After three seasons in Tucson, Marcus Smith knows how important the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry is. But just for extra measure, the junior defensive end got a reminder early yesterday morning.

"I had a teacher about an hour ago tell me to beat the Scum Devils," said Smith about the request he received from his Classics 220 professor yesterday morning."(The rivalry means) everything to people at Arizona and ASU. It's always the biggest game of the season." [Read article]

This hasn't been a banner six months for the UA football team. Heralded defensive recruit McCollins Umeh died of an enlarged heart in June; offensive lineman Brandon Phillips served a three-game suspension for hiring an agent before being granted another year of eligibility; running back Mike Bell hurt his leg against Utah and hasn't been spectacular since; and quarterbacks Nic Costa and Ryan O'Hara both left the team, prompting coaches to supplant a struggling Kris Heavner with redshirt freshman Richard Kovalcheck. [Read article]

UA sophomore distance runner Robert Cheseret finished ninth overall at the 2004 NCAA Championships yesterday, finishing less than 29 seconds off the individual championship pace set by Wisconsin's Simon Bairu.

Cheseret was the Pacific 10 Conference's leading individual cross country finisher, coming in at a time of 31:05.8 on the 10,000-meter course.

UA senior Beth Hoge was the only other runner the UA sent to the championships, held in Terre Haute, Ind., and hosted by Indiana State University. Hoge was the 182nd women's entrant to cross the finish line, coming across with a time of 22:41.7 on the 6,000-meter course. [Read article]