Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday September 27 1987 The party fizzled Fullerton sizzled Aggie Romney debut a downer By Mike Ingraham sports editor - Before the lights went out in Saturday’s SMI loss to Cal Utah State University’s football team showed it could attract the attention of fans who have been aching to cheer the Aggies But when this young team will be ready to hold their attention is another matter Both head coaches pointed to the difference in experience following the heavily promoted Romney Stadium opener witnessed by 15786 on a warm and sunny day “What was the difference in this game?" eighth-yea- r Titan Head Coach Gene Murphy was asked “Maybe experience" he replied “He’s (Aggie Head Coach Chuck Shelton) trying to build a program We’ve been around for awhile That Had a lot to do with it" Shelton cited the experience factor late in his post game' press conference and with obvious reluctance — “the press doesn’t want to hear that because it’s crutches (excuses)" he said “It’s a question of maturity and getting things done when we’re awfully young and inexperienced and we just have to keep working until that experience and all those things start paying State-Fullert- on off" With the score 23--3 with 12 minutes left in the game fans in the student section began to flow towards the exits But their interest u expected to revive this Friday when the Aggies take on a compelling foe — Brigham Young university at Provo 7 pm “I’ve not given them a second of thought" said Shelton who was occupied the past week preparing for the Titans “But they are a good football team for us to be playing at this point in time” The Cougars might return those sentiments but maybe not with the enthusiasm that should be expected when facing an team After all the Aggies put at least three Titans — receiver John Gibbs linebacker Ted Hinton and defensive lineman Kelly Gogerty — out of commission But these were only the latest in a string of sufferings that have befallen the in the Pacific frontrunning visitors now Coast Athletic Association and 2 overall Before the season even began one of their top junior college transfers was shot in the leg by an unknown sniper as he innocently jogged on a track at Riverside Calif At Louisiana State University Sept 12 they were “Tiger bait" who needed a police escort everywhere And when they returned from the 2 slaughter what did they find in the newspapers? “Some things could not be printed in Utah" said Murphy with a sad smile “The stories said we should drop footbalL After LSU there were three stories m the papers Monday Tuesday and Wednesday about now we were an embarrassment to the schooL” Then just the past week quarterback Ronnie Barber did not practice until Thursday sidelined by a sprained ankle He showed up for the game though and scampered like he had brand new ankles while going 11 for 18 with two touchdown passes On both those second half scores No 11 teamed with another senior Todd White who is said to be Fullerton’s best athlete USU fans who had come to see a new and superior collection of Aggie athletes were instead forced to admire a show of surpassing athleticism by White and Barber “Two weeks in a row Ronnie has played excellent football" said Murphy Barber SepL 2 19 bad scrambled the Titans to a warmup victory over Long Beach State They also witnessed an afternoon of football by Fullerton which has come to be expected “Ball control is not going to win 0-- 3 2-- 0 2-- 56-1- 31-1- ball-contr- ol USU games for us" said Murphy “We four teams in a row We did it at LSU That doesn’t mean anything" For what it is worth however the Titans owned the football 37 minutes to the Aggies’ 23 minutes The Aggies came away from Romney comparatively unharmed physically Only center Nate Kaczor had to be sidelined with a shoulder injury always said if we give a good physical effort I’ll have to accept that and live with that" said Shelton right after the game He later added “That’s probably as physical as I ever had kids play and not win I thought we were dominant at times on the jjhjrsically “I thought our kids stayed healthy I thought they hit well I thought they gang tackled I thought they pursued to the balL I thought they did a lot of things that normally would pay off in victory" One of the things they did not do was pass well In fact said Shelton “we were very inaccurate today” But he cautioned before pointing at quarterback Brent Snyder he would have to view films showing whether the receivers were on course Snyder however was willing to shoulder the burden of a 17 for 37 with one interception Romney debut Especially regretted were two consecutive misfires in the opening minutes of the third quarter The Aggies had gone in at the half down M on three Stan Lambert field goals Shelton said he “went in at the half feeling pretty good with them only having nine points You come out and Smith to join Ags as assistant coach By Shaun McKinnon sportswriter feel like you can score twice You feel like you can overcome a nine-poideficit" Receiving the Titans’ kick Snyder and the Aggies staged their most convincing drive of the day moving from their own 25 to the Titan 8 On second and eight wideout Pat Newman who in the waning minutes of the game snagged the Aggies’ only scoring pass sprinted into the east corner of the south end zone and looked over his shoulder for the pass It was up but away wide of Newman and out of reach “It was a fade route and I just got it up in the wind and it carried a little bit” said Snyder “I should have adjusted to it" The next play third down fullback Tim Ray who had earlier caught three Snyder slings hightailed it out into the left flat all alone “He could have walked in to the end zone” said Shelton Instead Ray found himself leaping desperately for a pass out of reach “I just overthrew it” said Snyder “I saw him wide open and I just wanted to get it to him “I was pretty relaxed out mere" he added “Things seemed to be going pretty well and we had our running game going But a couple of times I tried to throw over people Instead of putting touch on the ball I tried to fire it and it just kept going up instead of coming down I probably shouldn’t have been throwing over anybody I probably should have gone somewhere else” The drive which had seemed surely destined for the end zone resulted injust a field goal a by Dene Garner That 3 would oe the only Aggie number on the board until with 17 nt 25-yard-er BYU in old form Utes By United Press assistant basketball coach The USU Institutional Council Saturday approved Smith's appointment effective Oct 1 through June 30 1988 Head coach Rod Tueller did not offer any details after the council's action but said an official announcement would be made later this week Smith replaces Mike Riley who took a post last month as assistant coach with the Rapid City SD Thrillers of the International - Continental Basketball Association Institutional council members also made official the SepL 16 naming of Sid Smith as Interim Associate Director of Athletics Kohn Smith played basketball at Logan High and Southern Utah State College He started his coaching career at West Side in Dayton Idaho and later moved to Bear River as an assistant coach In April 1981 he was named bead coach at Sky View High School but he never coached a game He was approached by Knight during the summer about becoming a Hoosier assistant coach and be decided to take the job Smith first met Knight at a Utah State basketball camp in 1977 and the two became friends taking fishing trips during the Smith was with the Hoosiers when they won the 1987 NCAA basketball championship He had announced his intentions to leave the school after last season then ns ence game Jensen sewed from 40 and 4 yards to help BYU roll up 454 yards of offense He completed 24 of 36 passes for 365 yards including touchdown throws of 51 yards to Travis McBeth and 7 yards to Matt Bellini Leading 0 at halftime the Cougars broke the game open in the third quarter in the WAC used BYU 2 overall and 24-1- 2-- 1-- 0 drive ending with Bellini's scoring catch to move in front 31-1- 10-pl- ay 80-yar-d 0 Mendonca completed 22 of 33 passes for yards with scoring throws of 1 yard to Dennis Smith and 13 yards to freshman tailback Rodney Wells The senior also scored on a keeper for Utah 1 Idaho State fell to Mendonca’s backup freshman Scott Mitchell then entered and passed for 153 TD strike to Curt ards including a ones who had opened the scoring on a reception of an option pass from halfback Clifton Smith Utah collected 388 of its 599 yards through the air The Utes defense held the Bengals to 40 yards rushing picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles Scott Lieber added field goals of 28 42 and 20 yards for the Utes and freshman Mike Anglesey scored on a run Freshman quarterback Greg Brown passed for 236 yards to lead Idaho State and his only TD pass went 8 yards to Shawn Beals after Utah had grabbed a 0 lead Idaho State also scored on Corky Federico's plunge and Matt field goaL Maloney’s Although Wells rushed for only 19 yards for Utah ne caught 14 passes for 133 yards At Oaden Weber State scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to come from behind and defeat Boise State Two games involving four Top 20 teams went down to the last second Saturday and ended up without winners 3-- 9-- 3 16-yar- d 21-ya- rd Late in the quarter cornerback Kirk Davis intercepted a pass from Lobo quarterback Gary Garrison and returned 30 rout Bengals 219 ALBUQUERQUE NM Quarterback Bob Jensen ran for two touchdowns and for two others Saturday night to Eassed Young’s victory over New Mexico in a Western Athletic Confer- a USU's Pondre Davis had plenty to ponder See AGGIES on page 21 45-2- 5 Kohn Smith is coming home Six years after he left Cache Valley for the University of Indiana and Bob Knight Smith will return as a Utah State reconsidered quarterback Brent Snyder is leveled by Bobby Pierce (92) and Todd Thorton yards to put BYU in front Garrison was 24 of two touchdowns New Mexico scoring plays in 44 38-1- 0 for 368 yards and and had two long the final period Randy Johnson returned a BYU punt for 72 yards and Garrison found A1 Owens for a pass play tying a WAC record McBetb led all receivers with four catches for 114 yards Teraoce Mathis paced New Mexico with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown At Salt Lake City Chris Mendooca passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third score Saturday night leading Utah to 6 a rout of Idaho State in a game 0-- 3 0--2 96-yar- d 51-1- ce 37-1- 36-yar- d 55-4- 4 Tennessee Coach Johnny Majors expressed no second thoughts about going for a conversion with less than two minutes remaining and the No 11 Volunteers settled for a tie against one-poi- nt 20-2- 0 4 No 3 Auburn at Knoxville Tenn At Baton Rouge La Karl Dunbar field-goblocked a attempt to 3 LSU 4 No a for tie salvage against No 5 Ohio State Elsewhere No 1 Oklahoma thrashed Tulsa 650 No 2 Nebraska defeated No 12 8 No 6 Notre Dame Arizona State downed Purdue 0 No 7 Miami romped over No 10 Arkansas 51-- 7 No 8 Florida State routed Michigan State 3 No 9 No Clemsoc defeated Georgia Tech 2 15 Florida defeated Mississippi State 38-No 16 Michigan walloped Long Beach State 490 No 17 Texas A&M beat Southern Mississippi 4 No 18 Syracuse 19 No downed Virginia Tech Georgia tripped South Carolina 13--6 and No 20 Washington defeated defeated last-seco- al nd 13-1- -1 35-2- 44-2- 31-- 33-1- 3 27-1- 35-2- 1 Pacific 31-- 3 At Tempe Ariz quarterback Steve Taylor rushed for 122 yards and scored on a scamper with 3:37 left The winning touchdown came just four plays after the Sun Devils 1 had tied the score run by Darryl Harris on a Nebraska improved to 30 At Seattle Aaron Jenkins ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns The Huskies 1 were never threatened after the Tigers 3 fumbled on their first two possessions of the game Ind At West Lafayette Anthony Johnson ran for throe touchdowns and the Irish pulled away after a sluggish first half Terry Andrysiak hit Tim Brown with touchdown pass to five Notre a Dame 30 a 0 lead with 23 seconds remaining in the third quarter rd 2-- 3-- 1-- 49-yar- d 31-2- |