Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 25

Sunday, October 7, 1984 Op Reno Gazette-Journal COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNR 23, IDAHO 17 Pack has too much time on its hands against Idaho FROM MY CORNER By STEVE SNEDDON applied more consistent pressure on Linehan, although the defense did not have a sack. But Ault ordered the stunts to reduce the time Linehan had to pass. Throughout the game, the Vandal quarterback had substantial time to throw. Often, he had six or $even seconds to find a receiver. Still, because of the steady Pack defense and s.

turnovers, five for the Vandals to none for UNR, the Vandals didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. But it is irritating for a coach and alums to see the enemy quarterback with unlimited time to pass. "Get the quarterback. Put heat on him," the fans begged in the fourth quarter. Ridgle's sack came a couple of plays later, which seemed to momentarily satisfy the faithful.

The pass rush picked up, but the Vandals kept marching downfield. The harder the rush, the better they did against defensive backs, who played well throughout the game. The Vandals and Linehan were heroic in those final minutes as they tried to retrieve a game that had been lost in the first three quarters. But time has a way of subduing would-be heroes as the Pack and more than 9,000 fans breathed a collective sigh -of relief at Mackay. It is not nearly as heroic as playing to win, but playing for time can be effective.

It worked out for the Wolf Pack Saturday afternoon. Most of the University of Nevada-Reno faithful appeared reasonably satisfied with the Pack's 23-17 victory over Idaho at Mackay Stadium. But there were some grumbles from malcontents who believe that a team with a 23-3 lead in the fourth quarter shouldn't let its opponent cut that deficit to six points and throw a pass into the end zone at the final gun. The 41-yard pass was of the desperation variety, but in a town where people have seen folks hit $10,000 keno tickets it was too close of a call. "We kind of got complacent," said UNR defensive tackle Elston Ridgle.

'1 think we just do that for the fans to make it exciting." He laughed. But there was a slightly serious message in his post-game bullet-dodging humor. "I think we like close games. We need the pressure on us to excel. Our defense responds well to pressure." The Idaho offense put UNR in a vise in that fourth quarter.

In the final 18 minutes, the Vandals ran off 47 plays and gained 206 yards of their 376 yards in total offense for the game. Idaho had two touchdown drives of 15 plays each in the final 18 minutes. There also was a 12-play drive that was short-circuited by Without an offensive knockout, it figured that the UNR defense would have to finish the Vandals. When that didn't happen either, the Pack had to hope the Vandals would run out of time. Defensively, the Pack for quarters used the same script on the Vandals that had worked for a 37-20 victory over Northern Arizona a week ago.

The Lumberjacks threw 65 passes, six passes more than the Vandals Saturday, but most were of the four yard or five yard variety against a defense that was designed to stop the deep pass. The Vandals attacked underneath the defense as the Lumberjacks had. The Vandals tried the deep pass several times, but usually were patient against the defense. But in the final 18 minutes there were cracks in the defense that hadn't been there earlier. This wasn't the prevent defense that teams with leads sometimes use in the final minutes.

The cracks were created as UNR started blitzing with its linebackers. The stunts resulted in three fourth-quarter sacks, but the trade off was that Vandals' sophomore quarterback Scott Linehan had more open receivers. "We were more aggressive," said Ridgle, who had one of the sacks. "But the aggressiveness gave up the big plays because guys were over running their assignments, I know I did." Ault said in the first three quarters the Pack had Kyle Denny's pass interception on the UNR 19. Why did the Vandals rise up in that final quarter? One thing that comes to mind is that Idaho has a better than average offense.

But the Idaho uprising needed an assist from the Pack. The assist came when UNR played for time in the final quarter and a half and tried to sit on a deflating lead. "I think I called too conservative of a game in the second half," said UNR coach Chris Ault. The little general, as football coach-military buffs since Woody Hayes have been prone to do, became overcome by conservatism. When the Vandals were running 47 plays, including no punts, in that final 18 minutes, the Pack was running 14 plays, including three punts.

For the game, Idaho had 91 offensive plays, 34 more than the Pack. UNR ran for 296 yards and passed for 59 yards. Ault's game plan was well conceived. He believed that the Pack could overpower the Vandals. But running couldn't land the knockout punch that would have made the game a laugher after UNR had taken a 20-3 halftime lead.

Pack Vandals can't contain Pack's sweeping offense mk Hi ,11 1 'vnimmm mW f's. 'h fl in QJZ) Dales fS Gooderys The big play UNR leads the Big Sky Conference In From page 1B but the Pack held the Vandals to three points until early in the fourth quarter. "I'm really pleased with the defense," said UNR head coach Chris Ault. "To score, Idaho went to two trick plays. We took them out of their (passing) offense." Idaho scored its first touchdown on a 12-yard reverse by flanker Kevin Juma with 13:09 left in the game.

The Vandals scored again on a 4-yard halfback option pass from Marlon Barrow to Brant Bengen with 2:03 left in the game. The score was set up by a controversial pass interference call against UNR cor-nerback Joe Peterson on fourth down-and-23 from UNR's 30. Idaho received a first down on UNR's 15. "If not for that questionable pass interference call, I don't think they would have scored (the second touchdown)," Ault said. "Peterson was going for the ball.

He has as much right to it as the receiver." Other than Jenkins' 69-yard run early in the third quarter, UNR gained only 77 yards in the second half. Of the Pack's 16 first downs, only four came in the second half. "Our offense was very inconsistent in the second half," Ault said. "There were two reasons: I called a very conservative second half, and we missed a couple of key blocks on short yardage plays. We should have thrown more.

They have the worst pass defense in the league." UNR quarterback Eric Beavers agreed that the Wolf Pack was too conservative in the second half. "We came out and ran well in the first half," said Beavers, who ran 20 yards for one touchdown and 41 yards to set up a field goal. "They were in man coverage, and we knew we could run. We were a little too conservative in the second half. We should have thrown the ball a bit more.

But Idaho did a good job of stopping us." Beavers completed eight of 18 passes for only 59 yards. Both of UNR's starting receivers, Bryan Calder and Thai Ivery, missed the game with injuries. Backup quarterback Joe Pizzo, of all people, played briefly at wide receiver in the second half and caught two passes for 19 yards. The game marked the return of Idaho quarterback Scott Linehan to action. Starting his first game since snapping a cartilage in his chest against Cal-State Fulferton three weeks ago, Linehan completed 29 of 57 passes for 294 yards.

He repeatedly overthrew receivers, resulting in first-half interceptions by free safety Brian Kaskie and cornerback Joe Peterson. "I was pressing a little," said Linehan, a redshirt sophomore starting only the third game of his collegiate career. "I didn't throw the ball the way I feel I can. I've got to execute if we're going to move the football." Tim McMonigle, who kicked his 100th consecutive extra point in the game, booteda 34-yard field goal with 9:29 left in the first quarter to give Idaho a 3-0 lead. Kaskie's interception set up Zendejas' 36-yard field goal, which tied the score with 0:13 left in the first quarter.

UNR defensive tackle Larry Pierce then recovered a fumbled exchange between Linehan and fullback Mike Shill on the Idaho 20. Beavers scored on a bootleg on the next play to give UNR a 10-3 lead with 6:46 left in the half. Roger Jerkovich QUICK MOVE: The University of Idaho's Cal Nevada-Reno player during a punt return Saturday Loveall sidesteps an unidentified University of afternoon at Mackay Stadium. WOLF PACK STATISTICS rushing, and one reason is its sweep. The Wolf Pack has broken several long runs on sweeps this year, including this 69-yarder by fullback Eric Jenkins Saturday in UNR's 23-17 victory over Idaho.

With sweeps doing much of the damage, UNR rushed for 296 yards against the Vandals. Jenkins carried 16 times for 142 yards, and running back Johnny Gordon added 93 yards on 24 carries. "We knew the sweep would hurt them the way they played," Ault said. "They played man coverage and pinched in on short yardage." Jenkins' run, down to the Idaho 7, came early in the third quarter with UNR leading 20-3. Right cornerback Steve Simpson saved a touchdown by catching Jenkins from behind.

UNR did not score on the drive. Idaho held the Wolf Pack on fourth-and-goal from the 2 to stay in the game. Key plays Idaho quarterback Scott Linehan and fullback Mike Shill fumbled a handoff with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, and UNR defensive tackle Larry Pierce recovered on the Idaho 20. UNR quarterback Eric Beavers scored on a bootleg on the next play to give the Pack a 10-3 lead. With UNR leading 23-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Wolf Pack linebacker Kyle Denny intercepted a Linehan pass and returned it four yards to UNR's 19.

The interception not only stopped an Idaho drive, but allowed UNR to kill valuable time. Quote "To score, they went to two trick plays. We took them out of their offense." UNR head coach Chris Ault SCORING SUMMARY Idaho Nevada-Reno .3.. 14-17 .3.. 17..

3.. 0-23 UI-FG McMonigle 33 UNR-FGZendeias36 UNR-Beavers 20 run (Zendejas kick) UNR-FGZendeias UNR-Gordon 1 run (Zendejas kick) UNR FG Zendejas 41 Ul-Juma 12 run (McMonigle kick) Ul Bengen 4 pass from Barrow kick) TEAM STATISTICS Passing Ul Linehan 29-57-4-294, Barrow 1-1-0-4, Love 1-0-0-0. UNR Beavers 8-18 0-59. Receiving Ul Auker 7-63, Bengen 6-79, Love 6-54, Shill 4-37, Oliver 4-32, Juma 217, Jorgenson 116. UNR Threde 3-21, Pizzo 2 19, Gooden 2-14, Gordon 1-5.

Punting Ul-Maonu son UNR Dales Field goals Ul McMonigle 1-2. Long-33. UNR Zendejas 3-3. Long-41. Tackles (Unassisted Assisted-Total) Ul Cal Loveall 5-4-9, Mike Cox 3-6-9, Ernest Sanders 6-2-8, Ed Rifilato 6-2-8, Sam Manoa 3-5-8, Mark Tidd 5-2-7, Steve Simpson 3-1-4, Nolan Harper 2-2-4, Pete Ruhl 1-3-4, Dan Hunter 2-1-3, Paul Ramsey 2-0-2, Dane Bailey 11-2, Ron Crick 1-0-1, Matt Watson 1-01, Scott Auker 1-0-1, Shawn Wilson 1-0-1.

UNR Kyle Denny 4-913, Daryl McCoy 6-3-9, Brian Kaskie 4-2-6, Mike Dixon 3-3-6, Elston Ridgle 3-3-6, Joe Peterson 3-2-5, Terry Mason 3-1-4, Mark McVeigh 3-1-4, Henry Rolling 2-2-4, Patrick Hunter 21-3, Scott Martin 1-2-3, Tyler Carbone 1-1-2, Larry Pierce 11-2, Jeff Peterson 1-0-1, Dominic Colchico 1-0-1, Jeff Loutzenhiser 0-11, Marvin Ellis 1-0-1, Eric Jenkins 1-0-1, Dwayne Littlefield 10-1, Ron Spallone 0-11, Don Shearon 0-1-1. 27 16 49-296 32-78 298 17 59 30 First downs Rushes-yards Passing yards Return yards Passes Punts Fumbleslost Penalties-yards Time of Possession 30-59-4 8-18-0 3121 6-218 21 0-0 5 30 29:00 7-65 31:00 INDIVIDUAL STATS Rushing Ul Shill 13 56, Barrow 9-29, Juma 1-12, Linehan 9- -19. UNR Jenkins 16-142, Gordon 24-93, Beavers 6-56, Gooden 3-5. Tom Spitz Gazette-Journal SACK: UNR inside linebackers Kyle Denny, left, and Mike Dixon, right, drop Idaho quarterback Scott Linehan for a loss. Boise takes sole possession of first place THE BIG SKY Big Sky standings League Overall Team Boise State 2 0 3 2 Northern Arizona 2 1 4 1 Nevada-Reno 2 1 3 2 Idaho State 2 1 3 2 Montana State 2 13 2 Weber State 12 2 4 Idaho 0 2 2 3 Montana 0 3 2 3 Saturday's results Boise State 26, Idaho State 23 UNR 23, Idaho 17 Montana State 48, Weber State 0 Northern Arizona 24, Montana 18 Oct.

13 games Boise State at Northern Arizona Weber State at Idaho Idaho State at UNLV Eastern Washington at Montana UNR at Montana State Mendoza finished the day with 26 completions on 41 attempts and 272 yards, lifting NAU to 2-1 in the Big Sky Conference and 3-2 overall. The Lumberjacks scored first on Mendoza 's 4-yard touchdown pass to running back Jerry Holder 10 minutes into the first quarter. Montana pulled even in the second quarter when fullback Scott Murray scored on a 5 yard run. Eby Dobson kicked a 41-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half to give Montana its first and last lead of the game a 10-7 halftime advantage. Mendoza opened the third quarter by marching the Lumberjacks 83 yards and scoring on a 13-yard toss to wide receiver Jerry Davis.

Following an unsuccessful Montana fake punt on the Grizzlies' own 26, the Lumberjacks went up 17-10 on a 40-yard field goal by Sean Blankenship. Another sustained drive by NAU early in the fourth quarter ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to Davis, who finished the day with eight receptions for 121 yards. Montana scored with under two minutes to play when quarterback Marty Mornhinweg threw a perfect 38-yard scoring strike to Bob McCauley. The two connected again for the two-point conversion. The Parents Day crowd was treated to a bench-clearing brawl with under a minute to play after Montana's onside kick failed and the Lumberjacks were assured the victory.

Montana fell to 0-3 in the league and 2-3 overall. GAZETTE-JOURNAL JOG You've got 1 more week to get ready for the race By TRACEY WONG BRIGGS A week from today you'll be lining up for the race, so taper your training, especially toward the end of the week. Here are some pre-race tips: Make sure you get to the start at least a half-hour before your race. If you're reading this, you're probably running the second or third race, so remember that the streets will be blacked off. Parking may be hard to find.

If you don't have a friend watching you run, lock your sweats up in your car and tie your car key to your shoelace. Tie your shoelaces in double knots. Warm up slowly, by stretching, walking and jogging. Don't line up until less than five minutes before the race. Ignore the 5-year-olds standing on the starting line and start in the middle or the back of the pack.

Starting in front gives you two options: Running your first mile way too fast or being trampled by hundreds of people behind you. Don't start too quickly. Pre-race adrenalin gets everyone. You can run the first mile a minute faster than you've ever run a mile and it will feel slow You should run that first mile faster than in practice, but remember there's four miles to go. TODAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 60 minutes, walk five minutes.

MONDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 45 minutes, walk five minutes. TUESDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 55 minutes, walk ive minutes. WEDNESDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 55 minutes, walk five minutes. THURSDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 25 minutes, walk five minutes. FRIDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 30 minutes, walk five minutes.

SATURDAY: Walk 10 minutes, jog 20 minutes, walk five minutes. From wire service reports POCATELLO, Idaho Junior placekicker Larry Hunter drilled a 37-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to lift Boise State to a 26-23 Big Sky Conference foot win over Idaho State Saturday night. The victory gives the Broncos sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference with a 2-0 overall record. Idaho State, Nevada-Reno, Northern Arizona and Montana State are tied for second at 2-1. The score, set up after inside linebacker Carl Keever recovered a fumble by Vern Harris at the Bengal 35 with 3:05 left, raised the Broncos to 3-2 overall.

ISU slipped to 3-2 overall. Quarterback Hazsen Choates directed a 94-yard Bronco march for the tying TD, with the 5:11 sophomore scrambling in from 24 yards with 4:30 left in the game. Hunter's kick made it 23-23. The Bengals had rallied with two third period touchdowns to lead 23-16 going into the final stanza. After Bengal linebacker Ron Manu recovered a Jon Francis fumble at the ISU 40, the Bengals scored in 17 plays with fullback Merril Hoge taking a 5-yard touchdown pass from Harris with 7:23 remaining.

MONTANA STATE 48, WEBER STATE 0 at Ogden, Utah Quarterback Kelly Bradley passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more TDs Saturday night and Montana State's defense shutout Weber State as the Bobcats whipped the Wildcats. Bradley completed 24 of 39 passing attempts, 62 percent, for 243 yards in just three quarters. His touchdown passes went four yards to flanker Tom White, and nine and 26 yards to split end Brent Bate-man. The sophomore quarterback, who had no interceptions, also rushed for 31 yards and scored on runs of three and 15 yards. In all, the Bobcat offense piled up 498 yards in total offense to control the game.

The Bobcat defense, after letting Weber State drive to the MSU 14 on the opening series of the game, stopped that scoring threat with a fumble recovery. The Wildcats never were that close again. Montana State also blocked a pair of Weber State punts, one for a safety and the other to set up Bradley's first touchdown run. And MSU's defense intercepted one Wildcat pass and gave up just 92 yards in the game, including holding Weber State to only seven yards rushing. The shutout loss was the first for Weber State since 1980 and their first at home since 1976 when Montana State won 44-0.

It was the first time the Bobcats had held an opponent scoreless in seven years. NORTHERN ARIZONA 24, MONTANA 18 at Missoula, Mont. Quarterback Mike Mendoza fired three touchdown passes to lead the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks to their first road victory in 14 games. EASTERN WASHINGTON 32, HOWARD PAYNE at Spokane, Wash. Quarterback Rick Worman, brother of former nevada-Reno quarterback Larry.

Worman, passed for two touchdowns and Craig Richardson scored on a 101-yard kickoff return as Eastern Washington buried Howard Payne 32-0 in a non-conference football contest Saturday. Eastern Washington, a Division I-AA independent, plays six of the eight Big Sky teams in 1984 and wants to join the league. Eastern Washington plays at UNR Nov. 3. The Eagles are now 4-1 on the season, while Division II Howard Payne dropped to 0-3-1.

Freshman tailback Jamie Townsend also rushed for 142 yards on just six carries..