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Show SU fights unsuccessfully ; game ends in deadlock t ! r"'"'L Mw-ro""rT- , ,-,i i Ullllim , , i,MI . i, , M , i . i wjy - . v r i ; .Z& l )J ..:..- v.. f .. ,j - .-- V They were ahead 10-0 on good scoring drives and had barely missed scoring again. Defensively the T-birrk had limited the Mavericks to only K3 total offensive yards. The second half was a different story-Mesa story-Mesa came out smoking and started to burn the SUSC defense with effective passing and running. The Mavericks continued punching their way through the T-bird lineup and managed a lti-yard lti-yard scoring pass with 7:5.1 remaining on the clock in the third quarter The Mavericks kicked the extra point to put them within striking distance. The battle continued between the T birds and the Mavericks and fans were treated to some excellent defensive play. Aside from Sncll performing well lor the T-birds, Jeff Gunnarson was able to penetrate the Maverick line for lour quarterback sacks. Kevin Singleton was within a shoelace ot bringing Mesa's quarterback down in the end-zone end-zone for a safety. Defensive back Ernest Er-nest Moses also contributed to the T-bird T-bird defensive effort with punishing tackles to Maverick receivers. In spite of the efforts of the T-bird defensive crew the Mavericks were able to push just far enough to boot a tying fieldgoal from the 34-yard line. " With the wind at their backs and unable to acheive a first down the Thunderbirds sent in Harrison to attempt at-tempt a fieldgoal from the Mesa :!K-yard :!K-yard line. The wind was definitely an advantage for the SUSC kicker. But it was not to be. Harrison's kick CEDAR CITY For the second straight week the Southern Utah State College Thunderbirds have played to a deadlock. Opening the home season the Thunderbirds took on the Mesa Mavericks Friday and played to a 10-10 tie. Before entering the game the Mavericks were ranked number eight in the nation among the NAIA schools. SUSC had plans of knocking off the Mavericks and proved that with an impressive first quarter performance; however, the rest of the game did not go as planned. SUSC lit up the scoreboard first with a 36-yard field goal by Rick Harrison. The field goal was set up by a Mesa fumble on its own 35-yard line. Taking the ball there the T-birds sent in their offense with Kirk Hafen calling the signals. After a tough Maverick defense Harrison was called into action, and he booted the three points with 12:26 remaining in the first quarter. At this point, the momentum seemed to be going in favor of SUSC, and a rowdy T-bird d defense kept the Mavericks from moving with any real threat. Doug Snell punished . the Mavericks with strong key tackles. The 270-pound noseguard also did the kicking off for the Thunderbirds. Following a Mesa punt to the SUSC 40-yard line the T-birds began their second possession. Hafen played with confidence as he pushed his offense forward. Utilizing running backs Gary Mason and Curry Ancar for yardage, Hafen was also able to complete passes to several receivers. Speedster Bob Watson caught two passes for 20 yards. Driving to the 17-yard line Hafen connected a pass over the middle to his big tight end Steve Bullard for a touchdown. touch-down. The Thunderbirds definitely had momentum on their side as Harrison kicked the extra point making the score 10-0 with 5:17 left on the clock. With the battle turning into a highly defensive one both sides then traded punts. For the T-birds Harrison did the punting and managed to keep the -Mavericks in poor field position with each boot. On one occasion Harrison pounded the ball 63 yards, only to see it roll into the endzone for a touchback. After a Maverick punt into the end-zone end-zone the T-birds then began a long, sustained drive. Hafen continued his passes, this time connecting with wide receiver Rick Snow for a first down. Bob Watson also hauled in several passes for large gains, and the T-birds marched on to the Mesa 21-yard line. With the T-birds threatening to notch up more points Hafen dropped back and hit Snow with a pass into the endzone. However, the officials ruled that Snow failed to get a foot down before leaving the endzone. SUSC then unsuccessfully attempted a fake fieldgoal on fourth down with quarterback Bob August throwing a pass that narrowly missing its target. Going into the lockerroom at halftime the Thunderbirds still seemed to have things in their favor. Quarterback problems seemed to be smoothing out. SUSC quarterback Kirk Hafen turns the corner and eludes a Mesa defender. Hafen did the quarterbacking for the Thunderbirds during their 10-10 tie and played surprisingly well, according to Jack Bishop, SUSC head coach. Hafen is a junior from Boulder City, Nev. had enough leg in it but the ball drifted left and struck the upright to render it no good. Remarking on the attempt Coach Jack Bishop remarked," This is the second time that the crossbar has cost us the game." Bishop was reffering to the T hird's game against New Mexico Highlands when the Thunderbirds were victimized by a Cowboy field goal that struck the crossbar and bounced good. That fielgoal stole a victory from SUSC and gave the team its first tie. After the Mavericks took over possession of the ball, time began to be a crucial factor in the ballgame. With only 17 seconds remaining the Thunderbird offense was once again called into business Harrison was once again called in for a would be miracle kick from his own 47-yard line. Harrison's kick this time lacked enough muscle to push it that far and it fell short. , , Mesa took over for one more try and not suprisingly came out throwing. The last play of the game saw defensive back Moses picking off a Maverick pass and racing for the endzone and a Thunderbird victory. Moses, however, was unable to find the daylight needed to get that far and the game ended in the 10-10 deadlock. |