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| Tuesday, September 19 Indians much better than 0-3 record shows By Mike Sorensen Special to ESPN.com | |||||
Joe Hollis promised an improved Arkansas State team this year and the
Indians certainly have the best team in Hollis' four years in Jonesboro and
perhaps one of the best teams in school history.
Yet, all the Indians have to show for themselves this year is an 0-3
record following a tough 19-17 loss to Memphis Saturday. It marked the
second time this season the Indians have lost the lead in the final minute
of the game. In the opener, the Indians lost to North Carolina State in
double overtime after a last-minute field goal by the Wolfpack tied the score.
In Saturday's loss, Memphis' Ryan White kicked his fourth field goal of
the game, a 35-yarder with just 49 seconds left after the Indians had gone
ahead on a 50-yard pass from Cleo Lemon to Robert Kilow.
Although Hollis is obviously frustrated about losing two heartbreakers
in the team's first three games, he's staying positive about his team's effort.
"I thought our effort was outstanding," he said after the Memphis loss.
"We played much better on the defensive side of the football. We didn't get
the job done in the fourth quarter, obviously, but I'm proud of our effort
and I'm proud of the way they prepared and the way they play the game."
The Indians might have a couple of wins under their belts if they had
found some easier teams to schedule, but Hollis is glad his team has faced a
tough schedule and believes it will help his team when league play starts in
October.
Boise State Quarterback Bart Hendricks was named Big West offensive player of the week after throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-31 loss to Arkansas. ... Return specialist David Mickell was selected Big West special teams player of the week after returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, the second longest in school history. He also added a two solo tackles on special teams. ... The 54,286 the Broncos played in front of Saturday was the second largest crowd in school history. ... Brock Forsey tallied 189 yards of all-purpose yardage against Arkansas and ranks second in the nation with 210.6 yards. ... The Broncos are 0-3 against Central Michigan, including a 44-26 loss in 1997. Arkansas State Linebacker Charles Mabry was named Big West defensive player of the week after recording 18 tackles and a sack against Memphis. ... Robert Kilow caught seven passes for 156 yards and a touchdown Saturday and now has 20 receptions and 323 yards. ... Kilow ranks sixth in the nation with 6.67 receptions per game. ... Hollis praised the play of linebacker Joseph Jones and defensive lineman Erik Kellim after the Memphis game. New Mexico State Despite losing to cross-state rival New Mexico, the Aggies held the Lobos to just 168 yards of total offense, just 31 through the air. Junior linebacker D'Wayne Taylor led the defense with eight tackles and a sack. ... The Aggies rank No. 2 in the nation in pass defense, allowing just 90.0 yards per game. ... Sophomore wide receiver P.J. Winston caught three passes for 99 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown reception in the loss to New Mexico. ... Tight end Marcellus McCray suffered a sprained right knee against New Mexico and is out this week. ... Wide receiver Charlie Maccarrone broke his foot in practice last week and will also be out for a few weeks. Idaho Willie Alderson picked up 107 yards against Oregon, his second 100-yard game of the year. He averages 111 yards a game, second in the conference and 20th in the nation. ... The Vandals were counting to utilize the strong leg of senior placekicker Ben Davis this year. However in three games, he's only had one attempt, a 50-yarder against Montana, which he made. Meanwhile, opponents have had six field goal tries, making four. ... The Vandals' game with Washington State isn't your typical road game because the Vandals play several of their home games at Martin Stadium, which is just eight miles from the Idaho campus. ... Linebacker Chris Nofoaiga, last year's Big West Defensive Player of the Year, is off to a bit of a slow start, with 21 tackles through three games, fourth best on the team. ... Free safety Jordan Kramer leads the Vandals with 26 tackles. North Texas Ty Jackson was one of the few bright spots in Saturday's shutout loss to UNLV as he returned two punts for 27 yards and four kickoffs for 82 yards. Jackson leads the Big West in punt returns with 8.3 yards per return. ... Junior Jason Ball is having a good season, averaging 43.5 yards per punt, which is good for 19th in the nation. An impressive stat for Ball is that nine of his 23 kicks have pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line. ... UNT coach Darrell Dickey is a graduate of Kansas State, UNT's Saturday opponent. The Wildcats are coming off a 76-0 pasting of Ball State. ... UNT quarterbacks have thrown only two interceptions this year, but they're responsible for five of the team's seven fumbles. Last week, the QBs lost three fumbles. Utah State The Aggies were the only Big West team that didn't lose last week -- of course they had the week off. ... Two days after the win over Southern Utah, coach Mick Dennehy decided to switch quarterbacks, demoting two-year starter Jeff Crosbie in favor of sophomore Jose Fuentes, who fired four second-half touchdown passes against SUU. The following day, Crosbie suffered a broken thumb which required surgery and put him out for the year. ... Senior Brian Benza, a backup in 1997, will assume backup quarterback duties. ... The Aggies are 2-9 all time against Arizona State, but haven't played the Sun Devils since 1985. ... Arizona State is coached by Bruce Snyder, who was the Utah State coach from 1976 to 1983. | ALSO SEE Big East notebook Big Ten notebook Big 12 notebook Conference USA notebook MAC notebook WAC notebook | ||||
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