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Due to his church mission plans, Sky View High School’s Mason Falslev is not scheduled to join Utah’s basketball program for three years. But within five days, Falslev showed his all-around athletic ability in two sports.
He posted 143 yards of rushing and receiving, scoring two touchdowns in Sky View’s 35-0 defeat of Park City for the Class 4A state football championship Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium and then picked up a basketball, scoring 36 points Tuesday in the Bobcats’ season-opening, 72-57 win over Weber State University.
“He's tough as nails,” said Ute basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak.
So is Utah’s football team. The Utes were their usual, overwhelming selves in a 35-7 win at Arizona. Zack Moss ran for 203 yards in three quarters.
Tribune columnist Gordon Monson was impressed with the Utes, once again.
The only thing that went wrong was out of Utah’s control, Oregon’s losing to Arizona State and lowering the value of the potential Pac-12 championship game matchup.
As the Utes prepare to play Colorado on Saturday, it is remarkable that eight straight victories will be required for a Pac-12 South title.
The Utes keep dominating the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week award, with Bradlee Anae recognized again.
And the College Football Playoff is in closer view for the Utes at No. 6.
Monson pointed to coach Kyle Whittingham’s hiring of offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig as the most significant element behind Utah’s success, and I looked at the offense’s production from the perspective of punter Ben Lennon, who’s not getting much work.
There’s a lot to cover with Utah’s senior class, and the Hallandale Trio is a big part of the story.
Getting back to basketball, here are the recaps of the Utes’ three games in the Myrtle Beach Invitational: the ugly loss to Coastal Carolina, the bounce-back win over Ohio and the disappointing fade against Tulane. The Utes will begin a three-game homestand Friday night vs. UC Davis, while the Utah women’s team visits BYU.
Utah’s fall sports programs have enjoyed great seasons, with the women’s soccer team making the NCAA Tournament, the women’s cross country team finishing 16th in the NCAA meet, the football team ranking No. 6 and the women’s volleyball team being No. 17 and hoping for a host’s berth next week in the NCAA Tournament. Here’s my look at the volleyball team’s Senior Day sweep of Oregon State.
Other voices
• USA Today lists Utah as one of the “losers” in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and it’s Oregon’s fault (USAT).
• Bleacher Report makes the case for and against Utah in the CFP (Bleacher Report).
• College Football News evaluates the Utes vs. the Big 12′s candidates (CFN).
• Trent Wood of the Deseret News asks Utah State players Siaosi Mariner and Caleb Repp about their former team’s success (DNEWS).
Around campus
• Utah will stage a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Rice-Eccles Stadium expansion project Saturday afternoon, with the Ken Garff Performance Zone scheduled for completion in 2021. Behind-the-scenes construction will begin in January, but won’t affect seating for the 2020 season.
