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| Thursday, November 2 Tomlinson-Whitaker matchup steals the show By Stephen Tsai Special to ESPN.com | |||||
Coaches smiled. Fans exhaled. And Western Athletic Conference officials
pulled down the covers from their heads.
This week, as the only BCS matchup that matters nears -- the battle to be
the Biggest Conference Star -- it was a proud time to be associated with the
Western Athletic Conference.
Fresno State A fourth consecutive sellout is expected in 41,031-seat Bulldog Stadium when Fresno State plays host to Hawaii Saturday. Bulldog Stadium, which opened in 1980 and was expanded to its current seating capacity in 1992, is one of the most intimidating venues for visiting WAC teams. The fans pride themselves on studying opposing players and, because the stands are close to the sidelines, each heckle is easily heard. Visiting reporters also have complained of being heckled by the self-styled "Dog Pound." In his four seasons as FSU head coach, Pat Hill is 18-3 in Bulldog Stadium and 6-17 on the road. But 12 of those road losses were against nationally ranked teams. ... Wide receiver Rodney Wright, who did not play in the last three games because of a right calf tear, is penciled in as a starter this week. But the Bulldogs' injury problems are not over. Their projected starting defensive ends have not played this season, and injuries have forced Hill to move Marcellus Armstrong to fullback. Armstrong is listed on the depth chart at fullback and left cornerback. Hawaii Coach June Jones cried foul after Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang suffered lacerations behind his left ear and a possible concussion from a hit by San Jose State linebacker Josh Parry. Television replays showed that the top of Parry's helmet struck Chang, freeing his helmet and sending him to the artificial turf in a dazed heap. Jones said the play should have resulted in a "flagrant foul." No penalty was called. Chang, a true freshman who is 10th in the country in total offense at 273.2 yards per game, is expected to play against Fresno State this week. But running back Afatia Thompson won't play after aggravating an ankle injury. Two players who entered the program as walk-ons, James Fenderson and Thero Mitchell, will replace Thompson. The Warriors also are short-handed at linebacker. Robert Kemfort became the latest starter to join the injury list, leaving the Warriors with five linebackers for three positions. Nevada Imagine fighting Mike Tyson one-handed. A comparable situation faces the Wolf Pack, which might play first-place Texas-El Paso without quarterback David Neill. The right-handed Neill suffered a hip injury last Tuesday, then sustained injuries to his throwing shoulder and wrist against Southern Methodist. "We won't know what his status is until the end of the week," Nevada coach Chris Tormey said. Neill averages 213.4 passing yards per game. He accounts for 72 percent of the Wolf Pack's offense. ... Nevada has lost five in a row, the WAC's longest losing streak. ... The Wolf Pack started 12 freshmen last week. Rice As if it couldn't get any worse for the Owls last week after they were clobbered by Texas Christian, 37-0, they then lost quarterback Corey Evans for the season with an injury. Mathematically eliminated from bowl contention, Rice now will play out the season. But coach Ken Hatfield said, "The main thing we play for now is to finish strong. In the past, we have not finished strong." ... Saturday's game against Southern Methodist will be the Owls' last at home this season. San Jose State Sophomore Neil Parry, who underwent surgery to amputate the area three inches above his right ankle last week, is expected to be released from the hospital by this weekend. Parry suffered a compound fracture in a game against Texas-El Paso Oct. 14. The injury became severely infected, killing tissue and muscle. After four operations to clean the area, surgeons decided that an amputation was the only way to stop the spread of the infection. The entire San Jose State team serenaded Parry outside his hospital room before leaving for the trip to Hawaii last week. Both San Jose State and Hawaii players wore decals with Parry's No. 32. After the game, both teams met at midfield and knelt in prayer. Then the Hawaii players gave an autographed ball to SJSU linebacker Josh Parry, Neil's older brother. "I want to thank everyone for their continued support." SJSU coach Dave Baldwin said, adding that Neil Parry is able to move around with the help of crutches. SMU The Mustangs ended a six-game losing streak, defeating Nevada, 21-7, for their first victory since the season opener against Kansas Sept. 2. Now, the Mustangs will try to end a five-game road losing streak when they play Rice in Houston. ... Nickel back Ruben Moodley, a freshman from Garland, Texas, made eight tackles (four solo), intercepted two Nevada passes and broke up two more. Moodley, who does not start, was expected to redshirt, but that plan was scrapped because of numerous injuries. TCU Joey Biasatti, who was second in the WAC in punting with a 41.6-yard average, sustained two broken bones in his leg and will not play again this season. Biasatti won an intense battle for the job in training camp. Place kicker Chris Kaylakie, wide receiver former all-state punter Shane Hudnall and punter John Braziel are candidates to replace Biasatti. TCU coach Dennis Franchione said because the competition for the punting job was so hard fought, he already was able to extensively evaluate the candidates. ... While the focus has been on running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Horned Frogs have quietly ascended to No. 1 in total defense nationally, relinquishing 237.6 yards per game. They lead the country in scoring defense, allowing 7.3 per game. In the last 11 games, TCU has allowed a total of 791 rushing yards, an average of 1.98 yards per rush and 65.9 rushing yards per game. UTEP Even at 5-0 in the WAC, the Miners might struggle to receive a postseason berth, particularly if Texas Christian earns a berth in the Bowl Championship Series. But UTEP coach Gary Nord said that the team's fan support should be considered. The Miners have had three crowds exceeding 50,000 this year in the Sun Bowl. In a road game last year, their 4,000 fans outnumbered Rice's fans. Nord said 3,500 UTEP fans pledged to make the trip to TCU in three weeks. "This town and this community are really excited," Nord said. Tulsa After playing games in nine consecutive weeks, the Golden Hurricane finally has a bye. Coach Keith Burns said the break will help improve the team's health. Because of injuries, the Golden Hurricane started three true freshmen in the secondary last week. Tulsa played without free safety Harold Burgess (stress fracture in his foot), nose guard Jeff Hewitt (shoulder) and defensive end Chris Odom (shoulder subluxation). ... Because the game was one-sided, senior quarterback Michael Wall played in the final quarter against Fresno State. Wall was so desperate to play he has volunteered to be a punt returner. "It was good to see him go in the game and make plays and score a touchdown," Burns said. Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser. | AUDIO/VIDEO   TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson uses the swiftness of his feet to handle Rice's defensive attack.avi: 1053 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson rams his way into the end zone 3 yards against Rice.avi: 1390 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||
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