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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.corn 7 SPORTS Wednesday October 5, 2011 FOOTBALL Taste of a new Q B Hays ready to pick up Wynn's slack Bubba Brown STAFF WRITER NATHAN SWEET/The Daily Utah Chronicle Jon Hays will fill in for injured Jordan Wynn. Utah will alter its game plan to accommodate the new quarterback, but Hays said basic plays won't change. A month and a half after moving to the campus of Division-II Nebraska-Omahawhere he was set to become the football team's starting quarterback—Jon Hays got an e-mail that would change his life. It alerted Hays, who had just begun to settle into his new campus digs, that the football program was being disbanded, much to the disbelief of Hays and his new teammates. "At first we thought we were going Division-I, actually, so we were all excited," Hays said. "(Then I) looked a little further into the email." Fortunately for Hays, the demise of the Nebraska-Omaha program coincided with Utah's search for a backup quarterback. Hays, who was in contact with other Division-I schools but didn't have any other offers, quickly committed to the Utes. After earning the backup role in fall camp, Hays now finds himself as the Utes' starter following a left shoulder injury to Jordan Wynn that will sideline him for at least two to three weeks. Hays insists he is prepared to take on the role. "That's the mentality I've had since I've been here," he said. "You never know what's going to happen, and unfortunately Jordan got hurt. I've just got to step up." Hays got his first taste of the Pac-12 in the second half of the game Saturday against Washington. He went io-for-i6 for 156 yards and a touchdown, but he also coughed up a fumble and threw an interception. Although he might not have Wynn's experience, the Utes insist they have full confidence in Hays' ability to win games. "That's why we brought him in," said offensive coordinator Norm Chow. "At halftime of the (Washington) game I told him that he was going to have to do it and he said, 'Coach, that's why you brought me here." See FOOTBALL Page 8 UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS TODAY: Men's Tennis All-American Championships TBA Tulsa, Okla. Women's Tennis ITA All-American Championships All day Pacific Palisades, Calif FRIDAY: Softball Utah vs. Southern Idaho 2:15 p.m. Orem Soccer Utah @Washington State 3 p.m. Pullman, Wash. Volleyball Utah @Washington State 7 p.m. Pullman, Wash. Swimming & Diving Intermountain Shootout TBA Grand Junction, Colo. PAC-12 WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS Team Conf. record Overall record Stanford 2-0-0 10-0-1 UCLA 2-0-0 9-0-1 Oregon St. 2-0-0 8-2-1 Washington St. 1-1-0 7-4-1 California 1-0-1 8-2-1 Oregon 0-2-0 5-5-1 Arizona St. 0-2-0 4-6-0 Washington 0-1-1 4-4-3 Colorado 0-1-1 3-5-2 Arizona 0-1-1 0-8-2 USC 0-2-0 3-8-0 GOLF VOLLEYBALL Coach: Utes rise, but far from perfect Meltdown on all courts Struggling against schedule, Utes attempt composure Parker Lee STAFF WRITER McKenzie Dean STAFF WRITER Hard work in practice resulted in some improvement for the golf team last weekend at the Tucker Invitational at the University of New Mexico. Utah was No. 12 heading into the final day of the tournament, and finished No. io out of the 16 teams in attendance with an overall score of 907. Utah's showing at the Tucker Invitational was an improvement from the Falcon Invitational two weeks prior, in which they placed i3th. Sophomore Gentry Hicks led the way for the Utes individually. He shot a 223, which tied him for No. 24 in the individual standings. This was a vast improvement from the Falcon Invitational, where Hicks finished No. 96. Freshman Brandon Kida tied for No. 41 overall with a 227 score. Sophomore Daniel Engle tied for No. 49 by shooting a 228 while freshman Jack Maerki tied for No. 55 posting a mark of 229. Joe Webber shot a 234 for the Utes. The team moved up two spots in the standings Saturday after entering the round sitting in 12th. The Utes shot a combined 302 in the final round. Although Utah has been improving and its No. io finish was its best of the season, head coach Randall McCracken said the Utes are far from a finished product. "We need to continue to be just as consistent when competing as we are when we practice," McCracken said. "Confidence in tournaments is key." Utah's next tournament will be the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in Fairfax California on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. m.dean@chronicle.utah.edu The Utes (6-1o, 1-6) are in an absolute tailspin. The Pac-12 has not been nearly as welcoming as the Utes would have hoped as they have lost six straight matches to conference foes. Utah has lost 18 consecutive sets in those matches. Of those 18 set losses, 13 have been by five or more points, and Utah has lost five sets by io or more points. Last weekend was especially punishing for Utah. It was dominated by UCLA and USC, losing each set by an average of nine points. In both matches, the Utes never led in the first two sets. Their first lead came in the third set each time and was never larger than a one-point advantage. The Bruins and Trojans each had three runs of four or more points, whereas Utah only scored four straight points once the whole weekend. Head coach Beth Launiere is trying to put a stop to the plunge without delay. "We had a two-hour team meeting," Launiere said. "We talked about how the teams on the other side of the net are stressing us and how we need to respond. We talked about how the focus still has to be on us, which is difficult when the stresses are coming at us." On paper, it might appear Utah is nothing more than a Pac-12 bottom dweller. Upon closer examination, however, one can see that Utah's prognosis is not so bleak. In reality, there are two reasons Utah is struggling: its schedule and lack of experience. Utah's schedule has been brutal. During their six-match losing streak the Utes have played five ranked opponents. Four of those teams (Stanford, Cal, UCLA and USC) were ranked in the top five when Utah faced them. Those teams have been statistically impressive all season long. Cal is seventh in the nation in hitting percentage. Oregon is seventh nationally in kills, and USC is eighth. Stanford is No. 7 in blocks per set—and the list goes on and on. At first glance, it might appear that Utah is headed for a season of ineptitude. However, an inexperienced team like the Utes was forced to sink or swim with its schedule, and the Utes took on water. Launiere starts five or six underclassmen every match. See VOLLEYBALL Page 8 JULIAN GOMEZ/The Daily Utah Chronicle Erin Redd and Chelsey Schofield attempt to block an attack against USC. Utah is trying to come back from a six-match, 18-set losing streak. |
