YOU HAD TO WONDER going into Saturday night's Fresno State-Utah game, exactly what kind of drama this year's game would produce. Not only who would win, but how. Whether there would be a fight. And, of course, whether the coaches would leave the field by foot or in a squad car.

Two teams undefeated in WAC play met at Rice Stadium, in what promised to be a colorful game. And so it was. Not until Frenso State's desperation pass was knocked down in the end zone with no time left was it decided: Utah 25, Fresno State 21.Aside from the usual conference ramifications, the game carried with it a considerable amount of peripheral interest. These teams haven't exactly been good friends lately. They've been as compatible as Newt and Candace Gingrich.

The intensity of the series took on exaggerated proportions three years ago in Fresno, the last time they met. During the game there was a bench-clearing scuffle that took several minutes to break up. After the 41-15 win by Fresno State, Bulldog coach Jim Sweeney - reportedly upset that Ute coach Ron McBride didn't shake hands enthusiastically enough - followed McBride off the field and challenged him to a fight.

"That whole night was kind of a nightmare," said McBride thisweek. "From the football game to the fight to the deal after. The whole thing was not a good situation. But, hey, you just have to say that it's over and move on to the next thing."

Actually, Sweeney's behavior that night was only one of a number of instances in which he made headlines. For instance, last year he called BYU's defensive secondary "questionable" and its defensive line "not as good as Lavell (Edwards) has had in years past, and certainly not like he had when he had the great defensive players." He labeled BYU fullback Hema Heimuli as "a player who has yet to find himself" and added a backhanded compliment to running back Jamal Willis, saying he "is much more courageous than he was two years ago."

And that was all before the game.

What exactly goes on in Sweeney's head is anyone's guess. Three weeks before the 1992 incident with McBride, he ripped off his shirt in a game against New Mexico.

"There are limits to all of us," said one WAC assistant coach this week. "He just has his own rules and says his own things."

Nevertheless, as McBride points out, it's hard fault the results. Sweeney has a 137-61-3 record in 18 years at Fresno. "Jim Sweeney is considered a god in the San Joaquin Valley," continued the assistant coach, "and gods do what they want to."

Indeed, Sweeney remains one of the most feared opponents in college football. In a recent Sports Illustrated poll of college coaches, he was listed as one of the leading answers to the question: Which opposing coach would you least like to see across the sidelines from you?

Sweeney even received more votes than Notre Dame's Lou Holtz.

Given the problems that occurred last time between the teams, the anticipation was palpable as the game neared. But in the week preceding the game, Sweeney and McBride carefully downplayed their last meeting. Sweeney avoided insulting anyone and even praised McBride, declaring that he was "amazed at what Ron McBride has done with this team in such a short time" and adding that Utah has "all the bases covered." Asked about the 1992 incident by television reporters in Fresno, he indicated it was something he hoped was behind him and fans would forget.

And as the first meeting since 1992 unfolded, Sweeney was a model of decorum. When the Utes intercepted a pass in the first quarter, he only stood on the sidelines with hands on hips. When his own Marlyn Jackson picked off a Mike Fouts pass late in the first half, he did the same. Even when Fouts threw the winning 34-yard touchdown pass to Rocky Henry with 47 seconds left in the game, Sweeney barely moved.

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It was all strictly business. He didn't harrangue the officials or tear off his shirt or challenge McBride to a fight. Afterward, they shook hands and embraced, walking down the field arm-in-arm. In the interview room Sweeney walked up to McBride and chuckled, "Great night for the Irish."

It was a warm fuzzy moment for everyone involved.

Particularly for McBride, since he won.

Thus ended the long-awaited rematch. There were no fights, no shouting matches and no squad cars. "This ends the war between McBride and Sweeney," said Sweeney. But in the end, it proved even more entertaining than feuding and fighting.

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