BYU running back Harvey Unga withdrew from school due to a violation of honor code.  BYU women basketball player Keilani Moeaki   also withdrew from school due to a violation.  Unga and Moeaki were engaged two years ago and had on and off relationship since then.  This is a huge blow to the BYU football program as Unga was the Cougars leading rusher.  Here is a link.

Third time's the charm ....For the Rebels.

The third seeded Rebels defeated the sixth seeded Utes 73-61 in the Quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament.  After being swept by Utah (14-17, 7-9) in the regular season, UNLV (24-7, 11-5) won when it counted.

UNLV's pressure defense caused havoc for the Utes all night.  Forcing 15 turnovers and holding the overmatched Utes to a dismal 32 percent shooting.  The Rebels pulled away in the second half with a 18-3 run and never looked back. 

Tre'von Willis and Anthony Marshall led the balanced effort for UNLV with 13 points each.  MWC Defensive Player of the Year, David Foster, had the biggest impact for the Utes with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Carlon Brown also added 12 points.

UNLV's win breaks the streak of the six seed over three seed upset in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament. The Rebels approve the league's best conference tournament record to 18-5.

"We definitely wanted this game here," Tre'Von Willis said in the postgame press conference. 

With the win UNLV will play the second seeded BYU Cougars at 8:30 p.m. PT Friday in the semifinals.   

BYU (27-4,12-3) held Utah(14-15, 7-8) scoreless for a stretch of 8:35 between the end of the first half and early in the second, turning a close game into one of the biggest blowouts in the long history of the rivalry.

Brandon Davies scored a career high 21 points and Michael Loyd Jr. had 18 to lead the Cougars.  Chris Hines dropped nine points to lead the Utes on senior night.  Senior Kim Tille had 11 rebounds in his last college home game.

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Utah (13-14, 6-7) knew they had to grind out the victory because the Cadets always fight hard.  Utes swept the Falcons as they fell to 9-17 and 1-12 in MWC play.  Marshall Henderson had 16 points and  was Henderson's 11th straight game in double figures.

Utah held Air Force to a season low in points.  Coach Jim Boylen was proud of the defensive effort but  still sees room for improvement.

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Carlon Brown scored 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:39 to play, and Utah outlasted UNLV 66-61 on Wednesday night.  Utah (12-13, 5-6) started out solid and led by as much as 12.  Utah shot 53% against UNLV's pressure defense and were just the second team all year to hit more than half their shots against the Rebels.

Marshall Henderson, who had 10 points, made two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to clinch the series sweep of the Rebels (19-7, 7-5 ).  UNLV was led by Tre'Von Willis with 32 points but missed two attempts in the final minute.  The Rebels have now lost three in a row.

I saw a whole team effort on the floor and the Utes rebounded and that was the key.  Utah outrebounded UNLV 33-28.  The Utes are one of the biggest teams in the league and are one of the worst rebounding teams.  This was a start in the right direction.

As for the Rebels this hurts their tournament hopes.  Utah is a pretty good team but their record doesn't show that and that is what the committee looks for.  The future is still bright for the Runnin' Rebels as they host the conference tournament.

Even though rankings do not matter in the long run in the tournament (as most say) it affects your seed.  This can be huge for the the Mountain West who saw Utah get a #5 seed without being ranked in the polls all year.  This year New Mexico, BYU and UNLV have been in and out of the polls with the Cougars cracking the top ten.  If UNM and BYU can keep their winning ways we may see seeds as high as #3 but most likely #4 or #5.  So could we see two Mountain West teams in the sweet 16?  It is a huge possibility. Here are the rankings.

Next Game

Utah Utes
@ BYU Cougars

Saturday, Jan 30, 2010, 6:00 PM PST

TV: The Mtn
Marriott Center

posted by Jeremy Mauss about 20 hours ago

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BYU To Wear Pink To Support Coaches vs. Cancer Against Utah

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Complete Coverage >

Its the holy war!  Well sort of; There hasnt been much of the feel of a rivalry game between both fan bases. But we know both teams will lay out on the court in front of a packed Marriot Center where the Cougars have been dominant.  Utah (10-10, 3-3) is coming off a road loss at Wyoming where speed and athleticism struck the Utes once again.  BYU (20-2, 5-1) comes off a road loss but a lot more respectable coming against #23 New Mexico.  

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Big East continues to prove they are the best conference with six in top 25 and 2 in the top 5.  Mountain West produced two top teams with BYU as high as #10 and New Mexico at  #23.  If BYU keeps winning they will have a very strong chance to move up rapidly with the Big East beating each other out frequently. As a side note, this is the first time we haven't seen North Carolina in the polls in quite some time.

Every time Utah (9-9, 2-2) seems to gain momentum it seems to just wash away like there was no momentum at all.  It happened again with the Utes shooting a horrid 36.7 percent field goal percentage as the Utes lost 70-68 at the Huntsman Center.  In a sloppy defensive battle both teams rarely got anything going but the Aztecs (14-5, 3-2)  hit the shots at the right time.

San Diego State was led by Malcom Thomas who had a double-double with 23 points and 13 boards.  While Luka Drca led the Utes with 15 points.  Utah's conference home winning streak is broken but a new one could be started with Air Force coming in on Saturday. Up next for the Aztecs is conference leading BYU which is sure to be a thriller in San Diego. 

Jim Boylen keeps saying to win the conference you need to steal some on the road and protect your home floor.  The Utes did not do that tonight and have some ground to make up.

With only two undefeated teams left in the country; we shouldn't expect that to stay for very long.  Once again the Big East is crazy strong with six teams in top 25 with #5 Syracuse as the highest.  New Mexico dropped out after two losses this past week.  BYU jumped to #18 in AP and #17 in Coaches poll.  If you like college basketball then watch ESPN every weeknight for some crazy matchups. 

No surprises in polls as college basketball enters into conference play.  New Mexico and BYU remained ranked and are playing well.  UNLV also recieved votes in both polls.

The Utah Utes flat out know how to win bowl games, whether they're busting the BCS or playing in a lower-tier game before Christmas.

True freshman Jordan Wynn threw for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns to rally No. 23 Utah (10-3) from an early deficit to a 37-27 victory over California (8-5) in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night.

The Utes scored 27 straight points to win their ninth straight bowl game, the longest current streak in the country and tied for the second-longest ever. Florida State won 11 straight from 1985-96 and Southern California won nine in a row from 1923-45.

"It's the work ethic of our players," Coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We don't have any secret, magic way of practicing for bowl games. It's how our guys go about their business. It's their work ethic and focus. They understand a bowl game is a reward for a good season but also a chance to win another ballgame."

The Golden Bears, in a bowl game for the school-record seventh straight year, had their four-game postseason winning streak snapped.

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Utah's big win against Michigan Wednesday must be in the past if the Utes hope to continue their success.  Utah (5-4) took apart the Michigan Wolverines (4-4) and hope to ride the momentum on Saturday.   Oklahoma (6-3) has been hot of late, riding a four game winning streak into Salt Lake City.

The Sooners were ranked as high as #16 in the preseason.  OU will be lead by Willie Warren who is averaging 18.6 points with 5 assists per game.  There have been concerns that Warren isn't accepting the leadership role well. Complimenting Warren in the backcourt  will be Tony Crocker who has improved much this season averaging 13.7 points and 7 rebounds per game.

For the Runnin' Utes they must continue 

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Utah jumped to a 9-0 lead but Weber fought back to come away with the victory.  Utes coach Jim Boylen disappointed  but not discouraged.  Utes fall to 3-4 on the year.

Utah is coming off its worst defensive performance since a loss to San Diego State 19 years ago. The Aztecs, though, certainly don't appear to be in any position to extend those struggles.

The 23rd-ranked Utes look to win their 17th straight at home as they face the stumbling Aztecs in a Mountain West Conference matchup Saturday.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is eager to see how his team comes back from a 55-28 loss to No. 4 TCU last Saturday. It was the most points the Utes (8-2, 5-1) had given up since a 66-14 loss to San Diego State on Nov. 3, 1990.

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Revenge is sweet for the Utes as Carlon Brown scored 22 points to help Utah outlast Utah State 68-67. After Jared Quayle scored the final two of his game-high 27 points on a pair of free throws with 27.6 seconds remaining, Luka Drca made two foul shots for a 67-64 Utah lead.

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Utah (0-1) tries to get its first win of the season tonight against in-state rival Utah State (1-0), which defeated the Runnin' Utes 66-64 on a controversial buzzer beater in Logan last season.

Utah fell to Idaho, picked to finish fourth in the WAC, 94-87, in its opener.  The Aggies who were picked to win the WAC, won their opener against Weber State 66-60.

Players to watch for the Aggies will be senior guard Jared Quayle and junior forward Tai Wesley, both were preseason all-WAC picks.

If the Runnin' Utes plan to win this game they must improve three things from last week's loss to Idaho. 

1. Freshman Marshall Henderson must stay composed and have better shot selection.

2. Utah must play Utah basketball and control the tempo and rebound effectively.

3. Utah needs to use the crowd as a factor but stay focused and just play basketball.

If the Utes do those things expect for a great game.  The home team has won the last seven meetings. Last year the Utes lost their opener then won five in a row.

Utah's head coach Jim Boylen has been waiting for this moment ever since his Utes were knocked of the NCAA tournament in March.  Even with Boylen's recent success there still seems to be a lack of interest in Utah's basketball program.  The Utes hope to change that by producing another winning season.

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Whoever starts at quarterback for Utah can certainly expect to take some hits from the opposition. Wide receiver coaches, meanwhile, shouldn't have any reason to be afraid of being purposely hurt within their own team.

The 17th-ranked Utes won't name a starting quarterback until game time Saturday night when they face a winless New Mexico team that has been playing under the cloud of continued developments regarding an altercation between coaches.

Terrance Cain started the first seven games for Utah (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West Conference), but coach Kyle Whittingham replaced him with freshman Jordan Wynn in the third quarter of a 22-10 win over Wyoming last Saturday. Wynn threw for 82 yards and a touchdown to help the Utes rally to 19 straight points.

Coach Whittingham commented on the quarterback change:

"I believe the time to make change is when you need to, not necessarily when thing aren't going well and you are in panic mode. We are trying to get better. We would like to blow people out, but that's not happening. We are trying to find the right combination."

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We all knew it would be a tough one for the Utes; it was, as #18 Utah (6-1, 3-0) escaped an upset despite getting outplayed by the Falcons.  The Utes defense didn't stop the run all game but came up big in OT in a 23-16 victory.  Air Force (4-4, 3-2) controlled most of the game on both sides of the ball but lacked the big play to put them over the top.

The Utes scored on their first possession when Terrance Cain fumbled on a keeper and Wide, who was trailing the play, picked up the ball and ran 44 yards for a touchdown. Joe Phillips pushed the extra point attempt wide right. That was all for the Ute offense in the half as the Falcons held the Utes to just 107 yards of total offense.

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Terrance Cain threw two touchdown passes, Eddie Wide rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries and #24 Utah (5-1, 2-0) breezed past UNLV (2-5, 0-3) late in Las Vegas. Wide's TD run down the right side gave the Utes a 20 point lead that sealed the deal early in the 4^thquarter.

UNLV QB Omar Clayton was 23 of 44 for 223 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.  The loss is the fourth straight for the Rebels and has given up an average of 46.8 points a game in that span.  

The Utes took advantage of their first-half opportunities building a 28-6 halftime lead.

Cain had two 6-yard touchdown passes and a 3-yard run in the half. His first TD pass was to Aiona Key just inside the right sideline of the end zone late in the first quarter.

Cain found Ben Hendy on the right side with 7:29 before the half to make it 14-6. His 3-yard run, which came with 5:17 left in the half, was set up by Robert Johnson's fifth interception of the season, which was returned 31 yards to inside the UNLV 10.

The win for the Utes comes as revenge for an embarrassing 27-0 loss to UNLV back in the 2007 season.  Utah is now 26-2 since that game, with the only losses coming at BYU and at Oregon. 

The Utah football program reached the 600 win plateau and has an all time record of 600-418-31.

Utah (3-1, 0-0) heads to Fort Collins to take on the Rams (3-2, 0-1) in the Utes conference opener.   Utah, with star running back Matt Asiata out for the season will try to repeat as the Mountain West Champs.  Even with Asiata out, don't expect Utah to be conservative with the running game.  A rushing attack led by RB Eddie Wide and Quarterback Terrance Cain will be just as effective or more effective for the Utes.  Also, look for Utah to use wide recievers in end arounds for different looks on running plays.

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Utah (3-1) came out and took control early over Louisville (1-2) in a 30-14 win.  The Utes set the tone by blocking Louisville's first field goal attempt.  From that point on, everyone knew it was going to be a long day for the Cards.    Utah QB Terrance Cain threw for two touchdowns and RB Eddie Wide ran for 129 yards to help Utah cruise to victory.

Utah scored 14 points in less than a minute.  RB Matt Asiata ran for a touchdown to go up 7-0.  David Reed joined the party with a 42 yard reception, set up by a forced fumble.  Utah never looked back.  The Cardinals couldn't get anything going on offense, totaling up only 261 yards against the impressive Utah defense.  Both of Louisville's touchdowns came in the second half courtesy of QB Justin Burke.  Burke was 15 of 33 passing and was sacked six times.

Utah is now 4-0 against Louisville all time.  The teams' only prior meeting in Salt Lake City was the first game played in Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 12, 1998. Utah has won 12 straight in the stadium.

Since the Bowl Championship Series began in 1998, Utah has won 18 games against teams from automatic qualifying conferences, more than any other non-BCS school. The Utes are 7-0 against current members of the Big East Conference.

On a sad note for the Utes, RB Matt Asiata tore his ACL and is out for the season, Eddie Wide did fill in to take the majority of the carries and had over 100 yards on the day..  OL Zane Beadles also left early in the game with a three inch laceration on the knee.  Beadles is expected to play after the bye against Colorado State. 

The longest winning streak in the nation appeared to be in jeopardy last week against San Jose State, but ended up pulling out a win extending the win streak to 16 games.  Utah's winning streak being extended depends on much needed improvements on both sides of the ball.  The Utes (2-0) had 3 turnovers and 11 penalties last week in 24-14. Fifth-year Utah coach Kyle Whittingham commented about his team's struggles last week.

"We've got our fair share of deficiencies to work on in practice," Whittingham said. "You name it; we've got to work on it for next week. ... We're miles away from having all the answers."

A  Utah win does not only depend on Utah's improvements but Oregon's as well.  The Ducks (1-1) came into the season at No. 16 but fell out of the rankings after a 19-8 loss at then-No. 14 Boise State in which they were held to their lowest yardage total in nearly 15 years.

To make matters worse, running back LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State defense end Byron Hout in the aftermath of the game on national television. First-year Oregon coach Chip Kelly acted swiftly, suspending Blount for the season the next morning.

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The #17 Utah Utes (2-0) displayed another mediocre performance as Utah squeaked by with a ten point victory.  San Jose State (0-2), coming off a 56-3 beat down from USC showed determination after Brandon Rutley's two yard run to tie the game at 7 in the second quarter.  QB Jordan La Secla had a breakout game.  He threw for 269 yards with a TD and an INT to lead the Spartans.  On the other end, Terrance Cain completed 18 of his 31 attempts for 248 yards with a TD.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Utes finally broke through with a Terrance Cain pass to Jereme Brooks for a 51 yard TD reception.  About four minutes later Eddie Wide extended Utah's lead 21-7 with a 15 yard run.  Later, SJSU scored with a La Secla pass but it was too little too late for the Spartans. 

 In a game of terrible broadcasting and commentating, you couldn't help but feel you were watching a high school football game. Oh and add in terrible camera work for the tri-fecta.

 Utah RB Matt Asiata was sidelined with an injury but it's a minor injury and should not affect him for next week's game. Second and third string running backs Eddie Wide and Sausan Shakerin showed a positive side for the Utes in a game that was negative in all sorts of ways. The Utah Utes execution needs work after 11 penalties for 69 yards.  If RJ Stanford, Brandon Burton and the rest of the Utes play as they did today, the 16 game winning streak will end in Eugene.