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Show StatesmanSports Monday. Aug. 27, 2007 Smart School Styles HAIR aHLDRENS Men.Women Kids over 9 Kids age 9 and under curs am HAIR COLOR PriePe e * - J ** Starting At: PERMS Includes shampoo, cut & style. Special wraps 4 long hair slightly more, pkrir~ platr PHONE 752-9390 PHONE 752-4499 118 North Main • Downtown Logan • Monday-Saturday 8 am -6 pm Page 14 2007 WAC football: Warriors and Broncos to battle for top \ 1 By SAMMY HISLOP sports editor Here is a brief look at each of the nine Western Athletic Conference football teams, listed in order of their preseason ranking by USA Today, 1. Hawaii Warriors: 11-3 in 2006,15 starters returning In preseason Top 25 polls, the Warriors were ranked as high as 12th by Phil Steele's. A major reason for that is quarterback Colt Brennan. The Warrior signal caller will return for his senior season to continue leading an offense that was tops in the nation in scoring offense (46.9 points per game), passing offense (441.3 yards per game), and total offense (559.2 yards per game). Brennan will also be a top contender for the Heisman Trophy. Wide recievers Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, and Ryan Grice-Mullen will also be back. The trio combined for 3,168 yards and 36 touchdowns in '06. Defensively, linebackers Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian return. They combined for 203 tackles last season for a defense which ranked 59th in the country. 2. Boise State Broncos: 13-0,12 starters returning It'/ exciting to be a couple. If you ore ready to announce an enjoyment or a recent marriage, let other* know. It/ o/ ea/y a* to your computer, o n . m i w i i w HEW5 @ www.utaUate*man,cofn and in your info. O r *encl to office@^tote/mon.mu.edu. Published both online ond in The Statesman. Now, that'/ 5ood new;! GEICO. Ai5-miniitecall could save you 15% on car insurance. The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl champions will look to continue the nation's longest winning streak of 13. Junior running back Ian Johnson is the biggest name back on offense. Johnson led the country in scoring (12.67 ppg) and touchdowns (25) and was second in rushing yards per game (142.83). Marty Tadman and Nick Schlekeway headline the Bronco defense. Tadman, the defensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl, heads into his senior season as the nation's active leader in career interceptions (12) and interception returns for touchdown (3). ts v JW> ^ 3 Neya^a Wolf Pack: 8-5,14 starters returning The Wolf Pack will look to bounce back from a tight loss last season in the MPC Computers Bowl to the University of Miami (Fla.)The Wolf Pack return the WAC's top kick returner in Dwayne Sanders, who averaged 25 yards on each return. On defense, outside linebacker Ezra Butler will return after a 2006 campaign that placed him as a allWAC selection. Butler led the WAC and was 18th nationally with 17.5 tackles for loss. The Pack will take on four bowl teams from last year: Nebraska, Boise State, Hawaii, and San Jose State 4. Fresno State Bulldogs: 4-8,15 starters returning The only Division I team to lose to the Utah State Aggies in '06, the Bulldogs return a Strong game on special teams. Senior kicker Clint Stitser has converted 75 percent of hisfieldgoal attempts in his career (21-28) and is a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. The Bulldogs also welcome back four starters to an offensive line that allowed 12 sacks the entire season •— a school record. Senior defensive end Tyler Clutts comes into the season with 16 career sacks. He only needs one more to be among the top 10 in school history in that category. 5. San Jose State Spartans: 9-4,15 starters returning If the Spartans put up another winning season in '07, it will be the first time since the 1991 and 1992 seasons that the team has had back-to-back winning campaigns. Among the 15 returning starters,fivewere a 11-conference players. That is the highest number of all-WAC players the school has ever had. Cornerback Dwight Lowery is among thefive.In 2006, Lowery recieved first-team All-America honors. He and teammate Christopher Owens combined for the most interceptions nationally by a cornerback tandem. Lowery was second in the nation with nine interceptions. Quarterbacking for SJSU will again be Adam Tafralis, who set a single-season school record last year for completing 65.6 percent of his passes. Tailback Yonus Davis is back after collecting 1,007 rushing yards a season ago. SANJOSE 6. New Mexico State Aggies: 4-8,19 starters returning 1513 N. Hillfield Rd., Suite 3 (8O1) 752-O485 Quarterback Chase Holebrook is back for the Aggies. In 2006 he broke 19 NMSU game or season records. He also set the NCAA record for passing yards by a sophomore. Joining Holebrook will again be junior wide receiver Chris Williams, who led the nation in receving yards per gme (117.9). Williams broke the school record last year for most 100-yard receiving games in a season with seven. In all, the NMSU offense returns nine starters from a year ago. Junior safety Derrick Richardson will be an anchor on defense. He notched 73 tackles during '06, which was third on the squad. ^^^P 7. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: 3-10,18 starters returning fl DOWNEAST home & c Iothing The Bulldogs will have a deeper and more experienced defense. They return their top seven tacklers and 11 of their top 12 from a year ago. That group is led by junior linebacker Quin Harris, who snagged 95 stops. On the other side of the ball will be the team's top rusher in junior Patrick Jackson. Jackson racked up 854 rushing yards and saw the endzone seven times last season. LaTech s lone starting wide reciever back is junior Josh Wheeler. In '06 Wheeler caught 25 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns. On special teams placekicker Danny Horwedel and punter Chris Keagle are back. Horwedel is the WAC's actice leader in madefieldgoals with 34. The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule includes LSU, California, Mississippi, and Central Arkansas. 8. Utah State Aggies: 1-11,19 starters returning USU and NMSU are tied for the most starters returning. Senior Leon Jackson III, the only quarterback on the roster with game experience, was named starting quarterback last Wednesday by Head Coach Brent Guy. Jackson will be joined by an offensive line which returns three starters. Senior wideout Kevin Robinson and senior running back Aaron Lesue (a walk-on in *06) will be other vital parts of the USU offensive attack, which ranked 117th in the nation in scoring a year ago. Junior defensive end Ben Calderwood is one of the big names back on defense. Calderwood was second-team all-WAC last season and has received numerous preseason accolades already. WAC Freshman of the Year Paul Igboeli will return at linebacker, where he had 69 tackles in his opening season. Junior linebacker Jake Hutton will also return after missing the final eight games of the season to a foot injury. 9. Idaho Vandals: 4-8,14 starters returning WELCOME BACK T O SCHOOL ... with a special offer from DownEast Home & Clothing Outlets! Take 20% off one clothing or home item at any DownEast location.* Robb Akey is the Vandals' new head coach - the team's third in as many seasons. He will look to improve a team that lost its final five games in 2006. Senior cornerback Stanley Franks, the nation's interception leader, will return to the Vandal secondary. Also back is senior linebacker David Vobora, who led the league in total tackles and solo stops. He was also ranked in the Top 10 nationally in both categories. On offense, junior running back Jayson Bird will return. He totalled 539 rushing yards in '06, along with a team-high seven touchdowns. Junior center Adam Korby has started every game throughout the past two seasons for the Vandals, and will continue that trend. He has anchored Vandal offensive lines which passed for 2,353 yards and rushed for another 1,370 yards last season. They also only gave up 23 sacks. Also, a new infill surface has been installed inside the Kibbie Dome (home of the Vandals). -samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu Offer good through 9/30/07. •Offer not valid online or with any other offer. 1050 North HIGH Main St., Suite STYLE. B1 LOW119PRICE. East 1400 North Logan Logan - Clearance Center COLONEL: Man behind new edifice U continued from page 12 move around in, we can get lot more work done." "(The building) is a testament for what he stands for," Guy added. "He talks thq talk and he walks the walk every day. You want to see it? Come down here and see who's in that building, making things happen is RaTidy Spetman." -samuel. hislop@aggiemail usu. edu |