This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The stories have featured quarterback injuries, major scoops, scoring flurries, road breakthroughs and a two-way starting player.
As usual, the state's three FBS programs have delivered a full season's quota of news in the first half of the 14-week regular season. The emerging themes:
Remington Peck, reporting live
In the competition for breaking news, the best work is being done by a BYU defensive lineman. When he was interviewed the week of the BYU-Utah State game, Peck cited his USU sources, saying quarterback Chuckie Keeton may seek a redshirt year, having reinjured his knee.
USU coach Matt Wells initially expressed shock about Peck's report, only to confirm it two days later.
Everyone's awaiting Peck's next scoop, when Keeton transfers to Wisconsin to play for Gary Andersen.
Meanwhile, the professionals are having enough trouble chronicling developments after they've happened. Four days after USU upset BYU, 1280 The Zone ran a taped promo for pregame coverage of "the 5-0 Cougars" in their next outing.
Brian Suite vs. Taysom Hill's left leg
Somehow, USU's first win over BYU in Provo since 1978 became a mere footnote. That's attributable to a strange sequence of events in the rivalry.
As if it were not eerie enough to have one team's starting quarterback sidelined for the third consecutive year, the same Aggie defensive back injured BYU's Taysom Hill a second time.
Hill's dream season ended when Brian Suite dragged him down, breaking his leg. That makes five straight BYU-USU games with major consequences for someone. BYU defensive coordinator Jaime Hill was fired the day after the 2010 game, quarterback Jake Heaps' BYU career basically ended when Riley Nelson replaced him in a 2011 victory, then the seasons for Hill, Keeton and Hill (again) ended in the next three meetings.
This would suggest BYU vs. Utah is the wrong rivalry to be interrupted. BYU and USU will meet again in November 2015 in Logan.
Nixon sistersvs. Vigil brothers
Sadly, it has been a rough October for Emily Hill and Rachel Bills, sisters of former BYU star David Nixon (two other Nixon sisters are married to ex-BYU players). Emily's husband, Taysom Hill, underwent surgery Oct. 4. Rachel's husband, safety Craig Bills, sustained a concussion in the first quarter against Central Florida, five days later.
Life is better for the Vigil brothers of USU. Nick Vigil, a sophomore, has become a two-way sensation for the Aggies, officially listed as a starter on both offense and defense in Saturday's win over Air Force. Vigil ran for a touchdown and even completed two passes, in addition to making 11 tackles.
Against BYU, having become a part-time running back, he was USU's leading rusher and top tackler. His offensive success is not surprising to anyone who watched him run for 256 yards in Fremont High's 2011 playoff victory over Bingham.
"I've always said he's the best football player I know," said Zach Vigil, a senior linebacker who's fairly good himself. He recorded 22 tackles against Air Force (including four tackles for loss), the most for an FBS player this season.
Brian Johnsonvs. Jay Hill
Ex-Utah players Brian Johnson and Jay Hill spent the previous four seasons together on the Ute staff, before Johnson moved to Mississippi State as quarterbacks coach and Hill became Weber State's head coach.
Mississippi State (6-0), with three other former Ute assistants on the staff, is ranked No. 1. Weber State is 0-6.
The Bengal curse
Last November, BYU used four quarterbacks in a 59-13 win over Idaho State, the school in Taysom Hill's hometown. Hill is injured. Christian Stewart (BYU), Ammon Olsen (Southern Utah) and Billy Green (Weber State) are a combined 1-14 this season when they've started or played significantly. SUU produced the only win, over Weber.
Utah's Travis Wilson, who started in Utah's 56-14 win over Idaho State in August, likely will lose his starting job to Kendal Thompson this week. Chuckie Keeton was reinjured the week after USU beat the Bengals 40-20 in Logan.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Extraordinary scoring
• The Vigil brothers asserted themselves against Wake Forest in September, when the game's first four touchdowns were scored on designed pass plays — none via a quarterback-receiver connection. Wake Forest returned an interception for a TD, Zach Vigil returned the favor for USU, Aggie receiver Ronald Butler threw a TD pass and Nick Vigil forced a fumble that Devin Centers returned for a score.
• In the last 15 seconds of the first half vs. Houston, BYU's Mitchell Juergens caught a pass and ran down the sideline. At that moment, what were the odds of Houston scoring a touchdown? Juergens fumbled, a defender returned the ball to the BYU 45-yard line and Houston completed a Hail Mary pass to end the half.
• Utah scored 21 points in the first 9:05 of the game against Washington State, via an interception return, punt return and 76-yard run. USU's Darell Garretson accounted for three touchdowns against BYU in the last five minutes of the first half. BYU's Stewart threw three TD passes in the first six minutes of the second half at Central Florida. Only the Aggies won their game. —
What's left?
Utah, now No. 20, broke into the AP Top 25 with this 24-hour convergence: an upset of then-No. 8 UCLA, the Utes' biggest road win as a Pac-12 member, and USU's victory at then-No. 18 BYU, the highest-ranked opponent the Aggies have ever beaten.
Utah (4-1), BYU (4-2) and USU (4-2) have the same number of victories, with much different self-images. My updated over/under win totals: Utah 7.5, BYU 8.5, USU 8.5 (in 13 games). I'll go with 8-4 for Utah, 9-3 for BYU and 9-4 for USU.