Lobos a ‘class act’ even for must game

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Nov. 7, 2003 | 10:26 a.m.

Rocky Long and his New Mexico Lobos have thrown out all the cliches for tonight's nationally televised Mountain West Conference showdown with Colorado State on ESPN2.

You know, terms like "must win" and getting "into the mindset" that if Lobos (5-4, 2-2) lose to the Rams (5-4, 2-2), they won't be going to a bowl game this year.

But lets give Long some credit. He still has his priorities right.

Long made eight of his starters go to class this morning and skip game meetings so they could take their exams. The players still got to stay in the team hotel last night but were scheduled to be shuttled back-and-forth to their classes this morning.

"Our philosophy here is to go to school first," Long told the Albuquerque Tribune.

Meanwhile, Colorado State quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt told the Tribune that he doesn't go to class on the day of a weekday home game and also rarely goes the day before.

"Football's my job," Van Pelt said."I'm an athlete-slash-student."

Van Pelt, the 2002 Mountain West offensive player of the year who hopes to get a shot at quarterback in the NFL, is still scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in industrial technology.

Bobbin' along

Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry can say he officially has made it into the big time now.

The Academy distributed DeBerry bobblehead dolls at last week's 45-43 triple overtime loss against Utah.

"We gave them away to the first 3,500 fans," Air Force assistant athletic director Troy Garnhart said. "It's part of some of the things were doing to celebrate Fisher's 20th anniversary at the Academy. He really took a razzing for it at his press conference afterward."

Word is UNLV officials are looking into the possibility of giving away John Robinson and Charlie Spoonhour bobbleheads at basketball games this year.

Notes and quotes

Raise your hand if you predicted Wyoming (4-5, 2-2) would beat both BYU and Colorado State this season. Or if you thought Tulsa (5-4, 3-2), which won one game each of the Past two seasons, could finish with eight wins? ...

Running On Empty? With junior quarterback Matt Berry still bothered by a hand injury and freshman backup John Beck out for the season with a broken finger, sophomore walk-on Jackson Brown has been getting his share of practice reps this week for BYU. ...

Let me get this straight. The WAC gives one of its officiating crew a one-game suspension for making a couple of screwups at the end of the San Jose State-Hawaii game last week? That's the same suspension the Mountain West Conference handed out to Utah offensive guard Chris Kemoeatu got for kicking a defenseless and helmetless player, UNLV nose tackle Howie Fuimaono, in the face with his cleats. Wonder if WAC commissioner Karl Benson will order the striped shirts to undergo anger management classes, too? ...

In case you missed, San Jose State quarterback Scott Rislov spiked the ball with the Spartans about an inch from the goal line and trailing the Warriors, 13-10. The scoreboard clock still read 0:01 but the officiating crew ruled that time had expired and promptly ran off the field as Hawaii players began celebrating.

"I'm not going to say anything about the officials, but they say the truth will set you free," San Jose State coach Fitz Hill said. "Get a TV copy of the game, and you'll see the truth." ...

If you believe in the old saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire," then TCU and Boise State will be joining the Mountain West Conference in the next few weeks. ...

If the MWC is going to expand to 9 or 10 teams as commissioner Craig Thompson strongly hinted this week, why not just go all the way to 12 teams so you can split into six-team west and east divisions and have a football playoff game at Sam Boyd Stadium in early December? Say what you want about the old 16-team WAC but one of the good things it had going for it was its football playoff game. And I'm sure the MWC could garner a better TV deal with a California team like Fresno State on board along with a team like Hawaii, which also would bring along another bowl game for the conference. ...

Once around the MWC