The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 9

EDITOR: GREG NOBLE, 359-1917 THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1986 SECTION Giants pass RedsB-7 Barberry Spur wins JugB-8 Barr leads at MilwaukeeB-8 Clipsetta wide openB-8 BusinessB-9-12 Classified adsB-13-19 Mike Dodd UC's efense can't match its offense Coach Youngs hopes his unit tightens up against Rutgers I tm i pass coverage was lacking (321 yards allowed). "We've played hard, so I have no problem with that. Give the teams we've played some credit but yes, we've got some problems." The 45-year-old Youngs, a big, likeable, straightforward man with a deep, gravelly voice, has been with head coach Dave Cur-rey's staff since Currey came to UC in 1984. Youngs, whose specialty is coaching linemen, played a big hand in turning UC's defense from one of the nation's worst to a respectable unit last year. He was promoted to defensive coordinator this season.

This year, UC's defense hasn't been guilty of coughing up all the points in the Bearcats' 24-20 victory over Virginia Tech and last week's 45-38 decision over Miami's Redskins. And the "yards allowed" stat doesn't reveal the whole picture. "We set up two scores against Miami by BY TOM GROESCHEN The Cincinnati Enquirer No wonder Ed Youngs, the University of Cincinnati football team's defensive coordinator, was wearing dark sunglasses at practice this week. Though UC is 2-0 entering its game at Rutgers today at 1:30 p.m., you can't fault Youngs if he chooses to go incognito. UC's defense has allowed an average of 491 yards total offense per game.

Ouch. Pass the aspirin and burn the films, please. Youngs isn't really trying to hide behind his "Top Gun" shades. It's not his nature. "There's no doubt we've been exploited in some areas," he said.

"We've had too many 8-and 9-yard gains turn into 18- and 19-yard gains. We didn't contain the sweeps against Miami (by tailback George Swarn) and our blocking a punt and recovering a fumble," Youngs reminded. Don't forget that Miami was 0-for-10 in third-down conversions last week. Also, the Bearcats have had two punts blocked (one in each game) that led directly or indirectly to enemy touchdowns, and against Miami, a fumbled UC punt set up the Redskins at the UC 14 for another eventual TD. Still, it is acknowledged that the defense must do the "tighten up" if the Bearcats are to back up their talk about a Bowl bid.

The offense has proven it will score oodles of points, but defensively "We're still trying to find our niche," said (Please see BEARCATS, Page B-8) Previews, stories on today's other college football games, Page B-6 turn Alex Gordon UC's top tackier Jt (f V. r' ji Wyche won't retreat on Bengal tricks Sept. 18, 1986. It'll be known as the day the Cincinnati Bengals became the i team to beat in the AFC Central. The day Paul Brown celebrated yet another special victory in Cleveland.

The day the Bengals' defense gained a measure of respect na-' tionally. It won't be known as the day the gimmicks died. The Bengals' "No No-Huddle" offense i won a lot of supporters in the second half of Thursday night's ground-rounding of the Cleveland Browns. That came after the no-huddle and split-huddle and hotel-' huddle gained several detractors in the first half. ABC-TV's Al Michaels and Frank Gif-ford, while briefed by coach Sam Wyche on his theories before the game, still disagreed with the Bengals' use of the offensive gimmicks.

They said the Bengals had enough talent to beat folks by just lining up and playing football. They said the masses of huddles could cause players to "overload their circuits." And in the second half, the offense went from AC to DC and jolted the Browns senseless. Score one for you, Giff. Wyche likes the edge But Friday at Spinney Field, in the glow of one of the bigger Bengal wins the last few years, no one was trashing play-books. Wyche and quarterback Boomer Esia-son said the offense wasn't as disorganized as it appeared in the first half, when it had to call two timeouts to square away plays.

"I disagree with them (Michaels and Gifford). It's their opinion, I guess," said Wyche, to the question of the Bengals being too gimmicky. "All I know is whatever we did last year set a record (for most points by a Bengals' team), so I'm not going to take one comment off the air and say, 'Boy, that's a brilliant statement. I think I'll drop everything that has been successful for The basis for Wyche's philosophy is that the Bengals don't have superior talent to the average NFL team. The huddle wrinkles give the club a 2 edge, he said, a chance the opponent "won't have everybody exactly in place and ready to go "And 2 wins a lot of ballgames," he said.

Esiason sounds as if he could accept it either way. "I think it has its pluses, we have fun with it," he said. "I have no problem with it It gives the defense something else to worry about. "I think all those little tricks we do kind of ticks off the (opposing) defense. They have to prepare for it during the week." Does it become counter-productive? "I think the only time it's counter-productive is like in Kansas City, when things are completely mushed," he said.

Wyche gives him the option to abandon the split huddle and he did it that day "just to settle everybody down." Timeouts explained "I can understand how Al Michaels and Gifford could say that, how people could say that," he said. "There is a lot of talent (here) and there's a lot of extra thinking. I know there's a lot of extra thinking on my part, but I don't mind that because it forces me during the week to really get engulfed with the game plan, i "It's something that maybe takes away 1 from a few things here and there, but I think it's more of a headache for the other teams." The timeouts Thursday? Esiason takes the blame for the first one. He called the wrong formation and caught his error at the line. Wyche takes the blame for the second tight end Eric Kattus didn't see him signaling for two tight ends.

So, do the Bengals rely too much on gimmicks? i When it works, it looks very, very pretty. When it doesn't, it makes the Homer Rice teams appear well coached in comparison. At times, it all seems a bit excessive a change of pace that is being used as the principal pitch. But the question should be tabled until season's end. Last year the offense got better as the year went on.

It's the type of attack that should do the same this fall. A Maserati takes more fine-tuning than a Ford Bronco. The Bengals' offense will take on the appearance of the former more than the latter. The ultimate question, of course, is "which is more conducive to winning football. That answer, and the winner of the ABC-Wyche debate, will appear in the Standings on Dec.

22, the day after game The Cincinnati EnquirerJim Callaway Los Angeles' Steve Sax jumps over Cincinnati's Dave Parker after Dodger pickoff attempt failed in fourth inning Friday. Dodgers dump Reds in ninth, 9-7 Purcell wins in 2 0Ts No. 1 Fairfield victim of upset BY D. O. LEDBETTER The Cincinnati Enquirer FAIRFIELD Purcell Marian fullback George Riley rambled into the end zone from 21 yards out in the second overtime to give fifth-ranked Purcell Marian a 23-17 victory over Fairfield, the No.

1 rated team in Tlhe Enquirer's coaches' poll, in a high school football game Friday night. The game matched two unbeaten teams. Purcell improved to 4-0, while Fairfield slipped to 3-1. Riley, a 6-foot, 250-pound fullback, slammed over left tackle, bounced to the outside and raced up the sideline for the score. "It was closed on the inside," said Riley, "I knew that I had enough speed to get into the endzone." Last chance lost The score was tied, 10-10, at the end of regulation.

Fairfield had a chance to win the game with 25 seconds to go, but Nick Toon's 32-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide to the right. "This is a big one," said Purcell Marian coach Herb Woeste. "This is the biggest ball game that I can remember in my 10 years at Purcell Marian. I think that we have to be No. 1." Fairfield coach Ben Hubbard was convinced.

"I'll vote them No. 1 next week," said Hubbard. Tied after one overtime In high school overtime periods, each team gets a possession from the 20-yard line. In the first overtime period, Purcell's Jeff Freeman took a sprint-draw into the end zone from 8 yards out. John Paul Case made the kick to make it 17-10.

Fairfield answered with a 2-yard run by Tim Ritize and Toon made the kick to make send it into a second overtime. Fairfield got the ball first in the second overtime period, but its drive was thwarted when Ish-meal Gilliam intercepted a Scott Hormann pass at the 2-yard line. Purcell's Freeman was tackled for a 7-yard loss on first down of the Cavaliers' second overtime possession, then John Kennedy rushed for 6 yards on the next play to set up Riley's score. "We were setting up the field goal," Woeste said of Riley's touchdown run. "We got the interception and we knew we had a good field goal kicker." The hefty fullback drew some inspiration from the Cincinnati Bengals' Larry Kinnebrew's performance Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns.

"I just thought he was awesome," said Riley. "I watched Brew last night and he showed how hard big people can run." The fans who came expecting a tough defensive tug-of-war weren't disappointed. Fairfield took a 7-3 halftime lead and maintained that margin as the third quarter went scoreless despite some good field position for Purcell. (Please see PURCELL, 11 Pa'gW'BJS1) Though the Dodgers grabbed a l-O lead in the second on a Greg Brock solo homer, the Reds collected five runs off Dodger starter Rick Honeycutt in the fourth and fifth innings for a 5-2 lead, including a two-run homer by Barry Larkin. Trailing, 6-2, LA's Larry Anderson hit his first home run of the season a two-run blow in the seventh to make it 6-4.

But the Reds got a run back when Dave Parker ripped his second run-scoring double to score Larkin in the seventh off Ed Vande Berg for his I09th RBI. (Please see REDS, Page B-8) sion of second with a 4-0 victory over Atlanta. Now only one game over .500 at 74-73, the Reds trail the first-place Houston Astros by ll games. Franco couldn't save the game for Power, who had a career high seven strikeouts in his seven innings of work. Franco allowed a two-run homer to Bill Madlock in the eighth to make it 7-6, and Steve Sax did likewise in the.

ninth to give the Dodgers an 8-7 lead. Reggie Williams added an insurance run in the ninth with a run-scoring single. "I put the right guy (Franco) out there," said a chagrined player-manager Pete Rose. "It didn't end up that way, but he's the guy- to put out there. I don't expect anyone ever to get a home run off Franco." Franco, who was gunning for his 25th save, wound up falling to 5-6 in giving up two home runs in one outing for the first time in his career.

It prompted Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda to observe, "He looked today probably like he looked when we traded him." The Dodgers dealt Franco to the Reds back on May 9, 1983 for Rafael Landestoy. Power could empathize with his former bullpen mate. "I know how he feels," said Power. "He struggled tonight and I've struggled before, too. It gives you an empty feeling." BY MICHAEL PAOLERCIO The Cincinnati Enquirer Ted Power was a bright spot again in an otherwise ugly 9-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night at Riverfront Power, bidding for a position in the Reds' starting rotation next season, had another steady starting performance and left with a seemingly comfortable 7-4 lead.

But the Dodgers, who banged out four home runs, scored five times off reliever John Franco in the final two innings to hand the Reds their fourth consecutive loss. I The defeat dropped the Reds into third place as the San Francisco Giants assumed sole posses Branca helps ex-big leaguers in need Old-Timers' games help cause Old-Timers Game rosters ALL-STARS REDS Bob Gibson Pitchers Don Gullett Jim Maloney Bob Feller Ralph Branca Carl Erskine Al Hrabosky Don McMahon Ron Perranoski Chris Short Tom Lasorda Jack Billingham Brooks Lawrence Will McEnaney Fred Norman Joe Nuxhall Jim O'Toole Pat Zachry Catchers Johnny Bench BY JOHN ERARDI The Cincinnati Enquirer No, Ralph Branca isn't tired of people asking him about the home run he gave up to Bobby Thomson on Oct. 3, 1951 that made possible the Miracle of Coo-gan's Bluff. "Just today, the guy who parked my car asked about it, and then the guy who took my order in the restaurant asked about it," said Branca. "No, I'm not tired of it." At that, 60-year-old Ralph Branca looked up at the ceiling in the Valley Room of the Terrace Hilton in downtown Cincinnati.

He rolled his eyes back in his head, shook his head and sighed. Yes, Ralph Branca is tired of it. Thirty-five years ago, he gave up the most famous home run in the history of baseball. The New York Giants overtook the Brook lyn Dodgers in a wild pennant race. He was 25 years old at the time.

For the past 35 years, nobody has let him forget about it. But the beauty of Ralph Branca is that he doesn't hide from the memory. Branca is the president of the "Baseball Alumni Team." It is a volunteer post and an important one. He oversees the administration of the $260,000 per year fund which has been set up for former major leaguers in need of financial aid. Destitute big leaguers of which there are more than a few, says Branca are the reason behind today's Old-Timers' game at Riverfront Stadium.

(Please see BRANCA, Page B-8) Joe Torre Ed Bailey Infielders Gordy Coleman Joe Amalfitano Don Blasingame Dave Cash Doug Flynn Orlando Cepeda Gene Freese Don Money Tommy Helms Outfielders for- v) Willie Mays Chuck Harmon Jerry Lynch Jimmy Stewart Lou Brock Tommie Agee Jay Johnstone Ed Kranepool Ralph Branca unkind fate in 1951 Mike Dodd covers the Bengals for The jSnquirer..