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Show A6 Signpost Tuesday, September, 27 1983 SpORTS mm WSC's Gilbert Vasquez carries the ball for a gain against NAU. Weber won the game 26-13. Signpost pholoGrovc Pashley by Dan Dickson Asst. Sports Editor With Weber State on the Eastern Washington 4-yard line and only eight seconds left in the game, Coach Mike Price had a decision to make. You see, Weber was trailing by three points and had time for one or maybe two plays. Actually, the decision was probably quite simple. Coach Price called on a play that he has used six or seven times in the past and it has worked every time the 168 roll. It worked one more time Saturday afternoon as tight end Craig Slama caught the winning touchdown with three seconds left on the clock. Craig Winberg's extra point was good, and Weber flew out of town with a hard fought 21-17 victory over Eastern WashingtonUniversity. P2 by Colleen Mewing Sports Editor Football season just isn't football season unless you play at least one game in clammy, wet weather. And that's how Coach Mike Price's Wildcats opened their '83-'84 football season this year-under a cloudy sky that managed to dump rain not only on the players but on the crowd as well. Umbrellas went up and so did the points on the scoreboard as WSC began their season with a 33-21 win over the Southwest State Golden Mustangs from Minnesota on Sept. 3. The game was Coach Price's third straight opening victory and was also Weber State's 100th win as a four-year school. At halftime the 'Cats were on top 26-0 and went up by as much as 33-0 in the beginning of the third quarter before Southwest State scored three touchdowns with Weber's second string performing for the 'Cats. With one win tucked away, the team had two weeks of practice before taking on Northern Arizona on Sept. 17 in both teams' conference openers. Weber State, not expected to finish higher than 4th in the Big Sky, racked up their second victory of the season with a 26-13 win over the NAU Lumberjacks. Although the score indicates that Weber had a sure get-away, the game could have belonged to NAU. Quarterback Tim Bernal said they use the "168 roll" only in critical situations and that it can only be used against a man-to-man defense. Two tight ends line up on the play and one of them rolls with the quarterback. The other cuts back to the weakside where the quarterback usually will find him open for an easy reception. The play capped a 76-yard drive that started with three minutes and 59 seconds on the clock. EWU had just scored to erase a Weber 14-10 lead. Coach Price was very calm on the sideline and knew if the team didn't panic, they could march down the field and score at least a field goal to tie the game. Coach Price said he has a lot of confidence in the team and wasn't surprised to see them score the winning touchdown. Weber was able to score first in the game on a 2-yard run by Freddie Cook on a third and goal situa- Successfij With the score 19-13 in the final quarter (Weber on top), Lumberjack quarterback Mike Mendoza unleashed a 48-yard pass to Jerry Davis. Davis, who had a straight run to the goal down the left sideline, chose to duck inside, where he was tackled by a WSC defender on Weber's 16-yard line. Weber's defense was a strong factor throughout the game as they stopped the Lumberjacks on the 7-yard line on a fourth-and-two play, preventing a possible touchdown that would have tied the score and put them on top with a good extra point. But the 'Cats held them and before time ran out were able to score one more touchdown for the evening, ending the game 26-13. Weber's quarterback Tim Bernal had an excellent night against NAU. Bernal became the Wildcat's all-time leader in pass attempts (538) and pass completions (321). On the end of Bernal's passes were Dennis Rogan and Terry Magee. Rogan caught nine for a total of 90 yards and also rushed for another 61 yards and one touchdown. Magec aided the offense by catching four passes for 46 yards. Freddie Cook was accountable for two WSC touchdowns as he rushed for 55 yards, giving Weber the extra winning edge with a 16-yard run up the middle with 33 seconds remaining in the game. Defensively Weber was led by Marty Mendenhall, Joe DiPoalo, Jim Cunningham and Mo White. All of these fine athletes will be a key factor in Weber's success throughout the rest of the season. tion. The play capped a 45 -yard drive by Weber with just under six minutes left in the first quarter. A key play in the scoring drive was a 22-yard pass from Bernal to Terry Magee. Eastern Washington took the lead in the second quarter by scoring ten unanswered points. The first three on a 25-yard field goal by Dave Marriott. EWU used a little razzle-dazzle to score their next touchdown. With under six minutes left in the half, EWU quarterback Steve White lateraled to third-string quarterback Rob James, who was lined up as a split end. James then threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to receiver Guy Johnson who was wide open down the field. Weber had a chance to score before the half ended and possibly take the lead. They had a first-down and goal to go on the EWU 3-yard line. On the ensuing play, Weber fumbled the ball and EWU recovered the ball to maintain their 10-7 lead at the half. The defenses took control in the third quarter with neither team able to mount a scoring drive. Weber was finally able to take control, and with two minutes gone in the fourth quarter Bernal hit Freddie Cook for a 22-yard touchdown pass. Winberg's extra point was good and Weber seemed in control with a 14-10 advantage. But Eastern Washington was able to drive down the field and with 3:59 left in the game, scored on a seven yard bootleg by quarterback White. The point after was good and EWU seemed to be on their way to a 17-14 victory. But Weber had other plans. Weber's Dennis Rogan rushed for 48-yards on six carries in Weber's winning drive. He also caught a crucial pass on a crucial fourth-and-four situation for a must-needed Weber State first down. Rogan's catch was the key to winning the game for Weber. On the game, Rogan rushed for 104 yards. That is only the third time in over four years that a player has rushed for more than 100 yards against Eastern Washington. Coach Price again praised Weber's defense. They have been outstanding in all three of Weber's victories this year. Going into the game they were ranked fourth nationally in rushing defense. In 34 rushing attempts, EWU was able to gain only 110 yards. After three games, opponents have been inside Weber's 10-yard line ten times and have scored only three touchdowns. Weber can be proud of its defensive performance.Weber must now play five straight conference games. Coach Price is confident that his team will be ready to play. Quarterback Tim Bernal says that no game will be easy and that they must take each game one at a time. Bernal feels the team is playing well right now. He said the team has a great cohesiveness and are all working toward the same goal. Weber, now 3-0 on the season, has very good momentum going into the game this Saturday in Bozeman, Mont., against Montana State. rig Sky Conference Standings Conference . Overall Idaho State 2-0 3-0 Weber State 1-0 3-0 Montana 1-0 2-0 Northern Arizona 1-1 2-1 Idaho 1-1 2-1 Nevada-Reno 1-0 1-2 Boise State 0-2 1-3 Montana State 0-2 0-4 |