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Show StatesmanSports Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 Page 9 Ninja Turtles: Wagner likes them Time for some midseason awards defenses fits. Looking for an early Heisman Can you believe we're already halfway through the college football season? I sure can't - and it's not just because the snow has yet to cover Merlin Olsen Field (knock on wood).And while the best action is still ahead for us, we'd be remiss not to take some time to look back on all the highs and lows that September and October have offered. So, in honor of what was a truly memorable first seven weeks of the season, here are my midseason college football awards. prediction? If Auburn stays perfect, Newton will more than likely be striking a pose at the trophy's December presentation. Biggest Surprise: Boise State? Seen that. Texas Christian? Eh, we knew it was coming. No, the real surprise team this season has been Michigan State. When we weren't speculating on Big 10 expansion this summer, it seemed like the only talk coming out of the heartland had to do with the presumed three-team race for the Big 10 title. After seven weeks the only undefeated team in the conference is Michigan State. The Spartans have won convincing conference games against Wisconsin and Michigan to date, and doesn't have to play Ohio State this year. If the Spartans can get past an Oct. 30 visit to Kinnick Stadium against Iowa, than Sparty could find itself in the national championship. Biggest Disappointment: It's tempting to say BYU, but we all knew that the Cougars would be rebuilding going into this season. Several teams thought to be possible national title contenders, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama, have already suffered losses, but the true disappointment this year has been the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. The conference doesn't have a viable national title contender, and has only two teams ranked in the Top 25 of the BCS poll (Florida State at No. 17, Virginia Tech at No. 25). It's a far cry from where the league was suppose to be coming into the year, when Miami (FI), Georgia Tech, and Clemson were all drawing excessive praise. Best Offensive Player: Cameron Newton (Auburn). It seems like just yesterday, talking Auburn football meant talking stifling defense and pitiful offense, but thanks to head coach Gene Chizik and quarterback Cameron Newton, the fourth-ranked Tigers can now do both. The Tigers are coming off a blowout win against then-12thranked Arkansas, and come into the halfway point with the nation's sixth-best offense. Newton is the perfect quarterback to run the new spread veer-option offense, with both the accuracy as a passer and athleticism as a runner to give Best Defensive Player: Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue).The Boilermaker defensive end is not only one of the nation's best pass rushers, he might be the most overlooked. Purdue's offense has been foiled by injuries this year, but the resilient Boilermakers are still 4-2 thanks to Kerrigan and a defense which leads the Big 10 in both sacks and tackles for a loss. Kerrigan has already notched 13 solo tackles for a loss and nearly a sack a game for Purdue, which will look to play spoiler to Ohio State this weekend. Best coaching performance: You can't say enough about the job Gary Pinkel has done at Missouri, which remains unbeaten. After being blown out by Navy in the Texas Bowl last season it looked like the Tiger program was one on decline, but out of the ashes, Pinkel has rebuilt the Tiger team, starting with the defense. The No. 11 Tigers have given up a staggeringly low 10.8 points per game this season, and frustrated a highly regarded Texas A&M offense in last Saturday's 30-9 win in College Station. But is Missouri for real, or have they just benefited from an easy schedule? We'll find out when the Tigers clash with No. 1 Oklahoma on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST. Best Game: There have been a lot of great games so far this season, but few were as memorable or earth shattering as South Carolina's week six upset of then No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide were the odds-on favorite to win the national title going into the season, and after five weeks they sure looked like it. But the Gamecocks, who've never overcome their 'middle of the road' status under Steve Spurrier, jumped out to an early lead against Alabama. We all expected the Crimson Tide to come back, but like a heavyweight fighter refusing to go down, South Carolina pulled away in the fourth quarter, eventually winning 35-21. Playoffs? Who needs them when you have a regular season which delivers games like this! Adam Nettina is a senior history major and a member of the Football Writer's Association of America. While not locked up in the Statesman office watching college football, he can be found eating Filet-o-Fishes at McDonalds. You can reach Adam at Adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu. WACStandings Men's Football Hawaii Boise St. Fresno St. La. Tech 3-0 2-0 2-1 2-1 1-1 Nevada 1-1 Idaho Utah St. 0-1 New Mexico St. 0-1 San Jose St. 0-1 5-2 6-0 4-2 3-4 7-8 7-8 7-7 7-8 6-6 WEEK SEVEN GAMES: New Mexico State at Idaho Hawaii at Utah State Fresno State at San Jose State CI continued from page 6 receiving duos in Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares. Salas and Pilares, who enter the game with 18 touchdown passes between them, are especially dangerous in the underneath zones, using their quickness and open field moves to elude defenders after lining up in the slot before the snap. "They are very well-rounded receivers," said USU head coach Gary Andersen. "They are physical, very good route runners and they understand exactly where they fit within the offensive scheme." "You can see where Hawaii is having a lot of success, from 13 to 20 yards in the middle of the field, and that is where Salas and Pilares have been effective making plays," Andersen said. According to Coleman, what separates Salas and Pilares is their consistency catching the ball and their ability to make plays after the catch. "I think their best asset is that they don't drop balls," Coleman said. "They have very strong hands and catch everything, so we have to be on them the entire time. They're going to catch the short routes, so the key for us is to make those tackles." Fortunately for Utah State, having the nation's third leading tackler should help, especially when it comes to Moniz checking down to his favorite targets in the flats. Wagner, whose athleticism is second to none on the Aggie defense, rarely misses a tackle, and said the key to stopping Hawaii's passing attack will be to stay disciplined and focused throughout the entire 60 minutes of play. "We just try to stay disciplined," Wagner said. "Last year, I think, the reason the game turned out how it did was because we weren't disciplined and didn't come out ready to play." Wagner, for his part, is reluctant to talk about his own accolades. Saying only that he would "rather have a lot of wins and no accolades than a lot of accolades and no wins," he comes across as soft-spoken and almost timid when not on the field. While he's far from the most vocal of leaders, Coleman said that when the Aggie linebacker speaks, people listen. "He is (vocal) when he needs to be," Coleman said. "When it's at those critical times he's vocal. We definitely hear him because of that." What sets Wagner apart, according to Coleman, is the linebackers' wide range of skills. A two-way standout at Colony High School in Ontario, Calif., Wagner also played tight end at the prep level. Once at Utah State he brought an amazing work ethic and unmatched level of resilience to the field. A team captain as only a junior, Wagner has started 26 career games for Utah State, including an amazing 21 straight. The truly amazing thing? Wagner doesn't take plays off- on defense, special teams or the practice field "He has a very good range of skills," Coleman said. "He's strong and can bang with all the offensive linemen, but at the same time he's an athlete and can go out and cover slots. He's the type of guy who'll do whatever you ask him on the football field. He runs down on punts and all of those 'effort' things, so it's an asset to have a player like Bobby on the field all the time." Of course, there is that issue of the backpack, which Wagner routinely carries around campus. It's all part of a persona that makes the linebacker a true "individual," especially when he's rocking it with his straight-rimmed "science geek" glasses. "Off the field he is a bigtime joker," Coleman said. "He's always playing around and is a real sarcastic dude. I think it's cool. It's a cool style. You don't want to look like everybody else, so it's definitely cool." Wagner won't be joking around when it comes to this week's game - that is, at least not until he's convinced the fans in Logan that the team has moved on from it's disappointing 2-4 start. "We didn't have a good showing (against Louisiana Tech)," Wagner said. "So we have to make sure we come out with a lot of energy and just show the fans that we're still here to win." -adam.nettina@aggiemail. usu.edu INSPIRING OTHERS. UTAH STATE DEFENDER SUMMER TILLOTSON passes the ball against Idaho during last Sunday's 2-0 win. Tillotson and the Aggies will travel to California this weekend, playing Fresno State (58-2) on Friday before capping off the trip against the Spartans (8-6-I). Utah State is currently first in the WAC. CARL R.WILSON photo Aggie soccer is California bound By TAVIN STUCK! staff writer With their latest win over Idaho, the firstplace women's soccer team is looking forward to continuing their hot streak as they travel to play Fresno State and San Jose State this weekend. Fresno State and San Jose State are the only two teams who have ever beaten the Aggies during Western Athletic Conference play in Logan. The California road trip will be an excellent opportunity for USU striker Lauren Hansen to break Jayme Gordy's record for career goals, 35, set from 1997-2000. Hansen needs just one goal to tie the record. Heading to Fresno to take on the Bulldogs (5-8-2, 1-3-0) on Oct. 22, Hansen and the Aggies will be facing a defense that won't let Utah State have many good looks at goal opportunities, said USU head coach Heather Cairns. "We're going to have to use speed of play to break them down," Cairns said. "Fresno State has one of - if not the - best keepers in the league." Fresno goalkeeper Kaitlyn Revel led the WAC in saves and shutouts in 2008. The 5'10" senior also broke Fresno State's all-time shutout record last season. The last meeting between the two teams was last year, ending in a 1-0 victory for the Aggies, with Lauren Hansen scoring the game's only goal. Because of their position on top of the standings table, the Aggies have a target on their back as the team to beat. Cairns said her team has learned to deal with that sort of pressure, being picked in the preseason as the favorite to win the league. "Our girls played with a little chip on their shoulder against Idaho," Cairns said of the Oct. 17 match against the then-first place Vandals. She said she expected the same kind of games from Fresno State and San Jose State this weekend. On Sunday, the Aggies will bus to San Jose to battle the Spartans (8-6-1, 2-1-1). The last match between the two schools ended in a 11 double overtime draw in Logan, due to an 88th minute game-saving goal from Shantel Flanary. San Jose State is led offensively by Kelsey Lord, who has taken twice as many shots as any other player on the team and has seven goals this season. The 5'6" sophomore will be an adequate challenge for USU goalkeeper Molli Merril, who was named both the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week and the WAC Defensive Player of the Week this Monday. The Spartans are "more aggressive and more direct," Cairns said, and "stingy defensively." What to watch for: Fresno State Lauren Hansen is in prime position to break the career goals scored record this weekend. She will be eager to play well in front of her family, I See SOCCER, page 10 START STRONG d 01 here's strong. Then there's Army Strong. D you want to jump-start your career plans? Apply for the Army ROTC Leader's Training Course at Utah State University. This 4-week leadership development course will challenge and push you to your limits. After you finish, you will be ready for life as a leader when you graduate from college as an Army Officer. o get started, contact Greg Stuart or visit usu.edu/armyrotc. 4 CONTACT US TO LEARN WHAT ROTC CAN OFFER! COMPETE FOR A FULL SCHOLARSHIP AT THE PAID SUMMER LEADER'S TRAINING COURSE! We teach you the skills employers are looking for after college! Call 435-797-7682 or email: greg.stuart®usu.edu |