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Show 6 Friday August 31, 2012 SPORTS www.dailyutahchronicle.corn FOOTBI UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS Utes 'clink and dunk' a shutout against Bears TODAY: Volleyball Utah vs. Santa Clara 11 a.m. Davis, Calif Volleyball Utah vs. UC Davis 7 p.m. Davis, Calif UTES WIN WEDNESDAY: continued from Page 1 Soccer "Obviously we would like to start a little faster on offense," Wynn said. "A lot of that has to do with me. If I [didn't] throw that pick, who knows what happens on the first series and sets up the momentum for the rest of the game. I put a little too much air on it. The wind kind of took it, but that's no excuse." A lengthy exchange of punts was finally broken after a flurry of late scores from running back John White, freshman quarterback Travis Wilson and an impressive catch from tight end Jake Murphy in the corner of the end zone. Both Murphy and Wilson played key parts in propelling the offense, especially when the Utes were in scoring position. Together, they combined for four touchdowns. Wynn also shook off his first-quarter interception and turned in a respectable performance. He finished 19 of 27 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Altogether, the Utes outgained the Bears 414 to 114. On par with last year's excellence, White finished the night with his ninth career too-yard game and one touchdown. His 24 carries and 119 yards were right in line with the amount of work Whittingham will delegate to his workhorse throughout the season. "[White] has a whole bag full of missed tackles he brings to each game and starts handing them out," Whittingham said. "That's his game. He's a darter and can change direction and make you look foolish." Up 21-0 at the half, the Utes were given the chance to tack on a field goal after North- Utah @ Weber State 12 p.m. Ogden Volleyball Utah vs. North Carolina 1 p.m. Davis, Calif FRIDAY 9/7: Football Utah @ Utah State 6 p.m. Logan Volleyball Utah @ BYU 9:30 a.m. Provo SATURDAY 9/8: Soccer Utah vs. Texas 12 p.m. Ute Field PAC-12 RANKINGS VOLLEYBALL 1.Utah 5-0 2.Arizona St. 3-0 3.Colorado 3-0 4.Oregon 3-0 5.USC 3-0 6.Washington 2-0 7.Arizona 2-1 8.Oregon St. 2-1 9.Stanford 2-1 10.Cal 1-1 11.UCLA 1-1 12.Washington St. 1-2 UTAH: 41 NO. COLO.: 0 NEXT GAME: UTAH STATE Friday 9/7 at 6 p.m. Logan ern Colorado's Mason Puckett accidentally knelt on the punt. Utah's Coleman Peterson knocked the ensuing 27yard field goal try off the left upright, however. Peterson also missed an extra point at the beginning of the fourth quarter. "Obviously we had some issues with the place-kicking game," Whittingham said. "We missed a chip-shot field goal and missed a PAT [point after touchdown]. That will haunt us at some point in the season if we don't get that fixed." The Utes escaped another special teams scare in the third quarter when punt returner Charles Henderson attempted a field punt inside the Utes' own red zone despite thick Bear coverage. The following series crept down the field while the offense featured a variety of looks which included a reverse end around by wide receiver Dres Anderson and carries by backup running back Jarrell Oliver and Wilson. The longest drive in Rice-Eccles Stadium since 1998 — 21 plays in to minutes and 43 seconds — concluded with Murphy's second touchdown reception. "Receivers were making plays, John [White] was running the ball well so it was a collective [job]," Wynn said. "We kind of just dinked and dunked and took our chunks as we could get them all the way down." d.siddoway@ chronicle.utah.edu JONATHAN ROYCE/The Daily Utah Chronicle Joe Kruger runs in for a touchdown after an interception during the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Friday against Northern Colorado. Murphy, Wilson spark offense Parker Lee STAFF WRITER Utah's sluggish start eventually gave way to solid offensive performance, but it took a spark from an unexpected source. Tight end Jake Murphy was the one to get the Utes rolling as he had the best game of his career. "I have been high on Jake Murphy since he got to the program," said head coach Kyle Whittingham. "I thought we underutilized him last year." Entering Thursday's season opener, Murphy had 64 career receiving yards. Against Northern Colorado, Murphy racked up 63 yards on four catches in the first half alone. Murphy got Utah on the board with a to-yard touchdown reception about two minutes into the second quarter. What was most impressive about Murphy's coming out party was that none of Jordan Wynn's throws were right to him. Murphy had to make plays on balls thrown behind him and over his head. He was wide open on his first touchdown catch, but he had jump with arms fully extended to snag it in the corner of the end zone. The sophomore tight end wasn't done, though. Wynn and Murphy hooked up for a second touchdown two minutes and 42 seconds into in the fourth quarter. On third and goal from the eight-yard line, Murphy once again found himself wide open in the middle of the end zone and Wynn slung him the ball for the score. "Coach Johnson is confident in the tight ends, so with those first couple catches, it just kept developing and they just kept coming back [to me]," Murphy said. • to Utah builds confidence with solid, easy win JAKE BULLINGER Sports Editor N JONATHAN ROYCE/The Daily Utah Chronicle Sophomore Jake Murphy charges Northern Colorado's Jordan Bible and makes his way downfield for a few extra yards during the game Thursday. Murphy led all players with 78 yards and six catches to go along with his two touchdown grabs. He set career highs in all three categories. Although Murphy might not be Wynn's favorite target throughout the season, he will continue to be a great alternative when wide outs such as DeVonte Christopher and Dres Anderson draw heavy coverage. Murphy proved he is sure-handed and he can get open. "Jake has exceptional ball skills for a tight end," Whittingham said. "He's got great hands and he's not a bad blocker. His best days are ahead of him." Murphy was not alone in his surprising performance. Freshman quarterback Travis Wilson also made a splash in his first collegiate contest. Wilson came in sporadically to give the Utes a running option at quarterback, and made the most of his opportunities as he rushed for two touchdowns and 15 yards. "Throughout the week, they told me I would get a chance to do some run stuff," Wilson said. "I was really excited that I got my name called to go out there and run a little bit. I was really thankful." Wilson took over for Wynn on Utah's final offensive possession and completed each of his two pass attempts for a total of 21 yards. Whittingham sang the praises of Wilson, and just playing him Thursday was an endorsement — it eliminated the option of redshirting the freshman. With Murphy being a sophomore and Wilson being a freshman, the real test will come when the Utes face stiffer defenses. For now, though, Utah has a few weapons that will be dangerous for years to come. p.lee@chronicle.utah.edu o, Utah didn't rack up 500 yards of offense. Jordan Wynn didn't unleash awe-inspiring passes, and John White didn't push 200 yards rushing. But Utah did exactly what it needed to do Thursday night—it beat a lesser opponent easily, and its 41-0 win over Northern Colorado is enough to at least build confidence going forward. "We're an [FBS] team, and they're an [FCS] team. I'll go out on a limb and say we have more talent," linebacker Trevor Reilly said. "We should have won that game." It wasn't flashy, but Utah's win is enough to tip the momentum scale in its favor. And although the postgame atmosphere wasn't jubilant by any means, it seemed like Mardi Gras compared to Utah's disappointing season opener a year ago, when it only beat Montana State 27-10 and head coach Kyle Whittingham was visibly upset following the game. "It gives us a lot of confidence going into next week," tailback John White said. "That last game [against Montana State] ... wasn't a blowout like this. We've just got to keep our head on our See EASY WIN Page 8 |