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Dylan Guenther is as clutch as ever for Utah Mammoth.

Playing in overtime against the Predators, Utah was in full control after securing the puck early. Though Utah was managing to keep the puck away from Nashville, the Mammoth was still looking for an opening in the Predators’ defense.

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Suddenly, after a near turnover, Guenther got that opportunity and delivered big time.

Though Nashville defenseman Spencer Stastney certainly put a lot of pressure on Guenther, Guenther stayed strong and controlled the pass from Mikhail Sergachev by deflecting it back off the boards.

But what was even more impressive was Guenther holding off Fedor Svechkov’s best efforts to steal the puck shortly after.

With Svechkov too far behind and the puck under control, all Guenther had to do was get past goalie Juuse Saros. With a quick burst and Saros leaning left, Guenther took his shot and won the game.

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“As you get more comfortable playing in close games and [get] in those situations all the time, I mean you get better at it,” said Guenther. “Those are the ones that you want to play in.”

For Guenther, game-winners are a regular occurrence as he managed to score nine game-winning goals last season. On top of that, Guenther’s offense has been very important for Utah as he has scored two of Utah’s four goals this season and even added an assist on a third.

Utah winning its first overtime game is a great sign, especially since it lost 13 overtime games last season.

But not everything went well for the Mammoth in overtime, as it saw defenseman Sean Durzi injured and in pain after a hard collision with Nashville.

“I don’t have an update,” said coach André Tourigny when asked about Durzi’s injury status.

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Utah will have to hope Durzi’s injury isn’t too serious, considering he was a big part of why the Mammoth even got to overtime after assisting on a clutch Jack McBain goal to tie the game 2-2 in the third.

But if not for an earlier Utah challenge that successfully called back Nashville defenseman Roman Josi’s third-period goal due to an offside, the game might have ended differently.

If not for Karel Vejmelka’s impressive play as well in his 200th NHL game, Utah would never have been able to tie the game and force overtime. But in the end, the score was still 2-1 despite the scares, and Utah eventually forced overtime thanks to McBain’s goal.

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“We showed a lot of resilience,” said McBain. “There was a lot of penalties and stuff in the second period. Maybe not our best stuff, but we stuck with it really well and got a good team win there.”

Though the Mammoth came out swinging on offense with a great goal from Logan Cooley just 2:21 into the game, Utah still has some work to do if it wants to be a top-10 offense.

Specifically, the Mammoth’s power play wasn’t able to capitalize despite four opportunities. It wasn’t as if Utah didn’t get any shots either — Nick Schmaltz got all four of his shot attempts by simply sitting in the slot on the power play.

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The Mammoth will need to find more opportunities to crash the blue paint to help Schmaltz and change up its shot selection a bit more if it wants to capitalize on the man advantage.

But more importantly, Utah will need to clean up its game after it amassed six second-period penalties that nearly put the Mammoth in a big hole. Though Nashville also took penalties of its own, the Mammoth still gave it five power-play opportunities.

On the bright side, the Mammoth has to be happy it was able to be successful with its penalty kill unit, but it certainly made winning tonight’s game even harder by being down a man so often.

But a win is a win, and Utah will take its first one any way it can get it.

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With its next game on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 13, Utah could come away from its road trip 2-1 — that is, if it can stay out of the penalty box.

When it was announced last week that Utah State football had come to an agreement with Washington to play a game next season in Seattle, questions arose.

To be clear, those questions were not about why Utah State scheduled the football game.

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With the move to Pac-12 next summer, Utah State has to find five nonconference opponents, and before the announcement of the game against the Huskies, the Aggies had just two games scheduled — at home against Idaho State and on the road against Utah.

Utah State needs games — it still does — and the game against Washington will pay USU $1.5 million. Add in the fact that Washington is a Western-based Power Four program, exactly the type of program Bronco Mendenhall said he hoped the Aggies would schedule going forward, and it was even better for the Aggies.

The game makes complete sense in almost every way, aside from giving USU two P4 opponents in a single season again.

No, the questions that arose after the announcement of the USU-Washington game were centered on luck and whether or not Utah State has much at all, if any.

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For a large subset of Aggie fans, it feels as though USU only plays P4 teams when they are at their best, often during special seasons. This season, Utah State has played both No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 20 Vanderbilt, and there is a real argument that both teams are in the middle of the best seasons in program history, or at least the best starts to a season.

So there were jokes aplenty that Washington can look forward to being a College Football Playoff contender next season — the Huskies are 4-1 this season and ranked No. 27 in ESPN’s latest Football Power Index.

Such is the curse of the Aggies, or something like that.

But is it true? Does Utah State have the misfortune of playing P4 teams when they are on the upswing rather than catching P4 teams when they are down or underachieving?

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Or is that just recency bias, with Texas A&M and Vanderbilt especially, but other teams in the recent past as well?

As it turns out, it is a little of both.

What Power Four teams has Utah State played?

Over the last 15 years, going back to the 2011 season, the Aggies have played 13 Power Four teams, many of those teams multiple times.

(For the purposes of this exercise, we aren’t counting games against Oregon State and Washington State. Additionally, games against BYU, prior to the Cougars joining the Big 12, weren’t considered, either.)

Those teams have come from across the college football landscape, too, from the SEC (Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt), the Big Ten (Wisconsin, Washington, Michigan State, Iowa and USC), the ACC (Wake Forest) and the Big 12 (Utah).

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Some of those indeed were experiencing real highs when they played the Aggies.

Take LSU in 2019.

Before that season, LSU was expected to be improved (the Tigers won 10 games the year before), but few had any idea of just how improved it would be. Led by Joe Burrow, those Tigers rolled in dominant fashion to an undefeated 15-0 record and won the national title running away.

That LSU team might be the best college football team of all time. Bad luck, Aggies. What hurts more? The next year, LSU went 5-5 overall. Yes, it was the pandemic-marred 2020 season, but it wasn’t a one-off. The year after that, LSU went 6-7 and Ed Orgeron was fired.

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It isn’t just LSU either.

In 2017, Utah State played the best Wisconsin team (by final record) ever. That year, the Badgers finished 13-1 and won the Orange Bowl. Led by star tailback Jonathan Taylor, the Badgers handled anyone and everyone they faced off against that year, save for only Ohio State.

The average margin of victory for Wisconsin in 2017 was nearly 20 points per game (19.85).

Similar to LSU, the year after the Aggies faced off against an elite Wisconsin team, Wisconsin was vulnerable, winning just eight games in 2018.

You can’t talk about programs peaking when they play Utah State without mentioning both Texas A&M and Vanderbilt this season.

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The other Aggies are 5-0 right now, ranked No. 5 overall, and are on pace for the best season by the program since 2012, the last time Texas A&M won double-digit games.

Vanderbilt, meanwhile, at 5-1, is trending toward the best season in program history. The most wins the Commodores have racked up in a single season is nine, most recently accomplished in 2012 and 2013 under James Franklin. Vanderbilt is on pace — right now — for the first double-digit win season in program history.

The Aggies have also benefitted from playing teams at opportune times as well, though.

In 2012 and 2013, Utah was in its early days in the Pac-12 and won just five games in back-to-back seasons. The Utes had talent, sure, but not the depth to compete at the Power conference level, and it took time for them to get there.

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In 2014, USU faced off against a bad Wake Forest team that won only three games. That is notable because the Demon Deacons went on — a couple of seasons later — to win seven or more games in six of seven seasons, including an 11-win campaign in 2021. Utah State did catch two of those teams, in 2017 and 2019, barely missing out on an upset in 2019.

Utah State also played a pretty mediocre Tennessee team in 2014. The Volunteers won seven games that season, but went on to win nine games in back-to-back years the next two years.

In 2015, Washington was mediocre, a seven-win team. And in 2018, Utah State played a mediocre Michigan State team that won seven games.

Last year, the Aggies caught both Utah (five wins) and USC (seven wins) in down years. It didn’t matter, as the Aggies themselves were struggling, but the Utes and Trojans were far from their best selves when they played USU.

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More than anything else, though, Utah State has played good P4 schools when they are good. A challenge, sure, but not an unsurprising one.

In 2011, Auburn won eight games, a fall off from the national title run the season prior, but still, a solid season, even one of the better ones for the Tigers in the last 15 years.

Wisconsin in 2012 was an eight-win team. A good team, though not as good as the ones that preceded or followed.

USC won 10 games in both 2013 and 2016.

Wake Forest, as previously mentioned, won eight games in 2017 and 2019.

Alabama won 11 games in 2022, not the Crimson Tide at their greatest (they missed the College Football Playoff) but still a great team.

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Iowa won 10 games in 2013, and Utah State was in their game against the Hawkeyes throughout, with a chance to win it in the fourth quarter.

Next season, Utah State is slated to play both Utah and Washington on the road.

It is certainly possible that both teams could be great when the Aggies play them. Right now, the Utes and Huskies are a combined 8-2 and are in the hunt in their respective conferences (Big 12 and Big Ten).

Will Utah and Washington be among the best teams in their respective histories?

Even though it might feel like it when they play the Aggies, probably not. Unless Utah State is really that unlucky.

The team from Utah separated itself on Friday in the second round of the International Senior Invitational. Call it a full-team effort.

Utah’s rise to the top of the leaderboard during Thursday’s opening round of the elite senior event at Cartersville (Georgia) Country Club could largely be attributed to Shane McMillan. Two eagles and six birdies went a long way in helping McMillan secure the top spot on the individual leaderboard as well as the team leaderboard, but on Friday, that hot play cooled slightly.

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After an opening 65, McMillan returned a 74 on Friday with only two birdies canceled out by four bogeys. His teammates, however, stepped up in the play-three-count-two format. Brigham Gibbs posted 71 while Jon Wright had 74. Utah is now 4 under and one shot ahead of South Carolina.

McMillan is still in a tie for first place on the individual leaderboard after being caught by Irishman Joe Lyons, who backed up an opening 71 with a 68 to reach 5 under. No surprise there: Lyons is among his country’s most notable senior amateurs. He has won multiple Irish Senior Men’s Amateur Close Championships as well as the Spanish, Portuguese, and Irish senior amateur championships.

Lyons won the individual title in this event in 2023. He is co-founder of Lyons Links, which operates luxury golf and sightseeing tours in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and lives a life that revolves around the game.

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Lyons’ strong play led his Irish team five spots up the leaderboard to a tie for eighth with Kentucky and Florida. The biggest mover of the day, however, was team Arkansas. Led by Stan Payne’s 66, that threesome climbed 15 spots into a tie for third. At 1 under as a team, Arkansas is now only three off Utah’s pace and in real contention for the title.

Iowa also climbed the team leaderboard on Friday, jumping five spots into a tie for third along with Arkansas and Scotland.

Mike McCoy, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, largely led that Iowan effort with his second-round 71. He is 4 under for the tournament and in solo third.

With one round left, a local team lurks, too. Cartersville member Chad Branton continues to lead the charge for a Georgia team that includes past U.S. Senior Am champs Bob Royak and Rusty Strawn. Branton posted a second-round 70 that moved him into the top 5 individually as his Georgia team sits in sixth on the team leaderboard.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Utah leads International Senior Invite after second-round leaderboard shuffle

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Utah World Fashion Week is coming to Salt Lake City this Oct., showcasing top designers, emerging talent, and innovative collections.

The event will host designers, photographers, models, and fashion students from all across the country. It is the only event in Utah that offers a full fashion week, twice a year. The Feb. event is in Park City, and the Oct. event is in Salt Lake City.

“We are trying to give a platform to designers, students, and emerging designers to showcase their work,” said General Manager for Utah World Fashion Week, Stefany De Rei.

While a handful of the creatives are from Utah, the event welcomes in people from all across the country. De Rei said that approximately 120 creatives will be at the Oct. event.

Rose Park neighborhood moving forward together after flood

“We are proud to present collections of local and international designers, generate unique experiences for the media and the public, and consolidate Utah as a benchmark in the fashion industry,” said De Rei.

New concepts and shows

The concept for this season’s show is the elements — air, water, fuego, and earth. Each of the four runway designs, music, LED screens, and lighting will interpret the element of the day.

Additionally, this Oct. will be the first time Utah World Fashion Week has a runway for kids. The air show, on Oct. 22, will showcase young models as well as brands that inspire children.

‘We are making something new in Utah. We are helping grow the [fashion] industry,” said De Rei.

Utah World Fashion Week will take place on Oct. 22 through 25. Tickets can be purchased online.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Arizona State starting quarterback Sam Leavitt has been officially ruled out of Saturday’s game at Utah, which means the Sun Devils will be starting backup Jeff Sims in a projected rainy night game in Salt Lake City.

Sims’ journey to Tempe has been a long and winding one, but he’ll get his chance for a marquee win over Utah on Saturday.

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Sims began his college career at Georgia Tech in 2020, where he started all of the Yellow Jackets’ 10 games in the pandemic-shortened season. He threw for 1,881 yards and 13 touchdowns (with 13 interceptions), adding 492 yards and six scores on the ground as Georgia Tech went 3-7.

The following year, Sims was again the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback in another three-win season, throwing for 1,468 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions and rushing for 372 yards and four scores over eight games before missing the rest of the year with an injury.

In 2022, his last year at Georgia Tech, Sims started the first seven games, throwing for 1,115 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions and adding 288 yards and a score on the ground, but again he suffered an injury that led to him missing the remainder of the season.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Sims transferred to Nebraska and won the starting job there, starting the first two games, but once again, injuries and turnover issues derailed his season.

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He finished with 282 yards and a touchdown with six interceptions with a 59.6 completion percentage and 189 rushing yards with one touchdown and six fumbles.

Sims then transferred to Arizona State ahead of the 2024 season, where he’s been Leavitt’s backup since.

Sims’ only meaningful snaps at ASU came in Week 8 at Cincinnati last year, when he started for an injured Leavitt. In a 24-14 loss to the Bearcats, Sims was 12 for 23 for 155 yards, adding 53 yards on the ground.

His favorite target, by far, was receiver Jordyn Tyson, who had six receptions for 108 yards. All of ASU’s other receivers had just two receptions for 14 yards.

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A six-year college football veteran, Sims has totaled 4,914 yards and 31 touchdowns with 29 interceptions on 57.4% completion and added 1,464 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns with 27 fumbles.

As far as backups in the transfer portal era go, Sims is solid. There’s a reason he’s behind Leavitt — he’s never been able to get a handle on turnovers in his career and has never eclipsed 60% completion in a season — but it’s rare to get a veteran starter at quarterback who’s willing to sit behind another player in this day and age.

Like Leavitt, Sims can make teams pay on the ground, which means that Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham won’t need to drastically alter his game plan.

With the forecast calling for rain throughout Saturday night’s contest, Arizona State’s game plan will likely be to keep the ball on the ground a fair amount — something the Sun Devils excel at.

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Arizona State, which has made its living on the ground this year with 216.6 yards per game, is just fine with the stormy weather.

“He makes explosive plays, which is what he’s done early in his career. My first game at Florida State, I lost to Jeff Sims as the offensive coordinator,” Dillingham said on the Bickley & Marotta” radio show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “… “The game plan is not changing. We got a lot of confidence in Jeff.”

On the news that Leavitt was out, the line moved considerably towards Utah, which is now a 9.5-point favorite.

Now at his third stop, Sims has the opportunity to upset the Utes and continue the Sun Devils’ unbeaten streak in Big 12 play. Will he be able to do it against a Ute defense that can force its share of turnovers?

We’ll find out on Saturday night.

On opening day of the International Senior Invitational, a trio of players from Scotland put an emphasis on the international component of the event. On a relatively calm day at Cartersville (Georgia) Country Club, Scotland played its way to the top of the leaderboard alongside a team from Utah.

Interestingly, the Scotland team didn’t even tap Derek Paton, arguably its all-star, in the play-three-count-two team format on Thursday. Paton, winner of the 2021 Irish Senior Men’s Amateur Open, fired an opening 77 that included only one birdie. Teammates Bryan Innes and Ronnie Clark threw out more than enough birdies to make up for that, however. Innes put up a 66 that left him second individually and Clark posted a solid 73.

Utah, meanwhile, got its edge from Shane McMillan, the Bountiful, Utah, resident who put up an opening 7-under 65. McMillan put together a colorful card that included eagles at Nos. 6 and 11, both par 5s, and six birdies to go along with them.

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Both Utah and Scotland are 5 under as a team, which leaves them only two shots ahead of the team from South Carolina that features one of the top in-state seniors in Rick Cloninger. He posted 70 while Yancey Johnson had 71.

England and Florida are right behind that at even par.

At the outset of the event, the team from North Georgia featuring two former U.S. Senior Amateur champions – Bob Royak and Rusty Strawn – plus Cartersville member Chad Branton could have been considered the favorite. That threesome is in contention, though they’re six off the pace.

In the opening round, Branton led the way with an even-par 72. Branton cruised through the start of the round and had gotten it to 4 under by No. 11 before a double bogey at the par-4 12^th ended his run. He closed with bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17.

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Royak added a 73 and, after opening with three bogeys, Strawn posted a non-counting 79.

Notably, the team from Iowa featuring reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion Mike McCoy – who posted 69 and is solo third – is tied for eighth with Pennsylvania at 2 over.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Scotland, Utah rise to the top on opening day of International Senior Am