Morons

I am a big fan of the Running Utes. My wife graduated from the University of Utah and she is rightly proud of her school and their excellent football team.  It's some of their mindlessly stupid fans that have me shaking my head in both disbelief and anger. They could have cost us a very important game. Ute fans stormed the field three times at the end of the Ute-Cougars game Saturday night and they nearly changed the outcome of the game from their seats, after the punter did his best to undo all his team mates good work (but that's a story for another day).

The drama started on what appeared to be the final play of the game at Rice-Eccles Stadium when a pass by BYU quarterback Riley Nelson hit the turf as time expired. Fans rushed onto the field for the first time, but the game was not over. Officials put one second back on the clock. BYU was given had a chance to tie the score with a field goal attempt, but was blocked by star Lotule Lei. However, the ball was still live when fans ran back onto the field, making it a 15-yard penalty against the Utes and giving the Cougars another attempt at a field goal to tie the game after clearing the fans off the field for a second time.

The game finally came to an end when Riley Stephenson’s kick hit the upright making it no good for the Cougars. Given the few chances for BYU to score after they were brought on by rowdy Ute fans, their conduct should lead to some changes at the U. Arrest and lifetime bans for those who charge field. Drunkenness, stupidity, boorishness and simply not caring past your own loutish fantasies are no excuse for that kind of behavior. The football team (and any other varsity team) work very hard to get their results, and frankly, this one was an upset. Time to get real serious with these losers.

Go Utes! My choice of shirt ruffles a few BYU feathers

I wore my bright red University of Utah Running Utes polo shirt today. Not to cause any ruckus amongst my friends and colleagues, but simply because it was the first shirt in my closet and I was getting dressed in the dark this morning so as not to awaken my sleeping sweetheart. It was certainly not my intention to broadcast a blood red statement on the current state of Ute football compared to that of Brigham Young University on a Monday morning.

However, it seems to have gotten under the skin of a couple of my colleagues who graduated from BYU. They have been telling me all day long that the Utes aren't that great, and that BYU is 1-3 due to the fact that they have the 5th hardest schedule for September in the whole country. This assumes I am interested in excuses! Hahahahaha. They forget that I vote for BYU as long as they not playing my Utes, so my perfect Mountain West season record is: University of Utah 12-0, Brigham Young University 11-1, and everyone else can go fly a kite. I'd even be perfectly happy with Utah playing BYU for the national championship.

Still, every now and then I get an evil little grin on my face. This is because I listen intently to the little red devil sitting on my shoulder who is always telling me to stir my BYU buddies. Who am I not to take a perfectly good opportunity to crank up the heat. Right? I really should be a lot more mature, shouldn't I?

Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

It was painful for many of my friends to watch the Brigham Young University football game against Florida State on Saturday. Not only were they on the end of a thorough beating with a scoreline of 34-10, but they seemed to flat and lifeless, unable to respond to the second-half FSU onslaught. While the offense produced some faltering yards, the defense was ripped wide open, yikes, for the second week in a row.

So what's the problem with the Cougars? Sometimes it's easier to answer with what they are not - they are not a bad team, not even close. But they have some serious holes and these are not being filled, so what they need is a little Dutch boy, with pudgy fingers ready to go. First up: Quarterback, it's either Nelson or Heaps, take your pick, but you must choose, Bronco, heads or tails! I have seen many teams in a number of sports over the years use a positional rotation policy on a weekly basis, and it seldom works.

Where this policy can come up trumps is if you have one under-performing player who has lots of potential AND you know from close observation that his, or her, personality can handle rotation. What this injects into the right person is an attitude that says, "I'm gonna show you who's best!" On the other hand, a more fragile personality can crumble under the perceived lack of faith by coaches. For me, I'd keep Heaps as the starter even if he is a freshman, he gained in confidence the longer he stayed on the field, which is a good sign.

Secondly, the stuttering offense will probably fix itself if one quarterback is named starter, the team know who the leader is, and can learn his style. Running back J.J. DiLuigi looked eager and explosive, the one bright spark in the game. Last, for the moment, a defense that needs help and direction against the running game, where they fall down - sometimes literally. Both the Air Force and the Seminoles found big holes to run through. While they might not get back into the Top 25 Rankings, BYU I am sure, will improve vastly over the season and with Heaps around, will provide stern tests for most teams in the years to come.