WAC championship game should be a classic

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Dec. 4, 1998 | 10:50 a.m.

Oh yeah, there's a football game in town this weekend.

With all the excitement surrounding UNLV's hiring of John Robinson as its new head football coach this week, Saturday morning's WAC Championship game between BYU (9-3) and Air Force (10-1) at Sam Boyd Stadium has understandably been pushed to the back of the sports pages.

That's too bad because the third and final WAC Championship Game has all the ingredients to be, well, let Air Force running back Jemal Singleton pick it up from there.

"I'm pretty much expecting to see an all-out war," Singleton said. "It's going to be a great game."

"I think it'll come down to the team that wants it the most, the one that continues to fight for 60 minutes," added Falcons' defensive back Jason Sanderson.

The game pits the two winningest coaches in WAC history in BYU's LaVell Edwards (185 victories) and Air Force's Fisher DeBerry (74). Both will be coaching in the new eight-team Mountain West Conference in 1999.

"I can't think of a better way to end this chapter of the WAC," Edwards said. "I started here as an assistant in 1962, so I've been here every year the WAC has been in existence."

The teams have a lot more going for them than a rich WAC history.

Both schools bring seven-game winning streaks into the game as well as potent defenses.

BYU, paced by linebacker Rob Morris and defensive lineman Darren Yancey, is ranked sixth nationally in total defense (274.5 yards per game) and third nationally in rush defense (89.0).

Air Force, led by linebacker Craig Thorstenson, cornerback Tim Curry and defensive lineman Bryce Fisher, is eighth nationally in total defense (284.7 yards per game) and also is eighth nationally in scoring defense (13.4 points per game).

The game also pits the WAC's best rushing offense in option-oriented Air Force (280.9 yards per game) and the conference's top passing offense in BYU (235.2 yards per game).

Cougar quarterback Kevin Feterik leads the WAC in passing efficiency while Air Force quarterback Blane Morgan is 19-3 in his career as a starter and was the Mountain Division's offensive player of the year.