| Show rThr- COLLEGE ID0111111 TheShLeTnlrne UTE FOOTBALL Utes: amtinued from I t t : e I I 1 i AM ' of — Utes have had recent success In games televised by ESPN (700) and network stahons Records: Utah 0--0 Texas MY 0--0 Series: Texas AIN ieads 0 List Meeting: Texas MM 28 Utah 26 (2003) Line: Utah by 9 Radio: B1 KALL-A- About the liter Flanked 20th in the AP Top 25 they're tor their fret dahng to last season sirup Junior 138 Ourton Gant r figures to get the start in he first ay his fest game at IAA and sere:NAB Marty Johnson w garre strim he was reared against Indkve on Sept 7 2002 Abe detense has not allowed a port the past 10 quarSenior S Morgan Scakey and sensor LB Corey ters Dodds have not practiced since sullving leg seines nearly a week ago but are expected to start About the Aggies: Corning oft their worst season since 1972 they are expected lc knish in the middle of the Bog 12 Once knrwn as the 'Wrecking Conference South Division Crew' the defense ranked 115th in the nahon last season by allowing 388 poets k also allowed 4315 yards per game rem areng 71te Tribune --- The Hies had been expecting to use freshman Paul Kruger at defensive end this season before he leives for an LDS Church mission but defensive line coach Gary Andersen said they have changed their mind Andersen said the team now plans to redshirt Kruger a former quarterback at Timpanogos High because others made strides in backup roles along the line Looking back ! 1 - f t it - 't : o t t 1 !t "! can't wait" John Madsen -- l - UTAH STATE NOTES t' 0444' odOkOok- Tide's Roach clears name will play Ags 4' ---- e:10 o) ov'T 1 7 f v —"fiti 42 vve 0 - - - 4 !s- P- 7001' 4 'I r - k Li ' - - till r(46 'k tk 4 k ti44 4 ( k f : ter-o- f 4 I i -- al-ri- g a A ' ICNIA ( N t I Ill t N 't I ' ' BY ' w- - 1 - ii'''''4J 1 1 1- i ‘1 - 4 ‘ N't III 'tes Pk A - : - -- Nte1 i''' 1' v I LOGAN — Alabama middle linebacker Freddie Roach has been cleared of involve- 4 4 '''''''' ' ''''' I ' '''IN 4 '''''-- ' A ' ''''"11 ' ' S:4 ' '' At 4 0: iii it a "iii t was ? f ntil s in LEAN I al- I loGsmNTribuntflit phigo Brigham Young running back Fahu Tahl saw plenty of action as a freshman in 1999 He leads a group of inexperienced backs against Notre Dame on Saturday wer 1111- - Ala BYU win looking better at running back and aid an't v Continued from B1 to TIze Crowton wants him to lose igue 20 pounds — Peaua could see more playing time "He'll smack you around pretty in a she and good" Reynolds said "He certainly has an important role in our offense" For now Tahl is the only proven inside runner a fact that concerns Crowton At 2:10 pounds Tahi has the size to run inside the tackles and the foot speed to dance past the defensive line Except for Peaua who Crowton si 4' said is good for 1 or 2 yards the other running backs are better suited to run outside "There's certain parts of the game think we're a little bit limited with those guys" he said "Outside of Fahu I don't feel like we have another big guy that's athletic enough to do all the things we want" "There's some toughness to them They're just not real big in there Sometimes those little guysthave a lot of physical play I haven't quite seen enough of that of them to really feel confident in that" Listed as the top reserve behind Tahi Brown is ready to show he has improved since leaving the field two years ago During his redshirt season he put on 22 pounds increasing to a sturdy 205 As a freshman Brown averaged 42 yards a carry and gained 299 yards He showed flashes of brilliance against Utah State gaining 217 yards The coaches have raved at Brown's performance during the fall camp "Every single running back brings a different aspect to the game" Brown we have what it said "Talent-wise takes" Briefly Former Timpview star quarterback Michael Affleck a transfer from Arizona State who has joined the BYU team as a walk on has been cited for illegal consumption and possession of alcohol Affleck was cited on Aug 5 in the south fork area of Provo Canyon according to Dennis Harris public information officer for the Utah County Sherifrs Office Afileck's case has been referred to the Utah County Aftomey's Office for prosecution Because of transfer rules Affleck is not Athletic eligible to play until 2005 director Val Hale outlined BY1I's new emphasis on fan behavior during Wednesday's weekly media luncheon "It's part of a concerted effort on the part of both and conference and the university to just have good six)rtsmanship at our athletic events" he said "Good sportsmanship is a key area of emphasis in the Mountain West Conference this year" Offensive lineman Paul Fisher has transferred to Dixie College Crowton said eight receivers could play in the first game including newcomers Todd Watkins Austin Collie Riley Weber Antwaun Harris and BJ Mathis "That's the group we've got in the rotation" Crowton said "How much each guy plays it will just depend on how the game goes" ir a d in trouble" Asked lithe incident had been a distrac- tion during his team's preparation for Utah State Shula said "Not at all" According to the university spokesperson Roach has been "cleared oral charges" related to the case which involved "mistaken identity" The?re used to it Since la 6 incident outside a club and will play against Utah State a university spokesperson said Wednesday The Aggies open their 107th football season Saturday night against the host Crimson Tide Earlier this week Roach's status for the game seemed questionable Local police were called to break up a verbal altercation Late Sunday night After they arrived on the scene one of the participants in the altercation showed an officer a gun he had tucked in the waistband of his pants The policeman grabbed the man who broke free and ran The gun dropped during the scuffle was later reported stolen by a patron inside the club According to police the man who escaped said he played football at Alabama and Roach's name surfaced in connection with the incident A junior Roach is considered one of the top linebackers in the Southeast Conference At his weekly press conference on Tuesday Crimson Tide coach Mike Shula declined comment on the situation But he noted that football players at Alabama live under a microscope "When you sign on at Alabama people are going to know who you are and where you are" Shula said "Alabama is a special place You are treated like kings But the minute you act like that you're going to be gun-relate- d Tuscaloosa-are- k- 4 b i''''''' Je"'"'''- ment in a it 4 v 0204410 STM1: LUIIM ThtiII hArTrilnate ' '''N ''I N NI mcEasitrithcom still can't believe :' w ' t I — ed - all-tim- Change of plans Rice-Eccle- s mcOsitribcom — 0 n e triple-overtim- I West Valley City was a walk-oreceiver last season who was shocked that he was even in the game at Texas ARAL Yet with the Utes trailing by eight in the final former Hunter minute the touchHigh star hauled in a down pass on fourth down that gave the Utes a chance to tie the game with eight seconds left They failed and lost but the memory still sticks with Madsen — whom Meyer has awarded a scholarship and called one of the most improved players on the team "It was unbelievable" Madsen recalled couldn't believe I was in the game in the first place — 90000 people my first big college game ever And the way things turned out for me was unbelievable" And tonight Madsen gets another chance at the Aggies this time knowing he will play as the backup to starter Steve Savoy I'm really excited" he said "I all-tim- e 27-1- In their first year under coach Urban Meyer the Utah Utes had spectacular success in games televised by ESPN They stormed back to beat Cal in quarterback Alex Smith's first start before a record 46768 fans and a national ESPN audience They upset No 19 Oregon with a second-hal- f shutout on ESPN2 They escaped e Air Force on a trick play in — that was a regional broadcast — and smothered Southern Mississippi in the Liberty Bowl back on the main network So tonight? Will the spotlight effect help the season-opene- r Utes in their sold-ou- t against Texas A&M on ESPN from Stadium? "Has nothing to do with it" Meyer said It's all about preparing for the game That's what's imporIt has nothing to do with tant TV or revenge or where we're ranked and all of that Good storyline though" Meanwhile the Ines are eager to see not only how prepared they might be to handle the role of overwhelming favorite in the Mountain West Conference but also whether they can survive their "depth issues Meyer has complained throughout training camp that most of the reserves are to play "Are we good enough to beat Texas A&M?" he said don't know Don't have any idea Our first group I feel confident can play with a lot of teams in the country If it comes down to a substitution game where some injuries are involved I don't feel we're good enough to beat Texas ARM we If we stay healthy and play our game have a chance to beat Texas MM" — Sdnala his luck The junior from We like to think so on netThe Utes are work TV which includes the ESPN stations ABC and Raycom Not all of those broadcasts were national like the game tonight however In national games on ESPN e and ESPN2 the Utes are winand riding a three-gamning streak since a 2002 loss at Michigan with those victories over Cal Oregon and Southern Miss By MICHAEL C LEWIS r 4-- i i UTAI I NOTES Stadium Kickoff: 545 p rrx TV: ESPN the Aggies in their second season under Franch lone and expecting improvement — if only because there's not much room to get worse The Aggies finished 8 last year and fielded one of the worst defenses in the nation statistically speaking They have a quartet of promising redshirt freshmen whom they expect to help immediately as starters on the offensive and defensive lines and running back Courtney Lewis returns after rushing for 1024 yards as a freshman last season 'They're going to get that thing cranked up" Meyer said Junior Reggie McNeal is back for his second year as the starting quarterback with former backup Dustin Long having transferred in the offseason McNeal is an explosive talent with &rating scrambling ability -- - he runs the 40yard dash in 438 seconds — but be has strained to pass as effectively or consistently as the Aggies would like He figures to be a crucial element of tonight's game "He's the whole deal" Meyer said "Anytime you have a quarterback who can make something good out of something bad that's any issue And there's not many of those guys All the sudden you think you've got a sack and he has a gain that's how he wins games" N2 - SeptimixT Z 20(4 TODAY'S GAME Rat-Exte- s Achilles' heel Yev 7- Texas AIM at Utah Depth could be i nurst lay - Utah State has played games at Nebraska Arizona State Iowa LSU Texas Tech Georgia Col- COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES ' LB Spence found innocent in Air Force steroid case I COMBINED NEWS SERVICES Air Force linebacker was found innocent of drug charges Wednesday after telling a he thought the steroids he had taken were le- Overton Spence sired tom court-martia- l gal Spence wept and hugged teammate Jon Wilson when the verdict was read Ile to speak to reporters but his civilian attorney Serge Illerscovici said Spence hopes to return to the acadetny football team Prosecutor Capt Garrett Condon had accused Spence of engaging In "a locker room drug deal" that went bad Spence had signed a statement admitt ing he bought and used the steroid meth androstenolone but testified that he did not know he had broken the law d I — "I never intended to possess or had knowledge of possession of illegal steroids I only intended to liossess legal steroids that you could buy" suspended from the team after the charges were filed It was not immediately clear whether he would be reinstated In any health specialty store Ilerscovici said Spence could face a one- Spence said year suspension Ilisd(Iënse from the NCAA lawyers accused This week's schedule in Three other investigators of Scoreboard 84 dets including Jumping to conclu- running back ions and interro Matthew Ward gating Spence beface Steroid still fore lab tests showed the stecharges Ward's court-martiroid was illegal is scheduled next Air Force coach Fisher month De item testified that when Spence told him he was being Gunn to start for ICU investigated the cadet said he thought the supplements Texas Christian coach were legal Gary Patterson picked Jun"Ile maintained his total ior Tye Gunn to stad to- innocence as to his not knownight's season opener against ing what he was taking" Northwestern said The I forned Frogs have WOO all eight games started Spence 20 was a backup who played mostly on special by Gunn tear each in his teams last season lie was first two sea De-'terr- injury-plague- sons Sirius to cany football Southern California Notre Dame LSD and Nebraska are among the 23 major college teams that will have their games carried on Sirius Satellite Radio as part of a deal with cable network College Sports Television Sirius carries NFL radio and more than 140 other channels of commercial-fremusic talk and sports Mean Green quarterback killed in a car wreck last month Instant replay will make its Big Ten debut at the seven televised home games this weekend The conference Is experimenting with video review for one year Michigan will be facing the program with the longest Diviskin LA winning streak in the country (14) when it plays host to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday Heading into its game with Cincinnati Ohio State hasn't lost to another school since a setback to Oberlin in 1921— Some Southeastern Conference history will be made Sunday when No 14 TennesS e takes the field against MIN Whether Erick Ainge or Brent Schaefer starts at quarterback the Vols will be the first SEC team in 59 years to start a freshman straight out of high school in a season opener orado Kansas State and Washington Last season the Aggies played decently before losing at Nebraska 31-- The following week they nearly upset Arizona State before falling 2616 Coach Mick Dennehy believes past ex- perience will prevent his players from be- by the atmosphere they ing encounter at Alabama "You worry about how the kids will handle the sea of red that is going to be put in front of them" Dennehy said "You worry about how they will handle the humidity But we have played some of the best teams In the country and they did just fine" Still a crowd of more than 03000 is expected to shoehorn itself into liryant-DennStadium in Tuscaloosa and make things as difficult as possible for the inexperienced awe-struc- k y Aggies 6 Briefly It's been 21 seasons since Vanderbilt last had a winning record The Commodores are overall and in SEC play since Texas will hold a moment of silence before the North Texas game in memory of Andrew Smith the 1983 Briefly This is only the third time in the last nine years that Utah State has not opened the season against rival Utah Alabama oMcials are not concerned that It Francis will impact Saturday night's game The forecast calls for the brunt of the storm to stay east of the state Even lithe track of the storm shifts west the hurricane is not expected to reach Alabama until late Sunday or early Monday I i dk Akaán AO ft 411E AO" "fa-deS- 1 1998 4p4haok 01-A- j |
