College football Thursday

Another tough road matchup for the Cougars A tasty creampuff before the Big Game La. Tech throttled SJSU last week not a good sign The other No. 8-ranked team Will try their luck against a different Dakota Cameron

Higgins, RB, Weber State Smith had just another ho-hum day for the Wildcats, running for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 86 yards. What made it special was the fact he became WSU's all-time best career rusher.

BYU at Air Force The Falcon's only two losses were tight games with Utah (30-23) and Navy (33-27). Talk of the subdivision Big 10 Conference Michigan first-year coach Rich Rodriguez has kept his composure this season despite leading college football's winningest program to its first losing season in four decades.

But Rodriguez seemed to approach a breaking point earlier this week.

"Y'all want to make everything so much drama," Rodriguez snapped at reporters. "This is unbelievable. Every time there's something said, everybody wants to make a big deal out of something and make so much drama about everything.

"That's why I don't tell y'all too much. You think I tell you a lot. I think I've been pretty transparent, but sometimes I don't because I don't know what y'all are going to take and make a big deal out of a wee little thing," he said. "Seems like for nine, 10, months that's happened. Oh, he said this. Let's psychoanalyze this, psychoanalyze that.

"We're not going to a bowl game, but do you think we're going to pack it in? You think the guys are a bunch of quitters? I don't think we've got any quitters. You think the coaches are going to pack it in, not show up for work? Golly."

The once-mighty Wolverines (2-7, 1-4 Big Ten) have lost five straight — since rallying from a 19-point, second-half deficit to beat Wisconsin — and will have to win at Minnesota, against Northwestern and at Ohio State to avoid a school-record eighth loss.

—Associated Press Quotable "

Big games, the number of teams in the top 10, it makes it very difficult as a coach. But I'm sure as a fan, it's a lot of fun.

Mike Gundy

Oklahoma State

" "Big games, the number of teams in the top 10, it makes it very difficult as a coach. But I'm sure as a fan, it's a lot of fun.' DX DESERET NEWS, THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2008 Can the Cougars bounce back vs. UNLV?