Oklahoma at Utah

Recap

The Big Storyline: Utah’s home opener went ideally for the Utes as they easily defeated visiting Big 12 favorite Oklahoma and briefly held the nation’s top overall score. Freshman Grace McCallum bounced back from a bars fall in her debut to win the all-around behind a near-perfect floor score, with fellow freshman Sage Thompson adding a win on bars to the Red Rocks’ title haul on the night. Despite Ragan Smith’s 9.975 in the anchor spot on beam, the Sooners counted a fall in defeat in what was a close matchup until the final rotation.

Implications: Oklahoma’s four-year streak of regular-season wins was snapped with Utah’s victory, with the 1.125 margin of victory the largest against the Sooners since Florida in 2009.

Records: Thompson grabbed the first event title of her college career while Smith tied her career-high on beam.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 4 Utah

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Two legitimate NCAA title contenders face off in the regular season for the second year in a row in a matchup that will be a great early season test for both teams. Oklahoma passed its first test against Alabama last weekend, but traveling to face the Utes at home will prove to be a much bigger challenge. Both teams opened their seasons with strong first meets, but both also showed plenty of areas for improvement.

What We’re Watching: Superstar freshmen Jordan Bowers and Grace McCallum had mixed bags of meets when it came to their collegiate debuts, shining on three events while counting a fall on the fourth. Will they be able to bounce back in an even higher-pressure situation? Oklahoma’s season opened on vault with every gymnast notching a perfect 10 or sub-9.8 score, so watch for the Sooners to try and elevate their lineup to match the level of Katherine LeVasseur and Allie Stern. Utah was sturdy across the board in its opener, counting no less than a 9.8 but also no scores above 9.9. Look for the Utes to home in on the crowd’s energy in their home opener to help propel them to bigger totals.

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Highly touted freshman Kara Eaker started off her Utah career strong last week but unfortunately suffered an ankle injury during vault warmups and will likely be sidelined for this matchup. This meet is set to be broadcast on ESPN2!