In football, the point after touchdown is essentially an afterthought. The only time it seems to get noticed is the rare case that it wins a game or goes awry.

In that case, BYU kicker Mitch Payne is on his way to providing more afterthoughts than any player in Mountain West Conference history.

After making all seven of his PATs Saturday against Wyoming, Payne passed former Utah kicker Louie Sakoda for second place in MWC history with 141 career PATs made.
Payne, a junior from North Ogden, first learned about the record after practice Tuesday.

On the first available day to sign recruits, the BYU men’s basketball team has landed one of the top prospects in the nation.

Kyle Collinsworth made his commitment to BYU official by signing a national letter of intent on Nov. 11.

“We are excited with the addition of Kyle Collinsworth to our program,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “He was a national recruit who is a terrific competitor and an extremely versatile player. An athlete with the skill level to play multiple positions, Kyle is a talented scorer, a productive rebounder and a proficient distributor.”

Collinsworth is a 6-6 guard who averaged 18.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior last year at Provo High. He led the Bulldogs to a 24-1 record and was named the 4A MVP by the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, in addition to earning 4A tournament MVP and All-Valley honors from the Daily Herald.

Looking to show that they are better than their recent road losses, the BYU women’s volleyball team returns today to the Smith Fieldhouse for the season’s final home stand.

“Our team is ready to finish strong at home and to show our fans that we are a dynamic and talented team,” said head coach Shay Goulding. “We have made some big improvements offensively lately with some girls hitting for some high numbers.”

The Cougars are set to start the weekend against Wyoming, a team that proved to be a handful in their last meeting. A back and forth match went the distance with the Cougars edging the Cowgirls 15-11 in the fifth set.  

“Wyoming’s record this year is deceiving,” Goudling said. “They are actually a very persistent team that plays scrappy defense and runs a solid offense. I expect that Thursday’s match will be an exciting one.”

Making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Women’s Soccer College Cup, BYU’s women’s soccer team will face UC Santa Barbara today at 4:30 p.m. in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Cougars (17-3-2) have an 8-9-3 all-time record in the NCAA tournament. In 2003 BYU advanced to the Elite Eight after beating Colorado, Idaho State and Villanova. BYU has made 11 appearances in the tournament in school history, and have been invited every year but one since joining the Mountain West Conference.

“We’re excited to be a part of the NCAA tournament this year,” BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We want to get back out on the field and prepare for Santa Barbara. I think we’re in pretty good shape, preparation wise, but we’re going to have to be at our best.”

Team, Power Ranking
1. LP, 4.42
2. Udonis, 4.06
3. En Fuego, 4.00
4. G-Funk, 4.00
5. Andre, 3.88
6. Skistosity, 3.88
7. Voltron, 3.75
8. Magic, 3.75
9. Romadii, 3.75
10. Big Numbers, 3.75
11. Thunder, 3.75
12. Matadores, 3.75
13. Nash Daddys, 3.69
14. Holla, 3.67
15. Eagles, 3.63
16. Teamwork, 3.63
17. Dunk It Zeke!, 3.58
18. Hammer of Thor, 3.58
19. Hei Shou Hui, 3.58
20. Make It Happen, 3.58
21. Justin Olsen, 3.50
22. Ballers, 3.50
23. Fergalicious, 3.50
24. Goof Troop, 3.50
25. History in the Making, 3.42
26. Tigers, 3.42
27. Section 139, 3.38
28. Daddy Long Legs, 3.38
29. MVP, 3.33
30. School Bus, 3.33
31. Los Chiquitos, 3.33
32. 373, 3.25
33. Discovery Channel, 3.25
34. Cosmo Kazis, 3.25
35. Goonies, 3.17

Much has been made about the depth returning to the BYU basketball team for the season. On top of the four returning starters, the Cougars bring back three bench players who averaged over 10 minutes per game last year and two others who have a full season of game experience.

While Coach Dave Rose’s squad returns playmakers at nearly every guard position, the post position looks to be the biggest question mark entering the season. Chris Miles has proven to be a serviceable big man at the starting position, but the Cougars will need him to elevate his game to accomplish their goals this season.

It is unclear whether the necessary improvements have been made, but Miles said he has worked hard in the offseason.

Another question mark has presented itself for the BYU kicking game. Last year’s freshman kicking sensation, Justin Sorensen, has spent the last five weeks in Utah recovering from surgery to repair an ankle injury, The Daily Universe learned on Monday.

Sorensen was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Statesboro, Ga. for six months before the injury. It all started with a painful bite he found on his leg, which he showed to his ward mission leader, Steve Miller.

“He showed us the bite in church,” Miller said. “We showed it to a doctor in our ward who said it looks like a spider bite. We thought it may have been a brown recluse.”

The bite continued to get worse, and Sorensen eventually went to the emergency room, receiving pain medicine and a heavy antibiotic.