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Show The Drily Utah Outside, Tuesday, November 13, 134 Pace Niac PORT OmBy oris team cams to play the Cougs ego-inflat- ed I turned on the television the other night to relax after a TV I i'iV ii particularly trying day. Plopping down on the couch before noticing the channel that the little TV was tuned to, I'd obviously caught the middle of a tennis match or golf tournament. All that could be seen was a grassy area, and the announcer was speaking in that reverent, hushed tone that so often accompanies the gentleman games golf, tennis, lawnbowling. But suddenly the camera angle expanded to reveal markings on the grass. And men clad in pads and helmets. Yes, unmistakably this was a football game. ON SPORTS j 0 Mark Saal "It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it," Ute linebacker Mark Blosch (60) seems to be telling the rest of the defense during Utah's before turned the field into a 21-1- victory over USU in Logan Saturday. Eight inches of snow the night mud hole. 0 100-ya- rd Utes win, shatter road jinx by Mark Saal Chronicle staff LOGAN Looking at the game on paper, it appeared that only an act of God could keep the Ute football team from breaking its two-yestring of road losses here on Saturday. That act of God occurred, but the Utes overcame it anyway, downing the Utah State Aggies 0 in what may be referred to in years to come as The Great Mud ar 21-1- Bowl. Utah entered the game with a overall record, going up against a hapless PCAA squad which had won only one game the entire season. Utah looked to have a better than average chance of breaking its road jinx, barring any unforseen happenings. But the unforseen did happen, in the form of a field which resembled one of the local farmer's south-fortEight inches of snow the night before, plowed off the field by tractors, took its toll. The natural turf was 5-4- -1 y. replaced by a quagmire, making everything but standing in one place an accomplishment. The Aggies took advantage of the home-pastu- re advantage, returning the opening kickoff to their own 48. On the first play from scrimmage, Quarterback Gym Kimball flipped a pass to Mickey Bell as a Ute defender slipped in the mud. Bell romped into the end zone untouched for a 0 lead with only 19 seconds gone in the first quarter. "Our first play was not designed to be a touchdown, but it was nice it turned out that way. We caught them in a pressure coverage and burned them," said. Pella Aggie Coach Chris "On that first play we had a blitz on, and our guy slipped and fell. That happens," Ute Coach Chuck 7-- man-to-m- an Stobart said. Aggie fans arriving late missed much of the excitement, however, as their team would manage only three more points before the Ute defense and the poor field conditions shut down the Aggies for good. With just over six minutes remaining in the first field goal to quarter, Willie Beecher kicked a 10-put USU up "They really gave me a scare at first, falling behind like that," Stobart said. "But maybe that's the true character of this football team. They fought back like they've done so many times this year. These players just did a great job after spotting them 10 points like that." The Utes scored twice within the last five minutes of the first half on drives of 45 and 50 yards to take a 0 lead at the half. "If we just could have taken the 10-- 7 lead into the locker room," Pella lamented. "But they got the late score after a short punt by us, and that was a key time." 27-ya- rd 0. 14-1- continued on page ten Utes were stopped for a few minutes by John Youngren Chronicle staff Utah State's Aggies did the best they for a minute or two they gave the Utes some and could, reason to doubt themselves. It was cold and it was windy and the field was rapidly turning more and more into muck. The Aggies took advantage of the situation, and before most of the 11,937 fans or the Ute football team could shake the initial chill, the Ags had moved the length of the field in the opening kickoff return and a touchdown pass and took a 0 lead. Just like that. Exactly 19 seconds were gone in the game, and the Utes had visions of the one thing that has foiled them the whole year. The road. "You're thinking 'here we go again,' but it was so 4 early in the game there was no reason to get down and get worried, about it, because there was still time to come back," Ute linebacker Mark Blosch said. But the Aggies did their best. Besides USU's LOGAN 7-- brief-but-effecti- Aggie receiver Mickey Bell (6) leaps for a pass as Mike Jones (27) defends for Utah. Now that they're by Utah State, the Utes tune-u-p for their season finale, Saturday vs. BYU. ve opening touchdown march, the Aggies prospered on the arm of quarterback Gym Kimball in the first quarter, a big reason the Ute defense was on the run for most of the period. Kimball completed 17 of 39 passes for 235 yards in the game. continued on page ten Apparently, whoever watched the tube last had tuned in to one of those PBS National Geographic specials about the gestation of the gypsy moth or something, for it was none other than Channel 1 1, in the midst of the BYU-Sa- n Diego State football game. That quiet, unassuming voice that whispered out the play-b- y play was that of Jay Monson, the voice of the Cougars. And while the stands held nearly 65,000 fans, it must have been a mute day at Cougar Stadium. All that could be heard from the benches surrounding the field was the occassional polite clapping something like what might be heard after a move in a chess tournament. Being just a little too tired to change the channel, and perhaps a bit curious in a morbid sort of way, I settled back to watch what Sports Illustrated seems to think is the No. 2 team in the country, and perhaps No. 1 . Yes, unbelievable as it seems, rumor has it that SI is looking toward BYU as its top team in the polls. But then, as has been pointed out before, accuracy hasn't been Sis stong suit. In its preseason poll, the magazine picked BYU to finish third not in the country, but in the conference behind New Mexico and Hawaii. Cougar fans may be deathly quiet at the stadium, but the gums really flap after the games when it comes to talking about their top 20 team to anyone who will listen. egos of Despite the latest booster for the already-inflate- d Cougar fans everywhere, one person seems to be pooh-poohi- ng all this attention. Bob Marcum, South Carolina Athletic Director, made one of the worst mistakes of his life when he said "thanks, but no thanks" to the lucrative offer to play BYU in the Holiday Bowl. While Cougar fans might detest this snub, look at things from his perspective. On the one hand, his Gamecocks could accept a bid to the Holiday Bowl, earn about $400,000 and play a team like BYU. In such a predicament, the Gamecocks would definitely be at a disadvantage. Like BYU playing Utah State, South Carolina could have problems getting up for a game with BY -- Who? And on the other hand, the Gamecocks could go to the Orange Bowl, earn about S 1 .8 million, and play the likes of Nebraska or Oklahoma. No problem getting up for the game, either. Sorry, BYU, but Marcum said despite the possibility of a national title game South Carolina is not interested. It's doubtful that quite a few other teams would be excited about a crack at BYU Nebraska, Oklahoma, Washington go through the entire top 20 very few would prefer a game with upstart BYU. All these teams rich in tradition and serious about their football would rather play each other, and let BYU go to the Holiday Bowl with a Northwestern or Rice. Looks like about the only team interested in taking a shot at the Cougars is none other than the Utes. So the Coogs better sit back and enjoy it, 'cause the most attention they'll get this season is from their counterparts to the north. And in an attempt to get the Cougars a little more attention, Chronicle Sports Central has hidden the pustulated remains of Cosmo, the cuddly Cougar somewhere on campus. Each day a new clue will be given, and the lucky finder will be treated to two free sumptuous dinners. And we ain't talking Union Terrace. Here's the first clue: Cosmo's such a sneaky guy, he's lurking out beneath the sky. This much we'll tell. He's in a place easily accessible to the public, so don't go around breaking and entering or making a public nuisance of yourself. You don't need a key, a ladder or anything else to capture him you need only your bare hands to bag this prize. Trespassing isn't required. Good luck and happy hunting. |
