Pac-12 Network To Honor Ty Jordan On Wednesday Night
While Utah and the Pac-12 football community continue to recover from the shocking death of star running back Ty Jordan, the Pac-12 Network will be doing its part in keeping alive the memory and spirit of Jordan.
The network announced on Tuesday afternoon that at 7 p.m. MT on Wednesday, it will be re-airing Jordan's final three games of his career. That means that fans will have the opportunity to see Jordan in action against Oregon State, then-No. 21 Colorado and Washington State.
Beginning at 7 p.m. MT, the Pac-12 Network will air condensed versions, or rather the "Football in 60" games beginning with Utah vs. Oregon State. It was Jordan's breakout game as he finished with career-highs in rushes (27) and yards (167) with a touchdown.
The network will follow that up with the Utah-Colorado game in which Jordan ran for 147 yards and two scores. The final game to be aired by the Pac-12 network will be Utah's season finale against Washington State when he totaled 187 yards and three scores on just 24 touches.
Jordan finished the season with 597 rushing yards on just 83 carries with six touchdowns, an average of 119.4 rushing yards per game that ranked ninth in the country and No. 1 amongst freshman.
He capped off his sensational debut season when he was named the Pac-12's Offensive Freshman of the Year, announced by the conference two weeks ago. Jordan is just the second Ute to win a Pac-12 yearly award, joining the man he replaced in Moss.
Jordan began to shine in just his second game of his career when he was electric against Washington, perennially one of the top defenses in the nation. Despite suffering a 24-21 heart-breaking loss, he showed why he was dangerous with the ball in his hands when he ran for 97 yards on just 10 carries — and that was while still sharing carries with Devin Brumfield and Jordan Wilmore.
If Utah fans thought that was good, they had no idea what was in store for them over the final three games of the year when he was elevated to starter.
Jordan averaged 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns per game in leading the Utes to victories over Oregon State, then No. 21 Colorado and Washington State. That number rushing would've ranked third in the nation and second in the Pac-12.
Nov 28, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Utes running back Ty Jordan (22) rushes against Washington Huskies linebacker Jackson Sirmon (43) and linebacker Sav'ell Smalls (17) during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan tragically passed away Christmas night while home visiting family in Texas over the holiday break.
According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, Jordan died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.
An incident occurred at an apartment at the 1100 block of Avenue B in Denton, Texas, where an initial call went out to police at 9:38 p.m. CT. The victim was then transported four miles to the Denton Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead at 10:46 p.m. CT.
It's unknown what led up to the shooting the but following a preliminary investigation, the Denton Police Department believe the gun “was accidentally discharged by the victim.” Denton PD has also repeatedly and adamantly said it will not identify the person who died Christmas night following the accidental shooting.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The Tarrant County M.E. has not yet ruled on the official manner of death, which is expected to come in the next week or two. An incident report regarding the full details has not yet been made available, but it could take several days to process considering the weekends and holiday season. It's also unknown if the case is still open or closed, which could also cause a delay in the release of the incident report.
“Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said per a release. "Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us. He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.”
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