THE WEEK
SOUTHWEST
Coach Lou Holtz of Arkansas, incensed when a pass-interference call wasn't made against Texas, yanked off his watch and hurled it downfield. Longhorn Coach Fred Akers wished he could have made time fly that fast. The minutes dragged by for the Horns, whose No. 1 national ranking, pride and Cotton Bowl hopes all took a thrashing in rainy Fayetteville. It didn't matter that Texas wound up with a 20-17 edge in first downs and a 282-96 advantage in passing yardage. Most of those numbers came after the Razorbacks had clinched their victory. Final score: a stunning 42-11.
The Longhorns, who had been 13-2 in Fayetteville and hadn't lost there since 1965, passed a school-record 51 times, but their 21 completions weren't nearly as effective as the seven in 18 attempts by Tom Jones of Arkansas. Jones, the younger brother of the Baltimore Colts' Bert, passed for 83 vital yards, ran for two touchdowns and was the game's leading rusher with 73 yards.
Things went bad for Texas from the start. On the game's first snap, Longhorn Quarterback Rick McIvor fumbled and Razorback Billy Ray Smith recovered on the Texas 19. Smith, who plays anywhere from nose guard to outside linebacker in his team's complex multiple defense, hounded the Horns all day. Three plays later, Jones tossed 14 yards to Halfback Gary Anderson at the Texas one. Jones banged into the end zone on the next play for a 6-0 lead.
Other Texas woes: a center snap out of the end zone that gave the Hogs a safety on what was to have been a Longhorn punt and a lost fumble at the Longhorn five. Anderson scored on the next play. Altogether, Arkansas intercepted four passes and recovered three of six Longhorn fumbles. A 47-yard field goal by Bruce Lahay and a 19-yard pass from Jones to Anderson gave the Razorbacks a 25-3 half-time advantage. That lead grew to 39-3 in the third period when Jones scored on a four-yard run and Darryl Bowles on a 19-yard jaunt.
A 21-yard field goal with 22 seconds left, the fourth for the day by Baylor's Marty Jimmerson, resulted in Texas A&M suffering its first Southwest Conference defeat, 19-17. Rice won its third straight, beating Texas Tech 30-23 as Michael Calhoun threw four touchdown passes for the second straight week. Kevin Haney of Texas Christian hauled in a 26-yard scoring pass from Steve Stamp with 4:52 remaining to earn the Horned Frogs a 13-13 draw with Utah State in a non-conference contest.
SOUTH
"Oh, oh, oh! Eleven in a row!" That's what Alabama players chanted after beating Tennessee for the 11th consecutive time, 38-19. Directing the Tide was Alan Gray, a fifth-year senior starting for the first time. Two weeks ago he had been the fourth-string quarterback. Gray passed for 90 yards and one touchdown and set up another six-pointer and two field goals with a 5-for-8 performance. Peter Kim booted three field goals for Alabama and the Tide outgained the Vols 516 yards to 269. The victory was the 311th for Bear Bryant, three shy of Amos Alonzo Stagg's record.
Georgia remained half a game behind Alabama in the Southeastern Conference by defeating Vanderbilt 53-21. The Commodores set up their defenses to stop Herschel Walker, who nonetheless gained 188 yards and scored twice. That gave Walker, a sophomore, 2,684 career yards, the most ever by a Bulldog back. There was also plenty of passing. Georgia's Buck Belue completed 15 of 22 for 237 yards. Lindsay Scott's seven receptions for 122 yards brought his career total to 1,728 yards, another Georgia mark. Vandy's passing attack connected on 29 of 54 attempts for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
Some more Bulldogs—from Mississippi State—held off independent Miami 14-10, with all the scoring coming in the first half. Jim Kelly of the Hurricanes passed for 267 yards, but the Bulldogs intercepted him twice and allowed Miami runners only 29 yards. Mississippi State had better balance: 163 yards rushing, 151 passing.
Freshman Eric Martin's 100-yard kickoff return highlighted Louisiana State's 24-10 victory over Kentucky. James Jones ran for three touchdowns in Florida's lopsided 49-3 romp over Mississippi. Auburn, ahead 10-7 at the half at Georgia Tech, finished with a three-touchdown flurry to come out on top 31-7 in an out-of-conference contest.
Independent Southern Mississippi, which a week earlier had tied Alabama, was a 10-0 winner over Memphis State in the rain-drenched Liberty Bowl. It rained so hard that there were no pregame or halftime festivities, the scoreboard clock conked out and the bands stayed in their buses. Nevertheless, Sammy Winder of the Golden Eagles splashed for 175 yards in 29 carries. Quarterback Reggie Collier scored the game's only touchdown when he went 24 yards on a quarterback draw late in the first period.
North Carolina State led visiting North Carolina 10-0 at halftime, the first time the Tar Heels had been behind this season. The Wolfpack gambled on an onside kick to start the second half, but the Tar Heels got the ball and scored 10 plays later. Tyrone Anthony, who slipped three times during the first half, changed his cleats at halftime and put North Carolina in front 14-10 with a five-yard run in the third period. A change in tactics also helped Anthony. To take advantage of N.C. State's blitz by its strong safety—which disrupted first-half roll-out passes—the Tar Heels repeatedly used Anthony on draw plays. Anthony had 109 yards in the final two quarters, 183 for the day, and junior Fullback Alan Burrus scored twice on point-blank plunges as North Carolina rallied to win 21-10. It was the Tar Heels' 20th victory in their last 21 games.
Despite giving up its first touchdown in 18 quarters and committing its first turnover in three games, Clemson blasted past Duke 38-10. Cliff Austin rushed for 178 of the Tigers' 563 yards of total offense. On defense, the stopper for undefeated Clemson was Linebacker Jeff Davis, who made 13 tackles.
Not even 556 yards passing and 47 completions in 67 attempts by Wake Forest—24 for first downs—could keep Maryland from prevailing 45-33. Gary Schofield passed for 504 of those yards, but four of his throws were picked off by the Terps, who had some offensive guns of their own: Boomer Esiason tossed two touchdown passes, and John Nash ran for 136 yards and scored twice.
VMI had its perfect record sullied when Appalachian (N.C.) State earned a 14-14 deadlock.
Murray (Ky.) State, the top-ranked team in Division 1-AA, was upended by Middle Tennessee 14-9 in an Ohio Valley Conference contest. But No. 3 Jackson (Miss.) State walloped Southwestern Conference rival Southern University 41-0.
MIDWEST
"I'm so happy I don't know where I am. I'm so happy I don't know what else to say." Muddy Waters, Michigan State's beleaguered coach, didn't have to say another word following a 33-14 upset that knocked Wisconsin out of the Big Ten lead. Quarterback Bryan Clark, whose father Monte coaches the Detroit Lions, was more articulate. Describing the new Spartan offense, he said, "We used four wide receivers and only one running back. On film Wisconsin was aggressive and intimidating, but the offense seemed to confuse them."
Clark threw for three touchdowns and completed 18 of 30 passes for 291 yards. He teamed with Daryl Turner on a 49-yard touchdown pass that started the scoring in the first period.
On the way to its first victory in Ann Arbor since 1958, Iowa displayed a stingy defense that gave up only 263 yards to Michigan and got three field goals from freshman Tom Nichol. That was all the scoring Iowa needed, and all it did. Nichol kicked a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter and added a 30-yarder in the third period after Mel Cole had made an end-zone interception. The 9-7 win left the Hawkeyes the only team undefeated in Big Ten competition. For the first time in 14 seasons, the conference representative in the Rose Bowl probably won't be either Michigan or Ohio State.
Ohio State stopped Illinois runners cold: 18 yards in 20 carries. However, the Buckeyes were almost done in by the passing of Tony Eason, who completed 27 of 47 for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, Eason was also intercepted three times. Ohio State built its 34-27 triumph around the running of tailbacks Tim Spencer (131 yards) and Jimmy Gayle (119). Spencer put the Buckeyes ahead 31-27 with an eight-yard cross buck in the third period.
Three touchdown passes by Scott Campbell propelled Purdue to a 35-0 rout at Northwestern. It was the Wildcats' 26th consecutive loss, two short of the major-college record held by Kansas State and Virginia. Indiana staved off Minnesota 17-16.
"I had to prepare two game plans—one with Crutchfield playing and one without," Iowa State Coach Donnie Duncan said after jolting previously unbeaten Missouri 34-13. Dwayne Crutchfield didn't let a badly sprained left ankle or a twisted left knee keep him from playing. Even a knockout blow couldn't stop him for long. Crutchfield was coldcocked after diving into the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter and landing on his head. Once the cobwebs cleared and a bloody gash on the bridge of his nose had been cleaned up, Crutchfield returned and finished with 32 rushes for 98 yards and three touchdowns. And he did this against a Tiger defense that had been limiting opponents to a mere 79 yards a game on the ground, the sixth-best figure in the country. It helped, too, that the Cyclone defense forced five turnovers and that John Quinn passed for 226 yards.
Kansas State used a Heinz 57 defense, but Nebraska countered with a spicy offense and a bread-and-butter defense that added up to a 49-3 wipeout. "They lined up practically every way imaginable," Husker Quarterback Turner Gill said of the Wildcats. Nevertheless, the Huskers rolled up 674 yards of offense, 93 on a touchdown run by I-Back Mike Rozier. Nebraska stands alone at the top of the Big Eight.
Three Oklahoma reserves accounted for five touchdowns in a 45-7 romp past Kansas. Freshman Steve Sewell, who started because Halfback Chet Winters was hurt, scored on a 17-yard run. Another freshman halfback, Alvin Ross, tallied on runs of one and two yards. And Darrell Shepard, who took over at quarterback in the second half after Kelly Phelps sprained an ankle, scored on runs of one and 10 yards.
Colorado seemed headed for its fifth straight defeat: The Buffaloes trailed Oklahoma State 10-3 with the ball on their own four, 88 seconds left and no time-outs remaining. Worse yet, Quarterback Randy Essington was out with bruised ribs, and sophomore Steve Vogel, who had thrown only four passes in his career, was in charge of the offense. What was Vogel to do, especially against a Cowboy defense ranked No. 2 in the nation? Simple: complete five passes in a row, the last a nine-yarder to Brad Parker for a touchdown with six seconds to go. Then victory-starved Colorado got a two-point conversion pass from Vogel to Derek Singleton to win 11-10.
With Quarterback Jim Kelso passing 37 yards for one touchdown and carrying the ball for another six-pointer, Toledo toppled Central Michigan 17-3. That gave the Rockets undisputed possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference.
For a walk-on, Cincinnati's James Bettis has done mighty well. By rushing for 203 yards during a 27-18 win over Richmond, the senior tailback became the Bearcats' alltime leading ground-gainer, with 2,226 yards.
EAST
Way back in 1912, Shorty Miller of Penn State ran for 250 yards against Carnegie Tech. That was the most ever for a Nittany Lion runner—until Curt Warner zipped and ripped his way for 256 in 26 cracks at Syracuse last week. Warner's big gainer was a 69-yard scoring burst. Todd Blackledge kept Orange defenders honest; he completed 10 passes in a row before missing on his final attempt. Two of Blackledge's throws were good for TDs as Penn State won 41-16 to remain one of eight undefeated and untied teams in Division 1-A. Pitt (page 30), which beat Florida State 42-14, was another of those eight.
Oliver Luck, an Academic All-America and Rhodes Scholar candidate, passed West Virginia to a 27-6 victory over Virginia Tech. Luck completed 17 of 27 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns.
Tink Murphy's 15-for-20 passing netted 204 yards as Temple won 24-12 at Rutgers. Four field goals by Steve Fehr led Navy to a 25-10 triumph at Boston College.
Unbeaten Yale drubbed fellow Ivy League opponent Columbia 48-17 as Rich Diana rushed for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns. Marc DiNunzio ran back a Brown punt 94 yards for a TD in a 14-9 Cornell win. Dartmouth, down 10-0 in the second quarter at Harvard, won 24-10 as Sean Maher scored, twice and ran for 118 yards. Princeton traveled to West Point, where Army got its first shutout in 123 games, 34-0.
WEST
Stanford Coach Paul Wiggin called it a "brilliant play." Southern Cal Coach John Robinson felt it should have been called intentional grounding. "It" was a deliberate forward fumble by Cardinal Quarterback John Elway, who saw he was going to be tackled short of a first down and gambled on dropping the ball. It rolled out of bounds, giving the Cardinals a first down at the USC three instead of losing the ball on downs. On the next play, Elway passed to Flanker Mike Tolliver to cut the Trojan lead to 25-17 with 2:01 left in the Pac-10 game. But a two-point pass try failed, and an onside kick was recovered by USC to quash Stanford's hopes and the score stood.
Southern Cal led 25-3 in the third period before Elway, who passed for only 36 yards in the first half, began clicking. He threw for 199 yards after the intermission. Conversely, John Mazur of the Trojans was more effective in the first two periods, in which he got all of his 175 passing yards. Marcus Allen of Southern Cal had 153 yards in 40 carries, the first time he's finished below 200 this season.
Washington State was one of five major teams to have an undefeated, untied record marred last week. The Cougars, off to their best start in 51 years, led UCLA 17-10 with 4:53 to go, but wound up with a 17-17 standoff. Seven plays after the Bruins fell on a fumble at the State 32, Frank Cephous raced six yards for the tying touchdown. The Cougars outgained UCLA 475 yards to 320 and remained first in the Pac-10.
Arizona State whipped California 45-17 and Washington swamped Oregon State 56-17 to stay in the race. Robert Weathers rushed for 208 yards as the Sun Devils' offense rolled up 630 yards, and Arizona State got a team-record 51-yard field goal from Luis Zendejas. Four first-half touchdown passes by Steve Pelluer enabled Washington to coast.
"I think we felt like we were slapped in the face," Arizona Coach Larry Smith complained when his Wildcats, who beat USC the week before, were made one-point underdogs to Oregon, which was 1-4. The Ducks led 14-9 in the final period, but Vance Johnson's 11-yard run and Brett Weber's 32-yard field goal gave Arizona an 18-14 win.
"There have been some things said down here [in San Diego] to the effect that Doug Scovil took the BYU offense with him when he left for San Diego State this season," said BYU Quarterback Jim McMahon. "He's a good coach, but it's the players who win the games. We wanted to prove that." McMahon emphasized the point by passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-7 victory.
The Cougars swept to a 21-0 lead with three drives that covered 199 yards in a total of 5:39 in the first half. It was the first loss of the season for Scovil, the former offensive coordinator at BYU. McMahon, who had been injured the previous two weeks, completed 27 of 42 passes and set an NCAA record for "most points responsible"—points made by passing, receiving, rushing, kicking, returning kicks or causing a safety—by one player in a three-year career—468.
Hawaii ran its record to 4-0 by beating New Mexico 23-13 in a WAC game. Lee Larsen provided the Rainbows with their margin by kicking five field goals.
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PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSE: Gary Schofield, a sophomore quarterback for Wake Forest tied an NCAA mark with 43 completions against Maryland. He passed for 504 yards and two TDs, but the Deacons lost 45-33.
DEFENSE: Linebacker Kyle Whittingham of BYU, a 224-pound senior whose father is the team's defensive coordinator, had four sacks and 10 unassisted tackles as the Cougars beat San Diego State 27-7.
