Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 19

Weber State 38, UNR 15 Sunday, November 15, 1987 Reno Gazette-Journal 3B Pack turns '87 season into a stinker for Ault "I was disappointed partially for myself. I felt bad for the 10 other guys the seniors." He loves them like brothers and he knew, too, what they were going through. "They have to live with it like I do, the first losing season in coach Ault's reign." That thought might have been more chilling than The tracks came off the Little General's tank at Mackay Stadium Saturday afternoon There were warnings, but when it did happen with a numbing thud, it seemed difficult to fathom. Back in late September, coach Chris Aulfs University of Nevada-Reno football team was No. 1 ranked among all the nation's I-AA teams.

Saturday, the Pack left the field following the 38-15 loss to Weber State with a 4-6 record. With one game on the rnaH at anything the wind coming off Peavme Mountain produce, even though it reduced a crowd of STEVE SNEDDON to begin the game to a mere couple of in the final minutes. Nfekie and his fellow seniors lost with the same There weren't many blocks as 19 net yards in 28 carries suggested. Weber State, a team not known for its defense, blew up the Wolf Pack tanks. The Pack scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion in those freezing final 2V2 minutes to make it look like a closer game than it was.

But the Pack's 15 points was the fewest the Wildcats have given up to a I-AA opponent this year. Only NAIA team Western State, which lost 40-10 to Weber in the season opener, scored less points. But the offense didn't lose this game. The Pack was going to lose somehow. The method didn't matter much.

UNR's defense played better than it had against some high-powered offenses, but still gave up 422 yards, although the Wildcats didn't have a particularly outstanding offensive day. Quarterback Jeff Carlson completed 16 of 30 passes for 205 yards against UNR, but still threw the ball into the ground in front of wide open receivers several times. Somehow you got the inescapable feeling if the Pack scored, so would the Wildcats. But for Ault, it was difficult to forget junior quarterback Jim Zaccheo's pass interception for a touchdown and a fumble at the goal line on a run that would have put UNR ahead, all in the first quarter. Whatever the script, this wasn't going to be one of the great days in UNR football history.

Games that preceded Saturday's saw to it. Losses take their toll. That's why so many football wagons lose their "We lost so many close ones," said senior offensive tackle Buck Rose. "This one definitely wasn't close. This season was like a rollercoaster ride a disappointing one at that." The offensive line didn't play well, but still the statistics were puzzling.

The rushing was non-existent, but although the Pack quarterbacks threw for 264 yards on 50 attempts, they were only sacked once. Certainly, they were forced to hurry throws other times, but one sack in 50 passing attempts isn't a symptom of being overpowered. "I don't know where the (defensive) pressure was coming from. It wasn't coming from the outside," Rose said. He tried to explain what had happened to he and his friends on the offensive line.

"We have a couple of young guys in there. They're just breaking in," Rose said. "They'll get better. We just had some trouble with twists. "Last year, we had four inexperienced guys on the line and things worked out OK.

This year Rose patiently answered all the questions. His face smiled gently as his heart ached. "We'd get a defensive turnover and we'd go flying out there," Rose said. "Three plays and a punt sucks it right out of you." Rose said he expected to win Saturday just as he had all the other Saturdays the Pack lost this year. But unlike all the other Saturdays after losses, he felt a little more deflated.

kind ofdignity they had as juniors when they won their first 13 games and only lost in a I-AA semifinals to Georgia Southern. They were torn up on the inside, but it was business as usual on the outside. They tried to fashion answers for the inevitable questions. There was little moaning and groaning from them. But the same couldn't be said for Ault, whose record is 98-42-1 at UNR.

His bitterness showed through. He couldn't help it. It was his team's largely non-existent offense Saturday that left the coach sour. "Offensively speaking, it was one of the most lethargic shows I've been associated with. It's just ridiculous." His defense played with emotion, but the offense went without it, Ault said.

"Our offensive front was as bad as I've had it in 12 years here." Northern Arizona to play, Ault has his first losing record in 12 seasons as UNR's coach. The wheels fall off other coaches' wagons, but the Little General and his teams always had been immune from such calamities. But Saturday, the Pack was just another team that wasn't near as successful as it hoped and expected to be. Eyen as the losses mounted, senior safety Brian Kaskie thought that the dreaded losing season would be avoided. Even as the Pack trailed in the final home game for the UNR seniors, he thought the Pack would be saved.

"Toward the dwindling minutes of the game, I realized it was out of our reach. I didn't give up, but I knew. wheels. V. ick capsule i END ZONE Zaccheo CM CO CO Nap time UNR did not gain a first down on five third-quarter possessions.

Andy Genasci replaced Jim Zaccheo at quarterback with 10:14 left in the period. Lane Iveraan Gazette-Journal PACK GROUNDED: Weber State's Mike Robinson (99) and Taani Tai (56) react to an intentional grounding call against UNR quarterback Andy Genasci (17) that put the ball back to UNR's goal line after a 15-yard penalty. Weber dropped UNR to 4-6 this season. records Approaching UNR split enc split end Tony Logan I Ault's record at UNR Year Won Loss Tied Pet. 1983....

9 1976 8 3 .727 1984 7 1977 8 3 .727 1985... 11 1978... 11 1 .917 1986.. 13 1979 8 4 .667 1987 ....4 6 4 1 .586 Totals. 98 42 start against Northern Arizona next weekend.

As for UNR's running game, Ault said: "They controlled the front. When you can't run, it takes you out of your game plan." UNR scored its other touchdown on a 1-yard run by junior fullback Charvez Foger with 2: 12 left in the game. It was Foger's 45th career breaking the 5 .643 4 .636 2 .846 1 .929 6 .400 1 .699 Bad start Calvin Hampton's interception return for a touchdown on the University of Nevada-Reno's third play from scrimmage symbolized UNR's 38-15 loss to Weber State Saturday at Mackay Stadium. It was the first of six UNR turnovers, three by starting quarterback Jim Zaccheo. With no score in the game, UNR had third down and 5 yards to go from its 21-yard line.

Zaccheo dropped back and threw a quick "out" pass intended for wingback Patrick Egu. But Hampton, a junior strong safety from Marysville, stepped in front of Egu, easily intercepted the pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. "Any quick outs are my responsibility," Hampton said. "I just took a gamble." Weber State defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said, "We thought they'd do something to the outside. They seem to be running a lot of out routes." ioi 4 1982 6 5 .545 Includes Ni record by Frank Hawkins (1977- caught five passes for 127 yards and one touchdown against Weber State.

Logan has caught 58 passes for 956 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He needs four catches, three yards and three touchdown passes against Northern Arizona next week to break the UNR single-season records in those departments. Quote "We'll try to rally the squad against a good team. I'm primarily concerned about the offensive unit." UNR head coach Chris Ault, talking about next week's season finale at Northern Arizona. UNR, 4-6, is already saddled with a losing season.

Pack falls From page 1B real good football team, and Nevada-Reno is struggling a little bit." Just a tad. In truth, Weber State easily could have won by more. The Wildcats, ranked No. 6 in I-AA scoring offense at 35.1 points per game, had a first down on the UNR 2-, 15- and 17-yard lines in the first three quarters and came away with three points. Granted, UNR junior quarterback Jim Zaccheo also fumbled on the Weber State 1 late in the first period.

UNR trailed only 17-7 entering the fourth quarter, but Weber State finally started to capitalize on opportunities. The Wildcats scored 21 straight points within 5:30 for a 38-7 lead. Quarterback Jeff Carlson scored on a 1-yard sneak, halfback Fine (pronounced FINN-ey) Unga ran 43 yards for a touchdown and linebacker Vernell Quinn returned an Andy Genasci pass 31 yards for a touchdown. By now, it's apparent that no Esychological advantage not omecoming against Stephen F. Austin, not the largest crowd in Mackay history against Boise State, not the threat of its first losing season under Ault is enough to snap the Wolf Pack out of its doldrums.

"We just have not found a way to win," sighed Ault, 41, who never had been associated with a losing team as a player, assistant Wolf Pack statistics tfW) ana tne Big iKy mane Dy laano Id State's Merril Hoge (1983-86). Genasci passed to Logan for a two-point conversion, cutting Weber State's lead to 38-15. UNR was also plagued by Phil Pavilionis' poor punting. Pavi-lionis, a senior, punted in place of redshirt freshman Chris Duran, who Ault said aggravated a pulled hamstring muscle in practice this week. Pavilionis had punts of 5 and 6 yards in the first half.

The first did not hurt UNR. The second was devastating. Weber State led only 10-7 when Pavilionis punted 6 yards to the UNR 45 with 34 seconds left in the second quarter. Carlson com- Eleted three straight passes, the ist a 15-yard touchdown to sophomore tight end Peter Macon with seven seconds left. That gave the Wildcats a 17-7 lead at halftime.

"That really helped," Price said. "We wanted to come out in the third quarter and put them away, but we didn't execute. We dropped the ball and had State cornerback Jody Marshall recovered on the Wildcat 1. In between, Zaccheo threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to split end Tony Logan. Zaccheo fumbled again deep in UNR territory with the Wolf Pack trailing 17-7 early in the third quarter.

Defensive end Taani Tai recovered on the UNR 17. Three Weber State running plays netted only six yards, and Bernard Ellison blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt by Greg Patterson. Ault then replaced Zaccheo with Genasci, a sophomore from Reed High School in Sparks. Zaccheo finished with 11 completions in 22 attempts for 163 yards. "I played terrible," Zaccheo said.

"It was just one of those things." Genasci was no more effective, completing 10 of 28 passes for 101 yards. He threw no touchdown passes and three interceptions. Ault said Zaccheo probably will coach or head coach. "I'm really disappointed that in our last home game, the seniors couldn't rally better mentally." The primary culprit was the offense, which suffered six turnovers and gained only 19 rushing yards (283 total). The rushing total is unheard of for UNR, which prides itself on its running game.

"It was one of the worst offensive performances I've been associated with," Ault said. "Not to take anything away from Weber's defense, but I felt our front was not mentally ready to play. Zaccheo killed us with his interception and fumbles." The first two of Zaccheo's three turnovers cost UNR 14 points. On the Wolf Pack's third play from scrimmage, Weber State strong safety Calvin Hampton easily intercepted a quick "out" pass by Zaccheo and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 lead. Zaccheo also fumbled just as he was about to cross Weber State's goal line with UNR trailing 10-7 late in the first quarter.

Weber TEAM STATISTICS WSC UNR 24 14 49 202 28-19 220 264 86 2 17 31-0 21-50-4 Passing Return Yards Comp-Atllnt Punts 7-42 10-30 32 4-32 25:57 F-umoies-Lost 22 PenaltiesYads 1-55 Time of Possession 34 03 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Weber St 10 7 0 2138 Nevada-Reno 7 0 0 815 First Oturttr WSC-Hampton 27 interception return (Patterson kick), 12:43 WSC-FG 25 Patterson, UNR-Logan 56 pass from Zaccheo (Zendeias kick), 5:. Second Quarter WSC-Mcon 15 pass from Carlson (Patterson kick), 0:07. Fourth Quarter WSC-Carlson 1 run (Paterson kick), 14:55. WSC-Unga 43 run (Patterson kick), 9:40. WSC-Quinn 11 interception return (Patterson kick), UNR-Foger 1 run (Logan from Genasci), 2:12.

A 11,143. a WSC-Unga 14-92, Sanders 15-44, Carlson 7-36. UNR-Foger 14 48, Floyd 7-9, Egu 1- -17, Zaccheo 4- -21. Passing WSC-Carlson 14-30-0-205, Ericson 11-0-15. UNR-Zaccheo 22-11-1-163, Genasci 28 10-3-101.

Receiving WSC-Orton 9 110, Wilcox 4-61, Macon 2-30, Justice 219. UNR-Floyd 7 72, Logan 5-127, Egu 3-29, D. Davis 3-19, Pack fans try to explain Ault's first losing season at UNR year and they shouldn't do it," Isola said. UNR was ranked No. 1 in the first week of the I-AA rankings and picked to win the Big Sky Conference title by reporters and coaches.

According to Dale Pickens, a 48-year-old plumbing supply manager, predictability on offense was the key. "There's no talent," Pickens said. "Ault teams are predictable. The opponents know what they're going to do each play." "We'd better be better next year," said George Rainey, a 36-year-old tool dealer. "Basically, they couldn't pass, they couldn't receive and they couldn't move the ball." Dave Vendelin, a 33-year-old trouble working two jobs.

Ault took on the job as athletic director in the summer of 1986. The Pack rolled to a 13-0 record before losing to Georgia Southern 48-38 in the Division I-AA playoff semifinals. "I would fire myself as the AD (athletic director) and become the coach of the football team and think of new plays," Rizzardi said. Sue Isola, a 43-year old Reno housewife, said she believes that pressure from the media and coaching was the main problem with the Pack. "I'll tell you why we deserve a losing season because everybody in the media and coaches voted the Pack number one because of what happened last Maldonado said.

"I thought we had a good team, and would go far this year. We should have won a lot of games. We should have beat Stephen F. Austin. We should have beat Boise State.

It's the coaching." Stephen F. Austin beat the Pack 9-7 on Oct. 24 and Boise State triumphed 36-31 Nov. 7. "We're here every day (home games) at 8 (a.m.) to see good football.

Good-coached football. We've run the same offense for 10 years. We've got the backs and the quarterback to run the wishbone." UNR uses a wing-T offense. According to several of the 11,143 fans at Mackay Staduim Saturday, Ault who is also athletic director may be having ter loaded with talented but young players. But whatever the reason, Saturday's loss is in the books and the '87 team will be labeled Ault's first loser.

It will also go down as UNR's first losing season since 1975, when Jerry Scattini's squad went 3-8. The fans' reaction Saturday: "Chris Ault hasn't made a play change in 12 years," said Charles Rizzardi, a 23-year-old student at UNR. "We run up the middle and throw 5-yard down-and-outs. Those are good plays, but every team knows that's all we got." Keko Maldonado, also a student at UNR, felt the Pack should have won several of its closer games. "They played good all year," By Ward FarrellGazette-Journai Saturday was a historic day in coach Chris Ault's football career at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Weber State defeated the Wolf Pack, 38-15, guaranteeing that Ault would post his first losing season at UNR after 11 consecutive winning years. Fans braving the windy, cold day at Mackay Stadium were often at a loss trying to explain the season when interviewed during the fourth quarter when it was clear the Wildcats would win. Fingers were pointed in different directions: the offense was too predictable, inexperienced quarterbacks, inconsistency and a painter, agreed that the quarterback position was a weakness this season. "There's not enough leadership," Vendelin said. "The quarterback has to lead the team.

But several fans said they believe that UNR football is in a rebuilding stage. "We had a new quarterback and we lost a lot of seniors," said Scott Frost, a 33-year-old purchasing agent. "We're a good team. We didn't play up to potential. There were execution problems.

"We should have a good team next year. (Quarterback Andy) Genasci will come along and (quarterback Jim) Zaccheo will have some experience. You can't expect a winning season every time.".