The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 19

Wffieials prejudiced9 in Auburn win, says Pell Mini AUBURN It was a day of aood tackles and Late hits. Charles Goldberg Star Sports Editor PELL'S VOICE rose and fell with emotion wharbe defended his team. Dye was cool and calm throughout. The two coaches weren't at the post-game press conference at the same time, but the resulting mud slinging surely found its mark. But this wasn't the dirty football the two were talking about.

i Pell's remarks threatened to overshadow Auburn's grand accomplishment Saturday. Auburn used the win to Improve its record to 7-1 overall and 44 in the SEC. The Tigers, seeking its first conference championship since 1957, tied Georgia for the SEC lead with two league games remaining. It was indeed a big game. And, as usual, largely controversial.

In 1981, an official disallowed an apparent Florida touchdown in a game Auburn won here 14-12. And last year, Auburn thought It had recovered a late Florida onside kick. The officials thought otherwise, and the Gators eventually took the ball In for the winning field (Please see Goldberg on Page SB) a big part In Auburn's victory in 1981 and Florida's win in 1982. Pell was not only upset about the officiating, but about an alleged Florida T-shirt that read: "Greg Pratt was a Dye-hard Auburn fan." Pratt was Auburn's starting fullback before suffering a heat stroke and dying during pre-season practice this year. "The T-shirt thing was unbelievable, unbelievable.

That's sick," said Pell, who said be didn't think the T-shirt actually existed. Dye denied a rumor that he held up one of the T-shirts in the locker room before the game in an effort to motivate his players. "You don't win ball games on gimmicks," said Dye. Gimmicks didn't win this game. And excuses didn't change the outcome.

But Pell claimed the T-shirt incident rumor was the "most ludicrous, cheapest way to Incite a team, a student body I've ever seen. I don't know who is responsible for it. I asked Pat about in pre-game, but he said he didn't know." And cheap ihoti. Florida coach Charley pell, visibly upset over puhlldtir that suggested his Gators play dirty rjobtball, angrily accused Auburn of unfairly "prejudi- dng" the officials against Us team here Saturday. I Auburn won tin crucial Southeastern Conference game jB-tl, but the hits the players delivered In that game were nothing compared to the verbal punches Pell threw at Auburn and the officials afterwards.

IT Pell said Auburn bad a "definite plan" to sway the officials against his team. "My opinion is somebody this week on the Auburn staff, and the Auburn players, prejudiced the officials on this games. I have newspaper quotes, evidence stacks of it -accusing us of teaching dirty football. And that's a Ue I "I feel like the SEC officials who caUed this game today were prejudiced before they came in and I don't know if we had a chance to win "If it was a judgment call, it was going against Florida that happened Anything that was close was jfolng against us. And It did.

1 pay of war "In my opinion, It was a definite plan to draw attention and to get the border-line decision to go their way. It's happened both times (this year and In 1981) at Auburn." AUBURN COACH Pat De denied the Tigers tried to Influence the officials, and tried to avoid even talking about the subject after Pell delivered his critical remarks. "I don't believe in playing those games with words or that psychological bull," said Dye; The love has definitely gone out of Auburn and Florida's love-hate relationship again. Maybe forever. It was the third consecutive close and controversial game in this series.

Questionable officials' calls were 7 a -m. YZ i V. 't loir Gators mi 1 tv" Kfe (1 (C By CHARLIE STOTT Star Sports Writer AUBURN Forget the national rankings and the host of bowl officials viewing the game. Forget the prestige and the pomp surrounding this regional battle. Those things lasted until the opening kickoff From that moment on, it was all-out war between Auburn and Florida before 75,700 civilian spectators at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It was a take-no-prisoners, show-no-quarter battle. When the final seconds ticked away, Auburn had won 28-21, and had taken a giant step closer to the Southeastern Conference championship and the Sugar Bowl. Auburn had taken the Gators' best and survived. Florida, fighting to the end, gave the Tigers all they could handle. Al til I MJ' ft It u.1 And Florida coach YARDSTICK Charley PeU still bad a tt lot of tattle left In him v.

su 9 grafter the game. Pell blasted the same of 41 Yard rushing Yard pitting Total otfante Pnm attempted Paste completed Pauet Int. by FutnWd-lott Punting average Yard penellied 'It If I 44 5-47 ficials because of sever al controversial calls, including one that the officials ruled a fumble recovered by Auburn Am i iii Mf Surrounded: Auburn's Carr (54), Jackson (42), Robinson (95), Humphrey (79) and Thomas (91) have Williams 'Slow recovery9 brings Tide win By JERRY RUTLEDGE Star Sports Writer TUSCALOOSA Yes, the patient is still ailing. And, yes, the prognosis remains unclear. The Alabama Crimson Tide, ravaged by a case of "big-play-itis" in losses to Penn State and Tennessee, still has a ways to go before getting a clean bill of health.

Saturday afternoon, Ray Perkins' 18th-ranked Crimson Tide wobbled a little and stumbled a lot before finally subduing tough and fiesty Mississippi State 35-18 in a matchup between longtime Southeastern Conference rivals. But Perkins, after the game, said there was enough positive signals in the Tide's effort to feel that the first step toward recovery may have been made. "I'm proud of our guys for getting back in YARDSTICK Alabama IS Mitt, stata II 26 First downs 23 231 Yards rushing I7S Yards passing 221 4M Total oltenst 403 30 Passes attempted 35 19 Passes completed II 3 Passes Int. by 1-1 Fumbles-lost 3-2 Punting average 1-15 Yards penalized 3-21 instant-deficit problem the Tide defense has been hurt by time and again during the first half of the season. IN SHORT, Alabama showed no signs of tell-tale "big-play-itis." "Our number one objective from a defensive standpoint was to stop giving up 80-yard plays.

We did that. We accomplished that," said Perkins. "Now we go on to step two." Perkins promised new faces on the defense and new faces there were. Freshmen Cornelius Bennett, Britton Cooper, Wayne Davis and Curt Jarvis all got their first start. Freshman Ricky Thomas saw a great deal of playing time and got an interception return touchdown to top off his day.

Offensively, Perkins said the Tide's performance left something to be desired despite another brilliant day by Lewis. The Brewton senior became the first Alabama player to reach the 5,000 yard mark in total offense by netting 229 yards passing (19 completions in 30 attempts, three interceptions) and 20 yards rushing. "Offensively, we executed some things pretty well. I think if we look at the films we'll probably see that we were very close to having an outstanding day offensively. We haven't had one yet," Perkins said.

"We need to look at why we're having breakdowns and bog downs when we get across the 50. When you get across the 50, you should get some points everytime." Fullback Ricky Moore rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries to lead the Crimson Tide on the ground, while split end Joey Jones caught 7 passes for 94 yards to top Alabama receivers. Lewis' passing and Moore's running kept the Bulldog (Please see Alabama on Page 4B) rather than a Gator touchdown. 'These two teams didn't like each other before the game and cared for the other even less afterward. The week had been filled with harsh words, a week when hard feelings from years past erupted anew.

"It was real emotional with a lot of bad feelings," conceded Auburn defensive tackle Donnie Humphrey. "It was two hard-nosed football teams going after each other." BUT THE WORDS, the bad blood and Pell's outburst couldn't steal the thunder from a hard-fought, closely- matched game or from spectacular performances on both sides. "If that football game out there wasn't good for college football, I don't know what is," said Auburn head coach Pat Dye in his post-game comments. "That's the way the game's supposed to be played," said Humphrey. Auburn's Bo Jackson raced 55 and 80 yards for touchdowns on his way to 196 rushing yards against the SEC's best defense against the run.

Florida's Wayne Peace connected on 29 of 41 passes for 336 yards and two and led the Gators on a second-half comeback that fell just short. r-Despite Peace's pin-point passing, the Tiger defense tjffrned in one of its finest showings of the season. It Stopped the Gators' running tandem of Neal Anderson I and John L. Williams, and staged an impressive goalline iUnd to stop the Gators on four tries from inside the 3 1 early in the fourth quarter. when Florida, in a replay of last year's game, 'successfully recovered in onside kick in the closing minutes, the defense sank the Gators' last hopes for a comeback win.

i "There were a lot of key things in the ballgame," said 'Dye. "Number one was the goal-line stand. The other 1 thing was when they got the ball back (on the onside 'kick). "We probably played as hard in those four downs as we did aU daylong." LAST YEAR, Florida recovered an on-side kick and promptly marched into range for a 42-yard Jim Galney field goal that gave it the win. year, Auburn defenders weren't going to allow a replay.

They swafmed over Peace, sacking him on first rdbwn, batting away a second-down pass and holding Florida without the first down it desperately needed. ttThe other key or Auburn was establishing Its running ame. Florida came into the contest as the SEC's No. 1 against the run, having given up an average of yards a game. -But Jackson and Lionel James, Tommie Agee, Brent Fullwood, and Tim Jessie found room to run, rolling up 2316 yards on the ground.

Jackson, who had been ill most of Friday night and was 'worried be would be too: weak to play, made the 'difference. 5On their first possession, the Tigers were moving in rjblU and pieces. Then Jackson busted loose for a 55-yard "touchdown run that demonstrated all the attributes that make him one of the premier running backs In the ''fionference and the nation. He used his power to break tackles, his balance to stay 011 bis feet after being tripped and his speed to outrun "Florida's secondary. Auburn added two more first-half touchdowns.

One came on a Randy Campbell 4-yard run that capped a 57- yard drive In the first quarter. Lionel James, who picked (Please see Auburn en Page 5B) the win column. It wasn't very pretty, looking at it from a coaching viewpoint, execution-wise," Perkins said. "But I think we did make some improvements in several areas, especially defensively. Even though it might not have shown." The Crimson Tide's defensive performance wasn't exactly awe-inspiring.

For that matter, neither was the offense. Quarterback John Bond led the Bulldog offense to over 400 yards In offense, just 57 yards shy of Alabama's offensive performance behind Walter Lewis. But nowhere to be found was the quick score, the End of ride for Tide's Joe Carter Delta left 'drained' by Jax State own worst enemy. "Our defense played well. The first 10 points they had, our offense gave them," said Butler, Delta State's record-setting junior quarterback.

"They may have had 10 yards of total offense and they were leading 10-0. We've been doing the same thing all season and you just can't do that and win. We just dig ourselves a hole. We still could have climbed out if it hadn't been for all those turnovers." Ah, yes, the turnovers. Delta State fumbled eight times against Jax State, and lost half of them.

Butler was intercepted twice, both times in the fourth quarter. Jax State blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. A horror story as horrible as any told on Halloween. DELTA STATE finished with 422 yards of total offense, just 4 yards less than its season average. It forced the chain-gang to move the sticks 29 times after making first downs.

Butler, one of the top Division II passers nationally, completed 23 of 45 passing attempts for 249 yards. Delta runners carried the football 48 times for an additional 173 yards. Those statistics are supposed to win football games, not lose by 20 points. This possibly was a case of Delta beating itself worse than Jacksonville State beating Delta. "I didn't do a good job of taking care of the football," said Butler.

"That's what I've got to do for us to be successful. We moved the football just about every time we touched it." Excluding drives that ended in turnovers, the Statesmen made at least one first down in every drive. But all Delta's misery was not of its own doing. Jax State's defense did its part. The Red Bandits bent bent a lot actually but didn't break.

And they got some help from their offensive team-(Please see Jax State on Page 6B) By DONNIE WEBB Star Sports Writer CLEVELAND, Miss. Scott Butler was mad mad at himself, mad at the world In general. There was a pained expression of disgust as he headed for the showers. Most of his Delta State teammates had long since left the dressing room to wadded piles of white, tape and soiled towels when Butler finished peeling off his work clothes. Delta State had lost its third straight game.

Jacksonville State had taken back to sweet home Alabama a 34-14 Gulf South Conference victory before 4,000 at Delta Field Saturday afternoon. It was the same song, same verse as Butler saw it. The Statesmen sped up and down the field at leisure, their offense clicking off yards faster than a Corvette odometer. But by that time, Delta State was far behind, having to play catch-up. The Statesmen had been their.