Record is within receiver's grasp

An average game. That's all Paris Warren needs to enter Utah's record book Saturday. The wide receiver is just seven catches away from setting a single-season receptions record for the Utes. The junior, who leads the Mountain West Conference and is seventh in the nation with 7.4 catches per game, enters the BYU game with 67, six shy of the mark jointly held by Loren Richey (1985) and Dennis Smith (1989).

"The guy catches anything that's thrown to him. You can see that by all the one-handed catches and stuff," Utah quarterback Alex Smith said. "He's a game-changer."

The Utes are 8-1 this season with Warren on the field. He missed the Texas A&M game after a shoplifting incident. The case was eventually settled in court and Warren has since established himself as a key contributor.

"Everything worked out well. Everything has just been real good for me," Warren said. "I finally feel I'm at home now. I've got one more year left, and I've got to go out with a bang."

The receptions record would be nice to attain, he explained, but maintaining his focus is more important.

"I don't want to get caught up in worrying about catching the ball instead of just playing my game," said Warren, who leads the Utes with 73.2 receiving yards per outing. He's also rushed the ball 20 times for 124 yards and completed a pass. In addition to direct snap duties, Warren is an accomplished punt returner with 123 yards on 11 kicks.

"Phenomenal. I can't say enough about Paris. He's an incredible talent," said Smith, who acknowledged that Warren does a lot of stuff behind the scenes to ensure team success. "He's a guy who, in key situations, wants the ball. And he's a guy we want to get the ball to."

As for the record, Smith is happy for Warren.

"He works real hard," he said. "He's an awesome guy — awesome on the field and awesome off the field."

MOA MOTORING: Utah senior Ben Moa is certain the Utes and Cougars will exchange words throughout Saturday's game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"I'm going to do most of the talking," he told a television reporter earlier this week. "You should wire one of those things (microphone) to my helmet . . . but you're going to have to edit most of the stuff."

Moa, who is third on the Utes with 510 all-purpose yards, is one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award — presented each year to the nation's most outstanding tight end.

PEP RALLY FRIDAY: Meyer and his players will join university president Bernie Machen at a pep rally on the front steps of the Park Building, Friday at noon. After introductions and speeches, the Ute Marching Band will perform, as will the cheerleaders and Swoop the mascot. At the conclusion of the gathering, the ROTC will begin its annual game-ball run. Utah cadets will hand-deliver the ball to Provo.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com