Utah News

Desperate for a win after losing four of its last five games, Utah Mammoth found itself down 2-3 against the Ottawa Senators entering the third period thanks to a last minute goal from Nick Schmaltz.

Though the previous period hadn’t been pretty, Utah was coming in with momentum and facing the struggling Senators goalie Leevi Meriläinen, who was entering the game allowing a league worse 4.57 goals per game. There was still plenty of time left for the Mammoth to make a play.

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And with an early face-off win in Ottawa’s defensive zone, Utah looked like it had just done that, after Jack McBain remarkably scored a goal all while sitting down on the ice with his back facing the net.

Even after tripping over the goal post, McBain somehow tracked the puck down fast enough to hit the net. Thanks to McBain’s quick thinking, Utah had tied the game 3-3 and was building even more momentum.

Only one problem, though — the goal wouldn’t count.

After reviewing the play following an Ottawa Senators challenge, the referees noticed that as McBain was falling, he made slight contact with Meriläinen in the blue paint.

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After the contact, Meriläinen was unable to track where the puck had gone, thinking John Marino had taken it toward the right goal. With both the contact and Meriläinen’s inability to locate the puck, the referees deemed that there was goalie interference and disallowed the goal, much to Utah’s surprise.

According to the rule regarding to goalie interference, “Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.”

The referees clearly deemed that McBain had done enough to impair Meriläinen with the contact he made.

It could be argued that Meriläinen had plenty of time to reestablish himself despite the contact made. After all, McBain’s goal didn’t come immediately after the contact, he just happened to shoot the puck before Meriläinen coult track it. But clearly, the referees in this game didn’t see it that way.

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A disallowed goal is always a tough break, but still, Utah was only down one goal and it had a whole third period still left to play.

But it was clear that the energy had shifted to Ottawa’s favor. Even after stopping a sudden burst of shots from the Senators, Utah would catch another bad break after Michael Amadio amazingly hit the puck perfectly into the net.

What made the play so remarkable was that Amadio was able to perfectly hit teammate Thomas Chabot’s shot midair with his stick. He not only cut at the perfect time, but he also held his stick in the perfect spot for a deflection. Without Amadio, the shot likely would have gone wide right and Ottawa would have only been up one goal still.

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After that, the Utah Mammoth looked like it lost any momentum it had remaining. Though Ottawa wouldn’t score again, Utah was making too many uncharacteristic mistakes to mount a comeback. The team simply couldn’t get past the disallowed goal and Amadio’s goal.

“We need that drive, that energy,” said Nick Schmaltz. “We can come back, no matter how many we’re down, one, two, doesn’t matter. We got to want it, got to want the puck.”

Now having lost five of its last six games, Utah has a lot to fix if it wants to stop this bad stretch — starting with eliminating the defensive mistakes that led to some easy Ottawa goals.

The team has to be encouraged to see both Schmaltz and Clayton Keller make great individual plays to score goals, but Utah can’t get in the habit of relying solely on individual plays. It certainly won’t be able to start scoring on the power play through individual effort alone, either.

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With its next two games back at home, the Mammoth will look to break its losing streak in front of its home fans, starting Wednesday, Nov. 12, against the Buffalo Sabres.

Nothing like a free lunch for a little motivation.

Point guard Moe Odum offered that for certain players who snagged a particular number of rebounds in the team’s latest outing. The Sun Devils registered an 81-66 victory over Utah Tech on Nov. 9 at Desert Financial Arena, improving on the areas ASU coach Bobby Hurley complained about earlier in the week.

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One of those was rebounding, hence the Odum-provided incentive. It was 10 rebounds from freshman center Massamba Diop, eight for forward Santiago Trouet, and seven for Andrija Grbovic.

Diop fell just short with six rebounds but tallied a team-high 18 points and six rebounds, while Trouet chalked up the first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“Lunch is on me,” Odum said, sitting next to Trouet at a table in front of the media. “That’s kind of our thing. I’m on him about the rebounds. I reward them for the rebounds, reward those big men.”

ASU shot 45.5% (30-for-66) from the field, which included a 9-for-24 (37.5%) from long distance. The Trailblazers shot 40% (22-for-55), with a 30% (9-for-30) from deep.

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Let’s take a closer look at what went down.

What went right

Cut down on turnovers: The Sun Devils had 14 in the season opener on Tuesday, which was a high total, especially given that the opponent wasn’t playing a particularly tight defense. They cut that down to eight in this one, with only one player having more than one. The Trailblazers scored 11 off those turnovers. On the other hand, ASU forced 16 and scored 19 points off those. The assist-to-turnover ratio was good as well, with ASU totaling 19 assists.

Rebounded better: ASU was outrebounded by one in the opener. Again, that was distressing not just because it has more size this season, but it was also the caliber of competition. ASU finished with a 41-36 advantage on the boards. It gave up 10 offensive boards, six fewer than in the first game. It gave up 22 points in the paint, an improvement from 44 five days earlier.

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Shot well from the line: ASU made 12 of 16 attempts (75%).

Bench points: ASU outscored Utah Tech in bench points 25-8, with Allen Mukeba scoring 10 and Marcus Adams eight. ASU appears more balanced this season and less reliant on the scoring of one or two players.

What went wrong

Got sloppy with big lead: ASU’s biggest lead was 23 points at 75-52 with 5:16 left. Utah Tech went on a 13-0 run over the next 2:25 to cut the deficit to 75-65 on a 3-pointer by Chance Trujillo. That was the longest scoring run the visitors had in the contest. Odum hit two free throws to stop the run with 2:10 left in the game.

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They said it

ASU coach Bobby Hurley: “I was pretty pleased with how we played for the most part. We addressed some issues, some concerns I had after the last game. Our aggression level was better, keeping them out of the paint was better until it got sloppy towards the end of the game. So we can’t afford to do that against really good teams that we’ll be playing throughout the year. So hopefully we’ll do a better job of not playing the scoreboard and still having good possessions at both ends of the floor.”

ASU point guard Moe Odum, on Massamba Diop: “He doesn’t have a ceiling. He’s through the sky. I’m on him every day. I’m telling him, ‘You’re young, but I see a lot in you.’ It’s your mind, not your age. He’s really good. We’re not letting him miss a day, not letting him take a day off.”

Personnel notes

The four players who were sidelined due to injuries for the first game remained out — G Adante Holiman, G Noah Meeusen, F Jovan Icitovic, and G Vijay Wallace. Wallace is out for the season . . . . Hurley started the same lineup he did in the opener — Trouet, Diop, Odum, Grbovic, and Bryce Ford.

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Up next

Arizona State will host Gonzaga (2-0) at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14. That game will feature two players with local ties who now play for the Zags. Guard Adam Miller, who played the previous two years for the Sun Devils, is now at Gonzaga, as is former Grand Canyon standout Tyon Grant-Foster.

Miller is averaging 10 points and Grant-Foster had 14.5 in the Zags’ first two games.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU basketball team shows improvement in win over Utah Tech

The Utah Jazz have come into this season with some promising players, but who is the one who is showing the most results? In our latest NBA Reacts, I wanted to see who Jazz fans think is their most improved player, and it’s clear that Jazz fans look at Keyonte George as that player.

This isn’t a surprise. George is averaging a career high in scoring, assists, and free throw attempts (22.1 PPG, 7.2 assists, 8.4 FTA). These are monster numbers from George, who is also improving his field goal percentage. George has become a huge success story for the Jazz, who are in desperate need of some success from their young players.

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On top of the numbers, George has shown some real leadership on the floor. His mentality and maturity are on clear display. You see him multiple times during the game, talking with teammates, figuring out how to improve. He also has shown great body language and is getting back on defense every time. Something that wasn’t always a given last season. Speaking of defense, George is defending at a much better level. He’s not a lockdown defender by any means, but he is putting in effort and getting just under 1 SPG, also a career high.

Utah is now looking like they have the heir apparent to Mike Conley, they have been looking for, and a player that will fit nicely with whoever they add to this team down the road.

Nevada travelled to Logan, Utah, to take on Utah State for the last time as Mountain West foes. The Aggies came into this game a perfect 4-0 at home and extended that to 5-0 after a lopsided 51-14 win over the Wolf Pack.

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There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Nevada was pretty bad. The offense struggled to pick up first downs, let alone get on the scoreboard. Utah State’s offense dominated all the way through and put up over 40 points in the first half alone.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter:

13:19: Bryson Barnes 53-yard TD pass to Brady Boyd (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 7

8:21: Miles Davis 3-yard TD run (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 14

2:42: Tanner Rinker 32-yard FG

Nevada 0 – Utah State 17

1:54: Brevin Hamblin 38-yard interception return for a TD (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 24

2nd Quarter:

11:13: Tanner Rinker 44-yard FG

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Nevada 0 – Utah State 27

7:59: Bryson Barnes 15-yard TD pass to Anthony Garcia (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 34

0:04: Miles Davis 1-yard TD run (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 41

3rd Quarter:

7:51: Bryson Barnes 21-yard TD pass to Brady Boyd (Tanner Rinker PAT)

Nevada 0 – Utah State 48

4:24: Chubba Purdy 41-yard TD pass to Caleb Ramseur (Joe Mcfadden PAT)

Nevada 7 – Utah State 48

4th Quarter:

8:22: Chubba Purdy 34-yard TD pass to Jett Carpenter (Joe Mcfadden PAT)

Nevada 14 – Utah State 48

5:13: Tanner Rinker 21-yard FG

Nevada 14 – Utah State 51

Final: Nevada 14, Utah State 51

Offense

It was another quiet first drive for Carter Jones and Nevada’s offense with a three-and-out.

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The offense continued to be extremely dead in the first quarter. The Wolf Pack didn’t pick up a first down until the 2:33 mark, but that was quickly wiped away after Jones threw a pick-six to make it 24-0 Utah State.

It looked like Nevada had a big break on a 43-yard run by Herschel Turner, but a holding penalty wiped the small momentum Nevada gained on that play.

Jones simply didn’t look. comfortable against Utah State’s defense. He threw two picks in the first half and ended the night going 1-6 with minus one yard.

Only one first down was recorded by Nevada in the first half as well. The offense picked up 47 total yards in that span and finished the game with 242. It was arguably one of the worst first halves of football in program history.

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AJ Bianco got the ball to start the second half, followed by Purdy getting a few snaps at the QB spot. Bianco got the quarterback room into the positive passing yard section, going 6-11 with 43 yards. Purdy was responsible for Nevada’s two touchdowns, a 41-yard pass to Caleb Ramseur and a 34-yard pass to Jett Carpenter.

Purdy finished with 80 passing yards, 45 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Nevada picked up 11 first downs, with only one of them coming in the first half and gave up three turnovers.

Defense

It only took four plays for Utah State’s offense to find the endzone. Nevada forced a quick third down, but Aggies QB Bryson Barnes made two complete passes, including a 53-yard dot for the touchdown.

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Utah State continued to dominate the first quarter with a 24-0 lead and went into halftime leading 41-0. Barnes started the first half, going 19-26 with 267 yards and two touchdowns. The Aggies collected 335 yards in the first half alone and a total of 522.

Barnes ended the night 20-27 with 288 passing yards, 40 rushing and three touchdowns. He led Utah State to 41 points before halftime and closed out a dominant night against a Nevada defense that had been playing well. Barnes wasn’t sacked once and had no real pressure in the pocket.

What’s Next

Nevada will head back home to host San Jose State on Saturday, Nov. 15, for an early 12:30 p.m. matchup. The Spartans fell victim to Air Force tonight, 26-16, on their home turf.

After another bye week, Nevada gears up for another road game this afternoon against Utah State. The Aggies sit at an even .500 at 4-4 and 2-2 in conference play as they continue their push for a bowl game. Nevada is still eying its first conference win in two years and is out of bowl contention, sitting at 1-7.

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Nevada (1-7)(0-4) @ Utah State (4-4)(2-2)

Location: Maverik Stadium

Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. PST

Broadcast: CBS Sports Network

Betting line: Utah State favored by 9.5 points. The total of 52.5

History: Nevada is 19-8 all-time. Utah State won the last matchup in 2023 41-24, which was also played in Utah.

Keys to the game

• Bully a weak offensive line

Utah State QB Bryson Barnes has led an excellent offense this season. He’s thrown for 1,808 yards, rushed for 367 and has a total of 21 touchdowns. He can do it all, but that’s partly because he almost has to. His offensive line has given up a conference high of 28 sacks, ranking near the top 10 in the country in that category.

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Nevada’s defensive line, and honestly, defense in general, has played above expectations. The line has been led by Dylan LaBarbera and Jonathan Maldonado, who have combined for 9.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. Barnes will hurt you with his arm if given too much time, but an uncontrolled pass rush will allow him to escape and create new windows.

Collapsing the pocket and forcing Barnes to improvise early will give Nevada the best shot at slowing down one of the best offenses in the conference, especially at home as the Aggies average 38.8 points on their home turf.

• Let Herschel Turner have a revenge game

One of the most fun and generic storylines for any sport is when a player returns to play against one of their former teams. Running back Herschel Turner returns to Logan to face his former team. Last year, as a freshman at Utah State, Turner rushed for 405 yards and four touchdowns.

Nevada will need that kind of boost from someone like Turner. The Pack’s rush attack has been abysmal this season and even worse as of late. In the last four games, Nevada’s run game has averaged 86.3 yards. It’ll have a favorable chance against a Utah State defense that allows 185.8 rush yards per game.

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• Only four games left, so steal a game somewhere

Since the start of 2021, Nevada has lost 25 of 27 Mountain West games, including the last 15 in a row. Overall, the Wolf Pack has dropped 38 of its last 46 contests. Head coach Jeff Choate is still winless in conference play with Nevada.

Utah State has won all four of its home games this season with a strong offense. Road games are always going to be tougher than normal, especially against a conference opponent. But Nevada has four games left and needs something to go its way to take it into 2026. Whether that’s stealing a win today in Logan or in the next three games, something has to give.

Prediction

I think this is the game Nevada breaks through. Utah State’s offense is tough, but so is Nevada’s defense. Nevada’s offense hasn’t been great, but neither has Utah State’s defense. Someone told me that Choate will never lose a press conference, and I can say that’s true. I can also say that every loss makes him that much hungrier to break this losing streak. He has that vision, and I see it happening today against the Aggies.

Give me a 27-24 win for Nevada. It may be crazy, but at 1-7, what is there to lose?

Utah wildlife officials are again reminding people that it’s illegal to dump fish into bodies of water after state biologists discovered an unapproved species had been introduced at a southeast Utah reservoir.

Biologists found smallmouth bass at Loyds Lake, located within the Colorado River drainage located southwest of Monticello, while doing routine surveys, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reported on Wednesday. The reservoir is home to rainbow trout and green sunfish, but not bass, largely because of its proximity to the Colorado River and the threat to native fish within it.

“Due to several endangered fish in the Colorado River, we partner with other agencies to ensure that our sportfish stocking does not interfere with the recovery of native fish. The stocking of sportfish in any drainages in the Colorado River Basin is therefore highly regulated,” said Trina Hedrick, the division’s sportfish coordinator, in a statement. “This illegal introduction is very problematic.”

It’s unclear when the fish were dumped in the reservoir, but the division warns that unapproved species can prey on or outcompete other species approved for a body of water. These include sportfish and native species. New species can also introduce diseases into an ecosystem or impact water quality.

They can also destroy fisheries, which is why it’s a class A misdemeanor to introduce fish into new locations, Hedrick added.

“If we were going to consider the stocking of smallmouth bass, it would get a thorough review and escapement evaluation, and it is highly unlikely that we would stock the species here,” she said.

Anyone who witnesses a person attempting to dump or relocate a fish, or discovers an unauthorized fish species in a body of water, is encouraged to contact state wildlife officials at 800-662-3337.