FSU "Joneses" for big plays

Fall 1993
Originally published by The Daily Collegian (Fresno State)

From Charlie Jones’ trick plays to Tommy Jones’ leadership and stability on defense, Fresno State football has had a serious "Jones" for big plays in 1993.

Opponents, however, are struggling in vain to simply keep up with the Joneses.

Despite the flashy offense provided by Tommy’s brother, Bulldog insiders will tell you that the key to FSU’s Holiday Bowl hopes rest on the defense.

"I have to play a better game than I did last week," said the elder Jones. "I played a good game last week, but I know I can play better. I haven’t had my best game yet."

Last Saturday, Jones proved his worth as he held BYU’s receiving tandem in check as the Bulldogs came away with a rousing 48-45 win.

Jones’ quick speed at cornerback proved to be too much for the Cougars’ prized possession receivers--Tyler Anderson and Eric Drage--to overcome. He consistently blunted BYU’s attempts to steal the win with five tackles and two knockdowns, all the while pressuring the Cougar wideouts.

"Tommy did a key job in that game in Provo," said head coach Jim Sweeney. "Not that he played perfect--in the secondary that’s hard to do. He’s had even better games."

"But early on, he was strong against the run and took away their sweep. He’s made tremendous contributions for us."

Jones, a 5-9, 175-pounder from Lemoore, said he wanted to play wide receiver when he first arrived at FSU, but Sweeney switched him to the defensive backfield.

"Tommy wanted to play receiver, but he is a much more intelligent player at stopping people," Sweeney said.

Jones spent two years at the College of the Sequoias and set game, season and career records for receptions prior to making smooth transition to Bulldog football.

"He’s a team guy, a team-above-all player," said Sweeney. I’ve always been in Tommy’s corner. He’s done an outstanding job."

This Saturday, the Bulldogs meet their biggest test as they take on Wyoming in Laramie. The Cowboys are 4-0 in WAC play. FSU is 3-1 and needs a win to stay in the WAC title hunt.

"The road to the Holiday Bowl goes through Laramie," said Sweeney. "They’ll be jacked up. I don’t think we’ve played our best football yet, but we showed great improvement last week."

Meanwhile Jones will undergo another test as he will match up against Cowboy receiver Ryan Yarborough. The Wyoming receiver is the nation’s leader in receiving yardage with 154.7 yards a game. Yarborough has caught 45 passes this season for 1,083 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is also averaging a mind-boggling 24.4 yards a reception and has caught a pass in 31 consecutive games. He holds every Cowboy record in the receiving record books.

But Jones isn’t worried about having to cover Yarborough. "Ryan’s a good wideout," he said. "But we’ve played against good passing teams. We’re not panicking. We’ve been playing against this competition all year long."

"We go against better wideouts every day in practice," he said, noting the big-play ’Dog offense.
"As far as I’m concerned, we’ll be playing more of the same."

"As a defense, we’ve learned from our mistakes. Against Baylor and Colorado State, we got too relaxed and let up. It’s gotta be a four-quarter effort from now on, and that’s what coach stresses every day."

Jones and the Bulldogs won’t kid themselves about the task they face in Poke Country on Saturday. "It’ll be cold, and it’s gonna be a tough game," said Jones. "We know what we have to do to get to the Holiday Bowl, and that is to get past Wyoming."

"We’ve got to bring our minds and hearts and play football on both sides of the ball," said Sweeney. "We want to reinstill our confidence."

Does Jones envision a pro career someday? "I’m gonna try to get there (in the NFL)," he said. That’s one of my goals. It’s everybody’s goal to get there one day. I just have to use my God-given talent and see what happens."

Jones can usually be seen strutting around these days wearing a Minnesota Vikings hat. Does he see himself adding to the Purple People legend?

"No, my favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers," he says. "But I really don’t care who I play for. I’ll play for an expansion team if they give me a shot. If I get a chance to play in the NFL, I think I can make it."