COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’88 : Big West Preview : Utah State Should Challenge San Jose, Fresno for the Top Spot

After years of feeling left out, Utah State is something of a conference darling this season.

It seems only fitting. A school in the mountains of northern Utah never seemed quite at home in a conference named the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.

But in a move designed to boost the conference’s identity, the PCAA became the Big West this summer. Even the coaches are trying to get used to the name change, but few are more pleased than Utah State’s Chuck Shelton. “We had New Mexico State, (Nevada) Las Vegas and us, and it meant nothing,” Shelton said. “I always thought it hurt us to be in a league with Pacific Coast in the name. It hurt our identity and our recruiting. I was only concerned that they were going to call it the Wild West.”

This season, as if to emphasize the name change, Utah State has been picked in most forecasts to finish first or second. The Aggies, who haven’t had a winning season since 1980, lost their first five games last season before finishing strong at 5-6.

San Jose State and Fresno State may be off their games a bit, and there appears to be room for someone else at the top.

Utah State has the best returning quarterback in the conference in Brent Snyder, who passed for more than 300 yards in four straight games last season, and had a 384-yard game against San Jose State. Kendal Smith, who caught 67 passes for 1,048 yards last season, is also back.

Defense will be more of a question. The Aggies were last in the conference in total defense last year. But even though only 1 of his 11 defensive backs has ever played in a Utah State game, Shelton says the defense will be improved.

The Aggies may be all the more emblematic of the conference because of their schedule. They will open the season Saturday against Nebraska in Lincoln.

Playing road games against big-name programs for guarantees of $200,000 and more has become almost a standard in the conference. This season, both Utah State and Nevada Las Vegas are playing Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton will play West Virginia and Cal State Long Beach again is playing UCLA.

Shelton, like other coaches, considers it a necessary task, and a chance for a bit of that commodity so much desired in the Big West--attention.

“This is a way we can make some money and achieve some national notoriety as a result of playing them,” he said. “I guarantee our score will be flashed all over the country.”

Guarantees and notoriety cut both ways, however, and those sorts of games are among the reasons only two conference teams had winning records last season--San Jose State (10-2) and Fresno State (6-5).

A look at the rest of the Big West:

CAL STATE FULLERTON

1987 records: 6-6 overall, 4-3 conference.

1987 conference finish: 2nd (tie).

The defense, which gave up 29.2 points a game last season, may be the best in the conference this season. The line is particularly strong, anchored by A.J. Jenkins, a first-team all-conference pick last season. Jenkins is joined up front by transfers Alex Stewart from USC, Jerry Leggett from Mississippi State and John Bavaro from Glendale College. Bill Bryan, a four-year starter at linebacker and the leading tackler last season, is back, as is a talented secondary staffed by James Howard, Mike Schaffel and Sean Fernandes, who had five interceptions after making the team as a walk-on last season. The offense, particularly the inexperienced and shallow offensive line, is much more of a concern.

But the Titans have the most promising quarterback they’ve had in years in community-college transfer Dan Speltz, who passed for 2,342 yards last season and helped El Camino College to an undefeated season. John Gibbs, who caught 30 passes last season, and community-college transfer Rocky Palamara are able receivers. Coach Gene Murphy has called this team as talented as any he has coached at Fullerton. It’s a claim worth noting. His 1984 team went 11-1.

CAL STATE LONG BEACH

1987 records: 4-7 overall, 2-5 conference.

1987 conference finish: 7th.

Quarterback Jeff Graham will once again be the focal point of this team. He passed for 2,427 yards last season while the 49ers were trying to rely less on him. In three seasons, two as the starter, he has passed for 5,360 yards, and his completion rate is 56.3%. He probably will pass Doug Gaynor, who finished with 6,793 yards, as the school’s leading passer.

Graham has able receivers, particularly Derek Washington, who caught 52 passes for 782 yards last season. But much of the 49er backfield experience has fallen by the wayside since last season. Michael Roberts, who gained 577 yards, has redshirted, as has Ricco Wilson. LaFayette Shelton, the starting fullback, dislocated an elbow in a scrimmage and is out for at least three weeks, leaving Brian Browning and community-college transfer Andre Southerland to fill the void for the opener against Boise State at Veterans Stadium Saturday.

Linebackers Tom Caines and Phillip Morrison anchor the defense.

FRESNO STATE

1987 records: 6-5 overall, 4-3 conference.

1987 conference finish: 2nd (tie).

The Bulldogs have finished no worse than second in the last three years, and don’t figure to do much different this season, despite having a young team. Only four starters return on defense, but two of them are linebackers Tracy Rogers--a first-team all-conference selection and an honorable-mention All-American last season--and Ron Cox, who had 7 1/2 sacks last season as a freshman. Cox underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the summer but may be ready for the opener against New Mexico Saturday in Albuquerque.

Quarterback Dave Telford is back after starting 9 of 11 games last year and breaking some of Kevin Sweeney’s records, but he has fallen behind redshirt freshman Mark Barsotti, who is strong-armed and mobile. People in Fresno are calling Barsotti, who played at Madera High School, the best high school quarterback out of the San Joaquin Valley since Sweeney. He’s likely to hold down the starting job on that comparison alone.

NEW MEXICO STATE

1987 records: 2-9 overall, 0-7 conference.

1987 conference finish: 8th.

Progress comes in modest steps at New Mexico State, where the only winning season the last 20 years was a 6-5 record in 1978. The Aggies have won six games the last four years, and in four years in the conference have finished no higher than seventh.

At quarterback, there is a battle between Phil Vinson, who started the first eight games last season and has nearly fully recovered from the shoulder dislocation that sidelined him, and Mike Reneau, who started the last four games.

Nine starters return on offense, but only three from a defense that allowed 29.8 points a game last season, worst in the conference. Coach Mike Knoll’s goal is to be the most improved team in the conference, and he says the Aggies can win four to six games this season.

NEVADA LAS VEGAS

1987 records: 5-6 overall, 4-3 conference.

1987 conference finish: 2nd (tie).

Ickey Woods, whose 1,658 yards rushing led the nation last season, became a second-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, and UNLV is left to replace all that offense. It will take more than one person: Tommy Jackson and Bernard Jackson, who are not related, and community-college transfer Kyle Toomer--a 26-year-old Navy veteran--will combine forces.

The Rebels’ strong suit is the kicking game. Tony Rhynes, who averaged 43.7 yards a punt, and kicker Jim Cook, who scored 72 points, are UNLV’s outstanding players.

Scott Sims, a sophomore who was the starter in six games last season--including all five of the victories--will be the quarterback. The big question marks are on defense. The only player back in the front line is nose tackle Doc Wise, and only cornerback Al Hemmans and safety Charles Anthony return in the secondary.

PACIFIC

1987 records: 4-7 overall, 3-4 conference.

1987 conference finish: 6th.

Coach Bob Cope’s wishbone offense is unique in the pass-oriented Big West. But although it will still be the standard formation for the Tigers this season, a new playbook has been designed to open it up. This is partly in deference to personnel. The Tigers have three solid running backs--Jon Grim, Rodney Powell and Anthony Williams--but the line is a concern.

Pacific attempted only 133 passes last season, completing just 47, but Cope says the Tigers are likely to attempt 40 passes in the first game alone, against Arkansas. A close battle at quarterback between senior Jason Frost and sophomore Ron Beverly, who shared the starter’s role last season, ended suddenly--and probably only temporarily--last week when Beverly underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

The defense has six returning starters, including safety Greg Koperek and cornerback Ruben Harper, who had five interceptions last season--four against New Mexico State.

SAN JOSE STATE

1987 records: 10-2 overall, 7-0 conference.

1987 conference finish: 1st.

The Spartans haven’t lost a conference game in two years and have gone 20-4 the last two seasons, and this figures to be the closest thing to a rebuilding season Coach Claude Gilbert will see.

The Spartans, who lost 17 of 22 starters--11 of whom were named first-team all-conference--have more than 50 new players.

Nowhere is the loss more pressing than at quarterback, where Mike Perez passed for 3,550 yards last season. Ken Lutz, who backed up Perez last season, completed 11 of 16 passes for 182 yards in the final scrimmage--but the offense has only one returning starter, tackle Scott Swall.

Defensively, four starters are back, led by all-conference cornerback Jay Taylor and junior safety Ryan Rasnick.