Utah

What the Runnin’ Utes’ Craig Smith once said in scouting Utah Jazz’s No. 10 selection Cody Williams

Published

1 year ago

June 27, 2024

What the Runnin’ Utes’ Craig Smith once said in scouting Utah Jazz’s No. 10 selection Cody Williams

Craig Smith had multiple opportunities last season to conduct a scouting report on Cody Williams, the Utah Jazz’s first selection in Wednesday night’s opening round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

That’s because Williams’ Colorado Buffaloes faced Smith and the Utah Runnin’ Utes three times during his lone collegiate season, with Williams playing in two of the contests.

Williams and the Buffaloes got the best of Smith and the Utes the two times the 6-foot-7 wing played against them. They beat them by 24 in late February, then blew them out again during the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals.

Williams missed the teams’ first meeting last season, when Utah edged the Buffaloes in Salt Lake City. Still, getting familiar with Colorado gave Smith several chances to check out film on the future Jazzman.

Before the teams played in February, Smith talked about what Williams brings to the floor.

“He can get it going in any number of ways. At his size and his length, when he gets around the rim, he’s able to finish at all kinds of angles, over shot blockers,” Smith said at the time.

Williams averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season for Colorado, a squad that included fellow first-round draft pick Tristan da Silva (he went 18th overall to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night) and guard KJ Simpson, who’s projected to be a second-round selection on Thursday.

Williams also shot 55.2% from the field during the 2023-24 season and 41.5% from 3-point range in limited attempts.

The talented wing never made much of an impact against the Utes. in Colorado’s two wins over Utah, he averaged 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Smith was also impressed with what Williams does defensively.

“He’s a good defender because he’s so long,” Smith said. “You can get deep and you might have a half a step advantage, but with his length, he can catch up and make those plays.”

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Utah

How Utah overcame its worst defensive outing of the season to beat Baylor in decisive fashion

Published

4 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Press Room

How Utah overcame its worst defensive outing of the season to beat Baylor in decisive fashion

Kyle Whittingham most likely wouldn’t have believed it if he had been told prior to Saturday’s Big 12 bout against Baylor that Utah would go on to win by double-digits while giving up over 500 total yards, running 30 fewer plays and losing the time of possession battle by a difference of roughly 6 minutes.

Oh, and that the engine of his offense would be limited all night due to injury, requiring some in-game adjustments and faith in a true freshman quarterback to close out a must-have win on the road.

Those factors and obstacles made for one of the more unique outcomes Whittingham’s been a part of in his 24 full seasons at the helm of the Utes, who managed to overcome an abnormal defensive outing in a 55-28 victory over the Bears from McLane Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s the most unique win, I guess you could say in the the short term past,” Whittingham said after the game. “It was definitely a back and forth and defensively, we usually control things a little bit better.”

Indeed, Utah had been stout all season, allowing just 156.8 yards through the air per game going into Saturday’s matchup against the league’s top-ranked air attack.

The Utes caught some breaks early on but eventually let a few big plays slip through the cracks, leaving the door open for the Bears to hang in the first half despite a rough start from Sawyer Robertson. The nation’s leader in touchdown passes heading into Week 12 missed on eight of his first 11 throws — some of which were gimmes for someone of his talent — though he connected on a 64-yard bomb to Kole Wilson to get Baylor in field goal range, making it 21-10 in the second quarter, then hit Josh Cameron for a score in the final seconds of the first half after a perfect pass to Ashtyn Hawkins got the Bears within striking distance.

Utah’s pass rush was disruptive in key spots, though outside of a few stops in the red zone, the secondary had to try to keep up with Baylor’s plethora of talented receiving threats.

“That receiving core is outstanding, and the tight end (Michael Trigg), you’ll be seeing him play on Sunday for a long time,” Whittingham said. “But we got to do a little better job of winning more of the 50-50 balls.”

Just as Whittingham could’ve expected in the lead up to Saturday’s game that Baylor’s potent air attack would present quite the challenge for his defensive backs group, it would’ve been reasonable for him to think the Utes offense would have success on the ground much they like did through their first nine games of the season.

Even so, he probably didn’t account for three 60-plus yard scores being the difference makers.

Utah, which entered the game with 16 scoring drives of 10 plays or more on the season, didn’t need to worry about moving the chains with Wayshawn Parker and Byrd Ficklin ripping off chunk plays every time they touched the ball. Ficklin broke off a 67-yard score in the second quarter courtesy of some solid blocking up front, giving the Utes a spark while Devon Dampier took it easy due to an injury.

Parker’s turn came a few minutes later, as the sophomore back took advantage of Baylor putting just five defenders in the box with a 64-yard burst right up the middle, extending Utah’s lead to 28-10 with just over 4 minutes left in the first half.

Just like that, Utah went from 11 rushes for 43 yards in the first quarter to 19 for 179 at the halftime break. Baylor, though, racked up 362 total yards of offense, the most Utah had allowed in a first half since 2022, but had to settle for three field goal tries inside the Utes’ 25-yard line after failing to put the ball in the end zone.

Baylor finished with 563 total yards of offense — the most Utah’s allowed through its first 10 games — and ran 91 total plays to the Utes’ 59. Scooby Davis’ 65-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the first quarter probably skewed how the final stats looked, though the junior’s first touchdown of the season set the tone for the kind of night it was going to be for Utah.

Ficklin kept it rolling in the third quarter with an incredible individual effort on a 74-yard touchdown run, in which he shrugged off a tackle attempt from Bears safety Tyler Turner with a stiff arm to record the Utes’ longest rush of the season from scrimmage. That made it 35-20 in favor of the Utes after Robertson and company cut their deficit to eight on the previous drive.

The Utes continued to lean on their offensive line to get the job done in the trenches for the remainder of the second half. Between Ficklin and Dampier, Utah attempted just five passes after halftime, yet the Utes never relinquished control when it seemed like the Bears were ready to make a late push.

Led by Ficklin’s 166 rush yards, Utah tallied 380 yards on the ground while averaging 8.8 per carry. Parker crossed the 100-yard threshold for the third consecutive game, finishing with 129 on 15 attempts. As a team, the Utes went for over 200 rush yards for the fifth consecutive game, their longest such streak since 2018.

“That offensive line is a huge reason why we’re able to do that week in and week out,” Whittingham said. “Credit the way they played.”

Despite its inconsistencies all night, Utah’s secondary helped deliver the final nail in the coffin early in the fourth quarter with a second interception off Robertson, who got drilled on a nickel blitz by Jackson Bennee as his pass was picked off by Trey Reynolds, setting the Utes up on the Bears’ 9-yard line following a 31-yard return from the 6-foot-1 junior.

Utah scored moments later after Dampier swung a short pass out to Parker for his second touchdown of the night, making it 49-20 with just over 11 minutes left in regulation.

And so, in a game where Robertson throws for 430 yards and Baylor has two 100-yard receivers, plus a running back who had almost 100 yards on the ground, Utah’s knack for explosive plays wound up outweighing its defensive lapses and subsequently, keep the Utes’ College Football Playoff hopes alive with a decisive victory.

Even if it wasn’t the script Whittingham had drawn up in his head going in.

“There was a lot of back and forth there for a while, but we just kept, kept at it, and answered the bell every time,” Whittingham said. “A lot a lot of things in that game that both sides did well, but we did enough to get the win.”

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Utah

Country music star dead at 59 after mysterious illness and Utah arrest

Published

22 hours ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

Country music star dead at 59 after mysterious illness and Utah arrest

Country music star Todd Snider, known for his alt-country hits like “Alright Guy” and “Just Like Old Times,” has died following a battle with a mysterious illness. He was 59.

Snider passed away on Friday, according to an Instagram post shared by the singer’s record label, Aimless, Inc. Headquarters.

“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” the statement read.

“Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”

“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens,” the Saturday statement continued.

“He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly.”

Snider’s family previously revealed in a Friday statement that the singer was diagnosed with pneumonia during his stay at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

After his condition worsened due to complications, the “Trouble” hitmaker was transferred to another facility.

At the time, the family requested that Snider’s fans “say a prayer, light a candle, roll one up, send strength, or just keep him close in your heart” during the tough time.

“You’ve carried him through so much over the years, and he needs that from all of us now more than ever,” the message continued.

His death comes shortly after his tour in support of his most recent album, “High, Lonesome and Then Some,” which released in October, was canceled earlier this month.

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The tour was axed after he was allegedly the victim of a violent assault in the Salt Lake City area, according to a Nov. 3 statement from his management team.

However, Snider was later arrested by Salt Lake City police after he caused a disturbance at the Holy Cross Hospital where he was being treated.

The singer was reportedly yelling and cursing at the hospital staff after they discharged him before he was apparently ready, per the Salt Lake Tribune.

He was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing and threatening violence.

Born and raised in Oregon, Snider’s musical influences were based on artists like Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark and John Prine.

He got his start in the music industry as a young artist signed to Jimmy Buffet’s record label, Margaritaville, which released his first two albums 1994’s “Songs for the Daily Planet” and 1996’s “Step Right Up.”

He went on to write songs for several major artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones. He also co-wrote a song with Loretta Lynn that appeared on her 2016 album, “Full Circle.”

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Utah

Predictions: BYU, Utah defenses gear up to face league’s top QBs

Published

2 days ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

Predictions: BYU, Utah defenses gear up to face league’s top QBs

Paging Jay Hill. Calling Hill.

TCU QB Josh Hoover is coming to town and needs your immediate attention.

Attention, Morgan Scalley. Summoning Scalley.

Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson is trotting onto the field and needs your instant focus.

There will be big-time throwing artists in the crosshairs of BYU and Utah defenders on Saturday when No. 13 Utah travels to Baylor and No. 12 BYU hosts the Horned Frogs in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Leave these guys unchallenged and they can deliver big-time plays, standing in the pocket like statues in target acquisition, and they’re lethal.

Chase them, harass them, bring them down to the turf, or disrupt their comfort, and their artistry is impacted.

Robertson is No. 1.

In Waco, Robertson is the Big 12’s leading passer with 230 completions in 366 attempts, seven interceptions, 62.8% completion rate for 2,780 yards and 26 touchdown passes. His efficiency rating is 146 and he averages 308 yards passing per game.

Coming to Provo, Hoover, who diced BYU apart two years ago as a freshman, is the league’s No. 2-ranked passer. He has completed 219 of 335 passes with eight interceptions, a 65.4% completion for 2,690 yards, 23 touchdowns, an average of 298 yards per game and a 150 pass efficiency rating.

Hoover has almost twice as many TD passes as BYU’s Bear Bachmeier (12), and Robertson’s 26 touchdown passes are 11 more than Utah’s Devon Dampier (15).

Both have shown a penchant for struggling when pressured.

Hoover’s strongest performance of the 2025 season came on Sept. 20 against SMU, where he completed 22 of 40 passes (55% completion) for a season-high 379 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He also contributed 27 rushing yards on eight carries. This explosive outing powered TCU to a 35-24 victory and showcased his arm strength with multiple deep balls, earning him a 162.4 pass rating for the game.

Hoover’s most challenging game was on Sept. 26 at Arizona State, completing 20 of 32 passes (62.5% completion) for 242 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. His rushing line was particularly rough at minus-38 yards on nine carries, which included multiple sacks. The lack of scoring production and turnovers contributed to a tight 27-24 loss, marking his lowest pass rating (113.5) of the season to date.

He also threw two interceptions that led to Kansas State scores in a four-sack loss on the road.

Robertson’s standout performance this 2025 season came on Sept. 6 against SMU, where he threw for a career-high 440 yards on 34 of 50 passing (68% completion) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 20 rushing yards on six carries. This game helped Baylor secure a thrilling 48-45 double-overtime victory, marking one of his two 400-plus yard outings and contributing to his FBS-leading passing yards total.

Robertson’s toughest outing was on Oct. 18 at TCU, when he completed 25 of 52 passes (48.1% completion) for 318 yards, two touchdowns and a season-high three interceptions. He managed just minus-12 rushing yards on four carries. The turnovers were pivotal in Baylor’s narrow six-point loss.

Both the Utes and Cougars are in dire need of wins this weekend. Utah is in survival mode — a third league loss would shut the door on a myriad of Big 12 and College Football Playoff opportunities.

The Cougars already used up their mulligan with a loss at Texas Tech last week, but still control their own destiny to Arlington and possibly a CFP bid.

These are the games Hill and Scalley are built for.

These are the kind of quarterbacks they like to scheme for, then wait and see if there is chaos and carnage.

This will be a fun Saturday, finding out if Hill and Scalley can create the QB havoc they so deftly love to design.