Ute Football Plays Air Force in ESPN2 Game
10/11/1999 12:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -
QUICKLY
Utah (4-1, 1-0 MWC) plays a Mountain West Conference opponent for the first time this month, going to Air Force (4-1, 1-1 MWC) for a Saturday night game ... The game, which will be televised live on ESPN2, kicks off at 6 p.m. in Falcon Stadium ... Something's got to give on Saturday: Utah ranks 16th in the nation in scoring offense (35.8 ppg) and Air Force ranks 16th in scoring defense (16.0 ppg) ... It's MWC games from here on out for Utah, which closed its non-league schedule last Saturday, beating Louisiana-Monroe 42-0 ... Utah is 2-1 on the road this year and 3-1 in night games ... Utah and Air Force have not played since 1995-separated when their former conference (the Western Athletic Conference) went to divisional play ... Utah is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with Brigham Young. Each is 1-0 in the MWC and 4-1 overall ... In addition to the ESPN2 telecast, the Utah-Air Force game can be heard on K-news radio (KNRS 570 AM) and KALL 910.NATIONAL EXPOSURE
This Saturday's game with Air Force offers Utah its first national television exposure of the year. ESPN2's distribution recently surpassed 65 million homes, making it the fastest growing television network in the 1990s. Utah's next national appearance will be a Thursday game at Colorado State on Oct. 28 on ESPN.LAST WEEK
Utah got back on the winning track by routing Louisiana-Monroe, 42-0, in Rice-Eccles Stadium last Saturday. The Utes did it without four offensive starters, including leading rusher Mike Anderson, out with a foot sprain, and quarterback Darnell Arceneaux, who didn't make it to halftime before re-injuring his foot. Junior quarterback T.D. Croshaw replaced the injured Arceneaux midway through the second quarter with Utah leading 7-0 and responded with a career game, passing for 166 yards and four touchdowns. He divided his TD throws between Steve Smith (4 catches for 90 yards and 2 TDs) and Boo Bendinger (5 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TDs). Utah's first score was a 56-yard pass play from Arceneaux to Donny Utu (3 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD). The defense contributed a touchdown as well, with cornerback Jay Hill returning his fourth interception of the year for a score, the second time he has done so this year. The defense recorded its first shutout since 1994 and limited ULM to just 11 first downs and 219 total yards. Chuck Pine had 3 sacks for 21 yards.HEAD COACH RON MCBRIDE
Head Coach Ron McBride is 66-44 in nine years at the helm of the Ute program. McBride, the school's second winningest coach, is one of just two coaches in school history to win 60 games. He has coached Utah to six straight winning seasons and has suffered just one losing season (1990, his first year). McBride's teams have averaged seven wins per year. With four bowl appearances, McBride is the only head coach to take Utah to more than one bowl game. He is 1-3 in bowl games. McBride led Utah to the 1995 WAC Championship (tie)-Utah's first conference title in 31 years. Before accepting Utah's head coaching position in 1990, McBride served two previous stints on the Hill. He was Utah's offensive line coach from 1985-86 and its offensive coordinator from 1977-82. McBride is 3-3 against Air Force and its head coach Fisher DeBerry.SERIES SHORTS
Put on hold when the WAC went to divisional play in 1996 ... Ron McBride is the only Ute coach ever to win at Air Force (in 1992) ... Utah is 1-6 in Colorado Springs-its worst road record against any Mountain West Conference opponent ... McBride has coached 3 of Utah's 5 all-time wins against AFA.GRIDBITS
Utah's 42-0 win over ULM, the third shutout of Ron McBride's head coaching tenure (and its first against a Division I opponent since 1990), was also only the third shutout by Utah in the last 18 years. The two coaches prior to McBride (Jim Fassel, 1985-89, and Chuck Stobart, 1982-84) never coached a shutout. The last Ute coach to notch a shutout was Wayne Howard (1977-81), whose 1981 team held both Portland State and Northwestern scoreless ... Sophomore running back Thomas Fortune is a Colorado Springs native. He attended Harrison High ... None of the current Utes have ever played at Air Force, although Josh Cochran and Brandon Dart were freshmen on the team in 1994 when Utah last played in the Springs ... Utah's amazing come-from-behind win against Air Force in 1995 was the first of four straight wins for the Utes, who tied for the WAC Championship that year with a 6-2 league mark ... Utah's all-time record is 515-381-31.MIKE CHECK
Running back Mike Anderson (6-0, 232, Sr.), the preseason Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year and a Doak Walker candidate, missed last week's game with ULM due to a mid-foot sprain suffered against Boise State on Oct. 2. Anderson will return to the starting lineup against Air Force. He is currently second in the MWC and 34th in the nation in rushing (96.8 ypg). The foot injury held him to 66 yards at Boise State (he played with it for most of the second half), but he did go over 1,500 career yards in the game (1,560). In just four games, Anderson leads Utah in yards (387), touchdowns (7), yards per carry (5.8) and scoring (42). He is second in carries (67) and all-purpose yards (100). He has nine career 100-yard games (two this year) and his four rushing touchdowns against UNLV on Sept. 25 tied the school record. Anderson was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Week in the Mountain West Conference for his effort vs. UNLV. He now has 19 career rushing TDs-the fifth most ever at Utah. He needs three more to tie for fourth (22 by Juan Johnson 1994-97 and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, 1995-97). Anderson was first-team all-WAC last year and its leading rusher (20th in the nation), averaging 106.6 ypg. He rushed for 1,173 yards, which ranks second in Ute history, and he is one of just four Utes ever to average 100 yards per game rushing. In his first year of NCAA ball, Anderson carried the ball 244 times and had seven 100-yard games. His 12 rushing touchdowns was the second best single season tally ever at Utah. His career-best rushing game is 163 yards vs. San Jose State in 1998.FRANK TALK
Senior defensive end John Frank (6-5, 277), a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick, is off to his best year yet. Frank, Utah's tackle leader with 33, also has a team-high 7 sacks (41 yards) and 11 tackles for loss (52 yards). He is second on the team in quarterback hurries (3). Frank is second in the MWC in both sacks (7) and tackles for loss (11). His best game was against Boise State on Oct. 2, when he had 12 tackles (9 unassisted), 4 sacks for 29 yards and 5 tackles for loss (30 yards). Frank now has 21 career sacks, which ranks third all-time at Utah, behind Filipo Mokofisi (26, 1982-85) and Jeff Reyes (25, 1980-83)/Jimmy Bellamy (25, 1990-91). Frank's 129 career yards in sacks also ranks third all-time at Utah. He has 20 career tackles for loss-tied for fourth all-time at Utah. His next will tie him for third with Mokofisi (21, 1982-85). The school record is 29 (Luther Elliss, 1991-94). His 73 career yards in tackles for loss is second to Elliss' 91 (1991-94). Frank's 52 yards in TFLs this year is the second best single season mark at Utah, behind Joe Clausi (54, 1989). Frank, first-team all-WAC last year, finished second in the league in sacks with 10 in 1998.HOLY KAUTAI
Junior linebacker Kautai Olevao (6-2, 245), first-team all-WAC and Utah's defensive MVP in 1998, has 18 tackles this season. Olevao (pronounced Oh-lay-vah-oh), who led Utah in tackles last year while playing middle linebacker, moved to the strong side this year, where he has two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two hurries and a fumble recovery. He had a season-best eight tackles in the opener against Washington State.QUARTERBACK U?
A mid-foot sprain to starting junior quarterback Darnell Arceneaux (6-1, 194) in the second quarter of Utah's win over ULM on Oct. 9 gave junior T.D. Croshaw (6-2, 184) the first significant playing time of his career. Arceneaux, who left the game with Utah leading 7-0 on a 56-yard TD pass to Donny Utu, improved his mark as a starter to 10-1 (he has started part-time since his freshman year). But he re-injured the foot he initially hurt in Boise on Oct. 2 in the second quarter, leaving Croshaw to wrap things up. The former walk-on responded with a career game, completing 9 of 17 passes for 166 yards and 4 touchdowns to turn a close game into a rout. Arceneaux is questionable for this week's game at Air Force. For the season, he has completed 56 of 109 passes (51%) for 833 yards and 6 touchdowns (5 interceptions). His pass efficiency rating is 124.56. He had a career-best 249 yards in the season-opener against Washington State. Croshaw, who has relieved in four games, has completed 15 of 28 attempts for 279 yards (53.6%) and 5 TDs (1 interception). His QB rating is 189.06.OFFENSIVE INFO
Utah's offense continues to be beset by injuries. Starting quarterback Darnell Arceneaux is the latest, having re-injured the foot he sprained in Boise on Oct. 2. Utah had already lost starting receiver Chris Christensen (broken fibula) and backup receiver Courtney Richins (torn ACL) for the season. Starting offensive guard Sam White sprained his knee against Boise State and will be out another 3-5 weeks. All-America candidate Mike Anderson (mid-foot sprain) missed last week's game, but is probable for Air Force. Preseason all-MWC tight end Andy Kassotis (knee sprain) has played in just two games and is doubtful for this week ... Juco transfer Steve Smith leads the Ute receivers and ranks second in the MWC in receiving yards per game (77.8). Smith has 19 receptions for 389 yards-an impressive 20.5 yards per catch. He had a career game against UNLV, grabbing 4 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. He had 90 yards and 2 TDs against ULM. He is tied for the team lead in TD catches with slot back Boo Bendinger, each with three ... Bendinger is Utah's second-leading receiver, with 14 catches for 210 yards (15.0 ypc) ... Senior running back Omar Bacon is Utah's second-leading rusher, with 245 yards and 2 TDs. His 72 carries is most on the team. Bacon's best games were against UNLV (92 yards) and ULM (72 yards). He got his first start of the year last week in place of the injured Mike Anderson.DEFENSIVE DATA
Utah has the two best corners in the Mountain West in senior Jay Hill and junior Andre Dyson. Hill leads the league and is tied for fifth in the nation in interceptions with 4, while Dyson is second in the MWC with 3. Dyson is second in the MWC in passes defended (9) and Hill is third (8). Hill also leads the league in forced fumbles with 3. His two interception touchdowns is tied for second in school history-both single-season and career ... Junior free safety Jason Potter is second on the team in total tackles with 26 (2 for a loss) ... The Christianson twins, Howard and Kimball, are tied for third in tackles (23) ... senior defensive end Chuck Pine has 6 sacks (38 yards) and a team-best 5 QB hurries ... Utah leads the MWC in four defensive categories and is third in the other..SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior Cletus Truhe replaced Golden Whetman on the PAT team and made all 6 of his point after attempts against ULM. Whetman, who continued to kick off for the Utes, missed a 32-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, his second FG miss of the year (he is 4-6 with a long of 48 yards). Whetman is 17-18 in PATs ... Returner Steve Smith is now first in the MWC and 12th nationally in punt returns, averaging 14.6 yards on his 8 returns. He has 3 kickoff returns for 95 yards, an average of 31.7 yards per return ... Utah's leader in kickoff returns is junior Patrick Dyson, who has 7 for 154 yards, an average of 22 yards per return. He had a season-long 50-yard run back against Boise State ... Senior punter Chris Hunter has 24 punts for 1,018 yards, an average of 42.4 yards per punt, with a long of 63 (vs. ULM). Eight of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and 7 have resulted in fair catches ... Freshman Sheldon Deckart has blocked two punts this year (vs. UNLV and ULM).INJURY REPORT
Player, Pos., Injury/Status/GM Brooks Bahr, LB, knee (dislocation)/out for season/4 Courtney Richins, PR, knee (torn ACL)/out for season/2 Chris Christensen, WR, leg (broken fibula)/out for season/2 Sam White, OG, knee(MCL sprain)/out 3-5 weeks/1 Darnell Arceneaux, QB, foot (sprain)/questionable/0 Andy Kassotis, TE, knee (MCL sprain)/questionable/3
ON THE SCALES
Utah's offensive front five averages 285 pounds [AFA's offensive line averages 268 pounds]. Utah's defensive down linemen average 265 pounds [AFA's average 255 pounds].RED ZONE REPORT
Utah Offense Times at or inside 20: 17 Touchdowns: 13 Field Goals: 2 Scoring percentage: 88% TD percentage: 76% Utah Defense Times opponent at or inside 20: 13 Touchdowns: 5 Field Goals: 3 Scoring Percentage: 62% TD percentage: 38%LAST TIME THEY PLAYED
Utah pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in its history when it last played Air Force back on Oct. 21, 1995 in Salt Lake City. Utah trailed AFA, 21-7, with less than a minute left in the game. Quarterback Mike Fouts, sacked four times that day, recovered to throw a TD pass to Rocky Henry with 0:41 remaining and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 21-15. Daniel Pulsipher's on-side kick was recovered by Artis Jackson giving Utah the ball at midfield. Fouts then hit Kevin Dyson for a 50-yard touchdown strike and Pulisipher kicked the extra point to give Utah a 22-21 win. The Utes scored 15 points in just 10 seconds on the game clock.FALCON NOTES
4-1 (1-1 MWC) ... league win was over San Diego State (23-22), loss was to Wyoming (10-7) ... 1-1 in Falcon Stadium ... fullback Scotty McKay (5-8, 175, Jr.) has rushed 51 times for 320 yards (64.0 yards per carry) ... senior quarterback Cale Bonds (5-10, 175) has completed 31 of 53 pass attempts for 441 yards and 1 TD. He has been intercepted once ... Coach Fisher DeBerry is 124-65-1 in 16 years at Air Force. He is 8-4 against Utah and 3-3 against Ron McBride.MCBRIDE SAYS
"We've had a lot of injuries, particularly to our offense, but the backups have responded well for the most part. T.D. (Croshaw) did a great job and took command of the offense against ULM and Jordan Gross also played well ... Our receivers have been a real strength. Stevonne (Smith) is a big time guy. He's an incredible football player. Boo (Bendinger) has played well the last two weeks and his concentration level has been good ... It's tough to simulate what Air Force does in practice. We have to do just a great job in preparing this week. They're doing more things than in the old days. They throw better, their counter action is better and they do some things out of the I formation. We have a couple of redshirts who have played option quarterback: Jason Anderson (Skyline HS, Utah) and Dennis Smith (Mt. San Jacinto JC). They'll quarterback the scout team this week."
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