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Show j Thursday quarterback Slft';- SUSC vs. Fort Lewis Southern Utah gets 22 on an average day. Southern Utah has a much better rushing offense average, 212 yards per game to 87.7 for the Raiders. Added together, that gives SUSC a total offense average of 335 yards and Fort Lewis a total offense average of 232.3. Defensive figures also favor the Thunderbirds, but by a much smaller margin. Both teams are among the defensive leaders in the conference. "Actually, this game means much more to us than it does to Fort Lewis," Bishop believes. The warnjrig flags are flying viartound:; v. the Southerii33tah Stat footbaU fjed. as the Thunderbirds-prepare for an inyasilS' by .the Raiders fromJFbrt Lewis college. SUSC will hostthe team from Durango, .Colorado, in a . Rocfe; fountain Athletic $fer e nee game Saturday it 1 p.m. in Thunderfijrd, Stadium. . The . ga me YyruT be broadcast ljVe.,:by; Radio State KSUBtlv..' '. . In recienf ! ryeSrs Fort Lewis has beej.f( patsy on me Thunderbird held but tougher than;' fail's feet on the roadLc Jack bishop, SUSCcotsiiggests: that it ; .'Woiild. be a calamitous,"; ITlisake for the : Thunderbirds ;. to assume i vthii; year's Raider ;ifiU be jhe pushover that previous f teams were. "Right now there are only three teams which are undefeated in conference con-ference games, and Fort Lewis is one of those three; we are not," Bishop says. His words of ; warning gain impact when he points out that the Raiders held highly regarded Southern Colorado scoreless last week in registering a 3-0 upset victory. Fort Lewis has some of the RMAC's best in passing, rushing, and receiving to go along with their - big and strong defense. Quarterback .Steve Brown passes for . 144.7 yards per game. Running back Scott Stamper rushes for an average of 80.7 yards, and two receivers John Wright and Mike Horan have each caught nine passes. Southern Utah's comparable personnel stacks up like this: Quarterback Ben Bubak passes for 116 yards per game (however, he also rushes for 63.3 yards per contest, while Stevens is almost exclusively a passer). Curtis Page, the leading Thunderbird rusher gains 71.8 yards per game, and the top T-Bird T-Bird receiver, Rick Snow, has caught 16 passes. Both teams boast large lines. SUSC's front five defensively averages 243 pounds. The Raider's defensive line averages 231 pounds. Offensively, the T-Birds have an average weight of 234 pounds across the line (excluding the tight end and split receiver). Fort Lewis's offensive line averages 227 pounds. A fluke in RMAC scheduling allows SUSC to host Fort Lewis this year for the second season in a row. Last year in Thunderbird Stadium, the 'Birds trampled their way to a 41-3 victory, but the year before that they lost a 7-6 decision in Durango. Then, in 1978 and again on home turf, the Thunderbirds Thun-derbirds humbled the Raiders, 45-3. But "that don't mean nothin'," to Coach Bishop. "Fort Lewis has a big and strong team this year. We can't go around assuming an easy win. If we do, we'll get beat, and that could be the end of our title chances," Bishop says. Physically, the 'Birds are in good shape with the exception of some of the normal bumps and bruises. Fort Lewis is similarly not beseiged with injuries. "We aren't planning to do anything radically different from what we normally do. We simply want to play well and execute the way we can. If we do, we can win, and we'll still be very much in the race for the RMAC championship," Bishop says in a very matter-of-fact manner. Statistically, SUSC ranks slightly ahead of Fort Lewis in most categories, but the two teams have not met any common opponents yet. Fort Lewis scores an average of 13.7 points, Pictured are Curtis Jones (left) and Thomas Hulet, Jr. Division winners in a recent Iron County golf tournament. The two thirteen year-olds were top clubbers among the young golfers. 4; Cedar vs. Dixie Cedar Versus- Dixie. Where could yeu find two schools thathad a closer, morelttfilj'tiioDate relationship Any where ! : The JtM' battle tomorrow; fiKi' in Cedar as the RsjDixie for their 'hQeoming. Dave Jenson. ::"The3f'v' got a lot of talenV"' Thougttvfyye'rlost several baligames, Dixie should give Cedar a formidable tussle. In fact, when it's Cedar-Dixie, Cedar-Dixie, you might as well throw records and predictions out the window. Anything can happen. Cedar should be sparked on their homecoming and by playing in front of their home crowd, but Dixie definitely would love to spoil Cedar's homecoming, particularly par-ticularly since the Redmen have done it to them several times in recent years. "They'll play a good, agressive defense," says Jenson. "They'll be up for us." According to Jenson, the Flyer line is bigger than that of the Redmen but Cedar has the bigger backs. The battle in the trenches should largely determine the outcome of the game. Dixie will throw a lot. "They'll pass the ball quite a bit," says Jenson. "They'll probably throw more than they have in the past." Dixie has a good quarterback in Dave Esplin, a junior, who runs and passes well. Esplin also does the kicking for Dixie. Cedar should also be throwing the ball quite extensively, which could make for a real interesting in-teresting game to watch. Both secondaries will be tested and the team that doesn't allow the big play should be in good shape. All in all, the game should be a good one and will be crucial to both teams as far as region play is concerned. . " "V'-V VI'!.. . Parowan vs. North Sevier "North $tyiei is going to be toygjb,'' says Parowa.ni yigh coach Scott Ddubek.- The Rams will square-off against North Seyir tomorrow at Nortii Sevier. ' Several things will make tomorrow's contest toqgh fotv the ; Rams. First, they are playing on the road. That is generally worth a touchdown touch-down or two for most teams. Second, it's North Sevier's homecoming. They should be up a bit more than usual. Despite these things and the fact that Parowan has lost starting quarterback Robbie Stevens, don't count Parowan out. To a large degree, the Rams should control their own destiny. If Parowan can keep things under control and if their offense can get it in gear under the direction of Alan Burton, they could be right in there. "They're basically a running team," explains Doubek. "They have an all-state running back." Parowan's defense will be tested, especially against the run. They have been working hard all week on defending the ground game and should be fairly well prepared to do so effectively. If they can avoid missed tackles and giving up the big play, they should be competitive. Defensively, Parowan has been more vulnerable on the ground then in the air during recent contests. con-tests. They have a whopping 15 interceptions in-terceptions for the year and have been quite successful defending against the pass. Parowan's offense will have to produce , more than it did against Kanab last week if the Rams are to have a crack at a win. That will probably be the biggest question mark for PHS going in to the game. North Sevier is 1-4 on the year and Parowan is 2-3. Look for a good, close ballgame. |