Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 38, Issue 1


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Volume 38 Issue1
August 28, 2000

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T-Birds, Rice hope to finally defeat vulnerable Ricks

BY CHRIS BOWMAN
MESA LEGEND
Submitted September 15, 2000

Thunderbird football will travel to Rexburg, Idaho on Sept. 16 to battle against Ricks College in a Western States Football League matchup.

Both teams are coming off tough losses last week to WSFL opponents.
MCC fought hard against Eastern Arizona to erase a 21-7 halftime deficit, but lost 27-35 in front of the home fans when they failed to recover an onside kick late in the fourth quarter.

T-Birds, Rice hope to finally defeat vulnerable Ricks

Jim Allen/MESA LEGEND

MCC Quarterback tries to escape the swarming defence of the Eastern Arizona University.

MCC (1-1,0-1 WSFL) continued to be its own worst enemy on the football field. The T-Birds had two touchdowns erased from the scoreboard because of penalties.

The first one came in the second quarter when Rashad Armstrong scored from four yards out. A personal foul followed for foul language. On the very next play, MCC was flagged for holding and missed a 48-yard field goal attempt.

In the third quarter, quarterback Bryant Burge found James Overstreet in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown reception. That would have put the T-Birds within two points with a chance to tie on the conversion, but the touchdown was nullified by another holding penalty.

Burge, who is sharing the quarterback duties with sophomore Mike Strack, threw for 317 yards including a 70-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jay Williams.

Ricks who was ranked fourth in the preseason NJCAA Top 20 poll, traveled to Glendale Community College, but after a 24-16 beating from the Gauchos, have slipped to 17th.

The Vikings (0-1,0-1 WSFL) gave up an 89-yard run early in the game and were finished off by GCC with a 79-yard return of a blocked field goal.

With Ricks becoming BYU-Idaho within the next couple of years, and soon eliminating their athletic programs, MCC head coach David Rice has few opportunities remaining to defeat the Vikings and coach Ron Haun.

Ricks has owned MCC and Rice over the years. Rice has never beaten the Vikings in eight attempts, and Ricks holds a 13-1-1 record overall against MCC.