MWC ADDS SILICoN VALLEY FOOTBALL CLASSIC TO BOWL LINEUP
Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson announced a one-year
agreement with the Silicon Valley Football Classic, matching the
number-three selection from the MWC against potentially the Western Champion
of the Western Athletic Conference. The game will be played at 3:30 PST at
Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on December 31st, 2000. Fox Sports Net
Television will carry the game live. The addition of the Silicon Valley
Football Classic to the Mountain West Conference bowl lineup gives the MWC
three bowl berths this season, and a total of six during its two-year
history.
COACHES TELECONFERENCE
Mountain West Conference head coaches will be available on a media
teleconference each Tuesday throughout the season. Each coach will be
available for 10 minutes, with the call scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.
(MT). You can find the teleconference schedule on the left hand side of the
page.
WEEKLY HONORS
Lon Sheriff (SDSU), C.J. Zanotti (Air Force) and Ray Cheetany (UNLV) were
named Mountain West Conference Players of the Week for their performances on
the football field last weekend. All three players are first time Player of
the Week recipients.
Lon Sheriff, SDSU, QB, Sophomore (MWC Offensive Player of the Week)
In just his third career start, Lon Sheriff ignited the San Diego State
offense and helped the Aztecs capture their first victory of the season at
Wyoming, 34-0. The victory was the first for the Aztecs in Laramie since
1984 and marked the first time they have won back-to-back games vs. the
Cowboys in the series. The sophomore quarterback from Santee, Calif.,
completed 19-of-27 passes (70 percent) for 317 yards and two touchdowns. The
19 completions, 317 passing yards and two touchdowns were all career highs.
Sheriff guided SDSU on scoring drives of 54 and 82 yards in the second
quarter to give the Aztecs a 24-0 lead at the half. He also completed
16-of-17 passes during one stretch in the second and third quarters.
C.J. Zanotti, Air Force, LB, Senior (MWC Defensive Player of the Week)
Zanotti, a senior from Bay City, Mich., recorded a career-high 19 tackles,
seven unassisted, in the 27-13 victory over service academy rival Navy. The
19 tackles were the most by a Falcon since All-American Chris Gizzi tallied
20 vs. Fresno State in 1997. Four of Zanotti¹s tackles were for a loss,
totaling 12 yards, including a seven-yard sack. He also recovered two
fumbles in the game.
Ray Cheetany, UNLV, PK/P, Senior (MWC Special Teams Player of the Week)
Senior place kicker/punter Ray Cheetany had a solid outing in the Rebels
38-7 victory over in-state rival Nevada. Cheetany, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa
native, averaged 45.7 yards over six punts, including a high of 58, and
pinned the Wolfpack inside the 20-yard line on three occasions. He also
converted 5-of-5 PATs and made a 30-yard field goal.
LAST WEEK
Seven of the eight Mountain West Conference schools were in action last
weekend, with four engaged in league play. Colorado State opened Mountain
West Conference play with a narrow 17-14 victory over New Mexico. The Rams
sophomore running back Cecil Sapp scored the game-winning touchdown with
6:23 remaining in the game. Lobo fullback Ted Iacenda had a solid day with
eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. San Diego State captured its
first victory of the year with a 34-0 shutout at Wyoming. Sophomore wide
receiver J.R. Tolver had his best day as an Aztec with seven receptions for
129 yards. Jay Stoner led the Cowboys with 147 yards passing and completed
19-of-29 pass attempts. BYU won its 12th consecutive home game vs. Utah
State with a 38-14 win. Junior Charlie Peterson looked poised in his third
career start and completed 24-of-37 passes for a career-high 324 yards.
Sophomore running back Luke Staley contributed three rushing touchdowns to
go along with his 75 yards on the ground. UNLV defeated its in-state rival
Nevada for the first time in seven years, 38-7. Rebel quarterback Jason
Thomas scored four touchdowns (two pass, two rush), while passing for 152
yards and rushing for 88. Air Force moved one step closer to capturing its
fourth straight Commanders and Chiefs Trophy with a 27-13 win over Navy.
Fullback Nate Beard led the charge for the Falcons rushing for 45 yards and
scoring two touchdowns.
AIR FORCE FALCONS
4-1, 2-1 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 vs. New Mexico
What You Should Know:
The Falcons are averaging 273.0 rushing yards per game to rank seventh
nationally.
Linebacker C.J. Zanotti was the cog in the Falcon defense recording 19
tackles, four for loss, and recovering two fumbles vs. Navy.
Air Force has won 12 straight regular-season non-conference contests.
Head coach Fisher DeBerry is 45-10 overall vs. regular-season
non-conference opponents and 27-6 vs. the service academies.
Quarterback Mike Thiessen has thrown a touchdown pass in three of the last
four games. With seven TD passes for the season, he currently ranks 11th on
the Air Force single-season chart.
The Falcons lead the Mountain West Conference in third-down conversions,
converting 40.0 percent.
Defensive back Tony Metters recorded his second blocked kick of the season
vs. Navy. The Falcons now have five blocks on the year.
Key Stat: The Falcons have blocked five kicks over the last three games and
have recorded three or more blocks every year since 1990.
BYU COUGARS
3-4, 1-1 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 vs. San Diego State
What You Should Know:
With 2,576 career receiving yards, Margin Hooks has moved into third place
on the Cougars¹ all-time receiving yards list. He is 60 yards shy of
passing Matt Bellini and moving into second place.
Senior place-kicker Owen Pochman has ammassed a team-leading 40 points
this season and a school record 287 points over his career. He has also made
48 consecutive extra points dating back to Sept. 25, 1999 when Virginia
blocked his PAT.
BYU extended its NCAA-record streak to 319 games without being shutout.
The current streak dates back to Sept. 27, 1975.
The Cougars lead the Mountain West Conference in passing offense,
averaging 277.3 yards per game to rank 18th nationally.
Senior WR Margin Hooks currently ranks fifth in the nation with a streak
of 31 straight games with a reception.
BYU entered the ³Red Zone² for the first time in two games vs. Utah State
and was successful on five-of-six trips (four TDs and a FG).
The Cougar defense has allowed just 9.5 yards rushing per quarter over the
last six quarters and held Utah State to just 11 total yards rushing.
Key Stat: Over the last two games, the BYU defense has allowed a total of 14
second-half points.
COLORADO STATE RAMS
4-1, 1-0 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 at Utah
What You Should Know:
Quarterback Matt Newton has started every game since the 1999 season
opener. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 16 of his 17 starts.
Colorado State recorded its second fourth-quarter comeback of the season
in the 17-14 win over New Mexico, marking the first time the Rams have had
two fourth-quarter rallies in head coach Sonny Lubick¹s eight-year stint.
Wide receiver Pete Rebstock notched the first 100-yard receiving game of
his career with 100 yards and one touchdown on six catches. Rebstock also
ranks fifth nationally in punt returns with an 18.1 average.
Linebacker Rick Crowell is averaging 13.5 tackles per game, a number that
leads the Mountain West Conference.
Linebacker David Vickers had a career day vs. New Mexico with 10 tackles,
seven unassisted, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, a pass break-up
and three QB sacks.
Key Stat: The Colorado State defense has allowed just 131 rushing yards on
65 attempts (2.0 yards per rush) the past two games. It also recorded a
season-high six sacks vs. New Mexico.
NEW MEXICO LOBOS
3-4, 1-1 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 at Air Force
What You Should Know:
New Mexico totaled just 276 yards while the Rams were held to 291. CSU
came into the game averaging 31 points and 425 yards of offense. The Lobos
registered five sacks, limiting the Rams to only 39 net yards on the ground.
That¹s the fewest by a UNM opponent in 16 games, since Northern Arizona had
21 in 1999.
Senior fullback Ted Iacenda had his most productive day as a Lobo and the
best performance by a UNM receiver in 2000, catching a career-high 8 passes
for 97 yards, including a 25-yard TD. He came into the game with 8
receptions for 75 yards, and now leads the team with 16 catches for 172
yards. Iacenda also completed UNM¹s longest pass of the season, a 39-yard
toss to Rob Caston on a halfback lateral that set up UNM¹s go-ahead TD in
the 3rd quarter.
Senior Rantie Harper, making his first start since the 2nd game of the
season against Boise State, recorded a career-high 14 tackles, including one
for a 6-yard loss. Harper had 14 tackles in two-plus games before CSU.
The Lobos had a field goal attempt blocked for the first time in more than
four years, since BYU¹s Omarr Morgan deflected one at Provo on Sept. 21,
1996. UNM had gone 74 attempts since the last rejection.
The Lobos have posted a conference-leading 27 sacks this season.
New Mexico leads the MWC and ranks eighth in the country in kickoff
returns averaging 25.0 yards per return.
Key Stat: After converting 10 of 49 (20.4%) third-down plays the first three
games - including 0 of 13 against Oregon State - the Lobos have converted 29
of 57 (50.8%) the past four games.
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS
1-4, 1-0 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 at BYU
What You Should Know:
The Aztecs 34-0 shutout at Wyoming was their first win in Laramie since a
21-0 victory in 1984. SDSU has also won two straight in the series vs. the
Cowboys for the first time in school history.
San Diego State has won three consecutive conference games dating back to
last season.
The 34 points scored by the Aztecs at Wyoming eclipsed their overall point
total in the first four games (26).
Sophomore quarterback Lon Sheriff had a career day going 19-for-27 for 317
yards and two touchdowns at Wyoming.
San Diego State joined Notre Dame as the only schools to open the 2000
season with four games against teams from Bowl Championship Series
conferences.
The Aztecs have been hit hard by the injury bug this season. They have
lost five starters for the year (OL Chris Williams and Zach LaMonda, TE Gray
McNeill, DE Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and QB Jack Hawley).
Key Stat: San Diego State has outscored its last three conference opponents
110-14.
UNLV REBELS
3-2, 1-1 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 vs. Wyoming
What You Should Know:
Quarterback Jason Thomas is averaging 261.8 yards of total offense per
game to lead the Mountain West Conference and rank 19th nationally. Thomas
also ranks among the league leaders in pass efficiency (1st-169.4), passing
average per game (3rd-186.4), scoring (2nd-7.6) and rushing (2nd-75.4).
UNLV ranks second in the nation in pass efficiency at 99.1.
UNLV¹s defense has given up six touchdowns this season and has held
opponents scoreless in 12 of the last 16 quarters.
Wide receiver Nate Turner leads the Mountain West Conference with an
average of 87.6 receiving yards per game to rank 17th nationally. He also
notched his second two touchdown reception game of the year vs. Nevada.
The Rebels have had three players rush for 100 yards or more in a game
this season. Kevin Brown accomplished the feat for the second time with 103
yards vs. Nevada, while Jeremi Rudolph nothced his century mark game with
104 yards vs. the Wolfpack.
Junior cornerback Kevin Thomas had a career-high six pass break-ups in the
win over Nevada.
Key Stat: The UNLV defense has held its opponents scoreless 12 of the last
16 quarters and has not surrendered a second half point since the season
opener at Iowa State.
UTAH UTES
1-4, 0-1 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 vs. Colorado State
What You Should Know:
Junior running back Adam Tate has two straight 100-yard rushing games. He
compiled a career-best 133 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Utah
State. Tate also leads the conference with a 94-yards rushing per game and
8.0 points per game.
Utah is allowing its opponents an average of 162.0 passing yards per
contest, a number that ranks first in the league and 12th in the nation.
Adam Tate tied a Mountain West Conference record with 32 rushing attempts
vs. Utah State.
Over the last three games, quarterback Darnell Arceneaux has completed
56.9 percent of his passes. He is a combined 41-of-72 for 600 yards and two
touchdowns during this span.
Steve Smith leads the Mountain West Conference in all purpose yards,
averaging 164.5 per game. He ranks 12th nationally.
Defensive back Andre Dyson is the only player in the conference to return
an interception for touchdown this season.
Key Stat: The Utes last six offensive touchdowns have been scored rushing.
WYOMING COWBOYS
1-5, 0-2 MWC
Next Game: Oct. 21 at UNLV
What You Should Know:
Wyoming has not started a season 1-5 since 1989. The Cowboys finished that
season 5-6.
Wyoming¹s loss to San Diego State marked its first back-to-back home
defeats since 1995 when it fell to both Colorado State and Utah. The 34-0
blanking by the Aztecs was also the worst home shutout since Oct. 18, 1941.
Punter Tom Waring ranks seventh in the nation in punting, averaging a
Mountain West Conference leading 44.7 yards per punt.
Quarterback Jay Stoner ranks second on Wyoming¹s all-time passing yards
list with 6,934 career yards.
Wyoming has converted on 7-of-12 fourth down attempts this season.
Key Stat: The Cowboys have not scored in six straight quarters.
Week 7 Game Previews
Air Force at Wyoming
Saturday, October 14
War Memorial Stadium (33,500)
Laramie, Wyo.
1 p.m. (MT)
Game Notes
In what has typically been a low-scoring affair in recent years, the two
teams have combined to score 47 points over their last three games vs. one
another, an average of just over 15 points per game. The longest win streak
in the all-time series is three games.
The Series
Air Force leads, 18-17-3. Last meeting: Wyoming 10-7, September 25, 1999,
in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Coaches
Fisher DeBerry has compiled a 130-70-1 overall record in 16-plus seasons at
Air Force. Vic Koenning is in his first season at the helm of the Cowboys.
He spent the past three seasons as the Wyoming defensive coordinator and
inside linebackers coach.
Saturday, October 14
Hughes Stadium (30,000)
Fort Collins, Colo.
7:30 p.m. (MT), ESPN2
Game Notes
Colorado State enters the contest riding a four-game win streak vs. UNLV.
The Ram vs. Rebel game was selected by ESPN via its 12-day window based on
both teams success to this point.
The Series
Colorado State leads, 4-3-1. Last meeting: Colorado State 35-17, Novermber
27, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Coaches
John Robinson is in his second season at UNLV and is 6-10 overall. Prior to
UNLV, Robinson coached at Southern California for 12 years (1976-82, Oe93-97)
and the NFL¹s Los Angeles Rams for nine years (1983-91). His college
coaching record stands at 110-45-4, while his NFL record was 79-74. Sonny
Lubick is 82-47 overall in 11-plus years as a head coach and 61-28 during
his seven-plus year tenure at Colorado State.
Players to Watch Colorado State (4-1, 1-0 MWC)
Passer: Matt Newton (5 GP, 141-83-9, 58.9 Pct, 1,115 Yds, 8 TD, Longest
Pass - 59 Yds)
Rusher: Cecil Sapp (5 GP, 65 Att., 352 Yds, 5.4 Avg Per Rush., 4 TD,
Longest Rush - 54 Yds)
Receiver: Frank Rice (5 GP, 23 Rec., 391 Yds, 17.0 Avg Per Rec., 3 TD,
Longest Rec. - 59 Yds)
Tackler: Rick Crowell (4 GP, 35-19-54, 1 Sack, 2 TFL)
Utah at San Diego State
Saturday, October 14
Qualcomm Stadium (71,400)
San Diego, Calif.
Noon p.m. (PT), ESPN+Plus
GAME NOTES
Utah returns to action following its first bye-week of the season. The San
Diego State/Utah series began in 1978, with this marking the 20th meeeting.
Nine of the previous 19 games have been decided by a field goal or less.
The Aztecs have won six of the last 10 games.
THE SERIES
San Diego State leads, 10-8-1. Last game: Utah 38-16, October 23, 1999, in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
THE COACHES
Utah head coach Ron McBride has compiled a 71-50 overall record in 10-plus
seasons at the helm of the Utes. Ted Tollner is in his seventh season at
the helm of the Aztecs and 11th overall as a head coach. He is 38-36 at
SDSU and 64-56-1 lifetime. Before coming to SDSU in 1994, Tollner was the
head coach at Southern California (1983-86).
