Utah News

Utah Tech Trailblazers (16-11, 9-4 WAC) at UT Arlington Mavericks (14-11, 6-7 WAC)

Arlington, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Utah Tech seeks to keep its six-game win streak alive when the Trailblazers take on UT Arlington.

The Mavericks have gone 8-3 at home. UT Arlington scores 72.2 points while outscoring opponents by 4.1 points per game.

The Trailblazers are 9-4 in WAC play. Utah Tech is fifth in the WAC with 32.4 rebounds per game led by Ethan Potter averaging 7.8.

UT Arlington’s average of 5.3 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.7 fewer made shots on average than the 6.0 per game Utah Tech gives up. Utah Tech has shot at a 47.2% clip from the field this season, 4.7 percentage points greater than the 42.5% shooting opponents of UT Arlington have averaged.

The Mavericks and Trailblazers face off Thursday for the first time in WAC play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Raysean Seamster is averaging 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Mavericks. Marcell McCreary is averaging 12.1 points over the last 10 games.

Potter is averaging 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Trailblazers. Noah Bolanga is averaging 13.7 points over the last 10 games.

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LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 4-6, averaging 72.0 points, 33.4 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.5 points per game.

Trailblazers: 7-3, averaging 74.8 points, 32.5 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

For the second time during Big 12 play, Utah is on a two-game road swing.

Unlike the first time, though, when the Runnin’ Utes traveled to Manhattan, Kansas and Provo, this one involves travel out to the far eastern reaches of the conference.

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Utah already lost the first game of this road trip when the Utes blew a five-point lead with 1:56 to play in a 69-65 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday.

The back end of the road swing has Utah heading to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. MST, FS1).

Sunday’s result was the closest the Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) have come to a win since beating TCU on Jan. 17, before their current seven-game losing skid.

Per ESPN Analytics, Utah had a 74% chance of winning against Cincinnati when Keanu Dawes scored to give the Utes a 65-60 lead with just under two minutes to play.

Over the final 90 seconds of the game, though, the Bearcats outscored Utah 9-0 while the Utes were 0 of 4 from the field and missed the front end of two 1-and-1s.

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“I do kind of go back to those things that you can control every game, and we just got to keep getting better at that. We were in a great position (to win),” Utah coach Alex Jensen said in his press conference after the game, per video from BearCat Journal.

“A lot of guys on my team haven’t been in this position. I keep talking about a maturing process. Got to continue to head in that direction.”

There were positives to take from Utah’s effort in the loss, among them the fact that their grittiness helped them out-rebound the taller Bearcats 40-30, including 16-8 on the offensive glass.

“That’s something we give up in a lot of the games in the conference is size. We did a good job of that,” Jensen said.

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As has been the case too often this season, though, the Utes suffered lulls at the most inopportune times in losing to Cincinnati.

That included not being able to come up with a defensive rebound with 1:34 to play — if Utah would have secured the possession, the Utes would have gone into the final 90 seconds with the ball and a five-point lead.

It’s those lapses that have plagued Utah this season, and in this case, Cincinnati made the Utes pay for it. Day Day Thomas scored to make it 65-62, and less than a minute later, the Bearcats recaptured the lead for good.

Now, the Utes will try and build off the positives as they face a West Virginia team that is trying to stay in contention for the NCAA tournament. In ESPN’s latest bubble watch outlook, the news outlet lists West Virginia as a team with “work to do.”

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The Mountaineers can ill afford a stumble against a Utah team that is lowest among Big 12 teams in the NET rankings, at No. 129.

Honor Huff leads the West Virginia attack — he is averaging 15.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game, while Brenen Loriant (11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds) and Treysen Eaglestaff (9.9 points, 4.7 rebounds) also play big roles.

The Mountaineers are tough defensively, too. They allow the second-fewest points among Big 12 teams (63.8) and are rated a top 25 team nationally in defensive efficiency by Team Rankings. West Virginia is top 10 nationally in defensive efficiency at home.

Though it’s unclear how many of the players on Utah’s current roster will be around next season, Jensen continues to stress to his players the importance of staying aggressive, even amid the struggles.

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That kind of mentality and stick-to-it-ive-ness — and not allowing mistakes to make them tentative — will have lasting effects.

“It’s game to game. I asked them after, ‘Were you good enough to win that game? You are if we play hard and we play better,’” Jensen said.

“Give credit to Cincinnati. It’s the maturity process being at this level and confidence is huge, especially on the road. But I’ve told multiple guys on my team, ‘I can’t believe in you more than you do, that doesn’t work. You got to go out there and make mistakes of being aggressive, not the mistakes of being passive.’”

Devin Brown, a former backup quarterback at Ohio State and Cal, has done the unthinkable in this era of NIL riches. Brown had offers from big-time football schools. Indiana wanted him to compete for the starting job vacated by the Heisman Trophy winner. Boston College wanted him as a potential starter. Ohio State wanted him to return as a backup. BYU wanted him as a backup. There were other suitors, Washington among them. Some were offering Brown NIL deals worth $800,000.

He turned them down.

He chose Weber State.

He chose an FCS school with a 17,000-seat stadium.

He chose a huge pay cut.

He chose $2,000 instead of $800,000.

“It’s a crazy story,” says Eric Kjar, Weber State’s new head football coach.

What Brown really chose, over money and prestige, was Kjar, his former high school coach.

“I want to go back and have fun and play football and do what I did last time I played for Coach Kjar,” he says.

Kjar, a rare mix of charisma, toughness, warmth and wit, made a name for himself as a high school coach in Utah. He won seven state championships — six in eight years at Corner Canyon High and one at Jordan High — one short of the all-time state record for coaches. All of this by the age of 46. He also produced two quarterbacks who were taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Colleges had previously tried to lure him to the next level of coaching, but he chose to remain in high school, largely so he could coach his four children. But the offer of a collegiate head-coaching position is rare for a high school coach and he decided to make the big jump this winter (he’ll still be able to coach his children — sons Noah and Tate are Weber State wide receivers).

After Kjar accepted the job, Brown texted him congratulations. They joked back and forth about Brown coming to Weber. But then Brown decided to make an official visit to Weber State, mostly to see his former coach and mentor.

“I had never considered Weber,” he says. “A lot of big schools were still recruiting me. I thought I might as well visit Coach Kjar. He never thought I was serious about coming to Weber State until I actually told him I wanted to come check it out.

“We sat in his office, looking at the stadium and the mountains. We chopped it up for about an hour, one on one. We cracked jokes and talked football. We talked about what I had done (in college football) and the offense that we had run in high school and that it was going to be similar at Weber State. Once I saw the place and talked to Kjar …. It’s impossible to tell him no, because of who he is as a person, dad and coach. There’s not a better person.”

Brown took a couple of weeks to ponder his future — specifically, his education (he plans to pursue a master’s degree) and football — and talk to his family. When he was certain, he called Kjar from his apartment in California. “He asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m packing, so I can drive to Weber tomorrow.’”

Kjar was ecstatic.

For the second time they will pair up for one season.

Brown grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, and played football for Queen Creek High under Coach Joe Germaine, a former Ohio State and NFL quarterback. He was widely recruited, and, following his junior season, Brown committed to USC. Everything was set for his senior season until Germaine took a job at another high school. Brown tried to follow him, but he was ruled ineligible because it was considered illegal recruiting. He had to leave the state if he wanted to finish his prep football career.

Brown consulted the coaches at USC. As he recalls, “They said I had two options: Move to a California high school or go to Utah — there was a great coach there, Eric Kjar. They said, ‘He runs a good system.’”

Brown, who had family living in Utah, called Kjar and, as he tells it, “Kjar didn’t want to talk to me. He wanted no part of it. He couldn’t recruit. He said if I wanted to come, this is (the date) when they would start, but he made it clear he was not bringing me in or guaranteeing me a job. I had to prove myself.”

Brown decided to go to Utah, following the same route as Jaxson Dart, who had transferred from Roy High to Corner Canyon in 2020 to play his senior year under Kjar. Dart threw for 4,683 yards and a state-record 67 touchdowns to lead Corner Canyon to a state championship and was the Deseret News’ Mr. Football recipient. He went on to play for USC and Ole Miss. He started for the New York Giants last season.

A year later, Brown replaced Dart in the Corner Canyon lineup and passed for 4,881 yards — still a Utah state record (Kjar’s quarterbacks — Brown, Dart and Zach Wilson — rank 1-3-4 in that category) and 57 touchdowns, completing 70% of his passes. The Chargers won another state championship and Brown was named MaxPreps Utah Player of the Year.

After USC coach Clay Helton was fired, Brown withdrew his commitment to that school and signed with Ohio State. He redshirted his freshman season and appeared to be the heir apparent to C.J. Stroud, but while competing for the starting job with Kyle McCord he required surgery to repair a broken finger.

McCord was given the starting job to start the 2023 season, but head coach Ryan Day stated that it was still an open competition. Then Brown tore ligaments in his right ankle. He healed enough to get the starting job for the Cotton Bowl — this time it was McCord who was sidelined by injury — but in the first quarter Brown tore a ligament again, this time in his left ankle.

McCord transferred to Syracuse in the offseason after Day announced the competition for the starting job was open again. This time Brown lost the starting job to senior Will Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship.

Brown transferred to Cal for the 2025 season. He lost a close competition with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was named to the true freshman All-American team.

Brown hit the transfer portal again, this time landing at, of all places, Weber State, passing up the chance to pocket a big paycheck. The quarterback will receive a little more than $2,000 in NIL money to play for the Wildcats, according to two sources (and confirmed by Brown himself).

“He’s saved up his NIL money,” says Kjar. “He’s been smart with it.”

“I haven’t spent anything,” Brown says. “It’s all been put away. It’s been saved and invested. I’ve had good people in my corner who helped me. I set myself up pretty good. That was a big part of my decision (to go to Weber). If I take this money at these other places, I’m set for a long time, but I’ve done that. I want to go back and have fun.”

Brown has already begun to throw to the Weber State receivers in regular, informal training sessions as a prelude to spring practice. He should feel at home. Several former Corner Canyon players are on the roster, including Tate and Noah Kjar, who were record-setting, all-state receivers at Corner Canyon.

Brown will finish out his college career at Weber State, a school of 31,000 students tucked up against the Wasatch Mountains. His former quarterback-teammates — Stroud, McCord and Howard — are all in the NFL. Brown might yet have his turn. A total of five FCS quarterbacks have been taken in the last five NFL drafts. Over the years FCS schools have sent Trey Lance, Carson Wentz, Tony Romo, Joe Flacco and Steve McNair to the NFL.

The upcoming season will give Brown the opportunity to build on a limited résumé. He has thrown just 55 passes in four years of college play, completing 31 of them for 379 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Brown met with NFL scouts last week in Ogden. Who knows, maybe his financial gamble will pay off, but meanwhile he’s happy to be reunited with his high school coach.

A preteen Utah girl and her mother were found dead Sunday inside a hotel room in Las Vegas in what authorities are investigating as an apparent murder-suicide, police and community officials said Monday.

Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded Sunday to a hotel near West Flamingo Road and South Valley View Boulevard for a welfare check after the pair failed to arrive at a scheduled cheer competition and could not be contacted, according to police.

When officers made entry into the room, they located two people deceased. Preliminary information from investigators indicates the mother shot her daughter before turning the gun on herself. A note was recovered from the room, police said. Authorities have not released details about its contents.

Utah Xtreme Cheer, a competitive cheer organization based in Utah, confirmed Sunday night that one of its athletes had died.

“With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post. “We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.”

Earlier Sunday, the organization had posted that the athlete and her mother were missing after they did not arrive at competition and could not be reached, stating that police had been contacted.

Utah Fusion All-Stars also identified the athlete who died as Addi, writing on social media that she “was absolutely loved in our gym” and “will always be remembered for her sweet smile and light that she brought to her teams.”

The Utah Cinderella Pageant expressed condolences to the family, saying Addi’s “bright smile and kindness will never be forgotten.”

Police said the investigation remains ongoing. No additional details have been released.

Suicide prevention resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Crisis hotlines

• Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Line: 801-587-3000

• SafeUT Crisis Line: 833-372-3388

• 988 Suicide and Crisis LifeLine at 988

• Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386

Online resources