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Show L TDOORS A SOUTHERN UTAH STATE COLLEGE, CEDAR CITY Gridders open V THE THUNDERBIRD JlBER 25, 1990 PAGE 30 2-- 2 BY BRENT RICHEY X One way to eliminate a quarterback controversy is to make one of them a running back. At least thats what SUSC football coach Jack Bishop did. Brad Mathews and Steve Hutchings had been vying for the starting QB spot since last year. In the first four games of the season with Hutchings playing tailback and Mathews taking the snaps, the Birds have been averaging just under 200 yards rushing a game. SUSC is currently and travels to Santa Clara this weekend for the conference opener for both teams. After the WFC contest, the open a three-gam- e home stand. Following is a capsule of each of SUSCs games this season. SUSC 31, Mesa (CO) 27 The Birds are since leaving the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and with Saturdays home win streak by the win ended a Mavericks. Mesa led in the fourth quarter, but uith 5:05 left in the game Hutchings scored a touchdown to give SU the lead. Mesa drove down to the seven-yarline with 40 seconds left, but the defense held and took over on downs. SUSC 35, Central State (OK) 0 One week earlier, the Bird defense controlled the Broncho running attack as Southern Utah got its first shutout in 10 years. SUSC gave up only 178 yards of total offense, sacked Broncho quarterbacks five times and forced three fumbles. C5U threatened to score, driving f 2 9-- 1 V- - V kuu i i M Last year's leading tackier, linebacker John Alcorn has emerged as a leader again this year. 30-ga- 27-2- 5 d 31-2- 7 d line twice, but failed both times. inside the Fullback Scott Firestone scored on a one-yar- d run for a for the Birds and caught another TD, as the offense rolled up 444 yards. one-yard- Idaho State 37, SUSC Bengal quarterback Jason Whitmer passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns, and SUSC was without the services of an injured Mathews. Using all three passed reserve QBs, including Hutchings, the for only 94 yards, but gained 231 yards on the ground thanks in part to fullback Kevin Brooks (14 carries, 85 yards). Players excel off the field A number of impressive marks shed a positive light on the SUSC football program as the 1990 season continues. Among the group of 67 returners, 19 players have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Also within that group, 21 athletes during the fall, 14 in the winter and 22 in the spring earned a 3.0 for the quarter (including two 4.0 marks). In addition, all of the Proposition 48 players athletes who had to sit out last 12 season due to inadequate grades in high school or college entrance exams have made the NCAA standards and are elegible for the 1990 season. According to President Gerald R. Sherratt, the schools graduation rate of athletes is in the 95 percentile. Head Football Coach Jack Bishop also added that over the last three years virtually every graduate has been placed and secured a job in his field following his career at SU. WESTERN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS Linebacker Clint Christiansen recorded 13 tackles while strong safety Tim Nicolodemos registered eight tackles and an interception to lead the defense. Weber State 37, SUSC 21 The Wildcats spoiled the opener for the Birds in the first-evmeeting between the two teams in Cedar City. SUSC jumped out to a 14-- 3 lead early defense forced in the second quarter. The Weber State out of its rushing attack and into the air, and quarterback Jamie Martin threw for four touchdowns. SUs Mathews suffered a collapsed lung in the game, and Hutchings rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries. Young golfers eye Air Force BY BRIAN HOWARD Most sports relish the idea of fresh faces entering the program to study under the tutelage of veteran athletes. But for the SUSC golf team, while fresh faces are the rule, the veterans are scarce. This years squad is composed of five members, three of which are freshmen. We have some potential, but the squad overall is very inexperienced and young, said Tom Kingsford, SUSC golf coach. The team showed some of that inexperience at the Jacoby Collegiate Invitational in Laramie, Wyo., Sept. finishing last with a team score of 925. Some of the potential was evident four days later, however, at the three-da- y Fort Lewis Invitational in Durango, Colo. The team turned in a acore of 626 to finish fifth in the field, beating teams like Colorado State and Air Force. Freshman Brady Peterson leads the team with a 74.6 average. Jason Reynolds, a sophomore from Salt Lake City, is hitting a 77.8 over 18 holes. The only returning player from last year, junior Jason Mitchell, has started slowly, averaging just under 80 strokes an outing. The Thunderbirds now get a chance to regroup after two early meets. Their next action isnt until Oct. 8 at the prestigious Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., hosted by Air Force. 5-- 10-1- Last Weeks Results Southern Utah State 31, Mesa (CO) 27 Cal Poly SLO 36, Portland State 23 Santa Clara 50, Cal State Hayward 20 Cal State Northridge 17, Central State (OK) Cal State Sacramento 16, UC Davis 12 i 6 i X OS Jason Mitchell averages 79.8 on 18 holes. |