COLLEGE UPDATE: GETTING OFF ON RIGHT FOOT LINGUA SET FOR STARTING JOB.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer Fresno State boasted one of the nation's best kickers in now-graduated Asen Asparuhov the past three seasons. One of his young teammates showed Asparuhov the Bulldogs soon could find a suitable replacement. Though Mike Lingua lingua /lin·gua/ (ling´gwah) pl. lin´guae [L.] tongue.lin´gual lingua geogra´phica benign migratory glossitis. lingua ni´gra black tongue. was the backup punter for the Bulldogs last season, Asparuhov, the place-kicker, started calling the Canyon High product ``Mike the Leg'' for his ability to send his practice punts high through the air. Now, Lingua will have to show Fresno State he can do it in game situations. And he won't be eased into the Division I-A rigors: The Bulldogs' season opener is Aug. 30 at traditional power Tennessee. Two weeks later after a home game against Top 25 hopeful Oregon State, the Bulldogs travel to national-championship contender Oklahoma. Lingua needs live up to his nickname. The redshirt freshman is the only punter on Fresno State's roster. ``We're breaking in two new guys,'' Bulldogs special-teams coach John Baxter told the Fresno Bee, referring to Lingua and new kicker Brett Visintainer. ``They're the next batter up.'' Lingua is still learning football. He was mainly a soccer goalkeeper and played just one full season of football for the Cowboys. But he was an All-Daily News honorable-mention pick and drew Fresno State's attention. ``He's played eight games,'' Baxter said. ``But's that eight more games than Asen had played when he got here.'' Lingua learned the ropes from Jason Simpson, Fresno State's All-Western Athletic Conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other at the collegiate or high school level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. punter in 2002. But he'll take full advantage off practice to work on such punting aspects as pooch kicks and properly handling the snap. ``I'm getting there,'' Lingua said during spring practice. ``I've got stuff I have to work on, but I'll be ready.'' --Catching on: San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. State's football team expects another big season from senior wide receiver Jamall Broussard Jamall Broussard (born August 19, 1981 in Nederland, Texas) is an Canadian football wide receiver in the CFL who currently plays for the Toronto Argonauts. He played collegiately at San Jose State University from 2001-02. (College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. ). He led the 2002 Spartans with 62 receptions for 681 yards and five touchdowns. Two other COC See chip on chip. players could play key roles at the University of Buffalo this fall. Safety Eddie Robinson There are a number of noted individuals named Eddie Robinson:
``He is an outstanding prospect at the safety position with size, strength and speed,'' Buffalo coach Jay Hofher said. Tight end Brian Miller
Brian Miller is a British actor. He appeared in the Doctor Who serial Snakedance and provided Dalek voices in Resurrection of the Daleks and (Valencia) caught 42 passes for 553 yards and six touchdowns for the Cougars last season. The All-State pick will battle freshman Chad Upshaw for playing time. --Just Ducky: Oregon softball pitcher Lindsey Kontra (Hart) was named to the Pacific-10 Conference's all-academic honorable-mention team. Kontra, a sophomore, went 6-0 with a 2.48 ERA in 21 appearances, including six starts. --All-America honor: Brigham Young sophomore softball catcher Lauren Watson (Valencia) earned second-team Easton All-American honors after hitting .379 with 10 homers and 32 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in as the Cougars' leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. this season. --More Cougars: Jamie Rendich, a sophomore for BYU's women's soccer team, should be a bigger part of the Cougars' offense this season. As a freshman, Rendich (Canyon High) scored three goals with three assists. The Cougars lost four-year star Jenie Viernes, who scored 17 goals last season, so Rendich will be counted on to produce more than her 22 total shots in 2002. Chris Cocoles, (818) 713-3607 chris.cocoles(at)dailynews.com |
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