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Utah enjoying a well-deserved bye week left the field open for BYU to make all the statements they could about football dominance in the Mountain West Conference. Not that Utah has much to say about it, if I’m being honest. Even as the token Utah guy here at the Utah Sports Cast, I have to admit BYU’s efforts are becoming very convincing. They returned to the national rankings, checking in as the #25 team in the Associated Press Top 25.
The Cougars dominated the Colorado State Rams 24-3 in a game that was unexceptional for BYU, at least when using the previous few games as a yardstick. I suspect it was as close to a letdown game for the offense as we are likely to see for the rest of the season (or, at least until the Utah game, when the rules are all thrown out). It may sound strange to say such things about a team that gained over 400 yards against the 15th best defense in the nation, but the scoring and the offensive firepower was not what we have come to expect of Bronco’s boys. Of course, CSU’s excellent defense might have had a little to do with limiting the Cougar offense…
BYU’s defense was tremendous, holding CSU to one scant field goal and 151 yards. Cameron Jensen was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Next up for BYU is another excellent defense belonging to the Wyoming Cowboys, in a game where they can wrap up the Mountain West Conference Championship for the first time since 2001.
Utah dominated their bye week, practicing a whole bunch, letting some of their injuries heal, and getting some practice reps for some of their younger guys. Brian Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference Practicer of the Week (according to Coach Wittingham, anyway). This week Utah will try to build on their previous game as they tackle Colorado State. [Note: Most Utah fans would rather not admit this, but I can say it: we are grateful to BYU for softening them up for us. Not that we needed it, of course.] Utah can become technically bowl-eligible with a win, but the coaching staff feels they need to win at least two of the next three to guarantee a place in the postseason.
We were pleased to have Josh Nelson – the blog writer for JazzBBall.com – with us this morning as we recorded the show. The Utah Jazz have jumped off to a very quick start, with consecutive victories over Houston, Phoenix, Golden State and Detroit. At least three of those teams (and, in some publications/websites, all four of them) are projected to be playoff teams this year, which is a good sign for the Jazz. Carlos Boozer was named the Western Conference Player of the Week and has been a dominant force early in the season. Derek Fisher has already performed some late-game heroics and it seems like a few new players are stepping up each game. Better still, six Jazz players are averaging double-digit scoring and Andrei Kirilenko isn’t one of them (yet). Of course, it’s early in the year and there will be some disappointments, but the early returns are very promising.
Thanks again for listening, and please visit our sponsor at ShieldZone.com. We would love to hear from you at comments@utahsportscast.com, zach@utahsportscast.com or nate@utahsportscast.com.
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