OCR Text |
Show Statesman Sports Page 16 Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Spencer Johnson: No laughing matter By G. CHRISTOPHER TERRY assistant sports editor Senior center Brennan McFadden insisted the joke is "not that funny." Of course, he also claimed to have gotten his offensive line teammate, junior tackle Spencer Johnson, back by playing the same joke on him. It's a charge Johnson denied, saying he has played the joke on McFadden on every flight the team has taken this year except the one to Hawaii, which was commercial. Here's how it works: The team boards the plane, with the offensive linemen sitting in a straight line in the aisles so they can stretch their legs out. The first time the stewardess walks by, Johnson gets her attention and tells her that his teammate-cum-victim McFadden needs a seatbelt extender. When the stewardess brings the extender out, everyone has a hearty laugh at McFadden's expense. "McFadden takes it as him being fat," a clearly delighted Johnson explained. "We try to do it every week." However, when the whistle blows, Johnson seamlessly makes the transition from joker to jock. Saturday afternoon at Idaho he put the finishing touches on his third-straight season playing in every single game, mostly at left tackle – traditionally regarded as the most difficult position to play on the offensive line. "We don't have much help," Johnson said humbly, "but we have (Robert) Turbin out of the backfield, you can see him chipping the defensive end, that helps both of the tackles out." The quarterback whose blind side he has been protecting for the better part of those three seasons, Diondre Borel, and his first-year position coach, Alex Gerke, are quick to praise the agile Johnson. "It's great," Borel said of having Johnson watch his back. "He's been progressing every game ever since I first got here." Gerke says Johnson's toughness permeates through the offensive line. "I think he brings stability to the young offensive linemen that are in that group," Gerkhe said of the three-year starter. "He should have some knowledge of how the game is played." Johnson has attained that knowledge as the proverbial bullets were flying around him on the field. After redshirting in 2006 and being awarded scout team player of the week two times, Johnson was plugged in at left tackle in 2007 and started all 12 games. Johnson JOHNSON was the only offensive freshman and one of five offensive freshmen to play in all 12 games that year. In 2008, only two returning offensive players had more offensive plays than Johnson, who only started seven games but appeared in all 12. "I've seen so many different teams over my career here. I think I can be ready for almost anything," Johnson said. Of passing his knowledge along to the other offensive linemen, Johnson said that comes naturally. "I try to help out. I think we have to communicate as offensive linemen the most. I remember when I was Malik Cin's understudy my redshirt year he taught me. A guy like Oscar Molina is going to be a really great player because he's learning so much and he's seeing a little time now. I learned a lot from Malik my freshman year, and I learned a lot from McFadden when he played tackle. When you're that guy, when you're old enough then you can be the one giving advice," Johnson said. Johnson came to USU after earning first-team all-league honors and being named his league's offensive lineman of the year award in his home of Oakland, Calif. A well-rounded athlete, Johnson earned academic all-league honors as well as being MVP of the track and field team as a discus and shot put thrower. Johnson has always been a free spirit. He played varsity tennis his senior year and even strutted his 6-foot-5, 285-pound body in a swimsuit contest, taking second place in the prestigious Mr. Lancaster Swimsuit Competition. When he's not performing as one of USU's most important offensive linemen, Johnson likes to have fun with his teammates. McFadden is not his only victim. Johnson said he and punter Peter Caldwell have short-sheeted right tackle Tariq Polley's bed on every single road trip this year. "He still has no idea it's us," Johnson said with a laugh. "He's going to find out by reading it in the paper." Johnson possesses great timing – the true mark of a comedian. On the team's recent trip to Idaho, Johnson said he "waited until the way back" to play the seatbelt extender joke on McFadden, "so it wouldn't be on his mind." After all, who would be thinking of seatbelt extenders after a wild 52-49 win over the Vandals? Johnson, USU's Mr. Consistency at left tackle, that's who. – graham.terry@aggiemaiLusu.edu Redshirt year helpful for player development By MATT SONNENBERG staff writer While the household names of Aggie basketball such as Tai Wesley and Jared Quayle are inciting the roars of the Spectrum's crowd on a nightly basis this season, two lesser-known players will spend their entire year putting in just as much practice time as Wesley and Quayle, while receiving little-to-no fanfare for the roles they play on the men's basketball team. That is the current reality for USU freshmen Anthony DiLoreto and Preston Eaton, both of who will be redshirting for the 2009-2010 college basketball season. A redshirt year in college athletics is when player spends an entire season enrolled in classes, practicing with their team and even dressing for games but without playing, all the while without losing a year of their playing eligibility. The purpose is to allow teams to spread a player's eligibility if needed, allow players to adjust to competing at the college level, or in some cases allow a player to recover from an injury that would keep them off the court. USU assistant coach Tarvish Felton, who himself redshirted during his playing days in college, said, "A redshirt is really used when it's best to benefit the player, whether you need some time to mature physically or get better at certain things or certain aspects." With an entire year to practice with the team without being able to ever check into a game, the life of a redshirt player becomes heavily focused around running the scout team to prepare the starters and primary back-ups of the team for each game. DiLoreto said that sometimes when most of the team is watching game film, the scout team will be on the court learning certain plays run by the Aggies' next opponent to run against the first two lines of the team, all of which is part of the routine for redshirts and scout team players in playing their role within the team. Knowing that playing time will be non-existent during his first year at USU, DiLoreto defined his role on the team as "running scout, trying to compete as much as possible with the top two lines and just improve the team." Felton echoed the importance of players in the roles of DiLoreto and Eaton saying, "When AGGIE CENTER MATT FORMISANO lays the ball in against Idaho State earlier this season in the Spectrum. Formisano is one player who has benefitted from a redshirt year. PATRICK ODEN photo Stomp: Aggies overpower S. Utah I continuedfrom page 13 to the Spectrum in four years Wednesday and one-loss Saint Mary's – which beat USU at home in the ESPN bracket buster game last year – visits on Saturday. "We got through it, it's a win," said Morrill of the SUU game. "The price of poker goes up next week – certainly in terms of the two opponents we've got coming in are both really good teams." – Lolsen@aggiemaiLusu.edu Note: Aggies finish off Vandals I continued from page 13 ing possession, the Aggies finally turned the game back in their favor. Senior safety James Brindley recovered an Idaho fumble at the Vandals one-yard line, where Turbin promptly cashed in his fifth touchdown of the afternoon. That score gave the Aggies a 10-point lead with 8:46 remaining, and though Idaho was able to score again and pull within three with 1:16 left, the Ags were able to recover the ensuing onside kick and run out the clock. "It's so great how it happened tonight – the last game of the year, finding a way to be able to get a win on the road against a team that is most likely going to a bowl game and has played very well this year and played extremely well at home," Andersen said. "It's fantastic for these seniors. We have so much to learn but that's not for today. Today is to celebrate a victory on the road for the seniors." – t.olsen@aggiemaiLusu.edu you're a redshirt or when you're on scout team, you're an integral part of the program because our scout team here at Utah State has always been good and allowed us to really prepare for the other team and that's an asset for us." Asked if players are often discouraged by putting in the amount of work they do without being able to play, Felton said, "Our guys don't really get down. They buy in and they know that they still have a role on the team even though they're not playing in games and it's a very important part." While the scout team role of a redshirt provides a valuable element in preparing a team for each game, the extra year of learning often can make for a more successful four years for a player, particularly in learning and executing the complex offense that USU runs. Felton said, "You feel like you're a year better because you've been around it. You know the system." Redshirt players, while they sit on the bench in street clothes for home games, dress in full uniform and warm up with the rest of the team for road games. "It gives them an opportunity to dress and get the game day atmosphere, and that's good for them," Felton said. Although the feeling of being told he'd be sitting out of games for this entire year initially stung him a little bit, DiLoreto said, "I realize that it's better for me in the long run. I'll be able to come back a lot better next year." While DiLoreto and Eaton will carry the eligibility tag of "redshirt-freshmen" a year from now, Felton hinted that they will have more expected of them than what a true-freshman player would. "When you redshirt, you're not a new guy," Felton said. "You're a veteran. You've been through it before." When asked what he expects the feeling to be when he finally gets on the floor for a USU home game after watching from the sidelines for an entire year, DiLoreto said, "It's going to be unreal." For the time being though, the freshman center is accepting his role with th team. "It's hard not being able to go out and play, but just supporting the team trying to help out anyway possible is what I'm doing," he said. – matt.sonn@aggiemaiLusu.edu SEC Championship will pit No. 1 vs. 2 NEW YORK (AP) — For the second straight season the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Again, it'll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked. Florida extended its lead in the AP college football poll Sunday, receiving 46 first-place votes after routing rival Florida State 37-10. The Crimson Tide received seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points. Both teams had close victories against in-state rivals over the Thanksgiving weekend. Last season, Florida went into the SEC title game as the No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 and beat No. 1 Alabama to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game. The SEC title game will again be a de fact national semifinal, with the winner of Saturday's game in Atlanta earning a spot in the national title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7. The top six in the latest poll was unchanged for the third consecutive week. TCU is No. 4, followed by fellow unbeatens Cincinnati and Boise State. The top six in the BCS standings were the same as in the AP poll. Oregon moved up three spots to No. 7 heading into its season-finale against No. 13 Oregon State, a Thursday night game that will decide the Pac10's representative in the Rose Bowl. Three Big Ten teams round out the top. Ohio State is No. 8, followed by Iowa and Penn State. Virginia Tech is No. 11 and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech dropped five spots to No. 12 after losing 30-24 to Georgia. |