Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Spartans to battle San Jose State is competing for its first Western Athletic Conference title and winning season in recent memory. Running backs Deonce Whitaker and Jarmar Julien are the best one-two punch on the West Coast. But all the stories in the Bay Area this week center on a 20-year-old walk-on named Neil Parry.
UH with teammate
in mind
The amputation of a player's leg
after an injury against Texas-El Paso
stuns San Jose StateFOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinHe had his right leg amputated Monday just above the ankle, the result of a compound fracture suffered in the third quarter of a game at Texas-El Paso on Oct. 14. The surgery took place at Stanford Hospital, leaving head coach Dave Baldwin's team in a state of flux.
"We're still in shock here," Baldwin said. "Nobody is thinking about anything except Neil and his family. We have to be as strong as he is. He and his family have been amazing."
Parry suffered a compound fracture that not only broke the skin, but severed a major artery. Bacteria set in, leaving Parry in a life-threatening situation. Brother Josh Parry told his teammates after the win at Nevada last Saturday that his brother was going to lose his foot. Baldwin said it was one of the most emotional moments he has ever seen.
"You feel for his family and hopes he gets better soon," UH head coach June Jones said. "Something like that is always a shock."
Baldwin is faced with the unenviable task of trying to get his team ready for the trip. At this point, top tackler Josh Parry isn't a sure thing to play this weekend at Aloha Stadium. San Jose State is scheduled to leave San Francisco and arrive in Honolulu late tomorrow night. The team will fly back on a red-eye after the game Saturday.
Last Saturday's win at Nevada pushed San Jose State's record to 3-1 in league play and 5-3 overall. The Spartans still need two more wins to be bowl-eligible. A loss this Saturday night would all but put them out of the league chase and a chance to host the first Silicon Valley Bowl.
"That's been a goal of ours all year," Baldwin said last week. "We would obviously love to be involved in the first game and represent the WAC against a team from the Mountain West Conference. But there are a lot of things that have to fall into place before that's going to happen. We have to keep winning, especially on the road."
San Jose State has battled through several injuries all season, chief among them before Neil Parry's was a neck injury to Whitaker. The running back suffered the stinger in the loss at Southern California and missed one game. He still has 973 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.
Julien is a dangerous counterpart. Where Whitaker is quick and elusive, Julien is strong and powerful. He runs through tackles, not around them. In seven games, he has 411 yards and seven touchdowns.
"We were afraid Deonce's injury might keep him out for the season," Baldwin said.
"It was similar to what sidelined him a couple of years ago. But he was able to come back and make us strong. Jarmar did a great job while Deonce was out. We don't have any problems bringing him in. We're just as good either way."
With a solid rushing base, quarterback Marcus Arroyo is that much more effective in play-action passing. He has completed 124 of 233 passes for 1,611 yards and 10 touchdowns. His six interceptions have kept him from being the most proficient passer in the league.
"He has done what we have asked of him," Baldwin said. "He has some good receivers who run solid routes. We've been good on the offensive side of the football. But we need to work harder on defense."
No one will argue that point. The Spartans are not only last in the WAC, but pull up the rear among the 115 teams in Division I, yielding 484.9 yards a game. Baldwin brought in a new defensive coordinator last year, but there are still problems.
Jones said San Jose State is using a defense similar to that of Hawaii's. Josh Parry is the leading tackler for the Spartans. He's also No. 1 in the WAC with 84 tackles, including one quarterback sack.
"Josh is the heart and soul of our defense and one of the leaders on our team," Baldwin said. "He is the kind of football player every team needs to be successful."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
