Tailgate/Game Notes

The third home game of the year fell on a beautiful September afternoon, topped off with a visit from Joe Cahn, the "Commissioner of Tailgating".  On tap for the menu this day were steak, chicken, and shrimp fajitas ("#94 Steve Fifita Fajitas").  The tailgate got started with a good number of people showing up by 2pm.  The Commish first dropped by about 3pm for 30 minutes before leaving to go purchase a Utes t-shirt.  At this time...disaster struck.  Tip (trying to play iron chef) regrettably cut into a feisty lime as well as his left index finger.  This required a trip to the ER for what turned out to be a total of 5 stitches.  Tip was forced to miss the rest of the tailgate due to his misfortune.  However, he made it to the game in time for the 5:30 kickoff.  From all reports, the tailgate went on without a hitch.  Jake and Mike Clark were called on from the "bullpen" and manned the grill and Bonnie Clark aided in slicing up steak for fajitas.  The Commish returned to the tailgate twice more during the afternoon looking mighty good in Ute red!

Update on Tip: The finger"tip" is doing well.  Aside from some throbbing pain and deeply hurt pride, a full recovery is expected.  A total of 5 stitches should be removed in about a week.  Thanks for your sympathy.

On to the game:

Brian Johnson passed for 305 yards and two touchdowns and ran for three scores, and Utah avoided its first losing streak in three years by beating Air Force 38-35.  The Utes (3-1, 1-1 Mountain West), whose 18-game winning streak was snapped a week earlier in an overtime loss at TCU, scored twice in seven seconds to break a 14-all tie and led the rest of the way.  Travis LaTendresse caught 10 passes, including a 12-yarder for a touchdown from Johnson, and finished with 139 yards for Utah after catching just eight passes in the first three games.  Johnson was 21-for-29 passing and scored on three 1-yard runs. He threw one interception, a ball tipped by a Utah player to one of the Falcons.  Grady Marshall blocked a punt for Utah and the Utes recovered at the Air Force 33.  After gaining 242 yards in the first half, Air Force gained just 42 in the third quarter and struggled after Johnson's 60-yard pass to Brian Hernandez with about 11 minutes left in the third quarter put Utah up 38-21.  The Falcons got within 10 points on Fitch's 15-yard pass to Jason Brown with 3:15 left in the game, but Utah recovered the onside kick and ran a couple more minutes off the clock.  Game report courtesy of Utah Utes.com.