Nobody said sweeping the South Division and emerging with the best Conference record would be easy, and for the Utes it wasn’t. Despite flooring the No. 3 Oregon Ducks just a week ago, Utah found itself in a battle with Pac-12 Rival Colorado on Senior Day. 

Luckily, when it mattered most, the Utes stars shined brightest and took care of business, defeating Colorado 28-13 to remain undefeated in the South Division (5-0) and at home (6-0).

Defense

Despite just a two-possession victory, the defense was actually quite good, allowing just 148 total yards and technically, only two field goals (touchdown was scored on special teams).

To only give up six points and a total of 82 yards through one half of play is actually a pretty significant accomplishment. For the year, Utah has been allowing an average of 171 yards per half and Colorado didn’t even crack 50% of that.

This came as a direct result of a locked down secondary and immense pressure by the front line and linebackers. Going into the locker room, Colorado only had a measly 49 yards through the air and 33 on the ground for a combined 3.2 yards per play average.

As for the second half, the defense continued their dominance and didn’t allow a single point. Drive after drive they brought the pressure, wracking up multiple tackles for loss and forcing Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis to throw the ball away on several occasions. This resulted in a poor performance by Lewis who finished just 9-23 (39%) for 84 yards.

“I thought our defense played exceptionally well today, only giving up 148 yards and zero touchdowns,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “That’s about as good as it gets. Proud of those guys. Offensively, we weren’t quite as efficient and didn’t execute as well as we have been over the last stretch of six to seven weeks, but we did enough to win the football game.” 

Standout

In true poetic fashion, the upperclassmen stole the show on senior day with Nephi Sewell leading the team with 10 total tackles and Devin Lloyd just behind him with nine. 

It comes as no surprise that these two dominated in what will more than likely be their last time taking the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium. While Sewell had more of an under the radar contribution, Lloyd was all over the place and even punished Lewis with a devastating sack for a loss of a few yards.

Room to Improve

While it was technically a special teams play, it was also really hard to fault the defense for any mistakes today, so let’s go with the kick-off return for a touchdown by Colorado on this one.

The Utes have had their fair share of mistakes on special teams this year, and it yet again reared its ugly head. For a team that prides themselves on making defensive plays and have also been a very good special teams unit over the years, this was unacceptable. Allowing a team to run it back 100 yards for a score right out of the locker room and cut it to a one point game is unsettling and very well could’ve changed the outcome.

If the Utes want any shot at winning their first Pac-12 Championship game, special teams has got to be better because those are the types of mistakes that can turn out to be unforgiving with a trophy on the line.

Offense

Not that it was necessarily a bad performance by the Utah offense, seeing as they scored 28 points and posted 444 total yards, but it may have been their worst start of the season. For the year, Utah has averaged roughly 8.9 points per quarter but were held scoreless during the initial 15 minutes of play against the Buffaloes. 

Most of this had to do with quarterback Cameron Rising throwing an uncharacteristic interception on the very first series which set the Buffaloes up in field goal range and surrendered an unexpected early deficit.

However, the Utes would go on to outscore Colorado 28-10 through the rest of the game and the outcome was never in doubt.

Overall, Utah actually recorded one of its most balanced attacks, finishing with 179 yards through the air and 265 on the ground. 

Speaking of the run-game, Tavion Thomas and TJ Pledger were a two-headed monster and finished the day with a combined 245 yards on 38 carries (6.4 average) and one touchdown.

Standout

Without a doubt, Thomas or Pledger could probably take home the standout performance of the game, but Britain Covey also had himself a day. For the game, Covey recorded a game-high five receptions for 72 yards (season-high) and one touchdown. 

With what Covey has done all season long on special teams, it can be hard to remember the fact that he can be a dangerous weapon for a quarterback as well, and this afternoon, that was on full display. 

Time and again, Covey brought down some pretty remarkable catches which not only demonstrated his reliable hands, but also his fearlessness and high football IQ. 

Take the touchdown for example, initially, it appeared Covey was supposed to run an inside route, but when Rising decided to scramble to the sideline, Covey ran along with him, stayed open, and then went sideline to catch a block and found the end zone. 

.@crising7 and @brit_covey2 doing their thing. @Utah_Football leads 28-13.

@CFBONFOX
https://t.co/65x5BmW0Dx#GoUtes | #Pac12FB pic.twitter.com/hMKiGSBeBf

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 26, 2021

Simply put, Covey has learned a thing or two in the near decade he’s been with the program. 

Room to Improve

Can’t fault Utah for not being at their best given the situation, but one thing is for sure, Utah has to be a lot better at converting on 4th down. 

While it didn’t really end up hurting them or impacting the outcome of the game, going 1-3 on fourth down isn’t good no matter what. When a drive ends without points, that can greatly kill a team’s momentum, so either figure out a better way to convert it or just take the three points.

“Well, I think it’s obvious we didn’t play our best but at this point it doesn’t matter,” Covey said. “We sent those upperclassmen out right in Rice-Eccles and it’s nice being able to focus on what we really want to focus on right now. It took a lot to really focus on this game throughout the week because our whole entire off season, we’ve been talking about the PAC-12 Championship, so we are excited to be able to look forward now. We’re not even going to celebrate this victory. The moment we get home we’re just preparing.”

With the victory, Utah improves to 9-3 on the season and 8-1 in the Pac-12. With their eyes set on the Pac-12 Championship, the Utes will await the outcome of the games tomorrow to determine their opponent. More than likely it will end up being Oregon, but as the conference has proven this season, anything can happen and Utah needs to be ready for anyone.

c.bagley@dailyutahchronicle.com

@bagley_cole

The post Thoughts From the Gridiron: Utah vs Colorado appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Senior guard Dymond Gladney’s 12 points helped UH get past Arizona State on Thanksgiving day. | DeAundre Billingsley/The Cougar

In its first matchup of the Cancun Challenge, the UH women’s basketball team picked up a 68-60 victory over Arizona State on Thanksgiving day.

Sophomore guard Laila Blair opened the scoring for the Cougars, sparking a hot start as UH got out to an early 17-6 lead that included a dominant 12-0 run. 

UH played strong defense early, holding Arizona State to only 12 points in the first quarter and held a 10 point, 22-12 lead entering the second.

The Cougars shot a stellar 9 for 13 while holding Arizona State to only four field goals in the entire opening quarter.

The second quarter began much more balanced, with the two squads exchanging shots early.

The Cougars’ strong defense continued to propel them. A 3-pointer from graduate guard Eryka Sidney expanded the UH lead to 15 points with 2:52 left in the half.

Arizona State ended the half strong, bringing the UH lead back down to 11. The Cougars finished the first half with a 39-28 lead.

UH’s offensive performance in the first half was led by junior guard Tiara Young’s eight points and the team’s 48 percent field goal shooting.

Defensively, the Cougars made the Sun Devils work for points, with Arizona State shooting only 33 percent from the field and going 0 for 10 from behind the arc in the opening half.

Arizona State began the second half by shrinking the UH lead down to just eight points until UH senior guard Dymond Gladney hit another 3-pointer to immediately raise the Cougars lead back to 11.

Arizona State’s effort on both sides of the ball was much-improved in the third quarter, narrowing the UH lead down to only six points as the quarter came to a close.

UH struggled on offense from start to finish in the third, finishing with only 11 points and shooting just 4 for 16 on the quarter.

UH began the fourth quarter with a six point, 50-44 lead, and opened with an 8-2 run to bring its lead back up to 12 points.

In the final minutes of the fourth, Arizona State brought the lead back down to just six points amid a rough shooting stretch for the Cougars but were unable to complete the comeback. 

Senior forward Tatyana Hill, Gladney and Young each scored 12 points.

Hill and redshirt junior guard Britney Onyeje both held down the defensive end, each finishing with four steals.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH opens up Cancun Challenge with a win” was originally posted on The Cougar

In the last week of the regular season, the No. 17 Utah Women’s Volleyball team beat No. 21 Washington State, dominating the Cougars in three sets at the Huntsman Center. With the victory, the Utes move on to a record of 20-8 overall. 

In the first set of the match, the Utes started out with a solid lead of 9-5 and did not stop there as they increased the lead to a 21-12 advantage. With things looking good for the Utes, the Cougars decided to make it interesting and put up a fight as they closed the gap to just four points. However, at 24-22, the Utes managed to put the set away. 

The second set started out close until the Cougars had a four-point lead. The Utes called for a timeout and after returning to the floor, Zoe Weatherington came out with a kill which helped the Utes build momentum to tie the score up at 15-15. Both teams went back and forth until the Utes went up 20-16 before they closed out the set 25-18. 

After taking the first two, the Utes were set up to put away the Cougars in the third set. The beginning of the set was competitive as both teams refused to give up. The score went back and forth between the teams as there were 11 tied scores and various different lead changes. However, the Utes came out on top and won the set 25-23. 

For the night, Dani Drews had 15 digs and 21 kills during the match while Weatherington had an impressive 11 kills, and Madelyn Robinson had nine kills. Vanessa Rameriez had 21 digs during the match while Megan Yett had a season-high 14 digs. Kiley McCurtrey had two aces and Amelia Van Der Werff had three blocks. Stef Jankiewicz had 43 assists during the match. 

The Utes will conclude their season with a home match against Colorado on Senior Day. The match will be played at the Jon M. Huntsman Center Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. MST. The match will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. 

e.dush@dailyutahchronicle.com

@DushEmily

The post No. 17 Utah Volleyball Dominates No 21. Washington State appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

‘No clue what we were doing:’ Bears finish No. 4 in Palo Alto

Can Jozef Saul/Staff

Everything good must come to an end. While it is tempting to relish in victory, it’s more important to remember that nothing lasts forever.

The Cal men’s water polo team headed into the MPSF Championships as the No. 1 seed and regular season champions. The competition was fierce, and the team was set to face the rest of the top four in the nation.

“There’s no bad team there,” said redshirt senior attacker Miles O’Brien-Schridde. “It was going to be a dogfight from there on out.”

The Bears knew that each team was going to propose its own challenges and they came into the tournament ready to fight. They expected to win, and based on individual statistics and a 4-0 conference streak, the odds were in their favor.

Deep down, the blue and gold must have known that they were going to make it to the NCAA Championships no matter how well they did. Winning in Palo Alto would be icing on the cake after a successful regular season, and ultimately, that mindset proved to be their fatal flaw.

The Bears were unable to hold onto their streak and the pool bled gold and blue as they went 0-2 last weekend. Here’s what went down:

Stanford (2nd place finish at the MPSF Championships)

Cal’s first opponent, Stanford, was not offered the luxury of the reassurance Cal had. If the Cardinal wanted to go to the championships, they had to win, and they had to win it all. The desire to move on in their postseason journey was apparent as Stanford took an early lead on the blue and gold just mere minutes into the game.

“We were not as prepared as we seemed,” said junior center Nikolaos Papanikolaou. “We were down 2-0 … (in) the first two minutes.”

The Bears were able to tie the score with goals from graduate student Nikos Delagrammatikas and Papanikolaou, but they struggled to come back from their slow start and were forced to adjust to the Cardinal’s pace.

The blue and gold never fully adjusted from their sluggishness. In the end, fatal defensive errors during double overtime sealed their fate. Stanford’s 2-meter driver, graduate student Tyler Abramson, landed a goal with just over one minute left to play, and the Bears were unable to score on their remaining offensive possessions.

Freshman attackers Max Casabella and Roberto Valera had outdone themselves again with one hat trick each, but the effort was futile as the Bears were unable to defend their cage until the end.

“We didn’t really highlight our strengths as long as we should have,” O’Brien-Schridde said.

USC (3rd place finish at the MPSF Championships)

The Bears had a 1-1 record with USC coming into the game, and in terms of offensive and defensive abilities, both teams were on even strength. The blue and gold were looking to redeem themselves from the 11-12 loss against the Cardinal in the semifinals while the Trojans were on the hunt to avenge their loss earlier in the season.

Cal has a tendency to go down fast in the first quarter, but this time, they were able to hold down the fort for almost four minutes. However, individual breakdowns eventually cost them the game.

“(There were) times when we just had no clue what we were doing,” said junior goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg. “People not listening, not being quick enough to react or people knowing exactly what they were supposed to do, but just for some reason not doing it.”

The Bears also struggled to convert on power plays and they finished the game with a shot percentage of just 25%. Casabella led a resurgence for Cal in the fourth quarter, scoring with 48 seconds left on the clock, but the comeback was too little, too late. USC closed off the game 11-9.

Although their finish at the MPSF Championships was anything but satisfactory, the blue and gold were able to come home with a bid to the NCAA semifinals. With the national championships so close ahead, there is no time to dwell on the past. The only thing the Bears can do is look forward and consolidate their strengths to face a fresh start, new challenges and a new opportunity to complete their pursuit of perfection.

Yuqing Qiu covers men’s water polo. Contact her at yqiu@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

After a long year and a half without live theater, Broadway finally reopened this fall. While many hoped less tourism, numerous COVID restrictions and the rise in streamable shows would cause a drop in ticket prices, this has not been the case so far. As theater begins its highly anticipated return, it is long past time for us to raise the curtain on the rampant elitism of Broadway. Despite many of its musicals and plays telling stories of inequity, the institution has failed at increasing its accessibility.

Broadway show tickets are notoriously expensive. In the 2018-2019 season, the average audience member paid $145.60 per ticket. While this number is high enough on its own, many also have to account for the cost of traveling to New York City. That same season, 65% of theatergoers came from outside the New York City metropolitan area, which means they had to incur these additional costs to see a show. While many of these people likely don’t travel to New York solely to see a show, the cost of travel is still a barrier. Additionally, these travelers will also have less choice on the day they buy tickets. While ticket costs decrease as the day of the performance nears, tourists tend to buy tickets far in advance so that they can ensure that they will be able to see a given show while they are in New York. Additionally, since the wealthy are paying at these prices, they thereby reinforce the price increase since producers set prices based on the maximum price that will sell. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is turning Broadway into a luxury reserved only for the affluent. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had consequential effects on how Broadway will operate in the future. Broadway was shut down March 12, 2020 and did not start to reopen until August 2021. The industry suffered greatly as a result. Even though Broadway was closed, there was still one way that certain shows could be seen during the last 18 months: streaming services. Streaming services allowed people to enjoy shows from the comfort and safety of their own homes, as well as provided a source of revenue for the productions that were shut down. As Broadway reopens, the remaining restrictions and the decrease in tourism will hopefully cause the streaming of shows to remain.

The rise of streaming services may also play a crucial role in making Broadway shows more accessible. In July 2020, “Hamilton” was released on Disney+. At the time, Disney+ was offering a free trial, which allowed a broader audience the ability to watch it. More recently, “Come From Away” and “Diana the Musical” were released on Apple TV+ and Netflix, respectively. While these streaming services usually have a fee (unless they are offering a free trial), they are still significantly cheaper than a Broadway ticket. These particular shows were filmed as live stage performances, as opposed to film adaptations, in an attempt to give viewers as close to a real theater experience as possible. While the recorded shows bring the music and story to a broader audience, the change in format takes away part of the effect. A quintessential part of the Broadway experience is the walk through Times Square that takes you to the theater, where you excitedly wait for the lights to go down and the curtain to rise. When seeing a live performance, you are truly immersed in the experience without distractions. On the other hand, when streaming a musical, there is much less excitement, and you don’t get to be fully immersed in the experience due to distractions at home. When compared to the cost of seeing a show live, the cost of streaming a show is significantly more affordable and will help make Broadway accessible to a larger audience; however, this does come with some drawbacks. 

While streaming has helped Broadway progress toward being less cost-prohibitive, most musicals and plays are still only available in a live theater. Broadway productions must continue to use streaming services as an asset even after the pandemic and make more shows available online. The unique experience of seeing a live show cannot fully be replaced, so there will always be many who are willing to buy expensive tickets that produce revenue for the production. By embracing this new medium of streamable shows, prompted by the pandemic, Broadway can make performances affordable for everyone, not just the wealthy. 

The post The show must go on(line) appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

USC running back Kenan Christon and his lawyer Anton Diffenderfer are accusing USC and its Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards of being racially insensitive regarding Christon’s suspension from the team and other school activities in September. 

Christon was suspended Dec. 14 because of an altercation with another USC student. The two students have now reconciled, according to Christon, but a six-week investigation by a USC judicial officer found Christon responsible for seven violations of student conduct.

He is now appealing the suspension, accusing Barton of completing an “incomplete and inadequate investigation,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

“We have looked at this in line with university policy and have taken appropriate action,” said the University in a statement to the Daily Trojan. “We are unable to talk about the details because of student privacy laws.”

Members of the United Black Student-Athletes Association, Christon, Diffenderfer and civil rights activist Najee Ali hosted a press conference Tuesday in front of Galen Center asking the University and Student Affairs to reevaluate the case.

“I really want the appeals more to really look at [the suspension], and I feel if it’s anything like the investigation, they’re just going to rubber stamp it and move it down the line,” said Diffenderfer in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “So [the press conference] will hopefully get them to, you know, take the file and put it on top of other files and make it a priority.” 

Diffenderfer said the other student involved was not reprimanded and the investigation was solely focused on Christon. The investigators knew about the reconciliation between the two, but it “didn’t appear to have any bearing [on the situation],” he said.

USC also provided no reasoning as to why the other student was left out of the investigation, according to Diffenderfer. 

“When you look [at the case] on its face, it’s pretty unbelievable,” Diffenderfer said. “You got two students involved in something, and one is completely dismissed and the focus is just on [Christon] … It’s really about the process, and the process is just as terrible.”

Once he received word of his suspension, Christon was given 10 days to decide whether or not he would appeal. Diffenderfer called the appealing system “doomed from the beginning.”

“It’s almost impossible for me to do it in 10 days. There’s so much evidence and facts that we have to figure out,” he said. “It’s totally rigged to fail.”

Neither Diffenderfer nor Christon have been in contact with the Athletic Department regarding the suspension. Diffenderfer mentioned that the appeal process for Christon and Student Affairs was not similar to a “legal process.” 

“[Student athletes are] not allowed to be represented,” Diffenderfer said. “There’s nobody there to really help them through [the legal process] and make sure that they are asked fair questions and stuff like that. So they got to do it all by themselves.” 

Ali, a USC alumnus, spoke at the event noting previous instances of racial discrimination against Black student-athletes. 

He also argued USC continues to mistreat Black student athletes consistently. 

“I know, for a fact, that there’s always been a double standard in the way that white students and Black students have been treated,” Ali said. “We’re seeing Black student-athletes being punished very harshly and severely, but the white students have no punishment whatsoever.”

The outcome of Christon’s appeal will weigh heavily on Black athletes deciding whether or not they should attend USC, according to Ali. 

He offered the example of former USC wide receiver Munir McClain who was suspended in September 2020. McClain was suspended because of an investigation involving USC students planning to apply for Employment Development Department benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. McClain and his brother Abdul-Malik McClain eventually entered the transfer portal and left the University. 

Diffenderfer hopes USC will consider Christon’s appeal along with other pieces of evidence in the coming weeks. 

“I think, really, we’re just in a holding period now,” Diffenderfer said. “So nothing can really be done until we find out about the appeal and, from that, decide what needs to be done next, and hopefully, nothing.”

The post USC running back Kenan Christon appeals suspension appeared first on Daily Trojan.

City officials announced Nov. 18 that the plan for mental health response teams to respond to 911 calls has been delayed once again. This time, with no set date. 

Brian Smith, city director of the Office of Performance and Innovation, initially said that the program would be launched Nov. 29. 

“The launch of the pilot program is planned for later this year,” Sarah McKenzie, Minneapolis media relations coordinator, said in an email to the Minnesota Daily. “We will share more information once that date is finalized.” 

McKenzie said she expects the response teams to be sent out in mid-December. City officials did not clarify why the program was postponed. 

The City Council unanimously passed the program with intentions for response teams to be sent out in August. The program was delayed until November because of procedural issues, including incomplete background checks. 

Cal cornerback Chigozie Anusiem to enter transfer portal

Just days after Cal brought home the Axe in a 41-11 victory over Stanford, the Bears lost one of their defensive centerpieces.

On an unassuming Wednesday morning, redshirt junior cornerback Chigozie Anusiem announced via Twitter that he intends to enter the transfer portal “as a grad transfer with 2 years left of eligibility.”

A California local from La Habra, Anusiem has played valuable minutes in his time with the blue and gold. As a freshman, he played 12 out of 13 games and recorded 15 total tackles and five pass breakups –– including one that prevented an Illinois touchdown during the 2019 Redbox Bowl. In 2021, he played in each of Cal’s first seven games with three starts and has recorded 13 total tackles.

Widely known for his trash talk, Anusiem brought fiery energy to the team after filling the void left by Cal-cornerback-turned-NFL-safety Camryn Bynum. Now, with Anusiem’s intention to leave, the Bears’ secondary will likely have to rely heavily on their budding young prospects. Such players include freshman cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III –– who largely replaced Anusiem midway through September –– and sophomore cornerback Collin Gamble.

Ryan Chien is a deputy sports editor. Contact him at rchien@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

UH guard Marcus Sasser scored 14 points on Wednesday afternoon in the Cougars dominating win over Oregon in the Maui Invitational third-place games. | Armando Yanez/The Cougar

After falling just short of a comeback against Wisconsin on Tuesday, UH men’s basketball bounced back with a 78-49 victory over Oregon in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas.

The Cougars jumped out the gate hot, getting off to an 11-3 start in the first four minutes of the game.

The Ducks fell into foul trouble early with three starters picking up two fouls within the first seven minutes of the game.

With a 19-7 lead at the halfway mark in the first half, the Cougars jumped on another 8-4 run to force Oregon to call its second timeout at 27-11.

The Cougars’ dominated on both ends of the floor in the first half, as they had five scorers with five or more points while forcing 11 Oregon turnovers.

Senior forward Fabian White Jr. led all scorers in the first half with 13 points, going 3 for 5 from behind the arc along with four rebounds and two steals.

Shooting 50 percent from the field compared to Oregon’s 30 percent, the UH men’s basketball team cruised to a 41-19 lead at the half.

Up 22 coming out of the locker room, UH continued to show dominance and hustle on the boards as it hopped on an 11-0 run lead to begin the second half, extending the lead to 51-19.

A small momentum swing by Oregon saw it cut the deficit to 57-34 with just under 10 minutes left in the second half. 

The Ducks momentum did not last long, as the Cougars once again took over complete control, ending the final 10 minutes of play outscoring Oregon 21-15 to secure a third-place finish in the tournament.

White finished with a team-high 15 points, including his second game of the tournament hitting three 3-pointers.

Junior guard Marcus Sasser scored 14 points and senior center Josh Carlton added 13 points.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH beats Oregon in Maui Invitational third-place game” was originally posted on The Cougar