OCR Text |
Show --=-------.,,.,,-..,,.....,,__,..~- ~JF(Q)JFlJr~ _M_O_N_D_A_Y,_J_UL_Y_2_0,_1_99_B_•_TH __ E_u_NI_VE_Rs_IT_Y""""'J_o_u_RN_A_L_•_s_o_;u...;;..ra_E_R_N_UT_AH_u_N_IVE_RS...,..,1_J:Y ______ 0 71 Thunderbird gridders itching to suit up Ray Gregory's charges-including 16 returning starters-face a tough schedule in 1998 With 34 lettermen, including 16 starters, returning the 1998 Thunderbirds are as experienced as they have been since 1993, when they had 17 starters returning. All-American fullback Brook Madsen and linebacker Jimmy Brimmer return to lead their respective units, which are both filled with returning starters. Nine players who started the majority of last year's games on the offensive side of the ball return, and six return on defense. The punter is also back, as are both of the return specialists from · the 1997 team. The only real problem for this team appears to be the schedule. Five teams which advanced to post-season competition are on the slate, with three of those contests on the road. This isn't a bunch of first-round losers either, as all but one of the five made it at least to the quarter-finals of their respective national championship playoffs. McNeese St. played in the I-AA championship game, losing to Youngstown St., 10-9. Eastern Washington advanced to the I-AA semi-finals, Western Illinois made it to the l·AA quarterfinals and UC Davis made it to the Division 11 semi-finals. Of the five playoff teams SUU faces in 1998, perennial power Montana was the only team not to make it as far as the quarterfinals. ·me rest of the schedule isn't exactly a cake-walk either, with road games at Cal State Northridge, Idaho State and Illinois State, and home games with Saint Mary's, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and Fort Lewis. Offensive Outlook Practically everyone returns from the offense which has ranked among 1-AA's to p two in n1shing the past two seasons, bUl the two starters who graduated will be missed: quarterback Joe Dupaix and guard Adam Black. Dupaix rushed for more than 1,900 yards in his two seasons at SUU, while Black was a three-year starter at both guard and tac kle. The heir appare nt at quarterback is sopho more Matt Cannon, who compleJcd 25 of 57 passes for 490 yards and three TDs with no inte rceptions last year, while rnshing for 1,024 yards, playing primarily at slot back. Several returning players and some newcome rs will vie for Black's spot, bu1 the co re of the offensive line is solid , with seniors Gary Sharp (C, 6-2, 275) and Bre tt Williams (T, 6-2 , 295) , and juniors John Uriarte (G, 6-3. 275) and Andy Nelso n (T, 5-10, 255) returning after starting the bulk of last season's games. Senior Jim Langford (T, 6-4, 235) and sophomores Brody Benson (C, 6-0, 245) and Jeff Wilson (T, 6·0, 245) also return . The skill people are fairly set as well. With Cannon moving to quarterback, the Thunderbirds essentially lose a slotback, but they had a stable-full last year including returners Terry Rose Or, 6-0, 175), Anthony Jefferies (Sr, 5-10, 200), and Koby Leon (So, 5· 11, 195). Rose is a two-year starter who has been among the team's top rushers and receivers the past two seasons, while Jefferies and Leon were steady backups last year. Wideouts Sam Elliott (So, 5·9, 170), Kam Brown (So, 5-10, 175), Blake Bingham (So, 6-2, 220) and Jake Gregory (Sr, 6-0, 190) all return, as does Jackson Peck (6-1 , 190), a redshirt freshman whose promising 1997 season was sidetracked by a broken leg suffered during the final week of pre-season drills. The heart and soul of SouU1ern Utah's offense the past two seasons, however, has been Madsen. The 5·10, 225-p,,?under who is something of a cross between a battering ram and the Engergizer Bunny, has rushed for 2,619 yards.and 25 touchdowns the past two seasons. averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He has been voted to the l·AA All· Independent first team in each of the past two seasons, and has been named to three different all-America teams during that time span. In addition , he was a GTE Academic All-District VIII performer last year. Madsen's backup, Nathan LieJson (So, 5-11 , 190), w ho rushed fo r 93 yards in a limited role last year, also returns. Defensive Outlook Although the defense wilJ be hit a little harder by losses to graduation and church missions than the offense will be, t11e core still returns. DE Gary Reed and his 20 tackles-for-loss will be missed, as will cornerbackJacob Colton, a walk-on who took over as a starter in the third week of the season and wound up co-leading the team in interceptions. Reed has graduated, while Colton has departed for an LOS mission. The T-Birds wiJJ also miss graduated OT Curtis Cook - another GTE ~cademic All-District performer - and LB Colin Ash, who is on an LDS mission, but aside from that group, the Thunderbirds return almost everyone who was on the defensive depth chart at season's end. Two-time all-independent honoree Clay Marshall (Sr, 6·0, 220), who has led the team in tackles in each of the last two seasons playing a little linebacker, a little safety and some rover, returns, as does Brimmer (Sr, 6-2, 225), an All-America selection by both the Associated Press and Football Gazette last year. Marshall has 181 tackles and five interceptions in the last two seasons, while Brimmer, a player given up on by Rich Ellerson, the 'Birds' head coach ., in 1996, had 13. 5 sacks for 89 yards in losses among his 66 tackles last year. Also returning at linebacker is junior Mike Shepard (6-0, 235). who was second on the team with 72 tackles, including 15 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks, and Chance Larsen (Sr, 6-2, 220), who had 35 tackles with a sack in 1997. Up fro nt, the Thunderbirds return two of four starte rs, tackle Mana Kula (Sr, 5-11 , 285) and end Ahaz Griffeth (5· 11 , 250, Sr). Kula was the anc ho r of last season's line, with 52 tackles and 15 TFLs fro m his noseguard spot, while Griffeth finished with 35 tac kles. Also returning along the defe nsive front are sophomores Howard Vaifanua (6· l , 235) and Michael Tahu (6-1, 275). A transfer with the potential to make an immediate impact , Io na Uiagale lei (Jr, 6-3. 295), will also get a great look. UiagaleJci comes to SUU from Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, Calif.), whe re he earned allMission Conference honors on a Mountie team which won the California state and national junior college championships last year. The 'Birds lose Colton at one comer, but return Clint Brown (5·10, 160)-who started every game last year as a true freshman - and Kenny Lindsay (So, 6-0, 170), who has played in every game the past two seasons and can line up at either comer or safety. SUU also recniited heavily at the cornerback position and wlU have JC transfer Ryan Renteria (Snow College, 6-0, 185) among the group. . At safety, Chad Huntsman Or, 6-1, 180), a two-year starter who tallied 54 tackles and a pair of interceptions last year, returns, as docs Randy Hunter (6-0, 190, Jr), wlto saw limited duty last year after an injury cut short his season. Lindsay could also surface at safety. Special Teams Returning on special teams is kickoff return specialist (and WR) Sam Elliott, who wound up 10th among I ·AA kickoff returners last season with a 26.5-yard average. Clint Brown , who would also have been among the nation's leaders but didn't have enough attempts to qualify, is back to return punts after averaging 10.9 yards per attempt in 1997. Back to take care of the punting duties is Cannon, who averaged 40. l yards per punt in '97 to rank 29th in l ·AA, despite the fact his first-ever punt came in the second game of 1997. |