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Show 7 Friday, Sept. 1,2006 Take Note: The USU vs. Wyoming football game will not be televised as previously announced. 797-1761 sports@statesman.usu.edu Gameday Preview NCAA sets new timing rules Down P Line New b-ball operations director named BY ANDREA EDMUNDS Staff Writpr If you notice some changes at the next Utah State football game, you may want to look again — because the referees sure will be. For the average college football fan, most of the changes the NCAA and the WAC are instituting this season won't even be noticed, despite the fact that football games, instead of a whopping three-hour time block, will now only take around two hours and 57 minutes. But a couple changes could make a difference to the fans. Among a bevy of new policies instituted by the NCAA and the WAC this season, changes for when the clock starts and the addition of instant replay are being introduced to help college football run more smoothly. Now, depending on a play, if an official makes an obvious mistake (because the fans have a much better view of the field than the officials do) there is a chance that it could be overturned. However, WAC officials have warned that instant replay is not a "cure-all" for college football. It is not in place to correct every mistake made by the officials on the field. Instant replay is fairly new to the college football world, and fans cannot expect it to be exactly like it is in the NFL. For example, in the NFL, officials are allowed to review a fumble. In college football, a fumble is not reviewed if an official has ruled the ball down. If an athlete is running down the field and is called out of bounds (even though it was obvious to everyone in the stands that they were well inside the line), that play cannot be reviewed. However, if an athlete is running down the field, steps out of bounds, but then scores, that play can be reviewed. Confusing enough? It's not too hard to understand when it gets broken down. The plays that can be reviewed are plays that have to do with a side line, a goal line or an end line (where the ball stops on thefield).So if a pass is ruled com• NEW RULES see page 9 Soccer faces tough PAC-10 competition BY SETH HAWKINS Sports Editor Coming off a two-win streak and breaking last season's overtime losing curse, the soccer team looks to continue their success this weekend at the University of Utah Fall Classic. The Aggies will face two Pac-10 teams, Arizona and Washington State, this weekend during the Classic held at the University of Utah. USU will play the Arizona Wildcats Friday at 5 p.m. and the Washington State Cougars Sunday at 11 a.m. The USU soccer squad boasts 18 letterwinners, including six starters from last season. The team is led in scoring by senior forward Charity Weston and junior midfielder Dana Peart, Last season Weston and Peart scored slightly fewer than half the team's goals and racked up a fourth of the assists. They're joined by two other seniors and six other juniors. The experience of the team will be needed in taking on a ranked team. "I have high expectations for all the kids," Head Coach Heather Cairns said. "Charity and Dana have been successful the last couple games. Anybody who plays in the attack is expected to be dangerous. We're going to need other people to step up like Sierra Smith and Abby Hunt." Arizona is ranked No. 17 in the NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 poll. Arizona boasts a strong team with • UTAH TOURNAMENT see page 9 BY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS TylerLarsonAmlanon@cc.usu.edu TAILBACK ANTRAUN MCDANIEL runs the ball to the end zone with defensemen in hot pursuit during Thursday's scrimmage in preparation for Saturday's game at Wyoming. Ags have fighting chance BY G. CHRISTOPHER TERRY Seenior Writer When the Utah State Aggies open their season in Laramie, Wyo., this Saturday at 2:30 p.m., it will be against a Cowboys team most experts are predicting will finish in the cellar of the Mountain West. Wyoming is coming off a disappointing end to 2005. Over a six-game losing streak to end their season, they turned the ball over 25 times. The good news for the 'Boys is that quarterback Corey Bramlet, who turned it over seven times against TCU, is gone. The bad news is star wide receiver Jovon Bouknight, the school's all-time record holder in all-purpose yards, with 6,047Midway through 2005, Joe Glenn was one of the hottest coaches in Division I ball. In 2004, Wyoming notched their first victory over an SEC squad with a 37-32 victory over Ole Miss. That season ended with the 'Boys springing the upset on UCLA in a bowl game (Wyoming's first since 1993). Wyoming opened 2005 41 including another win over Mississippi. In fact, they even managed to cover the spread in their opener at Florida with a 1432 score in the loss in the Swamp. Then came the disasterous 14-28 loss to TCU and this team came totally unglued. They lost the remaining five games on their schedule and Glenn's name was no longer on the tongues of big conference athletic directors. The team the Aggies face returns six starters on each side of the ball. Sophomore Wynel Seldon was the leading rusher last year with 871 yards, Wyoming's best total since Marques Brigham's 1,114 in 1998. The leading returning receiver is Michael Ford with 29, and at tight end Wyoming has Wade Betschart, who started four games last year. Starting at quarterback for Wyoming will be Jacob Doss, who had a nice prep career in Kentucky, but has never started a game in college. They do have four starters back on offensive line and are a veteran unit at that position. How the Ags1 young defensive line stacks up against Wyoming will be one of the crucial battles that could determine the outcome. Another such focus point for both coaching staffs will be USU's all-WAC receivers, senior Tony Pennyman and junior Kevin Robinson, who match up well on paper against Wyoming's corners, Michael Medina and Julius Stinson. Wyoming loses super junior cornerback Derrick Martin, who went in the sixth round of the NFL draft to the Baltimore Ravens. Also gone are corners Terrance Butler (nine starts), Brandon Bell (two starts) and safety Ron Rockett (11 starts, honorable mention allMountain West). Look for Ags' Offensive Coordinator Mike Santiago to test the Cowboys inexperienced corners early. If Leon Jackson III gets it going downfield, it's going to be a long afternoon for fans in Laramie. The strength of Wyoming's defense is • M O V I N G THE BALL see page 7 0 Road trip to Calif, awaits Ag volleyball BY S A M M Y H I S L O P Assistant Sports Editor Preparation and patience. Those are two things Utah State Head Volleyball Coach Grayson DuBose has been doing a lot of lately. DuBose is the head of a young squad that will travel to Northridge, Calif., Saturday to compete in the Fremont Loan and Investment Invitational, hosted by the Cal State Northridge Matadors. USU will take on the Oregon Ducks of the Pac-10 at noon, and then the Matadors of the Big West conference at 8 p.m. Though the Ducks and Matadors have a combined 2005 record of 16-41 (whereas the Aggies finished 21-13 and a visit to the NCAA tournament), DuBose was quick to point out these two games will not be easy. Only three starters from last season's Aggie team (Beth Hodge, Amanda Nielson and Kelsi Peterson) are back, and there are seven new faces on the team. Not to mention that this is DuBose's first season as a head coach. "For us, every team is gonna be a good team," he said. "[We're] getting better. There's always room for improvement. [The players are] improving. They're picking up the systems fast — faster than I thought they would. That's kind of nice." CallieGrover/cailieann@ccusu.edu SENIOR UBERO KELSIE PETERSON stretches low for a bump during a practice on Wednesday in the Spectrum, Peterson and the rest of the volleyball team head to Northridge, Calif, to play in the Fremont Loan and Investment Invitational. The Aggies (2-1) are coming off a second-place performance in last weekends Hilton Albuquerque Classic. Unlike their situation going into those three games, this time the Aggies at least have an opportunity to view film on their opponents. The Ducks (2-0) return five starters and six letterwinners from their 2005 team. "It's always fun to play a Pac10 team," said USU outside hitter Amanda Nielson, who recieved this week's Athlete of the Week honor. "That's gonna be good for us." DuBose agreed, adding that >• ROAD TRIP see page 9 LOGAN, Utah - Utah State's head men's basketball coach Stew Morrill announced Wednesday the hiring of Lance Beckert as Director of Basketball Operations. Beckert replaces Erik Skinner who resigned to pursue other professional opportunities. Prior to joining Coach Morrill's staff, Beckert spent the 2005-06 year as the Director of Basketball Operations for Utah State's women's program under head coach Raegan Pebley. He began his coaching career as an assistant with Toshiba Corporation men's team from 1995-98 and then spent six years as the men's head coach at Daito Bunka University in Tokyo, Japan. During his last three years in Japan, he also coached the men's University National Team. "We are excited about Lance becoming part of Aggie Basketball," said Morrill. "He will concentrate on the day-to-day tasks that are so important in running a Division I program. Erik Skinner did a great job for three years in this position, and I'm confident that Lance's varied experiences and maturity will keep us moving forward." WAC.to to provide video for games BY ATHLETIC M E D I A RELATIONS DENVER — Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson today announced the official launch of WAC.tv, the new Internet-based media platform of the WAC. WAC.tv (www.WAC.tv) will offer 34 football games this season involving conference schools, many of them on an exclusive basis. In the coming weeks, WAC.tv will also be offering coverage of volleyball and women's soccer, including the WAC championship tournaments. WAC.tv is jointly operated by the WAC and Penn Atlantic, LLC, an integrated media company which delivers athletic events for a number of other collegiate athletic conferences and minor league professional organizations. All WAC athletic contests will be streamed at a bit rate of at least 539 kbps. At this bit rate, fans can easily take the audio and video from their computer to their home television and enjoy WAC athletic events as if they were being viewed on a cable sports channel. "We are very excited about the launch of WAC. tv," said Benson. "Not only will WAC.tv provide our fans access to hundreds of live regular season events, but also WAC championships. Our membership is constantly in search of more revenue and exposure for its programs. With WAC.tv, we are able to accomplish both of those goals, while also bringing our fans better access to the events they want." WAC.tv will offer all future athletic events on a pay-per-view basis. WAC. tv is available through the WAC's official website (www.WACSports.com) or" directly at www.WAC.tv. |
