leads to the majority of crashes in the state of Utah. So we definitely put an emphasis on speed and it does lead to other things. Not just crashes. It leads to road rage and other things .So, as far as what changes can we make, we need to start with ourselves, and really say, ‘Hey, do I have a problem?’ You know, we just need to start with ourselves and not think that it’s something else’s problem. If we slow our speeds ourselves, and then it’ll start to to catch on and people will do that speed limit. So, but the legislature has definitely taken some steps to help us address, especially the the speeds that are those excessive speeds where we have that one zero five law now that addresses those speeds and increases fines and and hopefully discourages people from those extreme speeds.

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Some of our viewers talked about maybe capping some of the speed limits for truck drivers. Is that something that’s even feasible?

You know, that would be something that would have to go through that, that legislative process to see whether we that would be something that would help. But ultimately, if we we start with ourselves, hopefully that will make that change and reduce crashes and fatalities.

There are things being done to try and intervene and stop wrong-way drivers before they happen. But some of our viewers propose things like spikes. What are your thoughts on implementing something like that?

We’ve had over the last several years, a rash of wrong-way drivers, and it’ll come in onesie twos, and then we’ll go for a period of time without that. And so, but this spike over the last couple of years has caused us to to create a task force to look at wrongly driving what things can be done. And so getting all these stakeholders together between UDOT and Highway Safety, looking at what technologies and things that could be implemented, and and things like, wrong way detection cameras. Those are some things that are being actually used in the state of Utah right now to help us spot those and and advance signage, getting people to realize they’re going the wrong way and turn around. The the spike strips have actually been talked about in our task force a little bit. And if something like that would even be, it is that technology available right now. And as what we could actually implement in the state of Utah, there’s nothing that really fits the bill right now because of our environment. We have our snow plows. We have snow and things like that. Something like that really wouldn’t be practical right now.

Probably the most talked about topic that we’ve received was distracted driving, texting while driving. You went out, I saw on the UHP social media page, that you guys just driving and you look to your right and left and you can find someone texting. What kind of enforcement do we have against distracted driving specifically on your phone?

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This is something that we like you said, we see it every day. We go out to crashes,and and we may suspect that a driver may be distracted. And so, it’s something that’s definitely under-reported. It’s it’s a bigger problem than than the numbers really show.And so not only do we address it during our normal patrols.Our officers are seeing it, and addressing it while they’re out there.But we’ll also do targeted patrols where the highway safety office actually gives out additional funds for that targeted enforcement, where we’ll get an unmarked vehicle. We go out driving down the roads where we try to spot these vehicles and and get them stopped because those are those are a big danger on our roadways where our attention and our focus needs to be on driving.

If you have ideas or suggestions for how to make Utah’s roadways safer click here to be taken to our Driven to Change form. There you can share your ideas or suggestions.

DRIVEN TO CHANGE

Share your ideas on how to make Utah’s roads safer





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