Passing Where No Other Has : Utah’s Scott Mitchell Takes Aim at SDSU Next

Tradition apparently does not rule Scott Mitchell. Otherwise, he would never be where he is today, a record-setting quarterback at the University of Utah. He would be at Brigham Young, following in his father’s footsteps and playing for his grandmother’s first cousin, Coach LaVell Edwards.

Mitchell could have gone to BYU, where he might have become the latest in a succession of successful quarterbacks. Instead, after one of the more intense high school recruiting battles in Utah history, Mitchell selected Utah and its coach, Jim Fassel.

Four years later, Mitchell says he does not doubt he made the right choice.

He has found comfort in his personal life after meeting his wife of nine months, Kimberly, at a school party. He has found success on the football field, where he has set 39 National Collegiate Athletic Assn., Western Athletic Conference and school offensive records.

And while Utah is not the most successful team in college football, having lost three of four games entering Saturday night’s WAC contest against visiting San Diego State, it certainly qualifies as one of the most entertaining. Fassel, an assistant at Stanford in the days of John Elway, has brought some innovative touches to the Ute offense.

And it is Mitchell, a 6-foot-6, 231-pound redshirt junior from Springville, Utah, who has made the Utes go. His list of NCAA Division I-A records run from the obscure--most yards gained in a season opener, 511--to the almost unfathomable, such as his 631 yards passing in a 56-49 loss at Air Force last year.

Last year, in his first season as a full-time starter after sharing time with Chris Mendonca as a redshirt freshman in 1987, Mitchell became the most prolific sophomore passer in NCAA Division I-A history. His 4,322 yards easily broke the record of 3,642 set by Bernie Kosar at Miami in 1984.

If Mitchell keeps this up, he appears a cinch to break the record for career passing yardage of 11,425 set by SDSU’s Todd Santos (1984-87). His success led Utah to start a Heisman Trophy promotional campaign, including a highlight tape for national distribution.

“The attention is something I didn’t expect,” Mitchell said in a telephone interview from Salt Lake City this week. “My focus has been on just playing football. I didn’t think about any of this, it just came along with it. But the bottom line is what you do on the field. I just try to keep my focus on the game. That is what is important, not reading the magazines or getting patted on the back.”

But not all has gone smoothly at Utah.

Despite high expections over the strong finish of last year, which included four consecutive victories and a 57-28 rout of BYU, the Utes have started slowly in 1989. They are coming off a 67-20 loss at Hawaii. The 67 points in one game were the most allowed in the 97-year history of Utah football.

The team was stung over the summer by the arrest of three players on federal drug charges. It was the second such arrest in two years. Two other team members were charged with similar offenses after their arrest the previous summer. One of them, fullback Martell Black, a former Sweetwater High School player, is serving a federal prison sentence.

“On one hand, I feel bad for the guys who got in that situation,” Mitchell said. “On the other hand, I don’t feel sorry for them.

“You would think that after the first time people would learn. But the second time . . . it’s stupid, it’s crazy. You don’t feel as sorry for them the second time.”

The slow start and off-the-field problems have intensified the pressure on Fassel, whose five-year record at Utah is 22-28.

Mitchell also has had problems.

In a season-opening 52-22 loss at Fresno State, he completed only 17 of 48 passes for 325 yards. Last week at Hawaii, he had one of the least productive games of his career, completing 17 of 30 passes for 171 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. After not throwing an interception in his first two games, Mitchell has thrown five at Nebraska (42-30 loss) and Hawaii.

Part of the problem has been the time it has taken to adjust to a new group of receivers. Only one--Mike Connaughton--had caught a pass from Mitchell before the season started.

“It has been a change for me,” Fassel said. “But we’re starting to get more comfortable with each other.”

Aztecs Notes

San Diego State reserve offensive lineman Steve Blyth, a senior from Richmond, Canada, is out for the season after surgery Wednesday to repair a torn tendon in his right knee, trainer Brian Barry said. The surgery is almost identical to operation Blyth had after injuring the same knee in spring practice. Nickel back David Cooper, a junior from Honolulu, underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to repair a bone defect in his left knee. Cooper is expected to recover in two to three weeks, Barry said. . . . Luginbill said reserve defensive lineman Darren Cooley apparently has quit. Cooley, who did not play against Cal State Fullerton Saturday after playing in the Aztecs’ first two games, has not practiced in several days. Cooley, a redshirt freshman from Oklahoma City, sat out last season after undergoing back surgery. . . . Tight end Ray Rowe (shoulder sprain/bruise) and cornerback Marlon Andrews (dislocated shoulder) will not play in Saturday night’s game at Utah, Luginbill said. Offensive guard Damon Baldwin has been fitted with a brace to protect a dislocated left elbow and is expected to start.

MITCHELL’S NUMBERS

Yr. Cmp. Att. Int. Yd. TD ’87 109 188 4 1,448 9 ’88 323 533 15 4,322 29 ’89 89 163 5 1,188 14 Tot. 521 884 24 6,958 62

NCAA RECORDS INCLUDE:

Most yards total offense (game), 625 vs. Air Force, 1988

Most yards passing (game), 631 vs. Air Force, 1988

Most yards passing per game (season), 392.9, 1988

Most yards passing by a sophomore (season), 4,322, 1988