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Show \ i am tl —f Aug. 19,2007 Touc/iBase Gameday Preview Looking for No. 1 Winning opener has proven to be a key to success for Ags By SAMMY HISLOP sports editor Study the schedules from the past 20 years of Aggie football and you find something very important: No. 1 is a big deal. In only three of those 20 seasons have the Aggies won the first game. It's a critical number when coupled with the fact that all three of those campaigns were winning ones, and in two of them USU qualified for bowl games. Come Thursday at 6:05 p.m., the Aggies will be given another opportunity to snag that first game when the University of NevadaLas Vegas Runnin' Rebels come to town. "We've got to win the first one," USU Head Coach Brent Guy said. "It's a home opener. You look at the history of this school in the past two decades, with season opening wins has a huge impact on the outcome of that team. It's pretty dramatic when you look at the history of it. That's something we're going to talk about. We've got a great opportunity to play at home. Our focus is on the first game." The circumstances are looking good for the Aggies — at least on paper. Of the seven games the program has won over the past three years, two of those victories have come against the Runnin' Rebels. UNVL is 5-12 all time against USU. Plus, USU hasn't had a season opener at Romney Stadium since 2002 (a 23-3 loss to the University ofUtah). U S U Q U A R T E R B A C K LEON JACKSON III drops back to pass as backup tailback Curtis Marsh looks on at practice Saturday. Jackson will start Thursday vs. UNLV. Kickoff is slated for 6:05 p.m. TYLER LARSON photo [MSeeNo.l,pagell All 11 starters back for USU defense By SAMMY HISLOP sports editor A handful of things may be said of a 2006 Aggie defense that ranked 111th nationally against the rush, 112th guarding the pass, 116th in total yardage given up, and 117th in points allowed. Unfortunately, not many of those things are enlightening to the ears of Aggie faithfuls. Yes, looking back on last year's Aggie football campaign is a difficult and sour thing for any Aggie coach, player or fan to do. But unlike Head Coach Brent Guy's first two seasons as the leader of the Aggies, this year all 11 of his defensive starters are back. Even with that experience coming back, however, one large and unanswered question remains: How will these starters put a nightmare of a season behind them? Sophomore linebacker and 2006 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Paul Igboeli said it's simple enough for him. "I already have," the Grand Prairie, Texas, native said of forgetting about last year's defensive performance. "I couldn't even tell how you get (confidence) or how it happens. (It's) having a good year in the weight room and spring ball, and how fall camp started. Everybody's feeling pretty good about the little situation we've got going. You start fresh. You start anew. We're looking forward to that chance." Luckily for this season's team, that kind of optimism seemed to be a general feeling of everyone involved during the annual Aggie Media Day held Aug. 10. Being positive is really the only option for a defense that gave up 38.5 points per game last season. And Igboeli is just one of the signs of light returning on the defensive side at linebacker. Defensive end Ben Caldenvood, a junior from Smithfield, was Second-Team All WAC in 2006 and has already received a plethora of preseason hype. He was put on the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award Watch List as well as the All-WAC Preseason Team by Blue Ribbon, Lindy's, Sporting News, Street and Smith, cbs.sportsline. com, and Athlon Publications. His mindset of the season reflects that of Igboeli. Attacking style to be hallmark of '07 USU women's soccer BySETH R.HAWKINS editor in chief Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Making adjustments in the attack, the USU soccer team will implement a new style of play this season, said Head Coach Heather Cairns, now in her fifth season at the helm. "We've changed our attack," Cairns said. "We're playing three forwards instead of two. It's really about getting as many players to step up and fill that role. We're not going to have one person. We're going to jump on their back and go with it." In the Aggies' exhibition game against Dixie State on Aug. 18, the soccer team gave a glimpse of the new attack formation, which was led by freshman forward Lauren Hansen. She was joined up top by forwards Kiersten Nilsson and Dana Peart. But, even that performance didn't truly exhibit the new style of play, as the team had only practiced together three days prior to the game. Since that game, Cairns said the team has focused in on improving the attack and tactical aspects of the game. "1 think our preseason went very well," she said. "We had a fairly good fitness base. I think that we've been pleased with the tactical knowledge, tactical understanding the girls have been working on. We're pretty excited. We've done some nice things in practice, and we want to see where it compares to other college teams." While Cairns wouldn't go into specifics about the changes, she said one of the major focuses will be on getting more players in a position to score for the team. Last season the Aggies were led by senior standout Charity Westpn, who led the team in scoring with 11 points. Much of the attack last season was based around Weston's speed and positioning. Even though the Aggies don't have Weston again, there are plenty of returning players who contributed to the success of the 10-8-2 season, which tied for the best season record in USU history. USU returns nine starters and 22 letter-winners from the 2006 squad. Three of the starters, Peart, Shannon Ross and Abby Hunt, are seniors who started all 20 matches last season. Peart, who is co-captain with Ross and junior defender Alyssa Lowry, led the team in shots on goal last season with 19, scoring three goals and tabbing one assist. Primarily a midfielder last season, Peart occasionally moved into the forward position to aid in a strengthened Aggie attack. This season, Peart is listed as a forward and is a key player in the attack. "Dana provides that spunk, that ability to turn games," Cairns said. "Shannon brings a lot of communication, organization and competitiveness. Alyssa provides that spunky feistiness. The common trait in all three of them is bringing out the best in their teammates. They can pull them along." One challenge for the Aggies early on will be the absence of two top scorers from last season, sophomore forward Erin Salmon and junior forward Candice Clark, as they recover from knee injuries. Cairns said both players are getting better, but she is not sure when they will be back in action. "I think guys have tried to work harder on football and put some of their personal interests aside to benefit the team," Calderwood said. MWe have to have a positive attitude and be confident in our abilities to achieve the success we're hoping for." Other good tidings come with the news that middle linebacker Jake Hutton, a junior from Pocatello. Idaho, is back to full health. Hutton missed the final eight games of 2006 due to a foot injury during the team's loss at BYU. Before being sidelined, he was the team leader in tackles. Guy said losing Hutton to injury was perhaps one of last year's most daunting and devastating losses of personnel for the team. Cl See DEFENSE, page 11 On the defensive end, USU returns the strong defensive line that characterized the Aggies' style of play last season. Sophomore defender Lindsey Smart was named the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year. She scored one goal for the Aggies last season. After playing every minute of last season between the pipes, junior goalkeeper Ali Griffin will have competition this year in fellow junior goaltender lisa Willardson, who played the first half of USU's exhibition game. She snagged two saves before bowing out at the half when Griffin took over, making three saves. Griffin holds a career goals against average of 0.83 and has played more than 1,000 minutes for the Aggies. But this year she has to compete for her chance to defend the [ISee ATTACK, page 10 Sharapova out of U.S. Open NEW YORK (AP) —Maria Sharapova shanked a backhand wide, prompting her opponent to leap in the air and pump her fist and smile as though she won the match _ or, indeed, the U.S. Open championship itself. Uh, not quite. That little celebration by SLst-ranked Roberta Vinci of Italy was for winning one game, allowing her to narrow Sharapovas lead to 6-0, 5-1. A few minutes later, Sharapova's 50-minute day was done and she was into the second round at the tournament where she produced her second Grand Slam title a year ago. Judge in NY rules against metal bat ban NEW YORK (AP) — A judge on Tuesday upheld New York's ban on metal bats in high school baseball games, saying it was not his place to overturn a law that was approved by a local government with the public's safety in mind. U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl said there is no clear evidence that metal bats cause more serious injuries than wooden bats but added the City Council is entitled to make the judgment that the risk is too great. Briggs says he panicked after crashing car LAKE FOREST, III (AP) — Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said he panicked after crashing his new Lamborghini along a highway early Monday morning and initially reported his car stolen after abandoning the mangled vehicle. Speaking to reporters after practice on Tuesday, Briggs said he called a tow truck after leaving the scene and then reported his 2007 Murcielago was stolen. MLBStandings American League East Division W L Pet GB 80 51 .611 1 72 59 .550 8 66 65 .504 14 58 71 .450 21 51 80 .389 29 Boston New York Toronto Baltimore Tampa Bay Central Division Cleveland Detroit Minnesola Kansas City Chicago 73 57 .562 71 60 .542 67 64.511 57 72 .442 57 74 .435 21/2 61/2 15 1/2 16 1/2 77 54.588 73 56.566 65 68 .489 58 72.446 3 13 18 1/2 Wesl Division Los Angeles Seattle Oakland Texas National League Easl Division New York Philadelphia Atlanta Washington Florida 73 57 .562 68 62 .523 5 68 64.515 6 58 74 .439 16 57 75 .432 17 Central Division Chicago Milwaukee St. Louis Cincinnati Houston Piltsburgh 66 63.512 65 65.500 63 64 .496 60 70 .462 58 73.443 57 72 .442 1 1/2 2 6 1/2 9 9 Wes! Division USU DEFENDER ALYSSA LOWRY (12) looks to head the ball as a Dixie State defender and Aggie teammate look on. The Aggies next game takes place Friday at Texas State. DEBRA HAWKINS photo Arizona San Diego Los Angeles Colorado San Francisco 74 58 .561 71 59 .546 2 6863,519 5 1/2 67 64.511 6 1/2 60 72.455 14 |