Ute Football Team Will Host ULM
10/4/1999 12:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -
QUICKLY
Utah (3-1, 1-0 MWC) plays at home this week for just the second time of the season, hosting Louisiana-Monroe (2-3), Saturday at 6 p.m. in Rice-Eccles Stadium ... It's the final non-conference game of the year for Utah ... Louisiana-Monroe is the new name for Northeast Louisiana, as of this fall ... ULM, which competes as an independent, is an NCAA Division 1-A school located in Monroe, La. ... Utah and ULM have never played in football ... Utah is 1-0 in Rice-Eccles Stadium this year and 5-2 in its second year in the 45,634-seat stadium ... Utah is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with Brigham Young and Wyoming, all with 1-0 MWC records and 3-1 overall marks ... The Utah-ULM game will not be televised. Game highlights will be uplinked on satellite following the game (10:45-11:00 p.m. MT) on C-band, telestar 5, transponder 7 ... The game can be heard on K-news radio (KNRS 570 AM) and KALL 910.
CROWD ESTIMATE
A crowd of 35,000-38,000 is expected for the ULM game. Seats are still available in all price ranges. Call 581-UTIX or look on the internet under www.UtahUtes.com for ticket information.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, starting at 3:30 p.m. All practices (with the possible exception of Thursday's) will be held at the McCarthey Practice Fields. The Thursday practice will likely be held in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Call sports information director Liz Abel (581-3511) for daily schedule updates and interview requests.
LAST WEEK
Utah spotted Boise State a 14-0 lead just 8:20 into the game and the Utes never recovered in a 26-20 loss in Boise. Utah, which had a three-game win streak snapped, never led in the game. After the first quarter, the defense settled in and held BSU to four field goals. Defensive end John Frank played a big part by sacking BSU's quarterback four times. He also recorded a tackle for loss. The offense, however, never got untracked. The only time Utah threatened came in the third quarter, when Andre Dyson returned his second interception of the night for a touchdown, but Golden Whetman missed the extra point, his first miss of the year, to prevent the Utes from tying the score at 14-14. Running back Mike Anderson, who came into the game averaging 107 yards per game, rushed for just 66 yards?six more than Utah's rushing total. Quarterback Darnell Arceneaux threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Cliff Russell for Utah's first score, but was just 10 of 24 with 1 interception (177 yards) and was sacked three times before leaving the game with a sprained foot. He was replaced by T.D. Croshaw, who connected with Boo Bendinger for his first career touchdown pass (a 23-yarder) with 3:34 left on the clock.
HEAD COACH RON MCBRIDE
Head Coach Ron McBride is 65-44 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 0-0 against ULM coach Bobby Keasler.
SERIES SHORTS
First meeting.
GRIDBITS
For the second year in a row, Boise State ended a 3-0 start by Utah ... It will be a "tribal" affair this Saturday with the Utes playing the Indians: Utah uses the nickname Utes with permission from the Ute tribal council, while ULM's nickname is the Indians ... The Utes are 236-122-10 in games held at the site of Rice-Eccles Stadium (formerly Ute, then Rice Stadium from 1927-1997) ... Utah's all-time record is 514-381-31.
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, ranks second among the MWC rushers, averaging 96.8 yards per game. Anderson, who played with a sprained foot in the second half of Utah's loss to Boise State, was held to 66 yards, the second lowest rushing game of his career. He did, however, go over 1,500 career yards in the game (1,560). He is listed as doubtful for this week's game with Louisiana-Monroe, due to the foot injury. Anderson leads Utah in carries (67), yards (387), touchdowns (7), yards per carry (5.8) and scoring (42). He is second in 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. 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.
FRANKLY SPEAKING
Senior defensive end John Frank (6-5, 277), a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick, had a monster game against Boise State to become Utah's nominee for MWC player of the week. Utah's leading tackler with 26, had 12 tackles (9 unassisted) 4 sacks for 29 yards and a total of 5 tackles for loss (30 yards) against the Broncos. He is second in the MWC in sacks (6-38) and fourth in tackles for loss (7-45). Frank's six sacks this year gives him 20 in his career, tying him for third in the Ute record books with Steve Clark (20, 1980-83). The school record is 25 (Filipo Mokofisi, 1982-85). Frank's 126 career yards in sacks also ranks third all-time at Utah. His seven tackles for loss puts him at 16 for his career?tied for seventh all-time at Utah. He needs one more to tie Pita Tonga (17, 1988-92) for sixth. His 45 yards in TFLs this year is the second best single season mark at Utah, behind Joe Clausi (54, 1989), while his 66 career yards in tackles for loss ranks third in the books, one out of second (67, Greg Smith, 1985-88). 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, who led Utah in tackles last year while playing middle linebacker, moved to the strong side this year, where he has 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass breakups, 2 hurries and a fumble recovery. He had a season-best eight tackles in the opener against Washington State.
ARCENEAUX'S ARSENAL
Junior quarterback Darnell Arceneaux (6-1, 194) lost his first game as a starter at Boise State. Arceneaux, who left late in the game with a sprained foot, is now 9-1 as a starter. He is listed as probable to play this Saturday. His 52-yard touchdown strike to Cliff Russell extended his string of games with a TD pass to five, extending back to last year against UTEP. For the season, Arceneaux has completed 52 of 99 passes (53%) for 748 yards and 5 touchdowns (5 interceptions). His pass efficiency rating is 122.56. Arceneaux, who threw for 177 yards in the loss to Boise, is averaging 187 passing yards per game. He had a career-best 249 yards in the season-opener against Washington State. Also a running threat, Arceneaux has looked to throw first this year, with his 17 ground yards against UNLV a season best. He rushed for 406 yards and seven scores his first two years and had a career-best rushing game of 115 yards against UTEP in 1998.
OFFENSIVE INFO
The injury bug has hit Utah hard this year, with starting receiver Chris Christensen (broken fibula) and No. 1 punt returner Courtney Richins (torn ACL) both out for the season. Starting offensive guard Sam White sprained his knee (MCL) against Boise State and will be out 4-6 weeks, while All-America candidate Mike Anderson (mid foot sprain) is doubtful to play this week ... Juco transfer Steve Smith leads the Ute receivers and ranks third in the MWC in receiving yards per game (74.8). Smith has 15 receptions for 299 yards?a whopping 19.9 yards per catch. He had a career game against UNLV, grabbing 4 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. Smith, who also returns kickoffs (34.5 ypr) and punts (13.5 ypr), is third in the league in all-purpose yards, averaging 116.0 ypg ... Senior running back Omar Bacon is Utah's second leading rusher, with 47 carries for 173 yards and 2 TDs ... Backup junior QB T.D. Croshaw has played in three games and is 6 of 11 for 113 yards and 1 TD ... The Utes are 25 of 56 (45%) on third down conversions.
DEFENSIVE DATA
Utah has the two best corners in the Mountain West in junior Andre Dyson and senior Jay Hill. They have 3 interceptions apiece, tops in the league, and rank 1-2 in passes defended. Dyson has 6 pass breakups and 3 picks for 9 passes defended, while Hill has 5 breakups and 3 picks for 8 passes defended. Hill also leads the league in forced fumbles with 3 ... Junior free safety Jason Potter is second on the team in total tackles with 23 (2 for a loss) ... Senior defensive linemen Chuck Pine and Richard Seals lead Utah with three quarterback hurries each ... Seals is second on the team in sacks (4-15) and tackles for loss (3-17) ... Utah ranks in the top two of four defensive categories and is third in the other (see chart below) ... Opponents are converting on just 35% of their third down attempts (22-63) and are 0-3 on fourth downs.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior kicker Golden Whetman's string of made kicks came to an end against Boise State when he missed his first PAT in 18 attempts and his first field goal in 5 attempts (47 yards). The missed PAT was from 35 yards, following a Ute celebration penalty. Whetman, now 17-18 on PATs and 4-5 on field goals, has drilled field goals from 48, 45, 26 and 23 yards out. The first two were at Washington State in his NCAA debut ... Steve Smith shined in his first start as punt returner in place of injured Courtney Richins. Smith had 5 returns for 61 yards against BSU, an average of 12.2 yards per return. He has 6 this year for 81 yards, an average of 13.5 yards (best in the MWC). Smith is also on Utah's kick return team, where he has 2 returns for 69 yards, an average of 34.5 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-best 50-yard kickoff return against Boise State ... Senior punter Chris Hunter has 21 punts for 849 yards, an average of 40.4 yards per punt, with a long of 55. Five of his punts have landed inside the 20-yard line and 6 have resulted in fair catches.
INJURY REPORT
Player, Pos. Injury/Status/GM Brooks Bahr, LB knee (dislocation)/out for season/3 Courtney Richins, PR knee (torn ACL)/out for season/1 Chris Christensen, WR leg (broken fibula)/out for season/1 Sam White, OG knee(MCL sprain)/out 4-6 weeks/0 Mike Anderson, RB foot (sprain)/doubtful/0 Brandon Dart, DB hamstring/questionable/3* Fisi Moleni, OL knee (scope Sept. 7)/questionable/4 Darnell Arceneaux, QB foot (sprain)/probable/0*Missed WSU game, re-injured vs. Utah State
ON THE SCALES
Utah's offensive front five average 285 pounds [ULM's offensive line averages 293.5 pounds]. Utah's defensive down linemen average 290 pounds [ULM's average 261 pounds].
RED ZONE REPORT
Utah Offense Times at or inside 20: 15 Touchdowns: 12 Field Goals: 2 Scoring percentage: 93% TD percentage: 80% Utah Defense Times opponent at or inside 20: 13 Touchdowns: 6 Field Goals: 2 Scoring Percentage: 62% TD percentage: 46%
INDIAN NOTES
2-3 ... wins were against Nicholls State (27-10) and Northwestern State (38-7) ... lost last week at Alabama-Birmingham, 47-0 ... leading rusher is Michael Mitchell (5-8, 180, Sr.), who has rushed 59 times for 238 yards and 2 scores ... QB Andy Chance (6-2, 200, Fr.) has completed 42 of 77 passes for 375 yards and 1 TD. He has been intercepted twice ... senior split end Derrick Bridgers has 14 catches for 162 yards and has 1,077 career receiving yards ... defensive end Jonathan Foster has 6 sacks ... Coach Bobby Keasler, a ULM alum (1964), is 2-2 in his first season and 80-36-2 overall (10 years). He is 0-0 against Utah and Head Coach Ron McBride.
MCBRIDE SAYS
"As a football team, we need to get a whole lot smarter. We need to keep our composure when things get a little tough and we need to come out playing right from the start. We didn't play hard at the beginning of our game with Boise State, which is really disappointing to me ... We need to look at what we're doing prior to the time we go to the stadium for the game. We've followed the same procedure over the years, but it may be time for some changes ... We might have lost Mike (running back Anderson) for two weeks and we lost our best offensive lineman, Sam White, both to injuries, so some backups are really going to have to step up and play. We have to figure out how to get Jordan Gross some playing time ... We can't just expect to show up and beat (Louisiana-Monroe). Their coaches will look at our game with Boise and figure out our problems. We have one last game to prepare for the conference and this is it."
NEW YEAR, NEW LEAGUE
Utah is in its first year as a Mountain West Conference member. After 36 years in the Western Athletic Conference, the Utes, along with Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming, announced on May 26, 1998 that they were leaving the WAC to form a new conference, which was later named the Mountain West Conference. The MWC, which officially commenced operation on July 1, 1999, has secured a lucrative television contract with ESPN and two guaranteed bowl games: The Liberty Bowl will take the Mountain West champion, while the Las Vegas Bowl gets second choice.
UTES PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN MWC
At the Mountain West Conference Football Preview, held in Colorado Springs on July 25-26, Utah was picked to finish fourth in the league by both the coaches and media. In both polls, Utah finished behind Brigham Young, Air Force and San Diego State.
ANDERSON WINS PRESEASON ACCLAIM
Senior running back Mike Anderson, who led the Western Athletic Conference in rushing last year averaging 106.6 yards per game, was voted the Mountain West Conference preseason Offensive Player of the Year by the media. Anderson was joined on the all-MWC preseason first team by three other Utes: Junior offensive lineman Sam White, senior tight end Andy Kassotis and senior defensive end John Frank. Anderson and Frank were both first-team all-WAC last year, while White made the second team and Kassotis was honorable mention.
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