OCR Text |
Show . - - n,1 'Big numbers unable to help 'Birds in the end 1, r " THE UNlyERSl1! JOURNAL• SOOTHE~ UTAH UNIVE~ITY • WEDNESDAY, ~ OVEMBEll 19, J997 . ·· 'BIRD SPORTS ... nation for rushing defense. The 'Bird defense shut down their opponents taking away 115 yards per game on the average. JOU RNAL SPORTS WRITER Leading the 'Bird defense with the most tackles this season was Linebacker Clay Marshall who snagged 95 tackles for his squad. Linebacker Mike Shepard cam e in Despite being quite successful in comparison with past seasons and starting 4-1 second among the SU defenders with 72 tackles while defensive end Gary Reed ate this year, the 'Bird football team could only muster a 5-6 record after losing to the · up 70 tackles and snatched a team-leading 20 tackles-for-a-loss, netting a 92-yard St. Mary's Gaels in Saturday's season finale deficit for those tackles. The 'Birds did manage to pull off some fairly worthy rankings out of the 118 The 97 season began exceptionally well for the 'Birds as they were able to win teams competing in Division I-AA ball. their first two home games, which The most notable ranking came from included wins against the Illinois State the 'Birds' consistent rushing offense, Redbirds where the SU grabbed a 44-13 which produced 323.9 yards per game, victory, and another victory over Fort finishing second behind Western Lewis College 27-14. Kentucky which finished the year at an The 'Birds then first suffered their first average of 366 yards per game. The 'Birds loss of the year on the road against Weber were unable to equal last year's average State, where a late game missed field goal of 33 1.5 yards on the ground, which was cost them the game in a narrow 32-33 the best in the country and gave SU the setback. 1996 rushing title. The 'Bird rushing The following week SU found offense also gained enough yards to push themselves ahead of the game against SU to a number 16 ranking in total Division-I Arkansas State, winning 34-24 offense with 426.27 yards per game. and ending a four-year road-game losing Contributing immensely to the SU streak. rushing game were fullbacks Brook The best start of the season continued Madsen and Matt Cannon. Madsen against Montana Tech as the Orediggers grabbed the number 18 spot in the nation were shut down by a strong 'Bird defense averaging 110.36 individual rushing in 34-21 loss against SU, giving the 'Birds yards-per-game and netted a seasona 4-1 record for the first time in 11 years. ending 1,214 yards, while Cannon was From there SU would find itself in a ranked 29th gaining 93.09 yards-a-game bind with a three-game losing streak, and netting 1,024 yards. giving up games to the Western Illinois Despite these offensive rankings, the .,, (6-45), Idaho State (31-46) and Southwest 'Birds didn' t have anything as far as ~ Texas State (7-21). points to show for the numbers, g The streak would end the following averaging just 28.4 points per game and ·§week in the homecoming game against finishing 30th in Division I-AA for their 8 UC Davis 37-27, but that would be the scoring offense. ~ last of the SU victories. Although most of the kicking game !:l Northern Iowa and St. Mary's rounded was non-existent, the 'Birds did grab the I== out the season as the Panthers were able 17th spot for punting by averaging 36.6 foe Dupaix, who had a stellar two years at the helm of the 'Bird offense, will be lost to create a 20-point deficit in a 53-33 win yards per kick. On an individual over the ' Birds, with the Gaels shutting to graduation, but SUU fans can look to 1,000-yard rusher Matt Cannon to take standpoint, Matt Cannon averaged 40.07 over at quarterback. SU down 31-27. yards per kick earning him the 28th spot Next season the 'Birds will be among the top 50 punters. " ...looking to take care of the ball more and leave no room for error," according to The biggest improvement from last year was on the defensive side of the ball Head Coach Ray Gregory. "We will have as tough of a schedule as anyone in the where the 'Birds punished their opponents rushing offense ranking 30th in the country." BY BEN GUNDERSON Mullen dedicated Cross country happy with season to his golf game Prior to the start of the 1997 cross country season, Teresa Rice, who was the surprise of SUU's MidSouthern Utah Head Coach Eric Houle hoped his Continent Conference Championship race, paced the Thunderbirds by finishing 59th in a time of 18:52. men's team could crack the top-six at the NCAA SUU's other finishers: Wendy Allen (73rd/ 19:05), District VII meet. H e got his wish Saturday in Mary Ann Schauerhamer (78th/ 19:12), Kathryn Ogden, Utah. · (con tinued from page 16) Henrie (87th/19:29), Rachael Porter (88th/ 19:32), Led by Jody Benson's 18th-place finish (31:49), the Thunderbirds finished sixth Merrilee Blackham He has also finished as one of the top golfers for the in the 14-school race, one (95th/ 19:47) and Mandy team at the m ajority of the tournaments this season. point behind fifth-place Barlow (104th/20: 11 ). This ambitious player's goal is to play in every Colorado State. By placing 18th at tournament this year, and to lower his 77 average to ,.. Colorado ran away with Saturday's NCAA Mountain 75. Mullen enjoys the chance SU has to play against the district title by taking Region meet, SU junior Jody the big boys from major schools, and is confident SUU the top five individual spots Benson wrote his name into can compete against the larger schools in the the school record books. and it will be joined at the tournaments the team plays in. NCAA Championships by Benson's finish ranks as Mullen also says golf is more demanding physically Weber State, which placed the best-ever by a and mentally than m ost people realize, and that as three runners in the top-12 Thunderbird, well ahead of one of the fastest-growing sports around, it requires second-place Travis to place second in the team tremendous dedication of those who want to play at .. Anderson who placed 32nd standings. the collegiate level and beyond ."You cannot expect to SU's other men's finisher's in 1994. Benson's time of hit balls once or twice a month and expect to improve were: Phil Woolston ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.... 31:49 stands as the seventha your game drastically," stresses Mullen . "It takes a best all-time lOK time by an (27th/32:05), Ted Hansen lot of practice and you must be in great physical (36th/32: 19), Chris Merkley (46th/32:36), Mark .SU runner. "Even though we're a little disappointed shape." Wright (65th/33:16), Adam Moore (72nd/33 :42), with our finish at districts, this has been an Mullen also said the golf swing requires extreme Allan Boggio (93rd/34:3 71. awesome season for us, " said Houle. "The great accuracy and consistency throughout the entire 36 The Thunderbird women's team, which did not thing about this year is that we had a lot of young holes, just a small wrong turn of the club and your include top runner Esther Woolston, who sat out the runners and they are only going to get stronger. With shot can go wild and cost you a stroke. It's that one race because of a shin injury, finished 14th in the 17- the returners and the way we think recruiting is stroke that can send you from first to 10th-place-or school field, ahead of Air Force, New Mexico and going, we should be very strong in the men's and worse. Nevada. much better in women's." 'This has been an awesome season, said Head CQach Eric,Hou.le~ .,:,: ;' |