USU President George Emert made his first appearance at a Big Blue Club luncheon Monday in Logan. Despite the penalty- and error-filled 32-30 loss at San Jose State Saturday, the luncheon drew a season-high 132 boosters.
They were as shocked as John L. Smith when, as the coach was introduced, Emert whipped a yellow flag at him. Smith began talking, and, look out! Another yellow presidential hanky. And another. And another. Eight in all.Athletic department spokesman John Lewandowski says it was done for levity, not to make a point about the Aggies' burgeoning penalty count (43 for 446 yards in four games, 111.5 average). With a school-record 185 yards Saturday, USU leads the Big West by an average of 27.1 walked-off yards per game.
"He's the only guy I will allow to throw a flag at me," Smith said Tuesday at the Salt Lake Big Five Huddle, mindful of who signs the paychecks.
Postgame Saturday, Smith mused that, if he winds up in Purgatory, he's sure it'll be filled with striped shirts.
Penalties aren't new to Smith. His Idaho teams were usually among the most-penalized in the Big Sky. "Penalties of aggression"are OK with him.
"Selfish" penalties have him on the warpath now.
Smith spent Sunday and Monday addressing that issue with a team that might have a win or two by now if it had discipline. "We still have people who put themselves ahead of the team," Smith says, noting retaliation penalties and tough-guy dead-ball fouls committed by "the `I' people. They want to be `us' people, but they're not," he says. With little depth, some of them will still play, but their ropes are shortening.
POW, ETC.: Abu Wilson's 228 all-purpose yards, three TDs and season-high 166 yards rushing at SJSU made him Big West Offensive Player of the Week. He carried 31 times for a 5.4 average and caught six passes for 62 yards.
End Danilo Robinson didn't get the league's weekly defensive honor but could have with a school-record five sacks for -39 yards vs. SJSU. He had 11 total tackles, eight solos.
Undersized sophomore tackle Chad Lyman made 11 tackles in his first sustained action, filling for Walter Fiefia (season-ending knee injury). LB Kenyatta Green had 10 tackles and USU season tackle leader David Gill eight.
STATS: USU leads the Big West in total defense, allowing 361.5 yards a game, and, at No. 2 in the Big West, USU is No. 21/NCAA in total offense (444.5 ypg). It's up to fifth/BWC in scoring (20.5) despite a league-low eight TDs. Micah Knorr's 2.0 field goals a game (tied-second/NCAA) helps.
Wilson's three TDs Saturday make him the Big West scoring leader and tied him for 16th/NCAA (9.0 ppg). Knorr's No. 3/BWC (28 points). Wilson's first/BWC, third/NCAA in all-purpose yards (203.3) and No. 1/BWC, No. 7/NCAA in rushing (137.5). Kevin Alexander's No. 2/BWC, No. 7/NCAA receiving (7.3 catches a game).
The sophomore defensive lineman who called timeout with :18 left Saturday, allowing San Jose to set up for the winning field goal, simply misinterpreted a signal from the sideline. A coach made the clasped-hand signal that means the "tight" defense. From halfway across the field, it looked like "T" for timeout, so the youngster called it.