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| Wednesday, November 8 Everyone in the WAC feels TCU's loss By Stephen Tsai Special to ESPN.com | |||||
Picture the expression on the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" contestant
who struck out on the question for all of the cheese.
Well, that look now can be seen on the faces of the athletic directors of
Western Athletic Conference schools.
In what is being described as a sin of commission, Texas Christian's loss
to San Jose State last Saturday cost the other eight WAC schools at least
$1.15 million apiece.
"We'll miss the money," Hawaii football coach June Jones said when asked
about the TCU loss.
Fresno State In defeating Hawaii, the Bulldogs' extended their home winning streak to 14, the third longest in the nation. The average score during the streak is 39-16. Under fourth-year coach Pat Hill, the Bulldogs are 18-4 at home. But the Bulldogs' home success and strong following (they have played before four consecutive sellouts) make it difficult to attract teams to Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs, who will play six of of their 11 games on the road this season, won't play the majority of their games at home until the 2002 season. "We have to pay (a lot) for people to come in," Hill said. ... Wide receiver Bernard Berrian has emerged as a top replacement for injured Rodney Wright. In four starts, Berrian has amassed 20 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns. In three of those games, he has had more than 100 receiving yards. Wright, who has been out with a pulled calf muscle, was expected to return last Saturday. But he aggravated the injury during warm ups. Hawaii The Warriors are 1-7 and assured a losing record for the seventh time in the last 10 seasons. They are 10-11 under second-year coach June Jones, who won several national coach of the year awards in 1999. Injuries have contributed heavily to the woes. Seven injured starters, including quarterback Tim Chang, did not play against Fresno State. UH started 10 players who entered the program as walk-ons. Adding insult to injury, the Warriors again received raw deals. Television replays showed that a Fresno State touchdown catch and an interception in the end zone were dropped and should not have counted. ... James Fenderson, one of four running backs to start in the one-back offense this season, ran for a career-high 124 yards. Fenderson, a senior, was awarded a scholarship in training camp. ... Another former walk-on, safety Jacob Espiau, leads the WAC with 10.2 tackles per game. Nevada Quarterback David Neill is listed as questionable for Saturday's game in Hawaii. Neill did not play last week because of a shoulder injury. His understudy, Brett Staninger, was 26 of 44 for 297 yards and two touchdowns against Texas-El Paso. ... The Wolf Pack, which played in the Big West Conference last year, will leave for the Islands on Thursday. The Wolf Pack will stop in Los Angeles, practice at an area high school during the five-hour layover, then board an airplane for Hawaii. Rice Dan Dawson, who plays the combination linebacker-safety position of Bandit, continues to lead the Owl defense. Dawson, a junior, intercepted two Southern Methodist passes, and has five in the last three games. He is third nationally in interceptions (0.78 per game; seven in nine games). As a quarterback, Dawson led his Arizona high school team to two state championships. He suffered a broken leg last year, but has fully recovered. Rice coach Ken Hatfield said Dawson spends his free time studying quarterbacks' tendencies and opposing teams' formations. "He has a football mind to go with a football body," Hatfield said. ... Freshman Jeremy Hurd has settled in as the Owls' full-time quarterback. After returning from a hand injury, Hurd split time with Corey Evans, who is out for the season with a broken right kneecap. San Jose State This season, the Spartans defeated Bay Area-rival Stanford, upset Texas Christian and positioned themselves for a bowl appearance. Still, coach Dave Baldwin is in the final seven weeks of his contract, and no negotiations are scheduled. "At the end of the year, Dave Baldwin will not have a contract," Baldwin said. Two weeks ago, Baldwin asked for a contract extension if the Spartans defeated Hawaii. The request was met with silence. Running back Deonce Whitaker, who is averaging 7.6 yards per carry, has said he will not return to San Jose State next year if Baldwin is let go. Whitaker, who entered SJSU as a non-qualifier, can earn an extra year of eligibility if he graduates in four years. Whitaker is on schedule to graduate in May after eight semesters of college. Baldwin said that no matter what happens to his contract, he would like Whitaker to return to SJSU next year. "The Bay Area needs him," Baldwin said. "He's a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, whether I'm here or not." SMU It appeared the Mustangs had solved their turnover problems by amassing only two in the previous two games. But against Rice, they were intercepted three times and lost a fumble. They also botched a punt, causing coach Mike Cavan to lament, "We basically had five turnovers and didn't (force) any turnovers." Cavan said he has repeatedly preached maintaining possession. "We talk about it; we continue to work on it," Cavan said. "I don't think there's any set formula." A rash of interceptions prompted Cavan to change quarterbacks three weeks ago, promoting David Page. Now, Cavan is exploring other changes, and said he would decide on a starting quarterback at midweek. TCU The Horned Frogs' loss to San Jose State, which essentially eliminated them from the prestige of appearing in the Bowl Championship Series, has coach Dennis Franchione worried about an emotional letdown entering Saturday's game against Fresno State. "You always have to be concerned about those things," Franchione said. He said the mood of Sunday's team meeting was "solemn." ... LaDainian Tomlinson continues to lead the nation in rushing (181 yards per game) and scoring (12.8 yards per game). He needs 37 rushing yards to move into second place -- and past Marshall Faulk -- on the WAC career list. UTEP The Miners will earn at least a share of the WAC championship with a victory over Rice Saturday. UTEP's only losses have been in non-conference games against No. 1 Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Against Oklahoma, the Miners were hurt by seven turnovers. ... While quarterback Rocky Perez and tight end Brian Natkin have earned the most credit for the Miners' success, wide receiver Lee Mays is considered the team's most valuable player. Mays is fifth nationally in receiving yards (104.4 per game), and provides Perez with the deep threat. "He's one of the best receivers in the country, in my opinion," UTEP coach Gary Nord said. Mays is the WAC champion in the 110-meter high hurdles. Tulsa After playing on nine consecutive Saturdays, the Golden Hurricane enjoyed its bye week with a little R&R. "The off week gives us a chance to heal," Tulsa coach Keith Burns said. Well, sort of. Starting cornerback Brett Butler suffered a knee injury while practicing during the bye week and won't play the rest of the season. ... After winning its first two WAC games, Tulsa has lost its last three. Overall, Tulsa has lost four in a row. Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser. | ALSO SEE ACC notebook Big East notebook Northwestern still in the running for the Roses Big 12 notebook Big West notebook Mountain West notebook Pac-10 notebook AUDIO/VIDEO   Rashied Davis comes across the middle for the touchdown.avi: 1074 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Marcus Arroyo finds Edell Shepard in the end zone for the touchdown.avi: 515 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Tyrone Sanders steals the pass from Marcus Arroyo.avi: 675 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 LaDainian Tomlinson scoots 9 yards into the end zone.avi: 834 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||
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