Saint Mary's Closes 2003 Campaign at Home against Weber State
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2003
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This Week In Gael Football:
Saint Mary's will close its 2003 season on Saturday when the Weber State Wildcats come to Saint Mary's Stadium on November 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Weber State is 7-4 and is coming off a 26-14 home win over the Sacramento State Hornets last week. Saint Mary's dropped to 1-10 after suffering a 40-7 defeat to Southern Utah at home on Saturday.
Gaels to Honor Fans and Senior Players on Saturday:
Saint Mary's is taking time out to honor two special groups of people when the Gaels take on the Weber State Wildcats. All Gael football fans will be thanked with ticket specials and giveaways throughout the game. A special Family Ticket Pack will be available for $40, normally a $60 value. Saint Mary's is also honoring its 17 senior football players who will be playing their last game in a Gael uniform.
Game against Weber State Final Home game for 17 Players:
When Saint Mary's takes on Weber State it will mark the end of the careers for 17 Saint Mary's players. Saint Mary's will recognize these 17 players in a special ceremony prior to the game. The players that will be honored prior to the final game of the season are Stephen Ratliff, Andre Coleman, Ben Antongiovanni, Travis Menke, Jeff Brown, Tony Mendoza, Clint Wilson, Weston Borba, Chris Harrell, Ramon Burley-Johnson, Jesse Charles, Anthony Woodards, Chris Tillery, Nick Wisely, Torin Simpson, Paul Reynaud and Ray Mike. Saint Mary's will also honor the family of Bryan Vargas who would also have been playing in his final game on Saturday.
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 schedule 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 first annual TFN/Division I-AA All Star Classic on December 30, 2003, in Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Borba, a preseason All-American and the 2002 I-AA Independent Defensive Player of the Year, has 67 total tackles in nine games this season. He has six tackles for a loss, 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 teams lead in scoring.
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. When the Gaels take on the Wildcats, David Lankford will call the play-by-play action. Joining Lankford will be fellow KSMC student broadcaster Collin Pugh, who will provide the 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.
Scouting the Wildcats:
Weber State comes to Saint Mary's with a 7-4 record following three straight victories. The last three weeks, the Wildcats defeated Idaho State (38-21), Portland State (45-21) and Sacramento State (26-14), respectively. WSU finished its Big Sky Conference schedule with a 4-3 record. The three conference losses were to Northern Arizona (48-29), Montana (12-7) and Montana State (26-3).
The Wildcats enter the game with an offensive unit that is racking up 367.7 yards of total offense per game. Weber State is running for 193.0 yards per contest with running back Nick Chournos leading the way with 134.5 yards per game. Chournos is the nation's seventh-best running back and Weber State ranks 23rd in the nation in rushing. The Wildcat passing offense is averaging 174.7 yards per game and quarterback Kyle Bauer leads the team with 168.9 yards passing per game. Bauer has thrown for 1,351 yards while completing 83-of-168 passes with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are allowing 320.0 yards per game with the opposition throwing for 200.5 yards per game and running for 119.5 yards per contest. Leading the defensive unit for WSU is senior linebacker Matt McFadden. In 11 games McFadden tallied 133 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss. McFadden will miss this game after suffering a torn medial collateral ligament against Sacramento State last week. Fellow linebacker Colton Swan is second on the team with 98 tackles. Brady Fosmark leads the team with 10 sacks and 16.5 tackles for a loss. Fosmark's 10 sacks is tied for six in the country and his 1.25 sacks average per game is third in the country.
Saint Mary's vs. Weber State; The Series:
Saturday's game between SMC and Weber State will mark just the second ever meeting between the two schools in football. In the only game played between the teams, Weber State posted a 49-14 victory in Ogden, UT during the 1995 season.
Vincent White at a Glance:
Vincent White (Stanford, 1983), a Denver, CO native, is currently 1-10 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 Wildcat Head Coach Jerry Graybeal:
In six years as the head coach of the Weber State football team, Jerry Graybeal has a 30-36 overall record. This season the Wildcats have a 7-4 record, which matches his 2000 record - the best season record under the Graybeal era. In addition to his six years at Weber State, he has also been an assistant coach at Eastern Washington (1981-97) and Walla Walla Community College (1979-82).
Antongiovanni Closing in on Single-Season Punting Records:
Saint Mary's punter Ben Antongiovanni is closing in on the SMC single-season punting yards record. Through the 11 games, Antongiovanni has 71 punts for a total of 2,754 yards. Both are career-highs for the senior. He is now seven punts away from breaking Tony Molino's 1984 record of 78 punts and 106 yards shy of Molino's single-season record of 2,860 punt yards. Antongiovanni is averaging nearly 6.4 punts and 250.4 yards per game.
Coogler becomes SMC's Single Season Kick Return Leader:
Following a 54-yard kick return effort on Saturday against Southern Utah, freshman Ryan Coogler (Richmond, CA) set a Saint Mary's single-season kick return record. This season Coogler has 25 kickoff returns for a total of 574 yards for a 22.9-yard average. Coogler topped Ed Williams' 1994 season record of 572 yards, and Coogler still has one game left on the season. With 25 returns this season, Coogler is four returns behind Fabian John's 1999 record of 29 kickoff returns. In addition to his SMC status, Coogler's 23.6 return average ranks 43rd overall in Division I-AA football.
Game 11 Recap: Southern Utah 40 - Saint Mary's 7:
Saint Mary's suffered a 40-7 defeat to Southern Utah on Saturday afternoon from Saint Mary's Stadium. Freshman wide receiver Kevin Swiryn became the first Gael in two years to top 100 yards in receiving, after hauling in six catches for 117 yards.
Southern Utah opened the game with a 6-play, 52-yard touchdown drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Cory Ashby. Following a three and out by the Gaels, SUU added another touchdown when Mike Culpepper scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Culpepper finished the game with a career-high 91 yards rushing on 12 carries for Southern Utah.
Saint Mary's cut the lead to 14-7 when Zac Connors connected with Swiryn on a 48-yard touchdown strike with 2:45 remaining in the first quarter. The 48-yard completion was the longest play from scrimmage for the Gaels this season. Swiryn finished the game with six catches for 117 yards and one touchdown. Nate Brown was the last Gael player to top the 100-yard plateau in a game when he had 110 yards receiving against Dayton on November 9, 2001.
Southern Utah extended its lead to 20-7 when Ryan Zimmerman hit Steve Price on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 15 second remaining in the first half. Including the late first half score and 20-second half points, SUU ran off 26 unanswered points against the Gaels to close the game.
In the second half, SUU scored its first touchdown on a 29-yard fumble recovery by Kurt Elliot just 49 second into the half. Two Steve Pulver field goals of 24 and 28 yards, respectively, extended the Thunderbird lead to 33-7 with 9:25 remaining in the third quarter. The final score of the contest came with 3:46 remaining when Colin Ash scored on an 11-yard touchdown run.
For Saint Mary's, Connors finished the game by completing 18-of-29 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. The 169 passing yards topped Cordel Webb's 157 when SMC played Cal Poly, for the season-high for a Saint Mary's quarterback. Connors also had three interceptions. Saint Mary's turned the ball over five times including two lost fumbles.
Defensively, Saint Mary's was led by Anthony Woodards who finished the game with a season-high 14 tackles. Nathan Kenion and Ray Mike also recorded double digits in tackles with 11 and 10, respectively.
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 75 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 195 punts totaling 7,478 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) is second on the team in tackles with 77. 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: WR - Stephen Ratliff (Ankle). Doubtful: DB - Tony Mendoza (Groin). Out: DL - Mike McDermott (Back), CB - Sean O'Hara, LB - Grant Newman (Knee), 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), LB - Michael Caceres (Shoulder).
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