Columnist Steve Guiremand: Early returns justify coaches’ faith in MWC

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Sept. 24, 1999 | 10:10 a.m.

Steve Guiremand's college football column appears Friday. Reach him at 259-2324 or steve@lasvegassun.com

More than a few college football followers rolled their eyes this summer when Mountain West Conference coaches such as John Robinson, Fisher DeBerry, LaVell Edwards and Sonny Lubick proclaimed their new league could be just as good as longtime conferences such as the Pac-10 and Big 12.

Not any more.

In fact, it could be argued that the young upstart MWC is better than the Pathetic-10 already if the first month of the season is to be believed.

The MWC owns a 3-1 record against the Pac-10 with only San Diego State's much-closer-than-expected 24-21 loss at No. 16 USC the only blemish. The Aztecs were somehow in it at the end against Carson Palmer and company despite committing six turnovers.

BYU and Air Force both knocked off Washington while Utah cruised past Washington State in Pullman.

Of course, beating up on the Pac-10 this year seems more like the rule than the exception.

How else do you explain New Mexico State embarrassing Arizona State, 35-7, last Saturday in Sun Devil Stadium? Or Idaho knocking off Washington State, 28-17, in Pullman? Or UCLA rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat mighty Fresno State, 35-21? Or Oregon State rallying late to beat Division I-AA Georgia Southern, 48-41, in Corvallis?

And the conference's preseason favorite to make a run at the national title, Arizona, got blitzed at home by Stanford, 50-22, last weekend. The same Stanford team that lost to Texas, 69-17, earlier this season.

Maybe top-to-bottom the Mountain West isn't quite as good as the Pac-10 -- yet. But if the start of the 1999 season is any indication, it won't be long before it is.

Notes and quotes

Some contributors to the USC web site "Trojan Football Online" got their passwords yanked this week after particularly harsh criticisms of Trojan coach Paul Hackett and the Trojan band. Some SC fans already are calling for Hackett's scalp. What will happen if the Trojans (2-0) actually lose at Oregon this weekend? ...

Most underrated coach in the country? Try Oregon's Mike Bellotti.

Best player pound-for-pound in the nation? It could be San Jose State's Deonce Whitaker (5-6, 180), who leads the nation in scoring (nine TDs in three games) and all-purpose yards (227 per game) and is sixth in rushing (168.0). This despite playing against schools such as LSU and Colorado with an inexperienced offensive line in front of him ...

Most overrated player in the nation? It very well could be USC All-American offensive lineman Travis Claridge (6-6, 305), who is a surprisingly poor drive blocker for his size and whiffs frequently in pass blocking. ...

I know Arizona (2-2) has been a big disappointment so far. But it's hard to believe that Washington State, a team that can't even beat Idaho at home, is only a 13-point underdog this week in Pullman. ...

Alabama coach Mike DuBose can start cleaning out his office now that AD Bob Bockrath got the ax. If the Crimson Tide loses again to Arkansas on Saturday, word is DuBose may not make it to the end of the season. ...

Hottest name in college coaching? Try New Mexico State's Tony Samuel, who played and coached at Nebraska. If I were Cornhuskers' coach Frank Solich, I'd be a tad nervous the rest of the year. ...

Is it me, or does Ron Dayne always seem to have a sore ankle heading into big games? ...

BYU quarterback Kevin Feterik (6-0, 175), who leads the nation in total offense (392.5 yards per game), was passed over by both USC and UCLA after a stellar prep career at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School because of his lack of size and arm strength. ...

Once around the MWC

* AIR FORCE: With another blocked punt in Saturday's 31-21 win over Washington in Seattle, the Falcons have now blocked an amazing 53 kicks in the '90's.

* BYU: Butkus Award candidate Rob Morris may miss Saturday's contest against Virginia with a pulled abdominal muscle. Cougs could use Morris' run defense against Cavs' talented back Thomas Jones, a likely first-round NFL pick before he's done.

* COLORADO STATE: Bye couldn't come at a better time for Rams. It will give fullback Kevin McDougal an extra week to rest his pulled groin muscle before next week's game against surprising New Mexico State.

* NEW MEXICO: Rocky Long, fearful of injury, said his team won't practice on turf in preparation for Saturday's game at Boise State, home of the Smurf Turf. New Mexico is just 3-10 in games on the rug this decade.

* SAN DIEGO STATE: Ted Tollner said he will stick with erratic JC transfer Jack Hawley at quarterback for this week's game at Kansas despite the fact Hawley threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in Aztecs' narrow 24-21 loss at USC.

* UNLV: Quarterback Jason Vaughan threw 58 passes before tossing his first interception in his 11th quarter of Division I football.

* UTAH: Running back Mike Anderson, the Mountain West's preseason offensive player of the year, is averaging 102.5 yards per game rushing and 6.0 yards per attempt thus far.

* WYOMING: Cowboys haven't scored a touchdown against Air Force in more than nine quarters (140 minutes) dating back to 1996.

Once around the nation

* ACC: North Carolina, which hosts No. 1 Florida State on Saturday, is 0-9-1 all-time against the Seminoles, including a 39-13 loss in Tallahassee last year.

* BIG EAST: Miami had won 61 straight games when outrushing its opponent before last Saturday's 27-23 loss to Penn State. Hurricanes outrushed JoePa's squad, 160-110.

* BIG TEN: Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez, severely handicapped by a badly swollen right knee on which he had surgery last spring, will have knee replacement surgery Oct. 5 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Alvarez is expected to coach from the press box when the Badgers host Michigan on Saturday at Camp Randall.

* BIG 12: Colorado quarterback Mike Moschetti, who left last week's game against Kansas late in the first half with a knee sprain, "guarantees" he'll play in Saturday's long-awaited showdown with Washington and ex-Buffs' coach Rick Neuheisel in Seattle. Strong-armed redshirt freshman Zac Colvin will start if Moschetti can't go.

* BIG WEST: Nevada-Reno's 72-10 loss at Oregon was the worst point-spread loss and the most points allowed by the Wolf Pack (0-3) since 1920 when Cal scored a 79-7 victory.

* CONFERENCE USA: Army linebacker Nate Hunterton, a Bishop Gorman product, has 17 tackles and three sacks in just two games for the Cadets, who host Ball State on Saturday.

* INDEPENDENTS: A bye week on the field for stumbling Notre Dame but potentially a huge one off it. The NCAA Committee of Infractions is scheduled to meet this weekend in Tucson, Ariz., at which time the Irish could learn of their penalties for the Kim Dunbar fiasco.

* MAC: Kent (0-3) will take the nation's longest Division I losing streak -- 16 games -- into Saturday's game against Bowling Green (1-2) at Dix Stadium. Last win for the Flashes? That would be in 1997, 29-20, at Dix Stadium against ... Bowling Green.

* MOUNTAIN WEST: Colorado State and Colorado have agreed to play next year's game in Mile High Stadium again despite problems between police and CSU students after this year's game. The city of Denver, which runs the stadium, has agreed not to sell beer at the game.

* PAC-10: Arizona coach Dick Tomey was so disgusted by his team's lethargic play in its stunning 50-22 home loss to Stanford that he held a 7 a.m. Sunday scrimmage just hours after the Saturday night game. "Anybody not there is done," Tomey said.

* SEC: Arkansas could be without star quarterback Clint Stoerner (sprained shoulder) for Saturday's conference opener at Alabama. Redshirt freshman Robby Hampton, 23, who spent four years playing baseball in the Blue Jays organization before returning to the gridiron, would start if Stoerner can't go.

* WAC: Hawaii, which has a 24-game conference road losing streak, plays at SMU on Saturday afternoon. Expect a few yawns on the Rainbows' sideline. Kickoff is 2 p.m. CDT, or 9 a.m. Hawaii time.