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The University of Utah Athletics
Ute Football Gearing up for First Game
8/26/1999 12:00 AM | Football
Aug. 26, 1999
SALT LAKE CITY -
QUICKLY
Utah (0-0) and Washington State (0-0) will break a 4-4 series tie when they play in the season opener for both teams on Sept. 4 in Pullman, Wash. ... Game time is 1 p.m. PT (2 p.m. MT) in Martin Stadium ... The Utes are competing in a new conference?the Mountain West Conference?after 36 years as a WAC member (see New Year, New League below) ... Utah is coming off a 7-4 season that saw it go 5-3 in Western Athletic Conference games to tie for third in the WAC Pacific Division ... WSU finished 3-8 (0-8/10th in the Pacific-10) ... Utah is 43-82-3 against the Pac-10, but is 6-6 against Pac-10 competition since 1990, when Ron McBride became head Utah coach ... Utah's all-time record is 511-380-31 (.570) ... McBride has never had a losing record on the road in his nine years ... The Utah-WSU game will be televised live by KJZZ TV and can be heard on K-news radio (570 AM).HEAD COACH RON MCBRIDE
Head Coach Ron McBride is 62-43 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 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 0-1 against Washington State and head coach Mike Price, losing 31-28 in the 1992 Copper Bowl.SERIES SHORTS
Tied 4-4 ... Last game was at the 1992 Copper Bowl in Tucson, Ariz., which was won by Washington State 31-28. Trailing 31-28 with 3:19 remaining, Utah went for the tie, but Chris Yergensen's 20-yard field goal was wide left ... Utah won the last regular season game back in 1985, 44-37 in Salt Lake City ... The longest winning streak in the series is two, achieved by both teams. Utah won in 1966 and ?68, while WSU won in 1975 and ?84 ... Utes are 2-1 in Pullman, with wins in 1968 (17-14) and 1972 (44-25) and a loss in 1984 (42-40).GRIDBITS
Saturday's game is part one of a home and away arrangement. Washington State plays in Salt Lake City on Sept. 9, 2000 ... WSU head coach Mike Price coached at Weber State from 1981-88?losing to Utah in 1984. McBride was an assistant at Utah during part of Price's career at Weber (1977-82 and 1985-86), but he never coached a Ute team that played a Price-coached team until the 1992 Copper Bowl ... Utah has two Washington products on its roster: starting tight end Matt Nickel (Curtis HS) and second-string nose guard Garrett Smith (Washington HS) both hail from Tacoma ... Utah radio color commentator Frank Dolce was the Ute quarterback when Utah and WSU last met back in the 1992 Copper Bowl. Dolce passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-28 Ute loss.NEW YEAR, NEW LEAGUE
Utah will play in a new conference this year after 36 years as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Utes, along with Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming, announced last May 26 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.KILLING TIME
Due to the seven-year, $48 million television contract signed by the Mountain West Conference with ESPN, most of Utah's game times have not been determined. ESPN or ESPN Regional Televison (ERT) have first choice to televise MWC games and they can choose a game anywhere from 6-12 days in advance of it. The ERT games will be televised at 1 p.m. on KJZZ, which also serves as Utah's flagship TV station. Utah will make at least one nationally televised appearance this fall?at Colorado State on Oct. 28. That game will be shown live on ESPN beginning at 6 p.m. The only other Ute game times that are set right now are: Sept. 4 at Washington State (2 p.m. MT), Sept. 18 vs. Utah State in Salt Lake (6 p.m. MT), Sept. 25 at UNLV (8 p.m. MT) and Oct. 9 vs. Northeast Louisiana in Salt Lake City (6 p.m. MT). The 6 p.m. kickoff times for home night games is a switch from the 7 p.m. start of previous years.ROAD RAGE
The 1999 Utes face a stiff road schedule, opening at Washington State and playing at three perennial league strongholds (Air Force, Colorado State and BYU). Utah also makes a trip to Boise State, a team that stole a last minute win from the Utes in Rice-Eccles Stadium last year.MIKE CHECK
Running back Mike Anderson (6-0, 232), the preseason Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year, was first-team all-WAC last year after leading the WAC in rushing, averaging 106.6 ypg. Anderson, who has played just three years of organized football, ranked 20th in the nation. 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 is second all-time at Utah. Anderson averaged 4.8 yards per carry and had a career-best 163 yards vs. San Jose State. He was Utah's offensive MVP and Newcomer of the Year.FRANKLY SPEAKING
Senior defensive end John Frank (6-5, 277), a preseason all-Mountain West Conference pick, is scheduled to start at "open" end. Frank has been hobbled by a foot infection, but is expected to play against Washington State. First-team all-WAC a year ago as a junior, Frank started eight games. He missed the Boise State game and all but one series of the Wyoming game with a knee injury, but still led the Utes and ranked second in the WAC in sacks with 10. He also had eight tackles for loss. Frank, who benches 440 pounds, has the best vertical jump on the team (37.4").HOLY KAUTAI
Junior linebacker Kautai Olevao (6-2, 245), first-team all-WAC in 1998, will start at "stud" linebacker this year?a change from last year when he started at rover. Olevao was Utah's leading tackler a year ago with 77 total tackles and was Utah's defensive MVP. He started as a freshman in 1995 before leaving for a two-year LDS church mission. After returning last August, he immediately regained a starting position and was the WAC player of the week in his very first game back (after a 14-tackle game against Utah State). Olevao was slowed early in fall camp by the knee injury that caused him to miss spring ball, but is full speed now.ARCENEAUX'S ARSENAL
Junior quarterback Darnell Arceneaux (6-1, 194), fully recovered from shoulder and finger surgeries that caused him to miss half of his sophomore season, will get the starting nod against Washington State. Arceneaux is 6-0 as a starter, with four wins last year and the last two wins of 1997 to his credit. Arceneaux won the starting QB job last year and led Utah to a 2-0 record before injuries struck. He eventually played in six games, starting four (all Ute wins). He missed three games with a broken finger to his throwing hand (suffered on Sept. 15) and the final two games to a shoulder dislocation that required surgery. Before injuring his shoulder in a Ute win over UTEP on Nov. 7, Arceneaux rushed for a career-high 115 yards and threw for 121 yards and two TDs. He finished his shortened sophomore season with nine touchdowns (4 rushing, 5 passing), 198 rushing yards and 687 passing yards (114.5 ypg).OFFENSIVE INFO
Rod Talaeai, who converted from the defensive line to the offensive line in the spring, will start at center this week after injuries to the two centers ahead of him on the depth chart (McKane and Michael Richardson) ... Of the receiving corps, only senior slot backs Boo Bendinger and Donny Utu have any measurable Division I game experience. Bendinger has played in 33 games (starting six) and has 42 career receptions for 606 yards and 4 touchdowns. Utu has played in 18 games, with 38 receptions for 449 yards and 4 scores ... Junior receiver Chris Christensen, who walked on back in 1994 but has since earned a scholarship, is in the two deep at three positions. Christensen, who primarily played for special teams last year, could start at "X" receiver and is the backup at both the "Z" receiver position and at slot receiver.DEFENSIVE DATA
A pair of twins will start together for their first time in two years: Juniors Howard and Kimball Christianson will start at linebacker and strong safety, respectively. Both started as freshmen?Howard in one game and Kimball in 11. Howard missed the last five games of 1997 and all of last year after undergoing elbow surgery. Kimball has started all 22 games of his Ute career?all at free safety. He will play strong safety this fall ... Scheduled to get their first starts as Utes this week are tackle Ed Ta'amu, end Andy Bowers and free safety Jason Potter ... Safety Brandon Dart, plagued by injuries his entire career, has been granted two more years by the NCAA. That makes Dart, who came to Utah in 1994, a junior in eligibility. He was honorable mention all-WAC in 1996. Dart's most recent injury is to his hamstring?an injury that held him out of practice last week.SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior punter Chris Hunter, honorable mention all-conference a year ago, has started since his sophomore year. Hunter, who averaged 41.4 yards per punt last year, placed 19 punts inside the 20 yard line. He already ranks second all-time at Utah in career punts over 50 yards (23) and has two punts over 70 yards ... The starting kicker job is still open to three candidates: junior Golden Whetman, senior Cletus Truhe and sophomore Ryan Kaneshiro. A decision on the starter will be made later in the week. Whetman is playing catchup after sitting out last year for eligibility reasons. Truhe handled all of the kickoffs and long field goal attempts last year, though Kaneshiro did the lion's share of the field goal/PAT kicking. Kaneshiro, as a walk-on freshman, kicked all but four of Utah's field goal attempts in 1998, making 8 of 13. He kicked all of Utah's PATs (40 of 42) ... Utah's return teams are fast and deep. Newcomer Steve Smith, a junior college transfer, is No. 1 for punt returns. Junior Patrick Dyson, who averaged a whopping 32.9 yards (1 TD) on 11 kick returns last year, will return kickoffs, along with redshirt freshman Desmond Davis.
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