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Show r t. ---7- . . . rW L y j ir t A ' ' -f ' . A i 'v -, - j 'rr;0 s-vl .vV VF Hi'-v SvV-ri - I ' . ..:.-- -., . . .- . - - ' -.- ' j : , ; ' ' - ' - , ----- -1 ! 1 ' ' j Ute speedster Jack Gehrke (14), has been a major threat all year in guiding Utes from the quarterback slot. Gehrke has a personal score to settle with Arizona State, who prematurely ended his junior season last year. Gehrke is expected to lead Utah in a high-scoring affair against the Sun Devils. Sun Devil Running Attack To Challenge Ute Gridders by BRUCE ROBERTS Chronicle Sports Editor Homecoming is always a festive week at Utah. The grads are back, the signs are up, the parades are on, and everyone is generally having hav-ing a wonderful time. But there's a devil by the name of Frank Kush who is bringing some fifty of his disciples up to Ute Stadium this weekend to try and foul up the whole scene. Kush, better known as the head football coach at Arizona State University, Uni-versity, has several reasons for spoiling the Ute homecoming. For one thing, its his job. The head mentor has a good 5-2 record through the season, and a win over the Utes could be the impetus for a second place finish in the Western West-ern Athletic Conference. And, at this point, a win could be a morale booster after the Sun Devils loss to powerful Wyoming last week. Also, Kush must have bitter memories mem-ories of the 23-6 defeat he was handed by Utah last year in Tempe. Sun Devils Improved Arizona State has become a much improved team over their 1966 predecessors. pre-decessors. They are one of the most explosive teams in the west, and are nationally rated in rushing rush-ing offense. The Sun Devils are currently averaging 240 yards per game on the ground, and have one of the quickest backfields in the country. Max Anderson, the ASU "mini-fullback," who tilts the scales at 170 pounds, is averaging nearly 100 yards per game and is running at a 6.7 yard per carry clip. His running mate, J. D. Hill, is close behind in statistics, averaging seven yards per carry. Coach Kush has also come up with an outstanding quarterback in Ed Roseborough, who has passed for seven touchdowns touch-downs and run over another two to lead the ASU scoring attack. Rosenborough's favorite receivers are both quick as lightning. Ken Dyer, an All-WAC tight end last year, has hauled in 29 receptions for four touchdowns and 450 yards. Double threat J. D. Hill is also a target for Roseborough, and has hauled in 20 passes for six touchdowns touch-downs and 346 yards. ASU Hardest Hitting Earlier in the year, Utah co-captains agreed that Arizona State was the hardest hitting club they faced in 1966. And much of that same ASU squad will have another crack at the Redskins this weekend. The defensive attack will be led by none other than Curley Culp, the 6'1", 265 pound middle guard for the Sun Devils. Ron Pritchard, an All-WAC linebacker last year, is also a leader in the defensive picture. pic-ture. But despite their ability the Sun Devils are giving up an average aver-age of 23 points per game. Indeed, Arizona State has evil intentions, but Ute head mentor Mike Giddings fs out to preserve the era of good feelings these days with his version of the 1967 Utah gridders. Despite their loss to BYU, the players' morale is high and this will be another big one for them. Coach Giddings again has his players play-ers up for the battle, and it could be another knock-down, drag-out fight. Utah's hard charging line is intact, and has its hands full in battering holes in the strong Sun Devil defense. Quarterback Jack Gehrke, who seems to improve every ev-ery game with his pitchout option, could be a determining factor in the contest. Last year the South High grad was en route to leading the Utes to a big winning season when all of a sudden he ran into Arizona State's version of Mount Everest you guessed it Curley Culp. Needless to say, 6'1" 172 pound Gehrke took the brunt of the collision and saw very little action for the remainder of the 1966 season. So this year, Gehrke has a score to settle with the Sun Devil defense. Smith Ranks Fifth Charlie Smith, who currently ranks fifth in the WAC in rushing, is expected to see a lot of action. His running mate, Steve Molnar, could play a major role in the outcome out-come of the game too. Molnar has been lauded for his outstanding blocking efforts as well as his running run-ning and receiving abilities. Utah's big test today will be in their performance in stopping the Arizona State running attack. For the first time in three games, the dynamic duo from the outside, Norm McBride and Gary Kerl, will be back in action together. Running outside won't be easy against these two, who have both been standouts all season long. Kerl will be starting start-ing after a three week layoff from a knee injury received in the New Mexico game. Defensive co-captain Manny Fernandez and big Joe Johnson John-son have the assignment of stopping stop-ping ASU's inside running. Leading the defensive secondary will be Jerome Lawson, who has earned the respect of every opponent he has met this year. One of the more unusual statsitics of the Utes shows Lawson leading in pass interceptions intercep-tions as well as loss of yardage from passing attempts. Scoring Battle Despite a couple of tough defensive defen-sive units battling it out, a high scoring affair is probably in store. If the Utes can show that second half spirit and determination that has kept them in previous games this season, another WAC victory may be in sight. And obviously, the Utah Men would like nothing better on their old Homecoming Saturday afternoon. |