Colorado State vs. Brigham Young: After a slow start to the season, the Cougars continue to impress on the field of play. Quarterback Max Hall has thrown for 2,130 yards, 14 TD’s and nine INT’s on the season while Harvey Unga has amassed nearly 1,100 all-purpose yards on the season and has seven scores. The Rams counter with Damon Morton who has five touchdowns on the year while averaging 21 yards per reception. CSU signal-caller Caleb Hanie has been accurate completing 63 percent of his passes for nearly 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns, but has also made costly mistakes, by throwing 13 interceptions thus far. Brigham Young is clearly the class of the Mountain West so I expect the Cougars to win, 38-24.

Utah State vs. Fresno State: The frustrating season ensues for the Aggies as they remain winless while they must travel to Fresno, Calif. this weekend and battle a stout Fresno State squad. The Bulldogs have thrived behind the stellar quarterback play of Tom Brandstater who has thrown for 1,511 yards, seven touchdowns and four picks. Bear Pascoe has been a solid target at TE as he’s amassed four touchdowns while averaging nearly 13 yards per reception. In the running game, the Bulldogs are also solid as Ryan Mathews has 645 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Utah State, as always is led by QB Leon Jackson III (1,200 all-purpose yards, eight TD’s) but his excellence won’t be enough to make this a compelling ballgame. The Aggies will get blown out in this one. Call the final Fresno State 4 5 Utah State 24.

Idaho State vs. Weber State: The Wildcats are now an exciting offensive juggernaut after defeating Portland State, 73-68 and will entertain the Idaho State Bengals in Ogden this Saturday. QB Cameron Higgins (1,047 yards, nine TD’s, six INT’s) is coming into his own for the Wildcats, but as always their defense will face a stiff challenge in the Bengals. Idaho State is led by QB Russel Hill who has thrown for nearly 1,400 yards and 10 TD’s. Nevertheless, he is turnover prone as he’s tossed 13 interceptions. Josh Barnett is also a solid tailback for ISU as he’s run for 804 yards and two scores on the season. Weber’s riding a little momentum so I’ll give the Wildcats a 24-17 win in this one.

Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo vs. Southern Utah: Again, the Thunderbirds are in way over their heads in this one. John Madden would be pleased with his alma mater as the Mustangs boast a quarterback in Jonathan Dally who has thrown for 1,840 yards, 23 TD’s and just one interception on the season. He has a legitimate deep threat as well in Ramses Barden who has 47 receptions and 15 scores while amassing nearly 27 yards per catch. Thus, the Mustangs will be able to score points in bunches in this one. Jeremy Edwards remains the Thunderbirds’ sole star as he now has five touchdowns on 22 receptions for Southern Utah. In this one, expect a lot of Dally to Barden as the Mustangs win big, 45-10.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – Americans making donations to the relief efforts of the wildfires in Southern California are being asked by the Better Business Bureau to be careful. BBB President, Jane Driggs, says to check out those who come calling at your door. Driggs says that with every natural disaster, there are some unscrupulous people who will attempt to take advantage of the public’s eagerness to help victims. She commented to be wary of charities that are reluctant to answer reasonable questions about their operations, finances and programs. Don’t give in to excessive pressure for on-the-spot donations. Be wary of any request to send a “runner” to pick up your donation. Driggs also said that if you’re suspicious, call the Salt Lake Better Business Bureau for information.

(SALINA) – A mobile home in Salina was completely destroyed by fire last Friday afternoon. The Salina Fire Department was called to the home of Marquez Sandoval at 305 North 400 West at about 1:15pm to find the structure fully engulfed in flames. The owners were not at home at the time of the fire and neighbors called in the report. Fire crews determined the fire was caused by an electric heater that was left on while the owners were away.

DENVER-Greg Jennings caught an 82-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in overtime as the Green Bay Packers continued in their magnificent start to the season with a 19-13 victory over the Denver Broncos Monday evening at Invesco Field at Mile High. Favre, (21-27, 331 yds, 2 TD’s) had never thrown a touchdown pass in Denver nor won a game in the Mile High City but that swiftly changed when in the 1st Quarter facing a 7-0 deficit he hit rookie wideout James Jones on a 79-yard scoring strike to tie the score. The Packers also received two field goals from kicker Mason Crosby to take a 13-7 lead at intermission. The Broncos seized momentum back in the second half as Broncos QB Jay Cutler (21-33, 261 yards, TD) hit receivers Brandon Stokley and Brandon Marshall on several big plays downfield. Denver tied the score in the closing seconds when once again Jason Elam came up big with a 20-yard field goal to send things into overtime. Nevertheless, the Packers won the toss and on the following play, Favre ripped the Broncos’ hearts out with his strike to Jennings.The win for the Packers was their first overtime victory on the road since they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football in 1983. This game is best remebered as Howard Cosell’s last broadcast before retirement.Next week, Green Bay faces another AFC West opponent on the road as they battle the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo. while the Broncos travel to Detroit to challenge the resurgent and underrated Detroit Lions.

Box Score (Final)

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4 OT   Score

Packers.............  7  6  0  0  6  - 19       Record: (6-1,5-1)
Broncos.............  7  0  3  3  0  - 13       Record: (3-4,3-3)

Scoring Summary:                                                         GREENBAY - DENVER

1st 03:52 DENVER - Tony Scheffler 5 yd pass from Jay Cutler (Jason Elam kick)
                                           10 plays, 60 yards, TOP 5:24         0 - 7
    03:29 GREENBAY - James Jones 79 yd pass from Brett Favre (Mason Crosby kick)
                                             1 play, 79 yards, TOP 0:23         7 - 7
2nd 07:15 GREENBAY - Mason Crosby 19 yd field goal
                                           13 plays, 98 yards, TOP 7:42        10 - 7
    01:26 GREENBAY - Mason Crosby 26 yd field goal
                                           13 plays, 51 yards, TOP 4:48        13 - 7
3rd 03:00 DENVER - Jason Elam 45 yd field goal
                                           13 plays, 52 yards, TOP 7:39        13 - 10
4th 00:00 DENVER - Jason Elam 20 yd field goal
                                           11 plays, 90 yards, TOP 2:27        13 - 13
OT  14:40 GREENBAY - Greg Jennings 82 yd pass from Brett Favre
                                             1 play, 82 yards, TOP 0:20        19 - 13
FIRST DOWNS...................       21       29
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............    24-97    24-72
PASSING YDS (NET).............      318      242
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  27-21-0  33-21-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   53-415   59-314
Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............     2-13     1-26
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........     3-58     2-51
Interception Returns-Yards....      0-0      0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............   4-52.3   4-45.3
Fumbles-Lost..................      0-0      1-1
Penalties-Yards...............   13-107     9-68
Possession Time...............    30:45    29:35
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     2-19     2-12

GREENBAY   DENVER

RUSHING: Packers-Ryan Grant 21-98; DeShawn Wynn 1-0; Vernand Morency 1-0;
Brett Favre 1-minus 1. Broncos-Selvin Young 17-57; Andre Hall 3-10; Jay
Cutler 3-8; Brandon Marshal 1-minus 3.

PASSING: Packers-Brett Favre 21-27-0-330; TM 0-0-0-minus 12. Broncos-Jay
Cutler 21-33-0-261; TM 0-0-0-minus 19.

RECEIVING: Packers-Greg Jennings 6-140; James Jones 3-107; Donald Lee 3-35;
Donald Driver 3-28; Ryan Grant 3-7; Vernand Morency 2-11; Korey Hall 1-2.
Broncos-Selvin Young 6-50; Brandon Stokley 5-67; Brandon Marshal 3-74; Tony
Scheffler 3-28; Daniel Graham 2-20; Glenn Martinez 1-18; Cecil Sapp 1-4.

INTERCEPTIONS: Packers-None. Broncos-None.

Stadium: Invesco Field         Attendance: 76125
Kickoff time: 6:30      End of Game: 9:39      Total elapsed time: 3:39
Officials: Referee: Mike Tirico; Umpire: Ron Jaworski; Linesman: Tony Kornheiser;
Line judge: Chris Berman; Back judge: Tom Jackson; Field judge: Steve Young;
Side judge: Michelle Tafoya; Scorer: Brad James;
Temperature: 69        Wind: Brisk     Weather: Clear

Packers vs Broncos (Oct 29, 2007 at Denver)

SACKS (UA-A): Packers-Aaron Kampman 2-0. Broncos-Elvis Dumervil 1-1; Antwon
Burton 0-1.

TACKLES (UA-A): Packers-A.J. Hawk 4-2; Nick Barnett 4-2; Atari Bigby 3-3;
Aaron Kampman 2-3; Brady Poppinga 3-0; Nick Collins 3-0; Al Harris 3-0;
Cullen Jenkins 2-1; Kabeer Gbaja-Bi 1-2; Charles Woodson 1-2; Jarrett Bush
1-1; Ryan Pickett 0-2; Charlie Peprah 1-0; Ryan Grant 1-0; Johnny Jolly 1-0;
Spencer Hayner 1-0; Aaron Rouse 1-0. Broncos-Nick Ferguson 6-1; Champ Bailey
5-2; Ian Gold 4-2; D.J. Williams 4-1; Nate Webster 2-3; Antwon Burton 0-4;
Marcus Thomas 2-1; Elvis Dumervil 1-2; Domonique Foxwo 2-0; Curome Cox 2-0;
Dre' Bly 1-1; Hamza Abdullah 1-0; Jamie Winborn 1-0; John Lynch 1-0; Jordan
Beck 1-0; Alvin McKinley 0-1; Simeon Rice 0-1; Tim Crowder 0-1; Andre Hall
0-1; Amon Gordon 0-1; John Engelberge 0-1; Glenn Martinez 0-1.

DENVER-Mike Lowell and Bobby Kielty hit solo home runs and the Boston Red Sox held off the Colorado Rockies, 4-3 in Game 4 of the World Series, giving the Red Sox their second world championship in four seasons. After Lowell’s dinger in the top of the 7th led to a 4-0 Red Sox lead and a susbsequent Rockies rally, Colorado, which won 21 of 22 games coming into this series rao out of firepower. Jonathan Papelbon finished things off for the Red Sox as he saved the win for Boston for the third time in this series.

(Orem, UT) The Panguitch Lady Bobcat volleyball team rocked the 1-A State Tournament with a shocking upset of the 9-time defending champ Rich Lady Rebels on Friday night. The Bobcats defeated Rich 3 games to 1 in the state final match to claim the championship trophy. Hailey Orton led the team with 29 kills, while Kalani Norris added 13 kills. The Rebels lost their first championship match in nine years. Rich was led by outside hitter Allie Eastman, who finished with 20 kills, while Torey Smith added 14 kills. Panguitch won the first game 25-20, but then lost the second to Rich by the same score. Then the Lady Bobcats won game 3 by a margin of 25-21, and then clinched the title with a 4th game win of 25-19.

BOSTON-Curt Schilling surrendered only four singles and a pair of walks in 5 1/3 innings of work as the Boston Red Sox inched all the closer to their second world championship in two years with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies led 1-0 after one inning of play after Todd Helton’s sacrifice fly brought Willy Taveras home, but from that time on Schilling imposed his will upon the potent Colorado lineup. After Jason Varitek hit a sacrifice fly of his own to tie things at 1 apiece, Mike Lowell’s fifth-inning double gave the Red Sox the lead that they would not relinqish. Jonathan Papelbon obtained the save for Boston, who will seek to gain a commanding 3-0 lead in this series when it resumes with Game 3 Saturday evening at Coors Field in Denver with opening pitch occurring around 6:00 p.m. MDT.

(Spring City) A fatal rollover was discovered outside of Spring City Tuesday morning. According to the Highway Patrol, a local resident found the 1987 Toyota Camry which had rolled several times and damaged two power poles. The driver, Garth Aiken of Mount Pleasant, was killed in the accident. The time of the accident is still under investigation. Officers say the it could have happened up to thirty-six hours before it was discovered. Officers are also investigating the cause of the rollover.

BOSTON-Julio Lugo had three RBI, while Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew added two more apiece as the Boston Red Sox decimated the Colorado Rockies, 13-1 in Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park. Josh Beckett was also solid for the Red Sox as he surrendered just six hits and one run in seven innings of work. Obviously, the Rockies were rusty as after sweeping their two series in the National League playoffs, they had received eight off days which enabled the Red Sox to make quick work of them. Colorado pitcher Jeff Francis had one of his worst outings of the season as he was shelled for six runs and 10 hits in four innings of work while Boston continued its onslaught after his departure. Still, all is not lost for the Rockies, who had won 21 of 22 games coming into this series, as they trail just 1-0 and can have three consecutive home games if they steal Game 2 on the road. Game 2 will be Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. MDT from Boston.

After a 9-5 record this past week, I’m hitting my mid-season stride and I’m ready to sneak into the playoffs with a wild card and create some postseason damage. Without further redo, I proceed to make this upcoming NFL week’s predictions.

Inidanapolis vs. Carolina: This just in: the Colts are not only a dynamic offensive football team spearheaded by the magnificence of Peyton Manning, they’re a team that can smack you in the mouth on defense as the Jaguars learned early and often last Monday night. As it is, the Colts, statistically-speaking, are a team with few flaws as offensively, they’re third in both scoring and total offense in NFL annals and sixth in both rushing and passing offense. Remarkably, Indianapolis is third in scoring defense and first against the pass. Now when the casual NFL fan thinks of the Colts, passing on both sides of the ball is the hallmark of the team’s success. While the myopic media continues to glorify Tom Brady and his run toward history, the classy Colts are epitomized as always by their stellar field general Manning, who has thrown for 1,578 yards and 11 scores in just six games. As for the Carolina Panthers, it has not been their good fortune to have the stability at quarterback that Indianapolis has experienced. Nevertheless, there is reason for optimism on Tobacco Road as 43-year old signal-caller Vinny Testaverde led Carolina to a road victory at Arizona two weeks ago. Although Testaverde thinks that incumbent David Carr will get the nod against the Colts, either way the Panthers should be in good shape at QB. That’s good news because Carolina’s traditionally-stout defense has been anything but spectacular. This will be a shootout, which naturally means I’m going with the Colts. Call the final Indianapolis 35 Carolina 24

Detroit vs. Chicago: The Lions continue to defy expectations and with every successive victory, QB Jon Kitna’s claims that Detroit can win 10 game this season seem all the more reasonable. Although they were outgained by 250 yards at the hands of the Buccaneers last week, they still gutted out a victory which shows that Rod Marinelli’s squad can find ways to win even when they’re not playing their best. Although the running game has been anemic, TB Kevin Jones promises to make this a more solid area of the Lions’ offense while Kitna has orchestrated the #7 passing offense in the NFL which averages 243 yards per game. The defense is 30th statistically, so if they can force turnovers (they’ve been +4 in the turnover battle in victories this season), they should be able to win once again. As for the Bears, they deserve credit for coming back against the Eagles, but when you allow a team to drive 97 yards for the winning score without any timeouts, that’s on the defense, so that was Philadelphia’s gaffe rather than Chicago’s success. Since Brian Griese’s insertion into the Bears lineup, the offense has been more consistent but Chicago must focus primarily on stonewalling the Lions because as we learned when these teams met earlier this season in Detroit, if it’s a shootout the Lions will win. I think Detroit’s solid enough to steal this one on the road so in a close call, I’ll call it Lions 28 Bears 24

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: We now know that while the Steelers are still a solid team, they’re not necessarily ready to assume the role of an elite team. I knew that Mike Tomlin would have his struggles against a Mike Shanahan-coached team although in all fairness, his QB Ben Roethlisberger failed to sufficiently prepare against a Broncos defense which despite the final statistical tally proceeded to stymie Pittsburgh throughout much of the ballgame. Meanwhile the Bengals got themselves off the mat with a big victory over the Jets and since this game’s in Cincinnati the chance exists for the Bengals to win yet another divisional matchup against the Steelers. While Pittsburgh still ranks first in total defense in the NFL, surrendering 250 yards per game, the Broncos found success against the Steel Crew with an intermeidate passing game engineered by an excellent quarterback. Now, they face an even better QB than Jay Cutler in the Bengals’ Carson Palmer. Palmer (1,717 yards, 13 TD’s) could easily surpass the 2,000 yard mark on the season in this one as Cincinnati averages 273 passing yards per contest. Much pressure will be on the Steelers’ cornerback duo of Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend as they were often beat on crossing routes employed by the Broncos, although the Bengals definitely prefer vertical routes with fleet-footed wideouts Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. This will be exempt of much defense as the Bengals should once again gash the Steelers and force them into an up-tempo ballgame. Since Pittsburgh fails to win many of these high-scoring affairs (due to the fact that they prepare to run the ball whenever they can) the deficit may be too insurmountable so I expect the Bengals to win in a tight one. Call it Bengals 37 Steelers 34

New York Giants vs. Miami: The NFL is ready to take its product to Europe where reportedly there are numerous fans chomping at the bit to see excellent NFL action as this game will originate from London. Because this game involves the Miami Dolphins, it’s a bit difficult to call this “excellent” action with a straight face. Despite Miami’s futility, the Britons are enraptured that they’re going to be in the UK to battle the vastly-improving Giants. The time has come in my opinion for Dolphins coach Cam Cameron to go with former Brigham Young standout John Beck at quarterback, as Cleo Lemon fails to spark the Miami offense sufficiently. The Giants, while not stellar in any particular facet of offense or defense, rank ninth in total offense and eighth in total defense, thus exemplifying the team concept to a fullness. Eli Manning’s (1,525 yards, 13 TD’s) star continues to rise and the Giants’ defense has retained its recent penchant to get to the quarterback as they sacked San Francisco signal-caller Trent Dilfer six times last Sunday. I think that the Dolphins can keep this close but Manning to receiver Plaxico Burress (eight receiving touchdowns) will become a common theme, even against a Dolphins defense (14th against the pass) which has been respectable in repelling opposing teams’ aerial attacks. Call the final Giants 27 Dolphins 20

Philadelphia vs. Minnesota: I really do like the Vikings, but Tarvaris Jackson must complete more than 45 percent of his passes if Minnesota is to continue in its progression as one of the NFL’s up and coming teams. The Eagles are as disappointed in themselves as any media figure possibly could be and Vikes coach Brad Childress was a pupil under Philly coach Andy Reid so I think the teacher will have some lessons which will be excruciatingly taught to his student. Philadelphia’s loss to the Bears was inexplicable and I believe that they’re going to come out at the H.H.H. Metrodome this Sunday and take out their frustrations on a tough yet offensively-deficient Vikings squad. Look for the Eagles (eighth in total offense) to find success against a Vikings pass defense which is still last in the NFL after Tony Romo obliterated it. In this one, I like Donovan McNabb (1,447 yards, 7 TD’s thus far) to exceed the 300-yard mark while tossing four touchdowns as the Eagles win going away, 31-14. The Vikings are still a young team on the rise but Jackson will have to show he’s the man. Against an Eagles defense that’s eighth against the run (88 yards a contest) it will be tough sledding for Adrian Peterson, so the Vikings have no chance.

Cleveland vs. St. Louis: This is the week the Rams finally get in the win column, as the Browns, last in total defense in the NFL, giving up 413 yards per game, and 30th against the run (150 yards per contest surrendered) will have to deal with Steven Jackson, who when healthy (this is the first time in a month) is among the NFL’s elite tailbacks. An effective running game can finally unleash the Rams’ surprisingly dormant offense as Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Randy McMichael should all be able to expose those defenders who will try to cover them if the running game works. Meanwhile, the Browns’ offense has also been lights out as QB Derek Anderson (1,496 yards, 14 TD’s) and receiver Braylon Edwards (29 rec, 552 yards, 7 TD’s) will expose a Rams defense that definitely isn’t anything special. However, the Browns’ defense is once again the worst in the NFL and the resurgent Rams (for this week anyway) should rally around their hard-working coach Scott Linehan to give him the initial victory of the season. Call the final Rams 41 Browns 34

Oakland vs. Tennessee: Four weeks ago, the Oakland Raiders felt pretty good about themselves after they went into Miami and smacked the pathetic Dolpins to improve to 2-1 and lead, in the interim, the AFC West. How swiftly things have cascaded downward in the past three weeks. As the Broncos and Chargers continue to improve with every passing week and the Chiefs seem to have found themselves, the Raiders are once again the division’s worst team. Regardless of the myopia of Raider Nation, things are not going to get better this season, especially with a trip looming to Nashville, Tenn. to battle the unflappable Titans. How many teams, after blowing a 25-point lead with their reserve QB, would find themselves swiftly enough to steal the game back as the Titans did last week against the Texans? I would have to think that not many teams possess that level of resolve. Many NFL purists have always said that it’s essential to run the ball and in turn to stop the run. Tennessee excels in both areas, as they’re fifth in running offense (144 yards per contest) and first against the run (technically they allow 59.7 yards but I’ll round up to 60). This enables them to have a shot even when their star QB Vince Young is banged up. Fortuitously for the Titans, Young expects to be back against the Raiders. Because Tennessee doesn’t prefer to play the up-tempo game in most cases, look for Young and tailbacks LenDale White and Chris Brown (nearly 700 yards combined on the season) to control the tempo. Call the final Titans 24 Raiders 6

Buffalo vs. New York Jets: A new era has commenced in western New York with Trent Edwards replacing J.P. Losman as the Bills’ starting quarterback. Thus, while Losman possesses a powerful arm, he was too enigmatic and inconsistent, two flaws which Edwards seems to lack. I have to admit that I marvel at the consistency this team possesses because after pulsating losses to the Broncos and Cowboys on game-clinching kicks by Jason Elam and Nick Folk, respectively threatened to decimate their season, they’ve responded positively by smacking Baltimore last weekend. While Buffalo is anything but a statistical masterpiece (they rank 18th or worse in all NFL stat categories), this is also true for the Jets, so since both of these teams are less than spectacular, I’ll go with the Bills because Edwards has beaten the Jets once already and under Chad Pennington, the Jets are a trainwreck. The best Jets action this season occurred when Pennington, WR Laveranues Coles (six receiving touchdowns on the season), punter Ben Graham and head coach Eric Mangini played football with Elmo on Sesame Street. That’s pretty pathetic. Call the final Bills 23 Jets 16

Houston vs. San Diego: Because no one knows when or where this game will occur, I’ll forego the analysis. Nevertheless, if this matchup takes place, the Chargers will win 38-27. The Texans are vastly improvng, but the Chargers are a buzzsaw that continues to pick up mometum. Nevertheless, the Texans’ future is still quite bright so Houstonians may rejoice.

Jacksonville vs. Tampa Bay: The Jaguars, while a really good team in the AFC received a crucial blow when QB David Garrard incurred an ankle injury against the Colts Monday evening. Recent reports out of Jacksonville have stated he could miss up to a month. This is terrible for the Jags because the inexperience of reserve signal-caller QB Quinn Gray prevented Jacksonville from having any offensive success against the stalwart Indy defense. Meanwhile, the defense will make it hard on the Buccaneers as they only allow 14 points per contest. Meanwhile, the Tampa defense is fifth in total defense and fifth against the pass, so points will be hard to come by in this one. However, the Buccaneers have the good fortune of superior stability at quarterback to the Jaguars, as Jeff Garcia (1,504 yards, seven touchdowns) continues to impress. Garcia should toss for about 275 yards in this game and a pair of scores. In other words, he’ll do just enough to lead the Buccaneers to victory. Call the final Buccaneers 17 Jaguars 14

Washington vs. New England: Even as the Rams obtain their first victory of the season this weekend, the Patriots shall lose their first game. Unlike the Colts, the Patriots have not yet been challenged so they’ll be astonished at how well the Redskins can play defense. Despite the fact that they were outgained by 250+ yards against the Cardinals, the stout Washington defense set up 14 of the ‘Skins 21 points last weekend and forced the Cards to attempt to win the game on a 55-yard field goal (which of course they missed). Washington ranks eighth or higher in every defensive stat category, and QB Jason Campbell continues to improve (1,181 yards, five touchdowns) and promises to be among the league’s elite quarterbacks as his career progresses. The key for the Redskins’ success offensively is to have receivers Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss break through against a New England secondary which ranks fourth in the NFL. While the Patriots’ offense has currently been unstoppable (40 points and 433 yards, that’s first in the NFL in both categories), the Redskins have the personnel to match up with the Pats’ embarrassment of riches. Beyond that, the Redskins have taken seven consecutive games from the Patriots and New England will be looking ahead to Indianapolis. To me, this won’t be the surprise that it will to the mass media at large (remember I’ve chided them for their myopia in this column already) but the Redskins will win, 28-24.

New Orleans vs. San Francisco: This is perhaps the easiest game to handicap in the NFL this weekend as the Saints have found themselves while the 49ers continue to stumble and render all of last season’s success meaningless. Meanwhile, after a less than stellar start to the ‘07 campaign, Saints QB Drew Brees (1,394 yards, five touchdowns) is playing like the birthmark-laden gunslinger that Saints fans know and love. While Deuce McAlister is lost for the season, head coach Sean Payton is beginning to unsheath Reggie Bush, who is gradually becoming a solid NFL all-purpose player, similar to Eric Metcalf and Glyn Milburn in a previous era of the league. As for San Francisco, they rank 11th against the pass defensively, so they could have some success against Brees. However, this is the only area in which the 49ers have excelled so look for Bush to bust out in this game for about 250-275 all-purpose yards as the Saints win going away 34-13

Green Bay vs. Denver: The Packers are about to be exposed as a flawed team which has ridden an early wave of momentum to their currently successful start. They continue to struggle while running the ball (66 yards per outing, again like the Titans’ rush defense, I rounded up) and everybody’s favorite drunkard, Brett Favre continues to make an excess of stupid mistakes. For all intents and purposes, the Packers are a less stellar version of the Steelers, and we all know how the Broncos handled them at home last weekend. As for the Broncos, they’re definitely not statistical mavens themselves, but they are ready to turn the tide on the season and the reason is primarily QB Jay Cutler (1,406 yards, 7 TD’s thus far) as he has led the Broncos to rank fifth overall in total offense while they rank ninth and 11th in rushing and passing offense respectively. Finally, the Broncos are scoring touchdowns in the red zone as they were 4-4 in such situations against Pittsburgh. Additionally, on the defensive side of the ball, the Packers obviously can’t run so that puts the onus on Favre to win the game. The Broncos traditionally have stymied the overrated Favre more than any other quarterback they’ve faced as he’s completed only 51 percent of his passes against the Broncos in his career. This week, Champ Bailey should be back so things should be hard on Favre. Furthermore, Favre has never thrown a touchdown pass at Denver and that trend should continue. Sorry, cheeseheads but once again while the Broncos are sharing the national spotlight with the Rockies, they’ll make a massive statement by smacking the Packers, 34-9. These are the true Broncos, thankfully those performances which occurred before the bye are in the past where they belong. (Sorry for the unexpected burst of bias at the end, when I begin covering the NFL full-time, I’ll be objective about every team.) Until then, GO BRONCOS!!!

(Manti) Election day is getting closer, and the push is on to get voters educated about the issues. The Sanpete County Commissioners are making their case for the building of a new Court Facility in Manti. At issue is the release of revenue bonds for the project. The county would issue the bonds for the construction of the building, and the state courts would pay them back through the lease agreement. According to Brian Baker, the Vice President of Public Finance for Zions Bank, the courts have chosen this route to build the facility because the traditional funding method can take a long time to negotiate.Under the agreement the bonds would be purchased by private banks as well as the Community Impact Board. According to Baker, the state has never defaulted on a payment and is one of only seven states that have a triple A rating for bond security. Sanpete County residents will have the opportunity to vote on the bond issue this November in the municipal elections.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Peyton Manning completed 23 of 37 passes for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Indianapolis Colts steamrolled the Jacksonville Jaguars, 29-7 Monday evening at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Early on, the Colts seized momentum as rushing touchdowns by Manning and rookie tailback Kenton Keith and a 36-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri gave Indianapolis a commanding 17-0 lead at intermission. To compound matters for the Jaguars, QB David Garrard (6-10, 62 yards) was lost for the game with an ankle injury in the second quarter and from that time on, reserve signal-caller Quinn Gray was unable to move the ball consistently against a stout Colts defense. Indianapolis sealed the game when DE Dwight Freeney sacked Gray in the end zone for a safety which gave the Colts a 19-7 lead. While Indianapolis receives numerous plaudits for their offensive prowess, head coach Tony Dungy’s defense was also impressive as they surrendered only 226 offensive yards to the punchless Jaguars. Next week, Indianapolis returns to the southeast as they battle the Carolina Panthers, while the 4-2 Jaguars face a tough matchup in fellow Floridian foe Tampa Bay.

Box Score (Final)

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score

Colts...............  7 10  2 10  - 29       Record: (6-0,4-0)
Jaguars.............  0  0  7  0  -  7       Record: (4-2,3-2)

Scoring Summary:                                                         INDNAPLS - JCKSNVLE

1st 00:27 INDNAPLS - Kenton Keith 3 yd run (Adam Vinatieri kick)
                                           11 plays, 66 yards, TOP 5:06         7 - 0
2nd 05:25 INDNAPLS - Peyton Manning 1 yd run (Adam Vinatieri kick)
                                           11 plays, 76 yards, TOP 5:26        14 - 0
    00:29 INDNAPLS - Adam Vinatieri 36 yd field goal
                                           10 plays, 30 yards, TOP 2:20        17 - 0
3rd 09:23 JCKSNVLE - Maurice Jones-D 1 yd run (John Carney kick)
                                           10 plays, 40 yards, TOP 5:27        17 - 7
    04:35 INDNAPLS - Dwight Freeney safety
                                                                               19 - 7
4th 13:34 INDNAPLS - Adam Vinatieri 20 yd field goal
                                           13 plays, 54 yards, TOP 6:01        22 - 7
    03:58 INDNAPLS - Dallas Clark 35 yd pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick)
                                            4 plays, 54 yards, TOP 1:06        29 - 7
FIRST DOWNS...................       24       18
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............   33-138   28-122
PASSING YDS (NET).............      250      104
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  36-22-1  35-16-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   71-388   66-226
Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............      0-0      1-8
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........     3-50    5-136
Interception Returns-Yards....     2--1      1-4
Punts (Number-Avg)............   3-40.3   1-47.0
Fumbles-Lost..................      1-0      2-1
Penalties-Yards...............     4-26     2-20
Possession Time...............    34:10    25:50
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     3-19     2-16

INDNAPLS JCKSNVLE

RUSHING: Colts-Joseph Addai 16-89; Kenton Keith 14-45; Clifton Dawson 1-3;
Peyton Manning 2-1. Jaguars-Maurice Jones-D 17-66; Fred Taylor 8-46; Quinn
Gray 2-8; Greg Jones 1-2.

PASSING: Colts-Peyton Manning 22-36-1-266; TM 0-0-0-minus 16. Jaguars-Quinn
Gray 10-25-2-61; David Garrard 6-10-0-62; TM 0-0-0-minus 19.

RECEIVING: Colts-Reggie Wayne 9-130; Dallas Clark 4-66; Joseph Addai 3-28;
Marvin Harrison 3-18; Kenton Keith 2-16; Ben Utecht 1-8. Jaguars-Ernest
Wilford 6-52; Dennis Northcut 3-21; Maurice Jones-D 3-16; Marcedes Lewis
2-14; Greg Estandia 1-22; Fred Taylor 1-minus 2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Colts-Kelvin Hayden 1-0; Bob Sanders 1-minus 1. Jaguars-Brian
Williams 1-4.

Stadium: Jacksonville Municip  Attendance: 67164
Kickoff time: 6:36      End of Game: 9:42      Total elapsed time: 3:06
Officials: Referee: Mike Tirico; Umpire: Tony Kornheiser;
Linesman: Ron Jaworski; Line judge: Suzy Kolber; Back judge: Michelle Tafoya;
Field judge: Chris Berman; Side judge: Tom Jackson; Scorer: Brad James;
Temperature: 83        Wind: None      Weather: Nice and pleasant

Colts vs Jaguars (Oct 22, 2007 at Jacksonville, Fla.)

SACKS (UA-A): Colts-Dwight Freeney 2-0; Ed Johnson 1-0. Jaguars-Paul Spicer
2-0.

TACKLES (UA-A): Colts-Freddy Keiaho 6-0; Gary Brackett 4-2; Antoine Bethea
3-3; Dwight Freeney 4-1; Bob Sanders 3-2; Kelvin Hayden 4-0; Ed Johnson 1-2;
Keyunta Dawson 2-0; Tim Jennings 2-0; Tyjuan Hagler 2-0; Raheem Brock 2-0;
Marlin Jackson 1-1; Josh Thomas 1-1; Darrell Reid 1-1; Quinn Pitcock 0-1;
Ryan Lilja 0-1; Clint Session 0-1. Jaguars-Mike Peterson 4-8; Daryl Smith
3-6; Paul Spicer 4-2; Clint Ingram 4-2; Reggie Nelson 3-3; Brian Williams
3-2; Rashean Mathis 3-1; Sammy Knight 2-2; Tony McDaniel 1-2; Kenny Pettway
0-3; Dennis Northcut 2-0; John Henderson 2-0; Marcus Stroud 1-1; Reggie
Hayward 1-1; Aaron Glenn 1-0; Rob Meier 1-0; Terry Cousin 0-1; Bobby McCray
0-1; Derek Landri 0-1.

(ELSINORE) – The Sevier County Search and Rescue South Posse was called out Saturday night to look for an overdue hunter. At about 8:30pm, the posse began the search for 27-year old, Burkley Johnson of Elsinore, who was hunting on West Mountain above Elsinore. According to a sheriff’s report, Johnson was not able to get back to his four wheeler before it became dark and got lost in the attempt. He was able to use his cell phone for a while but the charge ran low. Just after midnite, posse crews and Johnson’s two friends found him in good condition at his four wheeler.

DENVER-After a torturous two-week period in which they were derided and denounced by the national media (often unfairly) and overshadowed by the exploits of their cross-town brethren, the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Broncos edged the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-28 when Jason Elam nailed a 49-yard field goal as time expired Sunday evening at Invesco Field at Mile High. The Steelers took an early 7-0 lead when QB Ben Roethlisberger (24-35, 290 yards, 4 TD’s, 2 INT’s) hit TE Heath Miller on a one-yard touchdown pass although two Jay Cutler (22-29, 248 yards, 3 TD’s, 2 INT’s)scoring passes, to WR Brandon Stokley and FB Cecil Sapp respectively led to a 14-7 Broncos lead. The lead increased to 21-7 when rookie defensive tackle Tim Crowder returned a Roethlisberger fumble 50 yards for a score late in the first half. Despite this huge advantage, the Steelers managed to tie things at 28-28 late in the 4th Quarter when Roethlisberger hit Miller once again on a scoring toss, this time from 12 yards out. Nevertheless, Cutler swiftly led the Broncos into field goal range on a 49-yard drive which resulted in the third game-winning kick Elam has made for Denver this season. The Broncos’ exhilirating victory was made all the more significant when one considers that valuable starters Javon Walker and Champ Bailey were both sidelined with injuries. The win places Denver right back in the thick of things in the AFC West as they are 3-3 and host Green Bay next Monday evening. As for the Steelers, the loss was their second in as many sojourns to the Mountain time zone as they fell to the Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. earlier this season. In other NFL action Sunday, New Orleans edged Atlanta, 22-16, Washington squeaked past Arizona, 21-19, Buffalo stunned Baltimore, 19-14, Chicago came back against Philadelphia, 19-16, Cincinnati held off the New York Jets, 38-31, Dallas thumped Minnesota, 24-14, Detroit got past Tampa Bay 23-16, Tennessee outlasted Houston in a thrilling 38-36 victory, Kansas City got by Oakland, 12-10, New England decimated Miami, 49-28, the New York Giants battered San Francisco, 33-15, and Seattle smacked St. Louis, 33-6. The Monday night game features an AFC South matchup as Indianapolis travels to Jacksonville to battle the Jaguars.

NEPHI, UTAH-Jordan Jones completed seven of his 15 passes for 162 yards and two touchdown passes as the Juab Wasps ended the South Sevier Rams’ season with a 47-14 victory Thursday evening. Cody Kiesel also added two touchdown rushes of 35 and 27 yards for the Wasps. With the victory, Juab advances to play the Millard Eagles in Fillmore for next weekend’s quarterfinals. This game can be heard on KMGR 95.9 FM in Juab and Millard counties.

MOUNT PLEASANT, UTAH-Tyler Daniels and Jordan Walker combined for three rushing touchdowns and each eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yards plateau for the season as the North Sanpete Hawks decimated the Carbon Dinos, 47-12 Thursday night. Walker’s 154 rushing yards on the night left him with 1,055 rushing yards on the season, as Daniels added 61 yards during the game which resulted in him having 1,034 rushing yards. Additionally, Russell Christensen and Justin Stewart caught touchdown passes from QB Teejay Clawson for North Sanpete, while reserve tailback MacKenzi Brown added a 14-yard scoring run for the Hawks.

DRAPER, UTAH-Curtis Eliason had a 26-yard scoring run but it wasn’t enough as the Delta Rabbits fell to the Juan Diego Soaring Eagle, 14-6 Thursday evening. The Soaring Eagle received touchdowns from Keegan Anderson who caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Corey Lever, while Brian May also added a fumble return for a score for Juan Diego.

MANTI, UTAH-Griffin Aste completed five of his 10 passes for 83 yards and a scoring strike to David Hugentobler, while Hugentobler amassed 123 all-purpose yards as the Manti Templars shellacked the Beaver Beavers, 38-8 in the opening round of the 2A playoffs Friday afternoon. Nick Brown also stepped up big for the Templars as he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown while returning a Beavers interception 40 yards for another score. A late touchdown permitted the Beavers to evade the shutout, but their season is over while the Templars will play Grand next weekend in Moab. This game can be heard on KMTI-AM 650.

BLANDING, UTAH-Kohler Black had 154 rushing yards on 20 carries and a score from 32 yards out as the San Juan Broncos advanced in the 2A playoffs by eliminating the Gunnison Bulldogs, 34-24 Friday night. Despite the losing effort, Heston Neal had two rushing touchdowns and caught another scoring pass from 34 yards out for the Bulldogs. With the win, San Juan advances in the 2A playoffs to face the North Summit Braves in Coalville next week. There will be no coverage of this game on the five Mid-Utah radio stations.

RICHFIELD-UTAH, Jesse Hartle had three touchdowns, including a 45-yard fumble return for a score as the Richfield Wildcats made quick work of the ALA Eagles with a 49-14 win Friday evening. Also contributing for the Wildcats were Travis Tuttle and Jake Robinson with touchdown runs, while J.D. Michaelsen added a 55-yard scoring reception. David Armendariz and Seth Weber scored touchdowns for the Eagles in a losing effort. With the win, Richfield will now battle the green-clad South Summit Wildcats in Kamas next weekend in the 2A quarterfinals. This game can be heard on KSVC-AM 980.

KANAB, UTAH-The Kanab Cowboys amassed 313 rushing yards overall, while Levi Vincent had 131 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries as Kanab blitzed the Enterprise Wolves, 31-0 Friday night. Additionally, the Cowboys received a 52-yard scoring run from Thomas Quist while Logan Mazzettia added a one-run scoring rush and returned a blocked punt three yards for another score for Bucky Orton’s Kanab squad in the season finale. The win also enabled the Cowboys to win their region title as the victory gave them a 4-0 region record as opposed to Enterprise’s 3-1 mark.

MILFORD, UTAH-Wyatt Mason amassed three touchdowns (two rushing and one on an interception return) while the North Sevier Wolves jumped out to a 30-0 lead at the end of the 1st Quarter en route to a 50-6 pasting of the Milford Tigers Friday night. The win brought the Wolves to .500 in region play with two wins against two losses while overall they have four wins along with their four defeats.

(SALT LAKE CITY) – The BLM is hosting a special Wild Horse Weanling Adoption in Salt Lake City this weekend. BLM Spokesman, Gus Warr, says these young wild horses were born and raised in the Salt Lake Center. Warr said the BLM continuously looks for good homes for these animals. He said they respond well to genuine caring and gentling techniques and will become good companions for those willing to take the time to work with them. The public is invited to attend this Saturday and admission is free.

(Manti) The South Sanpete School District is planning for the future. There are several buildings in the district that are outdated and the district would like to replace them. According to South Sanpete Superintendent Don Hill, the district will have all of its bonds paid for by 2012, at which time they would be free to bond for the new buildings.The problem, is that the cost of construction is rising at an increasing pace. According to Hill, if the district waits it may be impossible to get the amount of funding needed. The district is apparently looking at ways to speed up the process in order to get the buildings they need.

To premise this column, I will placate my colleagues, Mike Traina and J.D. Fox, with a Snow-Pima prediction. The Badgers will decimate the Pima Aztecs, 58-14, as Soni Sotele gets his customary 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Niu Takai will approach 100 yards rushing and add a score as well. The Badgers defense will surrender only 115 yards of total offense, but the Aztecs will score a fluke touchdown. As for Houston Erbstoesser, he’ll exceed 300 passing yards for the first time in his career while tossing three more touchdowns. There you go, I hope that was enjoyable. As for me, I will be in my LDS mission once again as I served in Tucson, Ariz. which as the county seat of Pima County is the home of Pima Community College. Now, here’s the Division I/I-AA predictions:

Eastern Washington vs. Brigham Young: Although