Football Returns Home to Face Southern Utah on Saturday
11/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 11, 2003
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This Week In Gael Football:
Saint Mary's will return home for its last two games of the season, beginning with a November 15 game against Southern Utah. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. in Saint Mary's Stadium. Southern Utah enters Saturday's game with a 3-6 record after falling to Northern Colorado, 29-25, at home last week. The Gaels are 1-9 overall after a 20-13 defeat on the road to Drake University.
Gaels to host Youth Football/Spirit Day:
Saint Mary's Football is teaming up with local youth football and spirit teams for a fundraiser at the Gaels game versus the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, November 15. Youth football players and spirit members will get to participate in a variety of activities before, during and after the game. The day is highlighted by a pre-game chalk talk with the Saint Mary's coaching staff and a pre-game cheer clinic with the Saint Mary's Spirit Team.
Saint Mary's Radio Coverage:
All 12 games of the 2003 football season can be heard on the Internet at www.SMCGaels.com, and KSMC 89.5 FM, the campus radio station. Mike Bouve will provide the play-by-play action for Saint Mary's game against Southern Utah. This week Bouve will be joined by KSMC broadcaster David Lankford, who will provide color commentary. The Internet broadcasts will be available through the athletic website for a minimal monthly fee.
Saint Mary's on the Web:
Gael fans can access all the latest news and notes about Saint Mary's athletics on the web at www.SMCGaels.com. The official website offers the most up to date information and results of the Gaels' 15 intercollegiate sports plus much more.
Weston Borba Accepts Invitation to East-West Shrine Game:
Senior defensive back Weston Borba has been invited to participate in the 2004 East-West Shrine Game. The game is scheduled for January 10, 2004 and will be played at SBC Park in San Francisco. Borba becomes the first Gael to be selected for this game since place kicker Kevin Shea was named to the team in 1977. This will be the second all-star game for Borba after he was selected to participate in the The Football Network's first annual TFN/Division I-AA All Star Classic on December 30, 2003, at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Borba, a preseason All-American and the 2002 I-AA Independent Defensive Player of the Year, has 74 total tackles in 10 games this season. He has six tackles for a loss (tied for second on the team), including a career-high three sacks, four interceptions (two for touchdowns), three fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), and two forced fumbles. His three touchdowns, totaling 18 points, are tied for the team lead in scoring.
Scouting the Thunderbirds:
Southern Utah will come to Saint Mary's with a 3-6 record after losing its last three games. The Thunderbirds were 3-3, before losing games to McNeese State (33-20), Cal Poly (33-21) and Northern Colorado (29-25), respectively, the last three weeks. The three wins for SUU have come against Stephen F. Austin (22-21), Western Oregon (17-10) and Texas State (31-28).
As a team Southern Utah is averaging 335.8 yards of total offense per game while allowing its opponents nearly 400 yards per game. SUU is running for 109 yards per game while throwing for 226.7 yards per contest. Thunderbird opponents are rushing for 179.4 yards and throwing for 220.3 yards per game.
Southern Utah has used two quarterbacks most of the year with both freshman Ryan Zimmerman and junior Casey Rehrer taking snaps. Zimmerman has completed 100-of-196 passes for 1,043 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Rehrer has similar numbers, as he's completed 84-of-185 passes for seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. With Rehrer in the game, the Thunderbirds have a tendency to run the ball more as evident by Rehrer's 271 yards rushing on 71 attempts. Both are second on the team.
Michael Culpepper leads the team in rushing with 325 yards and his 79 carries are also a team-high. The team's leading receiver is A.J. Smith with 51 catches for 501 yards. Former quarterback Charles Henderson, who is now playing tight end, leads the team with four touchdown catches.
Junior linebacker Nick DiPadova leads the defensive unit with 92 tackles and he has a team leading three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. The team's sack leader is Sitiveni Tuivai with 4.5 sacks. Tuivai also had a team-high eight tackles for a loss.
Saint Mary's vs. Southern Utah; The Series:
In a series that dates back the 1990 season, Saturday's game will mark the 15th game of the series between Saint Mary's and Southern Utah. Southern Utah hold an 8-5-1 advantage overall in the series. Saint Mary's won the last two games played between the two schools, which include a 24-14 win in Ceder City, UT last year and a 28-21 win in Moraga in 2001. In games played at Saint Mary's Stadium, the Gaels hold a 3-2-1 advantage. SMC and SUU have squared off every year since 1990.
Vincent White at a Glance:
Vincent White (Stanford, 1983), a Denver, CO native, is currently 1-9 in his first year as the head coach at Saint Mary's. White earned his first career win with a 33-27 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on October 25, 2003. White took over the Saint Mary's football program after 17 years as an assistant coach at the I-A level, most recently with the University of Utah from 2001-02. With the Utes, he coached the running backs, helping lead the team to a victory over USC in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl. He was instrumental in the development of Dameon Hunter, who rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2001 and led Utah to the 12th-best rushing attack in the nation at 218.9 yards per game.
The 42-year old White enjoyed a stellar playing career at Stanford University from 1979-82. A running back under head coach Paul Wiggin, he led the nation in receptions as a senior in 1982, catching 69 passes. He totaled 1,275 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns en route to First Team All-Pac-10 and Honorable Mention All-American honors. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 1983 draft but chose to pursue a career with the Denver Gold of the USFL from 1983-1985.
A Look Inside Thunderbird Head Coach Gary Anderson:
Gary Anderson is 3-6 as the head coach of the Southern Utah football team. Andersen took over the reins of the Thunderbird program after spending the last six seasons at the University of Utah, including the last two as the assistant head coach. While at Utah, Andersen also served as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach. During his time on the staff at Utah, Andersen helped coach the team to a pair of Bowl appearances and win in addition to a 1999 Mountain West Conference championship. He helped the Utes to a 17-16 win over Fresno State in the 1999 Las Vegas Bowl and in 2001 to a 10-6 win over Southern Cal, again in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Two Gaels Closing in on Single-Season Records:
Saint Mary's punter Ben Antongiovanni is closing in on the SMC single-season punting yards record. Through the first 10 games, Antongiovanni has 68 punts for a total of 2,624 yards. Both are career-highs for the senior. He is now 10 punts away from breaking Tony Molino's 1984 record of 78 punts and 236 yards shy of Molino's single-season record of 2,860 punt yards. Antongiovanni is averaging nearly seven punts and 264.2 yards per game.
Freshman kick returner Ryan Coogler (Richmond, CA) continues to move up the single season kickoff return list for Saint Mary's. In his first season Coogler has returned 22 kickoffs for a total of 521 yards for a 23.6-yard average. Coogler will need 52 yards to top Ed Williams' 1994 season record of 572 yards. With 22 returns this season, Coogler is seven returns behind Fabian John's 1999 record of 29 kickoff returns. In addition to his SMC status, Coogler's 23.6 return average ranks 40th overall in Division I-AA football.
Game 10 Recap: Drake 20 - Saint Mary's 13:
Saint Mary's suffered a tough 20-13 loss to the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday in Des Moines, IA. The Gaels held a 13-0 lead for the first 34 minutes of the game, but gave up 20 unanswered points leading to the loss.
Saint Mary's broke a scoreless tie in the first quarter when Stevelan Harper picked off a Bill Castonzo pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The interception and touchdown for the freshman was his first of each in a Gael uniform
The Gaels added to their lead in the second quarter when offensive lineman Chris Tillery caught a backwards pass from Cordel Webb and ran 15 yards for the Gaels' second touchdown of the game, giving them a 13-0 lead after a blocked extra point. Tillery's touchdown is the first of his career at Saint Mary's.
Saint Mary's went into halftime with a 13-0 lead, with 94 yards rushing and 16 yards passing compared to the Bulldogs 68 yards rushing and 34 yards passing. After the Gaels punted on their first possession of the second half, the Bulldogs finally got on the scoreboard. Castonzo, making his first start for Drake, threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Jason Jones at the 10:53 mark of the third period to make the score 13-7.
At the end of the third quarter, the Gaels held a 13-7 lead, despite two quarterbacks going down with an injury. Saint Mary's Stephen Ratliff replaced starting quarterback Cordel Webb midway through the second quarter and Ratliff was replaced by freshman Parker Mangum midway through the third quarter.
On Drake's first possession of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs took their first lead of the game following 14-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor to give them a 14-13 lead with 13:05 remaining in the game. Drake's touchdown was set up by a Jace Denison interception of Mangum.
Drake added to its fourth quarter lead when Taylor scored from 1-yard out to give the Bulldogs a 20-13 lead. Taylor's touchdown run was set up by a Mangum fumble. Mangum fumbled after being sacked from his blindside while attempting a pass.
The Gaels opened the game causing two turnovers on the Bulldogs first two possessions of the game. Saint Mary's Travis Menke recovered a Taylor fumble on Drake's first play of the game. The Gaels gave the ball right back to the Bulldogs, however, when Ryan Coogler fumbled on Saint Mary's second play of the game. Two plays later Travis Menke intercepted a Castonzo pass on the 37-yard line, but the Gaels failed to capitalize on the turnover.
Gael Highlights:
Senior safety Weston Borba (Chowchilla, CA) garnered preseason First Team All-American honors by the Don Hansen's Football Gazette and was selected to The Sports Network's preseason All-America Honorable Mention team. Borba is a seven-time I-AA Independent Defensive Player of the Week and even garnered The Sports Network Defensive Player of the Week honors when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Cal Poly in 2002. With four interceptions this season, Borba has 16 interceptions in his career, which places him in second place all-time in the SMC record books. He's had four interceptions every season with Saint Mary's. He returned interceptions for touchdowns twice this season, with none more impressive than his 54-yard return against the Aggies. The touchdown against UC Davis for Borba was his third of the season (2 INT, 1 Fumble) and the seventh time in his career he's scored a defensive touchdown. He has returned five interceptions for a touchdown. His 18 points (3 TDs) is tied with Cordel Webb for the team lead. He's five interceptions behind Fran McDermott's school record of 21 career interceptions. He currently has 346 career tackles, which moves him into fourth place in the SMC record books after passing Jason Becker (1987-90). Next on the list for Borba is Frank Cavalier (1985-88) who finished his career with 355 tackles.
After making the move from defensive end to outside linebacker for his senior campaign, Ray Mike (Pomona, CA) has been impressive for the Gaels' defense. In his first game at linebacker, Mike pulled down his first career interception in the first quarter against Northern Arizona to set up a field goal for Saint Mary's, marking the first points of the season. Against Sacramento State he grabbed his second career interception and returned it 66 yards for a touchdown, and the first touchdown of the season for Saint Mary's. Mike recovered a fumble in the game against Southeastern Louisiana for his second touchdown of the season. He had a career-high two sacks against Lehigh and with one in each of the last three games, he leads the team with seven sacks this season. Not only is that a career-high for the senior, but his seven sacks more than double his career total of three heading into the season. Mike's recorded a season-high 46 tackles as a junior and he has 65 tackles this season (third on the team) to top last year's total.
Senior punter Ben Antongiovanni (Bakersfield, CA) is a two-time I-AA Independent Special Teams Player of the Week. He first earned the honor after averaging a career-high 46.0 yards per punt against Northern Arizona in week one. Then against UC Davis, he averaged 44.7 yards per kick that included kicks of 55, 52 and 49 yards. In his three years as the squad's punter, he's put his foot to 192 punts totaling 7,348 yards for a 38.3 average. With a 319-yard punting performance against Cal Poly on October 18, Antongiovanni moved into second place in the SMC record books for career punting yards. He passed Kevin Shea (1975-78), who finished his career with 6,574 punt yards. The all-time Saint Mary's punting yards record his help by Doug Beuerlein at 9,232 yards.
Junior middle linebacker Heath Villarreal (Hughson, CA) leads the team in tackles with 76. He has tallied double digits in tackles three times this season, following a 14-tackle performance against Southeastern Louisiana. He also had a career-best 16 against Northern Arizona and 11 when the Gaels played Humboldt State. Villarreal is tied for second on the team with seven tackles for a loss and is second on the team with four sacks. What makes Villarreal's numbers outstanding are that he was a starting running back for Saint Mary's his first two years. When Vincent White took over the program this season he moved Villarreal to linebacker. In his first collegiate game on defense, he was named the I-AA Independent Defensive Player of the Week after recording 16 tackles against Northern Arizona to open the season.
Injury Report:
Probable: None Questionable: QB - Cordel Webb. Doubtful: Stephen Ratliff (Ankle), LB - Michael Caceres (Shoulder). Out: DL - Mike McDermott (Back), CB - Sean O'Hara, WR - Nick Miller (Leg), LB - Grant Newman (Knee), LB - Clifton Harrison (Jaw), LB - Ramon Burley-Johnson (Arm), CB - Be-Naiah Williams (Concussion), DL - Danny Massey (Shoulder), WR - Chevalier Patterson (Groin), OL - Torin Simpson (Arm), OL - Richard Jones (Hand), RB - Clint Wilson (Concussion), OL - Joshua Williams (Arm), DT - Dan Cordisco (Shoulder), Lukas Arenrich (Wrist).
Next Week in Gael Football:
Saint Mary's will close out its 2003 campaign at home when the Gaels face Weber State. The game against the Wildcats is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. at Saint Mary's Stadium. This will mark just the second game played between SMC and Weber State. In the only other game played between the two schools, Weber State posted a 49-14 win over the Gaels in 1995.
BSB | Saint Mary's at Nevada Highlights, 4-21-26
Tuesday, April 21
SB | Odhi Vasquez Highlights vs. Oregon State, 4-17-26
Monday, April 20
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Gonzaga Highlights, 4-19-26
Sunday, April 19
SB | Saint Mary's vs. Oregon State Highlights, 4-19-26
Sunday, April 19
