Have WAC Teams Finally Come to Their Defenses?

No surprise: Passing should dominate the Western Athletic Conference this season.

Little surprise: According to a few coaches, this shapes up as one of the WAC’s most balanced seasons. Of course, BYU is still the favorite.

Big surprise: In a pass-happy conference, the D word--defense--is starting to creep, ever so softly, into the midst of usually offensive-minded programs.

“I think we’re making progress on defense,” said Brigham Young Coach LaVell Edwards. “Hawaii has always been good defensively. Wyoming is good. We have improved--in the last year or two we haven’t been like we had (in the past), but we’re getting better.

“Colorado State is going to be getting better with Earle Bruce, and San Diego State--Al Luginbill is a very good defensive coach. I think successful programs really have to have good defense before anything else.”

Said Wyoming’s Paul Roach: “I just don’t think you’re going to see big scores anymore. Instead of the 40s and 50s, maybe we’ll see scores in the 20s and 30s.”

We momentarily interrupt to inform the reader that this defense talk is not a mistake. This is still the WAC preview. Thank you.

The influx of new coaches has certainly been the biggest cause of this talk, talk that would have seemed heresy just a few years ago. Bruce, who came to Colorado State two years ago, and Luginbill, entering his second season at SDSU, have worked hard on their defenses, and now Ron McBride, first-year Utah coach, is tinkering with his defense. And over at Texas El Paso, David Lee hired a new defensive coordinator.

But rest easy, high rollers. The WAC will still offer its share of eye-popping offensive statistics. Ty Detmer is back at BYU, Dan McGwire returns to SDSU and Air Force is still running the wishbone. BYU, SDSU, UTEP, New Mexico and Wyoming run one-back sets; Hawaii uses a combination of the wishbone and run-and-shoot, and Colorado State and Utah use two-back formations. All challenge defenses week in and week out.

“You always see a wide variety of offenses in this conference,” Edwards said. “There is almost as much diversity in style of play as in geography.”

Experienced BYU is the favorite, although Hawaii and Wyoming are in the upper echelon with the Cougars. Edwards picks Colorado State and SDSU as dark horses; Luginbill adds Air Force and New Mexico to that list.

Almost everyone in the WAC can move the ball. Whether defense is paid more than lip service, we’ll see. A look at the WAC, excluding SDSU:

* AIR FORCE

Last Season: 8-4-1, 5-1-1, second

Ron Gray, a converted halfback, will replace Dee Dowis at quarterback in Air Force’s wishbone offense this season, which is a little like asking Burt Reynolds to take over for Dan Marino. Dowis was the WAC’s offensive player of the year in 1989, finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting and winding up with six NCAA records--including most career yards rushing for a quarterback (3,612) and best one-season total (1,315). He set 21 Air Force records, and under his direction, the Falcons finished third in the country with 356 rushing yards a game in 1989.

But Dowis’ isn’t the only absence that will be felt. Air Force lost eight starters on offense and seven on defense from last season, including all-WAC picks Greg Johnson (halfback), Randle Gladney (linebacker) and Scott Hollister (offensive lineman). Further damage: The Falcons lost both starting wide receivers and four of five interior linemen.

But second team all-WAC fullback Rodney Lewis (1,063 yards and seven touchdowns in 1989) is back, and DeShawn Durham rushed for 90 yards during Air Force’s 35-33 loss to Colorado State Saturday.

Air Force’s wishbone offense is very difficult to defend against, especially once the season starts and teams basically have just one week to prepare for it.

* BRIGHAM YOUNG

Last Season: 10-3, 7-1, first

In a conference loaded with offense, none will likely surpass the production of BYU’s. Ty Detmer is back for his junior season after throwing for 4,560 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1989. He finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, and his 175.6 passing efficiency rating was the second-highest in NCAA history. He broke 11 NCAA records in 1989 and was second to Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware in total offense (364.42 yards per game).

The Cougars lost Outland Trophy winner Mohammed Elewonibi, but everyone else returns to the offensive line, including all-WAC center Robert Stephens (6-feet-3, 265 pounds). It is experienced--four seniors and three community college transfers--and deep. All-American tight end Chris Smith is also back, as are running back Matt Bellini and wide receiver Andy Boyce. The three combined to catch 142 passes for 2,502 yards and 13 touchdowns in 1989.

None of this adds up to good news for BYU’s WAC rivals, because the Cougars finished second nationally in total offense (540 yards a game) and fourth in scoring (40.3) in 1989.

So what did Edwards particularly like about last week’s season-opening 30-10 victory over Texas El Paso? The defense, specifically the pass rush and the fact that BYU held UTEP to 88 yards rushing in 46 attempts.

* COLORADO STATE

Last Season: 5-5-1, 4-3, tie, fifth

The Rams found a quarterback during Saturday’s 35-33 victory at Air Force: Kevin Verdugo.

Verdugo replaced starter Mike Gimenez with 5:29 left in the third quarter and Colorado State trailing, 26-14, and promptly earned the victory. He completed 10 of his first 11 passes and finished with 14 completions in 18 attempts for 172 yards.

That settled, the Rams may assert themselves as contenders if they improve in Bruce’s second year a small percentage of as much as they did in his first. After going 1-10 in 1988, Colorado State improved to 5-5-1 in Bruce’s first season. With nine offensive and eight defensive starters returning, the Rams expect to be competitive.

Running back Tony Alford is one key. He ran for 1,035 yards last year, including one 310-yard effort at Utah, establishing a school and WAC record.

Defensively, Colorado State’s front of nose guard Eric Schaller and tackles Robert Chirico and Paul Hanks are back, as are linebackers Ron Martin and Steve Rule and backs Selwyn Jones, Harlan Carroll and Craig Jersild. They were the nucleus of a defense that held six of 11 opponents to 20 or fewer points.

* HAWAII

Last Season: 9-3-1, 5-2-1, third

The Rainbows should have a pretty good idea by mid-October whether they can duplicate the success they had in 1989, a season that ended with Hawaii making its first appearance in a bowl game (a 33-13 loss to Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl).

After a 28-13 loss to Texas A&M; Saturday, Hawaii must play three of its next four games on the road--at Air Force, Utah and Texas El Paso. If the Rainbows get through that, they should be in pretty good shape--they close with six of their last seven games at home.

Really, there is no reason why Hawaii shouldn’t expect to make another bowl appearance. The Rainbows have another solid defense, and quarterback Garrett Gabriel may be the most overlooked quarterback in the WAC. He finished second to Detmer in pass efficiency (143.5) and set 15 school records in 1989. Against Texas A&M; Saturday, he passed for 260 yards.

Another key returner is running back Jamal Farmer, who set an NCAA record by rushing for 18 touchdowns as a freshman.

The defense suffered a blow when Delmar Johnson, one of the best returning defensive lineman, was injured in a motorcycle accident in San Francisco this summer. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and will likely redshirt.

Still, linebacker Mark Odom, who led the team and conference in sacks with 13 last year, returns. Hawaii’s defense was sixth in the country against the rush (96 yards allowed a game) and led the WAC in total defense (320 yards a game) and scoring defense (20.7).

* NEW MEXICO

Last Season: 2-10, 0-7, ninth

New Mexico finished last in the WAC in 1989, but it wasn’t because of its quarterback. Jeremy Leach passed for 622 yards against Utah, second-most in a game in NCAA history, and finished sixth in the nation in total offense (280 yards a game).

He’s picking up where he left off. Saturday, in New Mexico’s 29-12 victory over New Mexico State, he completed 24 of 43 passes for 300 yards.

Problem is, two-time All-American Terance Mathis, the NCAA’s all-time leading receiver, used up his eligibility and will not be around this season. Coach Mike Sheppard figures to replace Mathis with a committee, notably Eric Morgan (56 catches for 763 yards in 1989) and Mike Henderson.

As for protecting Leach, All-WAC center Kurt Jensen is back, but there isn’t much depth on the offensive line.

The key to New Mexico’s season may hinge on how much better its defense can get. Eight starters are back from a team that allowed per-game averages of 12 fewer points and 75 fewer yards in 1989 than it did in 1988.

* TEXAS EL PASO

Last Season: 2-10, 1-7, eighth

The Miners allowed 480 yards and 34 points a game last season, causing second-year Coach David Lee to hire Charley Bailey, former Memphis State coach, as defensive coordinator.

The plan is to line up in a three-four and multiple defenses, and Lee thinks things will improve this season. Still, UTEP allowed 30 points in a season-opening loss to BYU, and Detmer blitzed the Miner secondary for 387 yards passing.

Offensively, UTEP has a big-play receiver in Reggie Barrett, who is on the verge of setting several school receiving records. He caught 58 passes for 1,042 yards in 1989, and Lee calls him the best receiver he has ever coached.

One problem is that quarterback Howard Gasser suffered a knee injury in the BYU game and may be sidelined for a while. Gasser passed for 2,586 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

Gasser’s injury came on a sack, which shouldn’t have been too surprising. The offensive line is one of the biggest concerns to UTEP coaches, having allowed 61 sacks for 363 yards in losses last year. Gasser’s injury against BYU sure wasn’t a good start in 1990.

* UTAH

Last Season: 4-8, 2-6, seventh

You would think that the biggest obstacle Utah will have to overcome is the loss of quarterback Scott Mitchell, who passed for 3,211 yards and then declared himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Ron McBride, the new coach who replaced the fired Jim Fassel, isn’t taking that approach. Sure, Mitchell will be missed, but McBride has worked hard in two areas: balancing the offense and improving the defense.

“We will still lean a little more toward the pass,” he said. “But I’m looking to balance out the offense. Our offense needs to control the tempo of the game. It needs to be good in sudden change areas, and great in short-yardage situations. Eventually, I’d like to get us to 50% running and passing.”

Jason Woods, a transfer from Lamar, nudged Mike Richmond for the starting quarterback’s job and completed 16 of 29 passes for 210 yards in Saturday’s opener against Utah State.

The big news in the Utah State game, though, was the score: Utah 19, Utah State 0. Last year, Utah finished last in the nation in defense, allowing 530 yards a game. That added up to a total of nearly 44 points a game allowed, and McBride has worked hard at finding guys who can run on defense. The shutout was Utah’s first since the first game of the 1981 season.

* WYOMING

Last Season: 5-6, 5-3, fourth

Despite the fact that the Cowboys won back-to-back WAC championships and earned Holiday Bowl appearances in 1987 and 1988, this year’s team may be more settled than any of Coach Paul Roach’s previous three.

Seven offensive and eight defensive starters are back, including quarterback Tom Corontzos and four of five offensive linemen. Wyoming was young last year, and it showed early. But the Cowboys finished strong, winning four of their last five games, and with a year of seasoning, they could develop into a WAC contender.

This is the first time since Roach has been at Wyoming that he has had a returning quarterback, and Corontzos got off to a strong start in Saturday’s 38-23 victory over Temple, passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

The biggest area of inexperience is at running back; their top four from last year graduated.

Defensively, end Mitch Donahue is probably the best lineman in the WAC. He had 10 sacks and eight tackles for a loss last season, totaling nearly 100 yards.

The schedule is in the Cowboys’ favor. They play seven home games, the most in school history, including Air Force, Brigham Young and SDSU.