FOOTBALL - The Salt Lake Tribune

BYU football opener at Virginia set for 1:30 p.m. MDT kickoff on ESPNU

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:03:03 MDT

BYU football opener at Virginia set for 1:30 p.m. MDT kickoff on ESPNU

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 23, 2013 03:03PM MDT

The Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN announced Thursday that the season-opening BYU-at-Virginia football game will have a 1:30 p.m. MDT kickoff (3:30 p.m. ET in Charlottesville) and will be televised by ESPNU. The game will be played on Saturday, Aug. 31 -- which is 100 days away. So far, times and television broadcast plans have been finalized for five BYU football games in 2013. Here they are: Aug. 31 -- BYU at Virginia, 1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPNU Sept. 7 -- Texas at BYU, TBA Sept. 14 --...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Arena Football League set to touch down in China

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:17 MDT

Arena Football League set to touch down in China

The Associated Press

Updated May 23, 2013 01:15PM MDT

Philadelphia • The AFL is set to go long — really long — and touch down in China. The Arena Football League is taking expansion to a global level with plans to export their 50-yard fields and high-scoring offenses to Asia. Are you ready for some “Mei shi gan lan qiu!?” That’s the loose translation of “football” in Chinese and Philadelphia Soul ownership, led by former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, believed the time was right to give the world’s most populous country an untraditional taste ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sun Belt delays expanding to 12 teams

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:35:20 MDT

Sun Belt delays expanding to 12 teams

The Associated Press

Updated May 22, 2013 11:35PM MDT

New Orleans • Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson says plans to become a 12-team league are on hold. Benson, speaking after Wednesday’s conclusion of conference meetings in Destin, Fla., says the conference is comfortable with having an 11-team setup by 2014. He says member institutions don’t want to rush to add another school simply so the league can host a conference championship game in football. Benson says the decision to wait is aimed at seeking stability and ensuring a good g...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NFL, Xbox enhancing interactive television viewing

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:54:31 MDT

NFL, Xbox enhancing interactive television viewing

The Associated Press

Updated May 21, 2013 11:54PM MDT

Imagine Sean Payton holding up a Surface tablet instead of a cardboard playsheet on the sideline. Envision Peyton Manning sitting on the bench and dissecting the last series from a variety of camera angles on his hand-held device instead of looking at still photos. Or sitting at home and pulling up real-time highlights on a Sunday afternoon. It’s coming. The NFL and Microsoft, through its next generation Xbox device, are combining to upgrade interactive TV viewing of pro football games in ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Monson: The sisterhood of women’s football

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:54:32 MDT

Monson: The sisterhood of women’s football

By Gordon Monson Tribune Columnist

Updated May 21, 2013 11:54PM MDT

On a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon made for football, Utah’s Mixsa Kafi takes a short pass over the middle and explodes up the field, making like Barry Sanders, juking left and right, then firing off straightaway, shedding and burning past tacklers, turning an ordinary play into an extraordinary touchdown. It is one of five TDs the slot/wide receiver scores in a 47-22 crushing of a team called the Nevada Storm. Still gasping on the sideline after accepting congratulations from teammates, the...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

USA Football survey shows few youth concussions

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:26:51 MDT

USA Football survey shows few youth concussions

The Associated Press

Updated May 20, 2013 09:26AM MDT

Boston • Fewer than 4 percent of youth players surveyed in a USA Football-sanctioned study suffered concussions in the 10 leagues examined. Most injuries among nearly 2,000 players on more than 100 teams in six states were minor, with the youngsters returning to play the same day. More than 90 percent of the players did not suffer any injuries, and of those who did, the most common were contusions (35 percent) and ligament sprains (15 percent). No catastrophic head, neck or heat-related inju...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah Football - Former Ute player, coach, causes national stir

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:56:42 MDT

Utah Football - Former Ute player, coach, causes national stir

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 17, 2013 12:56PM MDT

Most Utah fans remember Tim Davis as a two-time offensive line coach for the Utes, once in the 1990’s and then again in 2011. Now, he will be remembered for something different. Now the offensive line coach at the University of Florida, Davis made national news this week, referring to Alabama coach Nick Saban by the name of Satan. According to Sports Illustrated, Davis was addressing a booster club in Melbourne Florida when he made the controversial comments. “I’ve always wanted to work with Wil...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Semipro football team being formed in Fargo

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:02:31 MDT

Semipro football team being formed in Fargo

The Associated Press

Updated May 18, 2013 12:02AM MDT

Fargo, N.D. • A man who owns a semipro football team in Minnesota that plays games in the spring is starting a team in Fargo-Moorhead that will play in the fall. James Kern owns the Brainerd (Minn.) Lumberjacks, who play in the Midwest Premier Football League. He tells The Forum newspaper that the team he is forming in Fargo-Moorhead will be an extension of the Lumberjacks and will play in the United National Football League. Players have to be at least 18 years old and are responsible for ...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mountain West Conference signs on with ROOT Sports

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:43:02 MDT

Mountain West Conference signs on with ROOT Sports

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 15, 2013 01:43PM MDT

The Mountain West Conference has named its regional television partner for football and men's basketball and, as expected, it's ROOT Sports. ROOT will air about 10 football games and a minimum of 25 basketball games per season. And, no doubt, some of those games will feature new MWC member Utah State. This deal is in addition to the Mountain West's national deals with the CBS Sports Network and ESPN. Here's the MWC/ROOT release: DIRECTV Sports Networks and the Mountain West Conference have enter...

Weber State adds Arizona State, Oregon State to football schedules

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:03:57 MDT

Weber State adds Arizona State, Oregon State to football schedules

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 15, 2013 05:03PM MDT

Weber State has added two more Pac-12 opponents to its upcoming football schedules. The Wildcats, who play Utah this season, will open the 2014 football season at Arizona State. Weber State is also scheduled to play at Oregon State in the season opener in 2015. WSU also added a home-and-home non-conference series against Big Sky Conference foe Sacramento State for 2014 and 2015. The Wildcats and Hornets have met each year since 1996 but, due to the expanded conference membership, are not sched...

Utah State football: Aggies’ big (TV) moment has arrived

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:30:34 MDT

Utah State football: Aggies’ big (TV) moment has arrived

By Kyle Goon The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 11, 2013 11:30PM MDT

There’s nothing quite like having your feet planted in the stands at Romney Stadium, with hard-hitting football in front of you and a raucous crowd around you. Official visits on game days have an effect on Utah State recruits that can’t be replicated. Young fans who experience the sport there for the first time often find themselves Aggies for life. Now, USU has an opportunity to extend that outreach to a much larger audience. With no fewer than six games on national television this fall — the ...

Arena football: Utah Blaze start fast but can’t win at Arizona Rattlers

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:30:35 MDT

Arena football: Utah Blaze start fast but can’t win at Arizona Rattlers

FROM NEWS SERVICES

Updated May 11, 2013 11:30PM MDT

The Utah Blaze took an early 14-0 lead, but couldn’t sustain their momentum as the Arizona Rattlers rallied to win at home, 65-48, in Arena Football League action Saturday night. Blaze quarterback Tommy Grady was 25 for 50 for 302 yards and six touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. Mario Urrutia caught nine passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona’s Nick Davila was 19 of 31 for 208 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. The Rattlers (7-1), who lead the National Confere...