The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 31

SPORTS THE COURIER-JOURNAL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1994 EDITOR: HARRY BRYAN PHONE: 582-4361 FAX: 582-7186 tf olden moment tarns to lead. fee i jf Howard rolls dice but can't take heat Aggies wake up in 2nd half, avert upset 2640 There were 105 seconds separating the University of Louisville football team from its most ecstatic halftime of the year, from a chance to prance into the locker room with a stunning 7-0 lead over No. 9-ranked Texas yesterday. St. I he Aggies took the ball on their own 20, rocked on their heels, the chance of knocking in a late score seemingly remote.

One-hundred-and-five measly seconds to go. The Cardinals PAT FORDE By RUSS BROWN Staff Writer This was to be the University of Louisville football team's big chance, an opportunity to knock off a top-10 team for the first time and almost certainly earn a bowl bid. And for more than 55 minutes it looked as if it could happen. But undefeated, ninth-ranked Texas took charge in the final 4ft minutes and turned back the Cardinals' upset bid by the misleading score of 26-10 in front of a Cardinal Stadium crowd of 36,112. Actually, the Aggies (9-0-1) dominated the entire second half, but of (5-5) was still within striking distance of a major shocker after David Akers kicked a career-best 51-yard field goal with 4:38 remaining to trim lead to 17-10.

Then things fell apart for the hosts. scored 10 points in the last 1:49 to hand of its second consecutive loss and knock the Cards out of a probable Independence Bowl bid. Nonetheless, it was a gritty effort by the injury-depleted Cards, who played without leading rusher Anthony Shelman except for two plays and with a revamped defensive line that was minus ends Ken-drick Gholston and Antonio Brad-well. "I was exceptionally proud of this team for the first 55 minutes of the game, give or take some seconds," of coach Howard Schnellen-berger said. "Because they played SPORTS COLUMNIST ip6.

.1 I somehow had overcome the loss of their entire ground game, which disappeared when deluxe running back Anthony Shelman injured an ankle against Boston College. The defense flew to the football at an unprecedented pace, with linebackers Tyrus McCloud and Johnny Frost and safety Terry Quinn in the Aggies' backfield all half. The gumption that disappeared late in the BC game was back, and back hard. A great half if only Howard Schnellenberger had let it end that way. But the of coach rolled the See HOWARD Page 6, col.

1, this section See AGGIES Page 6, col. 1, this section STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES H. WALLACE Tyrus McCloud stopped Texas Rodney Thomas for a loss on a third-down play. The of defense shut down the Aggies for a half. Educated' bettors had little 'Risk' in Churchill BBC Close calls No.

2 Penn State and No. 6 Alabama narrowly avoided being upset, but No. 3 Auburn's 20-game winning streak ended with a 23-23 tie against Georgia. Pages 8-9. Jamal Mashburn scores 50 points against Bulls.

Page 2. Outdoors 12 Sports bowling 13 Thoroughbred racing 14-15 Coming Wednesday: The Courier-Journal's annual College Basketball Preview. her four subsequent wins coming in allowance races. But one of the basic tenets of handicapping is class, and that came screaming through as Educated Risk stalked the pacesetting Little Sucker, took the lead nearing the quarter pole, then motored away with no urging from jockey Pat Day. "That was a pretty easy walk in the park," Day said.

"She's a pretty nice filly, obviously. It was a very fine performance." Educated Risk ran one mile in By JENNIE REES Staff Writer A week after Dispute had to be scratched from the Breeders' Cup Distaff because of a bruised foot, Ogden Mills Phipps earned something of a consolation when another of his 4-year-old fillies, Educated Risk, romped to a six-length victory in yesterday's $212,500, Grade II Churchill Downs Budweiser Breeders' Cup Stakes. It was Educated Risk's first stakes 1:35, one-fifth of a second off Classic Value's 1989 stakes record, and paid $3.40 as the 7-10 favorite in a field of eight. "I was having to get into a drive at the quarter pole just to get up to (Educated Risk s) hip," said Shane Sellers, rider of second-place Pen-nyhill Park. "And (Day) had never budged.

He was sitting there with so much horse. He just kind of picked his hands up on her, and she was gone. My filly ran hard, and she just left her." Pennyhill Park, winner of the Turfway Park BBC and fourth in Keeneland's Spinster to Dispute, nosed out second-choice Alcovy, who lost for the first time in five races at Churchill and for only the third time in an 11-race career. Little Sucker tired to finish fourth. "That was just a really good filly who won," said Blackie Huffman, trainer of Alcovy.

"We've got no ex-See EDUCATED RISK Page 14, col. 5, this section Tabasco Cat to make grass debut next Sunday. Page 15. victory since Belmont Park's 1992 Frizette, after which the Shug McGaughey trainee was second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Since then she has spent two seasons chasing the likes of Sky Beauty, Nine Keys, Classy Mirage and stablemates Heavenly Prize (the Distaff, runner-up), Roamin Rachel and Dispute in Grade I races, with Rudolph's stumble another UK pratfall, 21-14 7 St.

boys, Male girls take state soccer titles From Special Dispatches 'Microcosm of our season Curry says By MARK COOMES, Staff Writer 'eta fe.V. The St. Xavier boys and Male girls completed a Louisville sweep of the state high school soccer championships last night, St. topping Montgomery County 2-0 and Male edging Lexington Lafayette 2-1 it I 1 'i 4 fix I. LEXINGTON, Ky.

Quarterback Antonio O'Ferral turned to linebacker Chad Hudson and asked the question that's on every University of Kentucky fan's mind: "Can you believe we lost to Northeast Louisiana?" By now they probably can. After nine straight losses, hardly anything is unbelievable anymore. UK's inexplicably horrid season reached a new nadir yesterday as the heavily favored Wildcats were beaten 21-14 by a 1-8 team playing its first season in NCAA Division I-A. The Indians could hardly believe it themselves. "I'm still in shock," defensive end Shawn King said.

He shouldn't be. Northeast (2-8) outplayed UK (1-9) for 59 minutes and 50 seconds, yet the Cats still had a chance to win. With 10 seconds left, UK faced fourth-and-goal from the 10-yard line. O'Ferral tossed an inside screen to Clyde Rudolph, and the speedy flanker had nothing but 5 yards of green between himself and the end zone. But Rudolph somehow stumbled, which al- lowed safety Alonzo Hampton to dart over and More coverage, photos, Page 11.

in overtime. It was the third title for St. which scored a goal in each half, both by midfielder Matt Brown. Male repeated as champ on a goal by Melissa Buck with 5:57 left in the second 10-minute overtime. The Montgomery County boys became the first non-Louisville or Lexington school to lose twice in the final, having fallen to Ballard 2-0 in 1989.

No non-Louisville or Lexington school ever has won a state soccer title. St. goalkeeper John Pedro earned a shutout despite Montgomery County's second-half pressure. "The second half they came so hard, so physical," said St. Xavier coach Rick Blair.

Male's Emily Dausman had scored in the first half, and Lafayette's Sarah Chrisman scored early in the second. Male then had four shots on goal in the final two minutes of regulation but couldn't score. Lafayette goalkeeper Heather Joy made the key save in that stretch, a point-blank stop on a shot by Buck. "It's a microcosm of our season," UK coach Bill Curry said. "We were one stumble away from having a chance to win." Kentucky was lucky to be that close.

Uninspired early and saved by big plays late, the Cats (1-9) were outgained by 221 yards until their final drive. They wound up with 270, a miserably meager number against the nation's 106th-ranked defense, which was giving up 492 yards a game. "That's what kills me!" fullback Damon Hood said. "The second-to-last defense, and they stop I us." See KENTUCKY STAFF PHOTO BY MARY ANN LYONS Page 9, col. 1, this section Clyde Rudolph sprawled at Northeast Louisiana's 2-yard line, where he went down as time ran out on Kentucky yesterday..