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Wednesday, October 4
Unlikely leaders battle for first place
By Stephen Tsai
Special to ESPN.com

The forecast for Hell must be "freezing."

For that is as rare as, say, two college football teams that have not had a winning season during Bill Clinton's presidency meeting in a game as league leaders.

But that is the situation when Tulsa plays host to UTEP Saturday.

Both teams are 2-0 and tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference.

"Our programs have come a long way," said UTEP coach Gary Nord, whose team has not had a winning season since 1988. In eight of those 11 seasons since then, the Miners did not win more three games in a year.

Tulsa's last winning season was in 1991, and this is the first time in five years of WAC membership it is above .500 in league games.

"If somebody asked me before the season if we would be leading the league at this time, I would have said, 'Yes, as long as you believe.' " Tulsa wide receiver Donald Shoals said. "We believe."

Both teams are led by first-year head coaches. Nord was UTEP's offensive coordinator last season. Tulsa coach Keith Burns was Arkansas' defensive coordinator in 1999.

“ If somebody asked me before the season if we would be leading the league at this time, I would have said, 'Yes, as long as you believe.' We believe. ”
— Tulsa WR Donald Shoals

Both schools have made significant investments in their football programs. UTEP broke ground on a new football facility and Tulsa spent $800,000 to install a new synthetic playing surface in Skelly Stadium.

And both teams have wide-open, one-back offenses.

As early as last spring, both coaches told their players that they would challenge for a league title. "We came in to win, and win now," Burns said. "We felt we owed that to our seniors. I've asked them more than once, 'Why not us?' "

Nord spent his free time strengthening UTEP's recruiting ties in Texas and developing a fan base south of the border in Juarez. Since being hired last December, Burns has spoken at nearly 200 banquets, seminars and clinics.

Nord developed the Miners' playing experience and depth with weekly scrimmages the Monday after each game. Burns challenged the Golden Hurricane's commitment by scheduling 6 a.m. practices during the spring.

And both coaches have managed to keep their successes in perspective.

"We're a long way from being too excited," Nord said. "We're not crazy enough to think we have a walk in the park. We have to play hard every week. We realize we have to take it one game at a time. The only game we have control over now is the Tulsa game."

Burns also has managed to keep his team loose. Last Friday, the team dinner was at Honolulu's Hard Rock Café. After that, the team, as it does every Friday night, went to a movie.

Around the WAC

Fresno State
The Bulldogs return to action after having byes in two of the last three weeks. In between, they upset California. ... The game against Rice will be played Thursday night before a national cable television audience. The Bulldogs have lost four in a row on the road and, last year, were winless in three games in Texas. "If we're going to be competitive, we have to win in Texas," FSU coach Pat Hill said. ... Wideout Rodney Wright is second nationally in receptions (8.33 per game) and 24th in receiving yards (85.7 per game). Linebacker Orlando Huff is tied for first in the WAC in tackles with 10.3 per game. ... Fresno State practiced Tuesday and was scheduled to travel to Houston right after.

Hawaii
Freshman quarterback Timmy Chang started for the Warriors Saturday, completing 31 of 48 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 loss to Tulsa. Chang is a June graduate of Honolulu's St. Louis School. Two other St. Louis School graduates, Utah's Darnell Arceneaux and Washington State's Jason Gesser, currently are starting quarterbacks. St. Louis has won the last 15 state championships. ... Middle linebacker Rinda Brooks, who played but did not start against Tulsa because of knee injuries, is tied for the WAC lead in tackles with 10.3 per game. ... Running back Afatia Thompson is a champion fire-knife dancer. ... Both of UH's starting safeties, Nate Jackson and Jacob Espiau, joined the program as walkons.

Nevada
Twenty freshmen or redshirt freshmen have made their NCAA playing debuts this season, and eight of them have started. ... Sophomore cornerback Domonic Cruz is expected to miss the next two games because of an ankle injury. Senior running back Adrien Dugas will apply for a medical hardship because of a fractured left elbow. ...Nevada is last in the WAC in total offense (262 yards per game) and last in scoring defense (37.5 points), but leads in turnover margin (plus 1.75 per game). The Wolf Pack has three punt returns for three yards this season.

Rice
As the only run-oriented team in the league -- every other school uses a one-back offense -- the Owls depend heavily on disciplined blocking. The Owls led the league in fewest penalties last year. But last Saturday, the Owls committed five holding penalties. "It is disappointing," Rice coach Ken Hatfield said. "Championship teams don't beat themselves." ... Defensive back Jason Hebert underwent surgery for a "ripped groin." ... Center Aaron Sandoval's knee injury is so bad he will petition the NCAA for a medical hardship and a sixth season of eligibility.

San Jose State
The Spartans beat Rice last week without five starters, including running back Deonce Whitaker and wide receiver Casey LeBlanc. Whitaker is sixth nationally in rushing. But junior Jarmar Julien stepped in for Whitaker and rushed for 98 yards and amassed 80 yards in kick returns. Julien played in the secondary last year, but was moved to running back in the spring. At 6 feet 1 and 215 pounds, he is the Spartans' biggest running back. ... Linebacker Marshall Blount, a converted defensive end, leads the WAC with five sacks, including three against Rice, all in the second half.

SMU
The Mustangs have lost four in a row since winning their opener against Kansas. But SMU coach Mike Cavan said quarterback Josh McCown has shown improvement in running the new single-back offense. "He's progressing each week," Cavan said. "He's learning how to play quarterback and how to make reads." McCown's older brother was Texas A&M's quarterback and his younger brother is a quarterback for Louisiana Tech. ... Markus Pratt leads the WAC in tackles for losses with 10 for 38 yards. Linebacker Vic Viloria is averaging 10 tackles per game.

TCU
The 14th-ranked Horned Frogs' nine-game winning streak is the third-longest in the nation, trailing Florida State's (17 in a row) and Nebraska's (10). They have not had a streak this long since winning 14 in a row 1937-1938. .... LaDainian Tomlinson is TCU's career rushing leader with 3,785 yards. He is second nationally in rushing (170 yards per game), third in scoring (12 points per game) and seventh in all-purpose yards (174.2 per game). In the last five regular-season games, he has scored 16 touchdowns. ... Still, the Horned Frogs' offense is not one-dimensional. Led by quarterback Casey Printers, TCU leads the country in passing efficiency with a rating of 173.94. A score of 100 is considered to be average. Last week, Printers set a TCU single-game record by completing 82.4 percent of his passes (14 of 17).

UTEP
Quarterback Rocky Perez has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of the last four games, the first time a Miner has accomplished that feat since 1989. ... Brian Natkin ranks first nationally among all tight ends in receptions (30) and yards (330). ... Wideout Lee Mays is first in the WAC and eighth nationally in receiving yards with 106 per game.

Tulsa
Tulsa, which did not practice Sunday or Monday, celebrated the first time it won consecutive road games in its five years of WAC membership. ... Tulsa's defense has not allowed a first half touchdown in the last three games, and held the last two opponents scoreless in the first two quarters. ... This is homecoming week, and comedian Sinbad will be the featured entertainment. A crowd of 22,000 is expected at 40,000-seat Skelly Stadium.

Stephen Tsai covers the WAC for the Honolulu Advertiser.




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