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Show SUSC goes on road against Indians The Southern Jtah State T-Birds, T-Birds, now standing with a 3-4 record (1-4 RMAC) on the season, travel to Adams State, 4-3 4-3 (4-1 RMAC), Saturday for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Con-ference game. This game will end the road portion of the T-Bird 1975 schedule. Adams State, after a slow start, has come on like gangbusters, winning their last four games, including two impressive im-pressive victories over Ft. Lewis, 28-14, and Westminster, 24-0. Southern Utah broke a four-game four-game losing streak last week with a 30-15 win over Mesa. SUSC hasn't fared too well against the Indians, beating them only two times in ten games. The T-Birds have never beaten ASC in Alamosa. Coach Tom Kingsford calls it "travelitis," something the T-Birds seem to get on the road. They haven't won an RMAC road game since 1973 at Colorado Mines. Last year the T-Birds knocked off the Indians, 19-14, in Cedar City. The other victory was also in Cedar City, back in 1970 when the T-Birds won, 36-10. Adams State offers the T-Birds a powerful ground game and a big, tough, physical defense. Heading the rushing attack is freshman Ray Overstreet (5-9, 175) who has gained 615 yards in seven games for 87.9 yards per game. Overstreet has also scored nine touchdowns via the ground, and he has thrown a touchdown pass. Along with Overstreet in the backfield is running back Rod Armstead (5-7, 158, junior) and quarterback Dave Johnston (6-2, 193 junior transfer from Colorado.). Armstead has gained 231 yards on 56 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Johnston, a fine runner, will put the ball in the air when he has to. He has hit on only 28 of 73 passes for 3545 yards and two touchdowns but has been intercepted six times. Johnston's favorite receivers are flanker Phil Church (5-9, 170, senior) and split end Billy Williams (5-11, 178, senior). Church has 13 grabs for 219 yards. Williams has seven catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns. On defense the Indians have given up only 106 yards a game on the ground and 111 in the air for a total of 218 yards per game. Against Westminster the ASC defense held the Parsons to only 26 yards rushing. The reasons were standouts such as defensive tackle Russ Tippins (6-2, 255, senior) all-American candidate, defensive end Dave Gittens (6-4, 225, sophomore) and leading defensive stat man linebacker Greg Holley (6-0, 200, senior). SUSC running backs will have their work cut out for them but last week they plowed out 275 yards on the ground. Dave Middleton, junior from Santa Ana ran for 116 yards on 16 carries, caught two passes for 39 yards, including a 34 yard touchdown, and recovered a fumble in the end zone. It was the best performance for a T-Bird running back in the last three seasons. Middleton was named offensive of-fensive player of the week for the second time this season. Wayne Ritter, junior from Aztec, New Mexico, was the busiest ball carrier for the T-Birds, T-Birds, running 21 times for 88 yards. Quarterback Jerry Dyer, senior all-American from Santa Ana, hit on eight of sixteen passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Dyer is still slowed by a shoulder injury he suffered three weeks ago in practice. The defense was led by Terry Lundberg, junior from Roosevelt, Utah. Lundberg had nine tackles and three quarterback quar-terback sacks to earn defensive player of the week. Mike Shaw, junior from Las Vegas, had seven tackles and a quarterback sack to aid the cause. Dave Cullimore, senior from Bountiful (seven tackles-quarterback sack) and Russ Jones, senior from Roy (six tackles, fumble recovery and a quarterback sack) put pressure on Mesa's quarterbacks all day. |