Rock On: Ute basketball, college football

DAWN PATROL

The 1-8 Ute men's basketball team played harder than usual in Saturday's loss to BYU, but not hard enough.

To make his point, coach Larry Krystkowiak called a 7:30 a.m. practice on Monday.

Whew! The only people up and working at that time are milkmen and newspaper carriers.

Come to think of it, is that where the Utes have been getting their players?

SPUDTACULAR

Utah State is playing this Saturday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

OK, so it's not terribly glamorous.

Think of it this way: Would it sound any sexier if they were playing in the Famous Massachusetts Baked Bean Bowl?

BOWL CUT

Meanwhile, Utah is prepping for its Sun Bowl game against Georgia Tech.

Among the gifts participants will receive is a Helen of Troy hair dryer.

Which, according to Riley Nelson, is just one more reason BYU needs to get in a better bowl.

DEAD COACHES SOCIETY

Spurrier Urban Wiley is having an identity crisis.

He's just too young to know it.

The four-year-old son of Florida graduate Jen Wiley is named after a couple of Gator coaches who, well, flew the coop. Now that Urban Meyer is at Ohio State, Jen wants to change her child's middle name.

She's thinking Tim, as in Tebow, but her husband is against switching.

Rock On thinks this all could have been avoided.

If you name a kid Knute, at least you know his namesake isn't going anywhere.

RESET

Arizona State fired football coach Dennis Erickson after another disappointing season and subsequently offered the job to SMU's June Jones.

Not so fast, Cactus Breath.

After allegedly taking too much time deciding, Jones was uninvited by the Sun Devils.

Is that anything like benching Jake Heaps after telling him he would lead BYU to a national championship?

BRIEFLY SPEAKING

The University of Arizona announced the hiring of Rich Rodriguez as its football coach via Twitter, two weeks ago.

It was a bold decision to make the announcement via the social media instead of the mainstream media.

Still, it's fine with Rock On — just as long as they limited his acceptance speech to 140 characters.

SKIN GAMES

First came the XFL, then the Lingerie Football League.

Now reports are saying a Stripper Basketball League is about to launch.

Just wondering: If people really want to watch that, why not just go to a club and skip the bad TV commentary?

Email: rock@desnews.com

Twitter: therockmonster

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