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Show Page 10 - THE HERALD, Provo. Utah, Football Section, Wednesday, August 26, 1992 WAC: 225-poun- (Continued from Page 9) "But 1 hope our don"t plaer overlook this season." I'tah (7-- 5, 4-- 4) MeBride's rebuilding gram is beginning to pay Ron pro- div The lies were competitive against even. 1991 opponent except BVU and Hawaii. "in building this program, our first priority was defense.'" Me-Bri- said. "We accomplished that. Our second priority was learning how to compete, and we learned that last year. This year-oslogan is 'Even Man. Even Play. If every player had been accountable last year, we would have won two more games, and that's with a pretty average team." The Utes. among the defensive dregs of the WAC when McBride arrived, actually led the WAC in total defense last season, giving up 37 .6 yards per game and register1 54 sacks. Leading a league-hig- h ers of that defense are tackle Dave Chavtors. linebacker Pita Tonga and defensive backs Mark Swan-so- n and Sharrieff Shah . "This is a blue-colldefense." he said. "We lost some quality players, but we prepared for their loss with redshirts and good rear cruiting." Offensively. Utah has beefed up its receiving corps to help take pressure off Bryan Rowley, who caught 60 passes for l .01 yards last year. The Utes found a capable backup (Mike McCoy) to starting QB Frank Dolce, bolstered the running back corps to support 1 rusher Keith Williams and sdded depth in the line. The Utes return all 11 starters on offense, but that unit scored only 23 points per game and only twice scored more than 26 a dangerous statistic in a conference. "1 think the best way to describe us is w e're a solid team." McBride 1 high-scorin- said. d Sweeney says of the Dilfer. The Bulldogs might have the most depth in the country at running back, including tailback Ron Rivers, who rushed for 989 yards, and fullback Lorenzo Neal. who had 837. Seven of their top eight receivers also return, led by tight end Marty Thompson. Sweenev is confident in his defense, even though most of last year's starters have graduated. ""Our defense is going to be young and inexperienced, but not as young and inexperienced as the loss of nine starters might indicate." he said. "Qur defensive front is as good as we've had in a long time. "We'll play man defense and put pressure on the quarterback. I yi g "Our players have a good work ethic, they're tough, they know how to play the game. And unlike previous years, we have enough of them to compete." Fresno St. (10-Coach Jim Sweeney says he's "honored and elated about being in the WAC. and we're anxious to do our part to make it stronger." It was a moe Fresno had long hoped to make, to lend legitimacy to a program that annually compiled impressive records against suspect competition. The Bulldogs bring credentials to their entry. They led the nation in total offense and scoring last season, averaging 541.9 y aids and 44.2 points. Most of that offense returns except for quarterback Mark Barsotti. but sophomore Trent Dilfer steps in. Dilfer gained valuable experience starting four games last season when Barsotti as hurt. "We have had more experienced quarterbacks, but none as phvsicallv endowed as this guy.'" 2. 6-- 1) eye-openi- ng ur feel our defensive philosophy matches up well w ith the league." How well will the Bulldogs compete in their new conference? "1 feel we can play in the WAC or the Pac-1- 0 or any league and give a good accounting of our- proved team may be UTEP. which, emphasizing defense, was competitive in every game last year. The Miners tied Wyoming and lost five WAC games by a total of 22 points. "We could easily have won eight games." coach David Lee said, "but we didn't. We have to learn how to finish a game, how to slam the door on our opponent. We devised ways to lose games in the fourth quarter last year, whether by hav ing a field goal blocked or a selves." he said. "Whether we punt blocked and returned for a can beat the top teams in this touchdown or getting a touchdown league remains to be seen." pass called back." In the fourth year of his rebuilding 6-program. Lee has eight returnAir Force (10-starters on offense and five on ing from seven back starters With li- g defense, including the unit that ended last season and the expected re I turn of two others who were injured in 1991 nose euard Chris Bak-- 1 er and corner- All back Mike Rodg- a. Force Air ers will be solid defensively. Bip-nla- v cor- sher DeBerry nerback Carlton 3, 2) hard-hittin- nebakkdr Barron Wortham, who led the conference in tackles with 149 last season. 2"We have some experienced, talented players returning," Lee said. "Our kids are confident, they expect to win now. I couldn't have told you that the last three years." the In an effort to kick-sta- rt Miner offense, which ranked last in the WAC at 357.2 yards per game a year ago, Lee plans to give playing time to both junior Mike Perez and sophomore Shawn Gray at quarterback. UTEP committed the fewest penalties in the WAC in 1991. "We believe we can control penalties," Lee said. "We work hard on being disciplined. Our philosophy is we don't want to beat ourselves. We compare ourselves to Air Force in that regard." The Miners open the season at home against defending champion BYU. "We'll get our oil checked early," Lee said. Wyoming Joe Tiller still shakes his heid when the subject is brought up. His Cowboys were devastated by injury last season on a scale few can remember. A total of 25 players underwent surgery, including eight starters on defense. 2-5- (4-6-- 1, The Ultimate (431) are among the returnees. Placekicker Joe Wood and punter Jason Christ both hav t graduated. Texas-- Q Paso (4-7--1 , -1 The conference's most ) im- - difference-make- '' r. The Cowboys have seven linemen who have started at one time or another, and they also have depth at linebacker. Tiller expects cornerback .Paul Wallace, who (See WAC, Page 11) Single-Inl- Cooler et Low Profile Design Pad . (no more messy L vV. ikk Aspen filters to change Eld-ric- d Tackle Thomas Williams returns after being suspended last season. "He's our best player, period," says Tiller. "He could be a Limited Lifetime Warranty linebackers Vergil Simpson and k Mark Moody and free safety the nation in rushing (338 ypg-anthey've led the WAC in rushing every year since 1982. Halfbacks Antoine Banks, who rushed for 495 y arJs. and Way ne Young Running back Dwight Driver missed most of last season after undergoing knee surgery, giving experience to Terrance Hendricks, who rushed for 815 yards. Ryan Yarborough heads up a talented group of receivers, and Matt Swenso7hand Mike Jones will see considerable action because the Cowboys will use double tight ends frequently. UltraCool McDonald. who led the WAC w ith six interceptions to earn the conference's Defensive Player of the Year honor, is the ringleader, but much better passer, however, which means the Falcons are once again promising to throw the ball more efficiently . They nev er do. but their wishbone still grinds out huge chunks of rushing yardage. Last y ear. they ranked second in s. Remaining Coolers on Sale M2EEPEC51 Hill also are standouts. "Our defense is going to hav e to carry us a little bit early in the season." coach Fisher DeBerry says. That's because the Falcons lost their entire offensive line to graduation, hav e a new QB in Jar-vi- s Baker and must find a replacement for fullback Chris Gray . w ho is sidelined w ith a neck injury . "We've got a lot of holes to fill, especially on offense." DeBerry said. "But we'll be competitive." Baker is a better athlete than his predecessor. Rob Perez, but perhaps not as good a w ishbone technician. DeBerry insists Baker is a "I know we'll be a better team than last year, because it can't happen again," Tiller said. Wyoming must find a replacetotal offense ment for their all-tiand passing leader, Tom Coron-tzoSophomore John Gustin and junior Joe Hughes are the leading candidates. "We don't have a starter now, and that doesn't upset me," he said. "Both guys are physical talents who can get the job done. ' Long-Lif- e KH f All" II WHY YOU SHOULD BUY DON'T WAIT!! CALL NOW FOR A-TO- BEST P'S COOLERS AND INSTALLATION. DIRECT FROM 1. QUALITY: Profile 3 TO We carry quality Low Uil -- i INSTALL coolers Don't regret bargain cooler. 2. EXPERIENCE: Coolers are our e business ... not fust a sideline. We've been i the business 25 years, with over 12.800 units insulted Champion 1 buying an 2800 CFM. 3. 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