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Show Thursday, April 27, 2006 19 ™ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE One for the ages Football beats Cougars for fourth straight season Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor PROVO—The Utah sidelines erupted as John Beck's fourth-down desperation heave fell helplessly to the ground. Just minutes after surrogate Ute quarterback Brett Ratliff found Travis LaTendresse for a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown in the first possession of overtime, the U defense swallowed up BYU's highly touted offensive attack to put the finishing touches on a 41-34 upset victory. "I saw that pass go up, and I was like, 'Oh ray gosh.' I realized I couldn't get there...I was frozen in time," Eric Weddle said of Beck's final throw. "We were all frozen in time." After taking a 24-3 halftime lead in front of a stunned LaVeil Edwards Stadium crowd, the Utes watched as the Cougars gradually cut into their lead before finally forcing the game into overtime. But after a season's worth of lategame collapses, they wouldn't let the most important game of the season slip away. After stopping BYU on a potentially gamewinning drive at the end of regulation, the Utes won the overtime coin toss and wasted no time asserting their will, as Ratliff—capping off a remarkable debut start—found an open LaTendresse deep over the middle for the 25-yard scoring strike. "Travis ran a great route. The middle was wide open and he made a great catch," Ratliff said. "It was a perfect play, a perfect call and a perfect situation. It was awesome." The Cougars did not find the same success on their possession. On second-and-9, Beck was forced out of the pocket and scrambled for four yards. But he couldn't find an open receiver on either of his next two pass attempts as the Utes clinched their fourth-straight victory over their long-time rivals. "No doubt about it, it was the sweetest victory I've ever been a part of," U head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I could not be prouder of a football team than I am of those guys." Despite coming into the Nov. 19 afternoon showdown as heavy underdogs following the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Brian Johnson last week, the Utes set the tone early and took the sold-out Provo crowd out of the game. After forcing a three-and-out on the Cougars' opening drive, the Ute offense, thought to be ripe for the picking with a new starting quarterback in tow, got right to work. SEASON RECAP OF SOCCER continued from Page IS Ute head coach Kyle Whittingham gets a Powerade shower after Utah's win over BYU on Nov. 19. Ratliff, showing exceptional composure considering the circumstances, led the Utes into the end zone on five plays. Quinton Ganther's 34-yard run set up the game's first touchdown, a 3-yard pass from Ratliff to Brian Hernandez. The Utes added to their early lead later in the quarter, as Ratliff got his tight ends involved, tossing a 15-yard lob to senior Chad Jacobsen. While Ratliff completed just four passes in the first half, he used his feet (62 yards on six carries) and relied on a tenacious rushing attack from Ganther (116 yards on 11 carries) to Smith, Thorburn taken in first round of WNBA Draft Chris Bellamy Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor Amanda Feigt as Offensive Player of the Year and striker Adele Letro as Freshman of the Year. Keeper Ashley Mason was named to the All-MWC second team. Injuries With forwards Letro, Kim Lloyd and Chelsea Card, defenders Wayman, Tasia Duarte and Katie Battazzo and goalkeepers Lynzee Lee and Amy Edman all returning from season-ending injuries in 2004, the Utes did an exceptional job of recovering from a laundry list of injuries this past season. The toughest loss suffered in 2005 was that of true freshman forward Jen Christoffers, who tore her ACL after scoring two goals against UVSC and sparking the Ute offense through the first four games. Shona Thorburn is on her way north, while her longtime teammate is headed to a defending national champion. Ute hoopsters Thorburn and Kim Smith became the first two Utes ever selected in the WNBA Draft on April 5, as Thorburn was picked No. 7 overall by the Minnesota Lynx. "I think I'm still in shock. It's a little surreal right now. I'm just so excited," Thorburn said. "I thought it was a possible chance that I would go early, but I was up against some other very good point guards in Nikki Blue, Megan Duffy, Erin Grant. So you really don't know until your name's called." Smith wasn't far behind, getting snagged by the 2005 champion Sacramento Monarchs at No. 13 overall. "It is a pretty unbelievable feeling. I was just sitting there, almost not expecting to hear my name called. But when they did call my name, it was just an amazing feeling," Smith said. "I like to win, and I'm going to a team that wins. That's nice." Both players were on hand at the Boston Convention Center, along with U head coach Elaine Elliott, to hear their names called and shake hands with league president Donna Orender. Thorburn was the first true point guard selected in a draft that was deep at the position. The Lynx, whose head coach, Suzie McConnell, is a former- Midfield A weakness for the Utes this season, the midfield was nonetheless relatively solid at keeping possession. Sophomore Kiley Jones did an excellent job from the holding midfield position, winning a large number of key 50-50 balls and setting up the offense. Fellow sophs Whitney Dorsey and Amanda Sanchez gave consistently inspired efforts but failed to generate much offensively in 2005. Freshman Katy Reineke was the U's biggest offensive threat from the midfield, showing off her deadly left foot on a handful of occasions. Reineke established herself as a threat on set pieces for years to come. Defense The strength of the Utes all year, the defense allowed a paltry 16 goals in 22 games. Junior fullback Wayman and outside back Michelle Deatherage were among the most intimidating tacklers in the conference, though Deatherage missed out on awards because she had less offensive exploits than Wayman (three goals, three assists). Goalkeeping Mason kept opponents off the Scoreboard in 10 different contests and continued to impress all comers with her booming kicks downfield. While Mason had an excellent season between the posts, her goal kicks and 65-yard punts often led directly to scoring chances at the other end. nLpiper@chronicle,utah.edu help the Utes open up a three-touchdown advantage at the break. "Rat played amazing today," LaTendresse said. "He was able to step up and answer, especially in the big rivalry game. He played incredible, especially to come into a stadium like this with all that pressure." Despite their poor first-half performance, the Cougars wouldn't go quietly, and they staged their comeback largely on the legs of Curtis Brown, who had 101 of his 153 yards in the second half. On BYU's first possession of the third quarter, the junior tailback caught two passes for 48 yards and capped off the drive with a 5-yard scoring run. He almost single-handedly brought the Cougars to within one score on the team's next drive, ripping off a 64-yard touchdown dash to cut the deficit to 24-17. Utah was able to hold off the Cougars for a while, and once again it was Ratliff who got the Utes on the board. Midway through the third quarter, Ratliff accounted for every yard of an eight-play scoring drive—four carries for 25 yards and three completions for 81 yards—that culminated in a 48-yard touchdown strike to Hernandez. "One of our faults this year is that we've let teams back in the game," junior safety Casey Evans said. "The difference tonight was that we let them back in, but we finished it." Todd Watkins and Matt Allen caught touchdown passes for the Cougars as they eventually caught up with the Ute offense and nearly pulled off a comeback. But despite their second-half efforts, it wasn't enough as Utah held on, qualifying for bowl contention in the process. "The defense rose up and had enough in the tank to get it done," Whittingham said. For the Utes, their upset victory not only stunned the city of Provo and Vegas oddsmakers alike, but also proved to be just the saving grace their season needed. A season of unfulo filled expectations had rendered their bowl o hopes unlikely, but beating BYU was just what £ the Utes need to punch their ticket into the =j postseason. 2 While most people thought this was the year S the Cougars, who came into the game having £ won four in a row, would finally snap their ios5 ing streak to Utah, that wasn't the case. In the biggest game of the year for both" clubs, the Utes made up for a season full of bad memories and missed opportunities, as they didn't turn the ball over all day and outgained the Cougar offense, 491-485. Ratliff made up 352 of that and was responsible for five total touchdowns, while Ganther finished with 131 yards on the ground. The Cougars, meanwhile, for all the progress they made this season, end their season with their heads down after another disappointing loss to their arch-nemesis. c.bellamy@ chronicle.utah.edu Point guard Shona Thorburn looks to pass in action this season. Thorburn was picked seventh in this month's WNBA draft. star point guard at Penn State and for the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers, were looking for a player who could push the ball up the floor and create her own shot, and the versatile Thorburn fit the bill. The 5-foot-io-inch Canadian product was second in the nation in assists last season, but really made a name for herself in this year's NCAA Tournament, where she carried the Utes on her back on their way to the Elite Eight. "In all honestly, we were at one of her games looking at one of her opponents and noticed her," McConnell said. "We liked a lot of things about her—her toughness, her ability to create, she can get into the paint at will, she creates for her teammates and she rebounds very well," Thorburn averaged 16.3 points and 7.0 assists per contest during the tourney, including a 21-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound effort in the first round, where she led the Utes back from a 15-point second-half deficit to claim a victory of Middle Tennessee State. "Late in the game, when the game is on the line, she plays with a sense of urgency and has the ability to put a team on her shoulders," McConnell said. Thorburn's Utah teammate, Kim Smith, heads to Sacramento, last year's WNBA champs. The four-time MWC Player of the Year is expected to play small forward in the pros but, like Thorburn, was S T U D E N T S ! RECEIVE A 20% DISCOUNT WITH ID OLDEST.'JEWELER IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN AREA. Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00-5:30 Saturday 10:00-4:00 • 14k and 18k gold • White & Yellow Gold • Platinum 1 Titanium • Tungsten ' «Bridal & Wedding Rings • Custom Designs • Anniversary Bands • Certified Stones a highly touted prospect because of her versatility. Over her four-year career, she was one of the best scorers and rebounding players in the Mountain West Conference, and in pre-draft analysis WNBA scouts commented on her ability to create, in addition to her talents in the post. "Throughout her four-year college career, Kim has had a great shooting percentage from the floor and the line," Sacramento head coach/general manager John Whisenant said. "We think she can learn our defensive style and be an excellent team player." Now that she's in the pros, Smith joins a Sacramento squad that will be looking to repeat as WNBA champions this fall. What Smith brings is a much-needed perimeter threat, as well as yet another scorer for what was the fourth-highest scoring team in the league last year. "It seems like a great fit for me, with their team and style of play. I think I'll fit in really well," Smith said. Thorburn, however, may have a better chance at earning extensive playing time right away. She joins a Minnesota group that finished just See D R A F T Page 20 * * 2115 EAST 2100 SOUTH PHONE(801)461-0661 -BENNION JEWELERS ^ ^ Loose Diamond Headquarters 364-3667 107 South Main Street • Salt Lake City '• www.bennionjewelers.com We accept: Visa, Mastercard, AmEx & Discover JAPANESE STYLE TA TAMI ROOMS A VAILABLE RESERVE YOURS IN ADVANCE check us out on the web! *» |