OCR Text |
Show StatesmanSports Page 14 P3 1.1 1 2 Denying the inner fan E, 1U Not sure about how to expand your business and get students' attention? The Utah Statesman We'll help you unscramble your advertising ideas Call 797-1743 or visit www.utahstatesman.com rows cuntE - J EL LO TADA OPTS AL I EN I MUP NOAH WOMBTEMPERATURE S I P AVI S ELATED I RAN VSOP WE EDING LIST SAT RAT 10 OAK ACRE I M HO ST OL I L AIR SENT C I S SOLAR ISO WHEELPEOP LE HOUR USAF SUPERB EXAM BET WH I S K E Y B U S I NESS I ONS ROAR LHASA GHEE TONY ELMER Easy 1 5 2 3 8 4 9 3 9 8 2 6 7 5 6 8 7 1 2 5 4 9 2 3 7 4 6 8 5 4 1 9 3 8 6 N. 1 c`' .1- cn 1 N. 1 8 2 1 3 65 48 7 9 3 1 2 7 94 5,6 4 7 9 6 5 2 1 8 13 Dr. Terryl Givens Presents "The Prophesy of Enoch as Restoration Blueprint" Thursday, September 20 7:00 p.m. Logan LDS Tabernacle 50 N. Main, Logan, Utah UtahState University Eighteenth Annual College students who attend can win up to $1,000 with a written essay related to the lecture. Details at the lecture. Leonard J. Arrington MORMON HISTORY LECTURE g, Special Collections & Archives University Libraries Leonard Arrington Foundation College of Humanities and Social Sciences I couldn't feel my fingers as I sat down to write my recap of the Wisconsin game Saturday night. My eyes were pointed at my computer screen, but all I saw was a 37-yard field goal attempt being pushed right of the goal post in Camp Randall Stadium. I was numb, sick and felt my soul empty out of my body as fast as a college student's gas tank. My stomach tightened every time the Aggies missed that kick. By the fifth or sixth time the scene played out in my mind, all that remained of my insides was a tangled mess of football players ►From page 13 to seal the deal and failed to secure the ensuing onside kick. The Tigers took advantage, driving for another touchdown to solidify the victory. Last week against Utah, the USU special teams missed an extra point, a field goal and muffed THURSDAYS 9PM TO MIDNIGHT PieCa e lo U '5 I " 1 fighting for a loose ball at the bottom of a pile. My desk jumped as I slammed both fists on it, as did the handful of people still gazing blankly at the television in the room. "I am an unbiased student reporter," I whispered to myself, hoping I could believe the lie. "I am not emotionally invested in any team I am assigned to cover." It wouldn't work. I didn't even want to watch BYU lose three times to Utah in the Holy War — the next-best thing to a scoreless tie — as red-clad fans rushed the field over and over again in my hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. Eventually my fingers moved, slowly at first and then with dexterity as though someone else was writing the game summary for me. No words were dictated from my mind to the keyboard. Snippets of scenes from the battle in Madison, Wis., played through the movie screen of my mind and were projected onto the page, translated from pictures into the English alphabet. I saw a sophomore quarterback wearing number 16 throw a pass to a shorter man who ran to the end of the field while fans wearing a different color sat in their seats with depressed expressions. I saw a host of players in gray uniforms hold a running back wearing red out of the end zone force a field goal. A few paragraphs later I saw the same defense stop him again just before a red-jerseyed teammate missed a field goal. I saw a punt ran back for a touchdown and a giant, red monster rise out from the stadium. I saw a reputation on the line for one team and an upcoming identity forming for the other. There was frustration of repeated situational failure and there was ecstasy of uncertain victory. The missed 37-yarder played again, this time serving as a closing scene before the credits rolled. I came to my senses in time to write my own byline, still fatigued with the surreal vertigo that usually comes after waking from a dream I'm not convinced wasn't real. For me, the loneliness in knowing I'll need frequent out-of-body experiences or a few dozen behavioral-modification serums to both help and hinder my sports writing career is an identity crisis in itself. It's the price I'm sure I will continue to pay as I continue in my attempt to combine my career with my passion for athletics. - Tavin Stucki is in his third year at Utah State, majoring in journalism. He is an avid Aggie fan and has been since birth. Follow him on Twitter at @stuckiaggies and send any comments to tavin. stucki@aggiemail. usu. edu. FOOTBALL: Special teams unit couldn't keep up a punt. (435)753.5590 2 Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012 ext to Harbor Freight) real american pizza GETS YOU A BUFFET AND A CHANCE TO MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF. Saturday against Wisconsin, the special teams and touchbacks are moved up five yards and placed at the 25. winner. Not to mention poor execution on Utah State's field Against Wisconsin, the kickoff return team averaged 15 yards per return, compared to nearly 20 for the Badgers. This means the Aggies are starting inside their own 20 and losing the battle of field position. Such was the case Saturday as the kicking team failed to record a touchback and gave up 19.7 yards per return to the were abysmal in every category from punt yardage average to coverage on kick returns, with a punt return for a touchdown proving to be the gamegoals and extra points, such as the missed 37-yarder as time expired. Despite the less-thanpleasing performance from the special teams, the football program continues to progress and gain respect and attention on the national stage. But for head coach Gary Andersen, the special teams remain a chink in the armor that needs to be repaired if the Aggies are going to break through and get that signature win the program and fans are hungry for. This season the NCAA changed the rules so that kickoffs take place from the 35-yard-line instead of the 30 Badgers. The punt team was even worse. Two punters had a combined 11 kicks with an average punt of 37.5 yards, including a 19 yard punt that started the Badgers at USU's 42-yard-line and eventually led to Wisconsin's lone offensive touchdown. Not exactly what Andersen was hoping for. On the flip side, the special teams have shown moments of excellence this season. The squad blocked a Wisconsin extra point that allowed the team a shot at a game-winning field goal. Despite the mostlypoor punting, the Aggies pinned the Badgers inside their own 20 on four occasions. Against Utah, Tyler Bennett averaged 45.3 yards per punt — including a 59-yarder — and stuck the Utes inside their own 20 four times. The coverage team opened the scoring against Utah with their first blocked punt returned for a touchdown in 10 years. It also held the Utes to 17 yards per kickoff return, which helped win the field position battle. The special teams unit isn't hopeless, it just needs to be tweaked. And when it's patched up, the Aggies already promising season will look even brighter. - curtis.lundstrom@gmail.com Twitter: @curtislundstrom U START LEADING OTHERS. START ACCOMPLISHING MOR START FEELIN'INSPIRED. THE UTAH STATE FOOTBALL TEAM nearly pulled of a huge upset on the road against Wisconsin, but couldn't seal the deal during the final drive and the Badgers won 16 - 14 on Saturday. Photo courtesy Andy Fate, The Badger Herald SOCCER: Utah State to host BYU `TART STRONG. ►From page 13 that is huge for our team." With the tie, USU's record stands at 6 1 3 on The match was USU's fifth overtime game of the season, and the Aggies were showing signs of fatigue in the overtime but still managed to outshoot Washington 5-2. the season. The Aggies next game will be Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. when they host in-state rival No. 17 BYU. "Two top 25 opponents in Logan back-toback, so that's the way we take it one game at a time," Cairns said. "We are going to go into (the BYU game) as hungry as we did against these guys. We are going to give it our best shot and try to make history next week." - There's strong. Then there's Army Strong. Enroll in Army ROTC at Utah State to get the training, experience and skills needed to make you a leader. Army ROTC also may offer up to a full-tuition scholarships. And when you graduate, you'll be an Army Officer. Start by enrolling in MSL101. U.S.ARMY To get stared, visit www.goarmy.com/rotc/utahstate ARMY STRONG: CONTACT US TO LEARN WHAT ROTC CAN OFFER! Call 435-797-7059 or email: curtis.turner@usu.edu 02008. Paid for by the UnitedSttea'Army. A I tights reserved. ,'. Neither team was able to get the golden goal, so the match ended in a draw. Despite the Huskies being the ranked team and coming from the Pac-12 the Aggies outshot them 21-16. "We had nine shots on goal, really good shots," Flynn said. "We had been working on attacking all week long, and it definitely showed today. The defense was up with the attack and - - jborba@aggiemaiLusu.edu |