College Football

NO FAULTING FAULK

When Garrison Hearst announced last January that he was passing up his senior year at Georgia to enter the NFL draft, San Diego State tailback Marshall Faulk immediately became the front-runner for the 1993 Heisman Trophy. After all, Faulk, who had run for 1,429 yards as a freshman in 1991 and 1,630 yards last season, hoped to become the first player to lead the nation in rushing for three consecutive years. However, when Faulk got off to a slow start this fall, gaining 340 yards on 73 carries in his first three games, he not only dropped out of contention for the Heisman—Faulk even declared himself a noncandidate—but also made people wonder whether he had made a mistake by not following Hearst's example.

It's hard to fault Faulk's decision. He is on pace to get his degree in public administration in 1995, and last Saturday he picked up 186 yards on 36 carries in a 20-17 victory over New Mexico. That gave him 924 yards for the year and an average of 115.5 yards per game (11th nationally). And this year more than ever, opposing defenses have been designed to stop him. "People take different angles against us than they do against other teams," says Aztec coach Al Luginbill. "That's why he hasn't broken more long runs."

"As far as individual stuff, I've accomplished about all I can, except winning the Heisman Trophy, and that doesn't matter," says Faulk, who has said he will make a decision about turning pro after this season is over. "It's about time for opponents to look at San Diego State as just San Diego State, not as Marshall Faulk and San Diego State."

But did Faulk lose a lot of cash by not opting for the NFL? Not necessarily, says Larry Lacewell, director of college scouting for the Dallas Cowboys. "We don't look at the numbers; we look at the talent level," says Lacewell. "He's done it once, and he can do it again. He's not with as good a team as he has been in the past. He's still the same football player with the same moves."

HUFFING AND PUFFING

During Mississippi State's 31-17 loss at Auburn on Oct. 9, Bulldog coach Jackie Sherrill asked the officials to check the air in some of the game balls. He suspected that the balls the Tigers were using were slightly deflated, making them easier to grasp. Moreover, he thought that Auburn punter Terry Daniel, whose league-leading average of 48.3 yards per kick is more than five yards better than his average last year, might be punting with balls filled with helium.

The officials did find a couple of under-inflated balls, which they then pumped up to snuff and put back in play. And after Sherrill filed a complaint with the SEC, the league ordered that one of the balls punted by Daniel during Auburn's Oct. 16 game against Florida be brought to SEC headquarters in Birmingham for testing. Daniel's first two punts against the Gators had gone for 55 and 71 yards.

So what do we have here? Pigskingate? Nah. Although league officials refuse to discuss the matter, our suspicion is that it's just a lot of hot air.

MINED 49ERS

Not that anybody at Long Beach State cares, but the 49ers might have had a pretty good team this season if the school hadn't dropped football in December 1991. Look around and you'll find former Long Beach players making significant contributions at Arizona, Central Michigan, Georgia, Howard, Louisville, Miami, New Mexico State, Pacific and Utah. "We always had a lot of good athletes," says Mike McCoy, a former 49er quarterback who's now throwing for 263.5 yards per game at Utah. "We just didn't have the money, support or facilities everyone else had."

Long Beach rarely came close to filling 12,500-seat Veterans Stadium in the late '80s, but the 49ers experienced a brief revival in 1990, when George Allen, the venerated former NFL coach, took the team to a 6-5 record. The comeback under Allen brought the 49ers national attention, boosted attendance and even generated talk of building a new stadium. But Allen died on Dec. 31, 1990. Under his replacement, Willie Brown, Long Beach slumped to 2-9 in '91, and attendance dipped to an average of 3,893 for only three home games. For financial reasons the 49ers played eight road games.

When the university pulled the plug on football, players had a choice: stay, and those with scholarships would have them honored, or transfer without losing any eligibility. Of the transfers, more than a dozen are still playing in Division I. One of them, scatback Terrell Davis, leads Georgia in rushing, all-purpose yardage—and perspective. "Being at Long Beach first made me appreciate what we have [at Georgia]," says Davis. "Football is a well-known fact here. At Long Beach some people didn't even know we had a football team."

Although they're spread around the country, the former 49ers stay in touch. "I talk to Chad Wilson at Miami and to Terrell Davis every week," says Jay Walker, who's now starring at quarterback for Howard. "We offer support, compare old times, brag about how our teams are doing. How would Long Beach be now? We ask each other that all the time."

IT'S BETTER TO RECEIVE

UCLA's J.J. Stokes (page 48) isn't the only receiver who's having a superb season. Wyoming's Ryan Yarborough, who leads the nation in receiving yards with 154.71 per game, seems to break a record every time he touches the ball. Alabama's David Palmer may be the best all-around player in the country, as he proved in the Tide's 19-14 win over Mississippi by grabbing eight passes for 76 yards, running seven times for 38 yards and throwing a 54-yard pass. Charles Johnson of Colorado, Jermaine Lewis of Maryland and Bryan Reeves of Nevada are all having outstanding years too, but the one who may be Stokes's equal plays just across town from him.

In Southern Cal's 31-13 loss to second-ranked Notre Dame last Saturday, Trojan senior wideout Johnnie Morton caught six passes for 109 yards. And that's not counting the diving reception the six-foot, 190-pound Morton made in the end zone with 4:14 left; officials ruled he had trapped the ball. After the game Morton smiled and said, "I'll have to look at the NBC tape on that one."

Morton, who has 60 catches for 988 yards in eight games this year, might be just as happy next season at NBC as in the NFL. He's a communications major and two summers ago worked as an intern on The Arsenio Hall Show. He has long been more interested in TV than in sports, which helps explain his ignorance about his predecessors at USC. Morton couldn't understand why he was often compared to former Pittsburgh Steeler star Lynn Swann. Then someone informed him that Swann had been a pretty fair wideout at Southern Cal.

Morton did know enough about sports to be concerned when he heard last January that John Robinson was going to return to coach Southern Cal this season after nine years in the pros. Robinson had presided over a potent ground game during his first stint at USC and had vowed to reestablish the school's reputation as Tailback U. Morton wanted to convince Robinson that Southern Cal was a lot closer to being Wideout U. In the spring Morton improved his running technique by working out with USC's track coaches, and over the summer he built up his stamina by running hills with Philadelphia Eagle receiver James Lofton and world-class sprinter Bryan Bridgewater. Now, Morton says, "I can pretty much run all I want during games because I don't get tired anymore."

So far this season Morton, who owns the Trojan records for both catches and receiving yardage, has had seven games with at least six catches and six with at least 100 yards in receptions. "I came out here in 1973 and saw Lynn Swann," says coach Jerry Pettibone, whose Oregon State team allowed Morton seven catches for 157 yards. "Morton is in the same class. He's probably the best receiver in the country."

Quite a compliment this season.

SQUIBS

Missouri athletic director Dan Devine is supposedly ready to replace himself with former Tiger star and Chicago Bear defensive coordinator Vince Tobin, but only after replacing current Missouri coach Bob Stull with another former Tiger star, Johnny Roland....

Biggest turnaround: Arkansas State, which lost 56-6 to Mississippi State last season, tied the Bulldogs 15-15....

Arizona's 9-6 win over Washington State put the Wildcats at 7-0 for the first time in school history. Ditto for Boston University, which beat Rhode Island 48-15....

In Canisius's 29-20 victory over St. Peter's, reserve running back Roger Petersen gained only 11 yards on five carries but scored four touchdowns....

Cumberland, which reinstated football in 1990 after a 40-year hiatus, moved to 7-0 in Division II of the NAIA by beating Union (Ky.) 27-24.

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH

Faulk has no regrets about not having made a run for the pros.

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JOHN BIEVER

Morton is being favorably compared to the best wideouts in USC history, including Swann.

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PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE
Trent Dilfer, a junior at Fresno State, completed 21 of 34 passes for 456 yards and four TDs in a 48-45 win at BYU. He has not been intercepted in his last 158 attempts.

DEFENSE
San Jose State's Troy Jensen, a senior safety, had three interceptions in a 31-6 victory over Louisiana Tech. One of the interceptions set up a TD, and another a field goal.

SMALL COLLEGES
Fran De Falco, a running back at Division II Assumption College, had 22 carries for 239 yards and four TDs and threw a TD pass in a 51-28 defeat of Curry College.