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Show Southern Utah griidders lose game but gain respect by Stewart Smith The Southern Utah State College football .team experienced a rebirth of sorts Saturday their own. The rebirth occurred Saturday on the cold, field of Weber State College where the Thunderbirds lost to the Wildcats Displaying character, determination and desire, the surprised not only their northern Utah neighbors but also fans from both schools. We almost pulled it off, Head Football Coach Don Conrad said. It was an exciting game. The game, that many figured to be a Wildcat romp, turned out to be more than Weber State bargained for. The Thunderbirds allowed only three points in the Wildcat first quarter of play, that coming on a fieldgoal with 9:54 remaining. SUSC place kicker Peri field goal attempt later in the Bryan failed on a d tied the score. have would that quarter They never really did shut us down, Conrad said. Our kids really played pretty well. They werent intimidated by them. The Birds, following their game plan, ran an option offense and stayed pretty conservative throughout the game and it paid off. Senior runningback Juan Henderson, cutting cross field from the Wildcat line scored SUSCs only touchdown with 8:41 remaining in the first half. Hendersons touchdown capped a 10 play, 80 yard drive for the Thunderbirds. The PAT was good and the Birds trailed by only two at Juan really earned his yards, he was getting four or five yards a carry, Conrad said. The senior from Las Vegas carried for 111 yards in the contest, his best effort to date. Teammate and fellow runningback Bob snow-covere- 29-1- 9-- 7. - d Dyer also turned in his best performance of the season, rushing for 97 yards in the game. The key for both runningbacks was the success of the SUSC offensive line against the Wildcats. Even though they carried the ball, the linemen deserve credit, Conrad said. The Thunderbird coach singled out Dale Loveland as having one of his finest games in opening holes for the backs. SUSC picked up 272 of its 362 yards in total offense on the ground. The production marked the highest Juan Henderson turned in the best game this year for a T'Bird rusher with 111 yards against the Wildcats Saturday. offensive output of the season. Weber State scored again midway through the second quarter to boost its lead to 15-- The Wildcats found the SUSC defense particularly determined though. Thunderbird linebacker Lee Thompson summed up what he thought was the difference. We found out that this team has a lot of guts. We were thin; outsized and outweighed but we had more guts, Thompson said. 7. A staunch Thunderbird defense prevented the Wildcats from scoring as many points as they would have wished. At halftime the Cats led by eight points, 15-but SUSC was closer than the score indicated. While Weber amassed 202 yards total offensive yards at halftime, SUSC nipped their heels with 195 yards total offense. One of the keys for the Thunderbirds, according to Conrad, is that the team has found a solid quarterback in freshman Chad Richard. He made some things happen, the coach said. Richard was able to run the Thunderbird option offense that hasnt seen much use thusfar in the season. Weve had it in our package since the first of the season, Conrad said of the option. Chad has the quickness to run it through. In the third quarter SUSCs Bryan booted a vengeful d fieldgoal to diminish the Wildcat lead to For Conrad and the the time was critical and momentum could have swung either way. Momentum, and perhaps luck, swung more to the Wildcats and Weber followed it to two touchdowns and the victory. The Cats scored on passing plays of 52 and 23 yards to preserve the win from the hungry 7, 15-1- 0. Thunderbirds. In spite of the loss Conrad is pleased with his teams showing. This was a really big game for us and just a game for them. I feel good about our kids. Theyve hung together, theyve grown up and theyve learned how to play as a team and what it takes to win, he said. This week the team will play at home in their final night game of the season. The Thunderbirds will host the Western State Mountaineers in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game. Deer hunters flee from campus to bitter cold mountains by Steve Tate Its that time of year again when hunters talce to the mountains to enjoy one of their favorite pastimes: hunting the big trophy buck. Saturday morning was the opening day of Utahs annual HarvestHoliday, more commonly referred to as the deer hunt, and there was no uncertainty about the anxiety and enthusiasm among SUSCs j students and faculty Grant Jense, Utahs Division of Wildlife Resources big game coordinator, said that this year might be the time for hunters to head for the areas they know best. Hunt your usual places. Dont try to chase rainbows. If hunters move to areas they think will be better, there will be considerable crowding and camping problems, Jense said. Jense said that last years record winter snowfall and abundant forage and water this summer and fall make members. The recent snowfall and cold weather did little to dampen the spirits of many The recent snowfall and cold weather did little to dampen the spirits of the hunters on the SUSC campus. Hunters are urged to exercise caution and common sense due to the weather conditions and number of others hunting. hunters who took advantage of Mondays holiday for an extra day of hunting. The snowstorm that brought over a foot of snow may have complicated plans for some hunters but for others it provided a clear trail, making it easier to track deer during the 11 day hunting season. I feel good about this years hunt. Its considerably colder this year than last year, but I like it, said SUSC student and hunter Greg Zorbas, it tends to weed out the hunters who dont like the., Scott Wallace, left, snow. who trudged to the predictions very difficult. Even though the snowfall in southern Utah was minimal, hunters should still take precautions. Veteran hunter and SUSC staff member Jim Neilson offered some advice to those preparing to go out. Nielson didnt waste any time mentioning the fact that extreme caution must be taken in the field to ensure safety. Theres a lot of hunters out there, so know where youre going and be sure to take enough essentials, such as enough food for two extra days, enough warm clothes to replace wet and cold clothing, -- and Jim. Rice were only two of many SUSC students mountains this weekend in search of the elusive buck. and a full survival kit including plenty of matches in a waterproof container, he said. Another student hunter, Rob Palm, exclaimed, Nobody had better forget their woolies if theyre heading for the snow. Its difficult to concentrate on downing the big trophy when your toes are frozen. Temperatures are predicted to be in the low 20s for most of the week so hunters are urged to take heed of the advice given by experienced hunters and exercise caution and use common sense while stalking their prey. ' |