Utah’s Whittingham regrets onside kick
Utah has made a remarkable rise from its early season struggles and now is playing better football than any Mountain West Conference team.
But all that might be overshadowed by a highly ill-timed onside kick Saturday.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham says he regrets the kick with the Utes ahead 43-0 in the third quarter over Wyoming. It put a damper on a 50-0 victory and called into question Whittingham's integrity for trying to embarrass Wyoming coach Joe Glenn.
"It's something I've got to live with, and I've addressed it," Whittingham said. "I hate to see anything detract from the way the players performed."
Whittingham was upset Glenn guaranteed a victory early last week and still hasn't completely gotten over it.
"If someone came into your office and said they were going to kick your butt, I don't know if you would be passive," Whittingham said Tuesday.
Of course, Glenn didn't do himself or his team any favors, either. He was caught on television giving the middle finger to Utah's bench after the onside kick.
The conference reprimanded Glenn on Monday for violating its sportsmanship policy.
"It's a bad week for Coach Joe," Glenn said. "I apologize from the beginning. It was not right. I let my emotions get the best of me.
"I wrote (Whittingham) a note, and I called for a truce."
• NO HANGING CHAD -- Air Force wants you to do your patriotic duty and vote -- if you're a Heisman Trophy voter.
The Falcons are pushing do-everything wide receiver Chad Hall, who leads the Mountain West in rushing yards per game (114.9), total rushing yards (1,264), rushing average (6.6) and rushing touchdowns (12).
He is coming off a 142-yard performance in a 41-24 victory over Notre Dame.
"He does so many things well," San Diego State coach Chuck Long said. "He's a punt returner, a kick returner and is all over the field on offense. They probably need to put him on defense a little bit. He's a special player."
Hall also is the odds-on favorite for MWC Offensive Player of the Year. The question is where he lands on the first-team all-league squad.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun wasn't sure but said he probably would nominate Hall at running back even though he technically is a receiver.
• UNLV NEWS -- The Rebels signed a home-and-home deal with Arizona. UNLV hosts the Wildcats in 2013 and plays at Arizona in 2014.
Also, linebacker Starr Fuimaono (shoulder) and defensive end Anthony White (knee) are expected to undergo season-ending surgeries this week.
MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
The Mountain West from top to bottom:
Brigham Young (7-2, 5-0 Mountain West) at Wyoming (5-5, 2-4): The Cougars are the only league team that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.
Air Force (8-3, 5-2) vs. San Diego State (4-5, 3-2): The Falcons have their most conference victories since 2000.
Utah (7-3, 4-2) vs. New Mexico (7-3, 4-2): The Utes have made 24 tackles for loss in the past two games.
New Mexico (7-3, 4-2) at Utah (7-3, 4-2): Rodney Ferguson is the third MWC player to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
San Diego State (4-5, 3-2) at Air Force (8-3, 5-2): The Aztecs are coming off their first back-to-back victories since 2005.
Texas Christian (5-5, 2-4) vs. UNLV (2-8, 1-5): The Horned Frogs have at least 20 first downs in six consecutive games.
Wyoming (5-5, 2-4) vs. BYU (7-2, 5-0): After opening with four victories in five games, the Cowboys have lost four of five.
UNLV (2-8, 1-5) at TCU (5-5, 2-4): The Rebels have lost 13 consecutive MWC road games.
Colorado State (1-9, 1-6) vs. Georgia Southern (7-3): The Rams are last in the conference in rushing defense (203.9-yard average) and scoring defense (30.7-point average).
FIVE BEST PLAYERS
1. Chad Hall, WR, Air Force: The Falcons might be 3-8 instead of 8-3 without Hall.
2. Beau Bell, LB, UNLV: Not intended as a demotion, but the Rebels have the same record with or without Bell. Hall has been a true difference maker.
3. Max Hall, QB, BYU: His 18 touchdown passes top the league.
4. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah: Can win by himself but also great at managing the game.
5. Darrell Mack, RB, Utah: His 110.6-yard per-game average is second only to Chad Hall's.
THEY WROTE IT ...
Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson, on Utah coach Kyle Whittingham calling for an onside kick with a 43-0 lead in the third quarter: " 'You don't shut it down in the third (quarter),' Whittingham rationalized. 'Only in the fourth.' Let's call B.S. on that. Whittingham was crushing the Cowboys to punish their coach. That's OK at the pro level, but not college. Utilizing that kind of direction, that bogus, trumped-up motivation, is laughable and sad. Its frequent usage is trite and overblown."
Salt Lake Tribune columnist Kurt Kragthorpe, on Whittingham: "For responding to Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham's unsportsmanlike conduct with an obscene gesture of his own, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn received a reprimand from the Mountain West Conference. For the original act, Whittingham will potentially lose $20,000. There will be no fine of any kind, but Whittingham cost himself any hope of receiving the league's Coach of the Year award and the accompanying contract bonus by ordering an onside kick with a 43-0 lead in the third quarter of Saturday's victory over the Cowboys. More importantly, that decision -- and his initial defense of it -- should also keep him from receiving a new contract after this season."
THEY SAID IT ...
Utah's Whittingham, on Glenn's guarantee: "I guess he knew something I didn't."
Glenn, on his guarantee: "I got my big Irish mouth going."
Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney, on a 41-24 victory over Notre Dame: "Being an Irish-Catholic kid from Cleveland, Ohio, it's an amazing feeling I'll always remember."
COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON / REVIEW-JOURNAL
