Neck Injury Keeps Utes' Smith Out of EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl

By Phil Miller, Salt Lake Tribune

Utah's Steve Smith, one of the MWC's most dangerous players will miss the Las Vegas Bowl with a neck injury.
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Dec. 7, 1999

Stevonne Smith will be wearing a neck brace instead of a football helmet at the Las Vegas Bowl.

The University of Utah's leading receiver and the NCAA's leading punt returner is still wearing the brace after fracturing a vertebrae in his neck during the Utes' 20-17 victory over Brigham Young on Nov. 20. Doctors don't believe the injury will end Smith's career, but it definitely will end his season.

Smith's absence means Johnny Lundy and Phillippe Wells will see more action than normal against Fresno State on Dec. 18, but quarterback T.D. Croshaw doesn't expect Utah's offense to suffer. "It hurts not to have his speed and ability to make plays, but we've got some other guys who perform," Croshaw said. "Just like Donny Utu did against BYU, those guys will step up." Utu, replacing injured slotback Boo Bendinger, caught eight passes against the Cougars.

Patrick Dyson, the starting punt returner in fall camp, will take over those duties again. "At the start of the year, we were doing just fine with our No. 1 guy," special teams coach Sean McNabb said. "Patrick is pretty talented. He'll do fine."

Freshman D'Shaun Crockett will join Dyson as the primary kickoff returners. "That's still a pretty good lineup," McNabb said. "I don't think we'll be shooting blanks."

GOING FAST
After one busy week, the Utes have sold about half of their tickets to the Las Vegas Bowl.

"It's been pretty brisk. We're still selling about 1,000 a day," ticket manager Dave Copier said. "It's been a little better than our other bowl games."

The Utes had sold just short of 6,000 tickets for the Dec. 18 game by Monday, Copier said. He's not certain that the school will sell out its allotment, but some group-sales efforts have not reported back yet.

The school bought about 11,700 tickets to the game in 40,000-capacity Sam Boyd Stadium, 800 fewer than the publicized 12,500-ticket guarantee, because Utah bought so many $125 seats.

"We bought as many of those as they would give us," said Copier, and those 50-yard-line seats, which include a pregame meal and VIP parking, are nearly sold out. Most of the remaining seats are $45 each, and the U. is offering students a buy-one-get-one-free deal on $30 tickets. The school also has a few $10 grandstand seats.