The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 9

Pairs' Wi 1 SUNDAY September 28, 1980 Dears To Hibernate Early? 3 Yanks9 Number Dips to Three 5 Astros Top Res, Phils Fall 5 Pro, Amateur Scoreboard 8 Section OlP(0 3 Tic oir 0 o) o)(9 It was covered with busted time, fruit. complete team victory we've had in my four years at Tennessee." THE VALUE to the Vol pro-gram cannot be over-emphasized. It evened their 1980 record at 2-2, it was their first Southeastern Conference victory this year and if they can beat Georgia Tech in two weeks it will mean a nationally televised game against Alabama in Knoxville Oct. 18. Jeff Olszewski, returning to the starting quarterback's job after surrendering it to Steve Alatorre last week, put the picture into a better perspective.

"I don't like to talk about losing, -but if we had lost this game, we would have been 1-3 and the pic-: ture would have been very he said. "I think now we have got-, (Turn to Page 11, Column 1) running, passing, blocking, tackling and play-calling, resulting in the worst defeat for an Auburn team since 1948, when Alabama won 55-0. IT WAS, ALSO, the first time a Tennessee team had won in the state of Alabama since 1969, when the Vols beat Alabama. "I'm overwhelmed," said a grinning John Majors, coach of the Volunteers. "I'm out of breath I'm so excited." Just to rub it in a little, several Tennessee players expressed their thanks to the Auburn student body for delivering their expected orange deluge throughout the afternoon.

"They fired us up," said middle guard Jim Nobnan. The UT bench area looked like a Florida orange grove at picking By F.M. WILLIAMS Tennessean Sports Writer AUBURN Tennessee's football team flirted with greatness for three games and finally reached it in the fourth. The Vols put a. 60-minute clinic and beat Auburn unmercifully before a record crowd of 75,942 here yesterday, 42-0.

It was a brilliant exhibition of Majors admitted that he thought before the game that his team would win the game. "I was not overconfident," he said. "I just had a positive feeling. We had the four best days of practice last week we've had. I don't know when I've seen a better overall team effort.

It was the most W'i mm i mm. TUSCALOOSA It was of course, that Alabama would beat Van-derbilt. And the 41-0 score that evolved during the course of the Southeastern Conference football game here yesterday is just about what had been expected. Bama isn't likely to lose any ground in its bid for a third straight national championship on the basis of its work against the Com- mm modores. But, for what it's worth, I think Van-derbilt on-s a again that it's 4 'J i 1 'W i'T- Z.U e' if iff jT yj Wr, i' 6 1 -1 mmm WITH JOHN BIBB -SPORTS EDITOR ing program is for real.

UPlTelephoto Six For The Vols FOR INSTANCE, an unusual thing happened as Alabama (3-0) won its 24th straight SEC encounter: For the first time in many, many Bama's reserve defenders those second and third-string faceless troops who somehow ultimately turn out to be Ail-Americans were unable to control Vandy's first-string offensive players. Alabama did, indeed, shut out the Commodores this time. I mean, the REAL The genuine, No. 1 Crimson Tide. TO BE SURE, Bear Bryant played 61 of his Crimson-shirted stalwarts, but when things got the Auburn Tigers.

Five more UT scores followed as the Vols humiliated Auburn. 1 TSU thick like twice in the third quarter when! Vanderbilt dominated play the Bear had his; best of the crop on the field. As a matter of fact, early on in the battle, the' No. 1 defenders were called back onto the field; to thwart a Commodore offensive thrust died when Mike Woodard missed his second'; field goal attempt of the game. At the end, for the 299th time in his life that's one for each of his victories as a head coach Bryant lauded the work of his assist-; ants, the performance of his players and competitiveness of the opposition.

THIS TIME, though, there's more truth than" Bryantese in what he had to say. Like, for in-V; stance: -V "Vanderbilt played well. They have a good, young team. They stuck to their plans. They didn't go crazy and give us a lot.

They're going to be better and better as the year goes on." Perhaps Bear was remembering last year's; 66-3 fiasco in Nashville. STILL, LEST we forget, the score yesterday: WAS 41-0, although the final points came on the last play of the game. At that time a monstrous roar went up from the sellout throng of 60,020, may of whom undoubtedly were sweating the point spread. Bama went into the game favored to win by 39. That's something else.

When you start analyzing Bama's work, week after week, it is truly amazing the Tide can maintain its mental toughness and preparedness, particularly for a club such as Vanderbilt which has been a soft-touch all these years. v. J. NEVERTHELESS, IT'S as Commodore' coach George Maclntyre put it as his club de parted the premises: "Alabama just has a better football team; than we do. They played harder and tougher than we did and just beat us.

We tried to comd back but couldn't do it. We couldn't stop them and we couldn't get it across the, goal line when we had our chances." And, chances Vandy had. No less than five times Vandy got to or inside the Alabama 20, it's deepest penetration the Bama one, where on fourth down a fumble in the air was picked off by Tide linebacker Thomas Boyd who streaked 52 yards before being caught. V-T THE FUMBLE return led to Bama's next-to-last touchdown, a 13-yard scoot by reserve Ben Orcutt. Quickly, let's point out that this TD was one of two in the final quarter scored by, Bama's substitutes.

The last touchdown, a 15v yard pitch to sophomore Jeff Fagan, came as the time expired. It culminated an 86-yard march that was engineered by third-string quarterback Ken Coley. So, despite the Commodores' offensive' im- provement at the first-string level, it must be said the No. 1 defenders still had their hands full with Bama's second and third echelon; troops. But, then, maybe by the fourth quarter, they.

were weary. BAMA SCORED on its first possession, utiliz-' ing the option pitch very well as the dores obviously feared the damage that ened in the middle where Bama can six-and- eight-yard you to death. The first score, from (Turn to Page 4, Column 1) rain, the teams slugged to a scoreless tie at the end of the first quarter. By DAVID CLIMER Tennessean Sports Writer FORT WORTH, Texas John Merritt squeezed to within one Tennessee State's defense with- victory of the 200-win mark last' stood a pair of serious challenges night as his Tennessee State during the first 15 minutes, over Tigers defeated Texas Southern. The score was 13-3.

Merritt has now won 199 games in his 28 years as a head football coach on the college level. His record at Tennessee State in 18 years is 139-27-5. TSU'S victory over Texas Southern moved the Tigers' record to 2-0 on the year and keeps the team rolling as it heads into next Saturday's game with Long Beach, State. That contest will be played at Vanderbilt's Dudley Field. As an estimated 2,000 fans filtered in through a light, misting Football Scores fcvj fv-'v 1 1 'l A- i nill run I I mi I imion wuw J'M, coming a miss-hanaiea punt attempt and a fumble by quarter-backJoe Adams.

THE FIRST mistake came when TSU punter Thomas Headen dropped the wet ball as it was snapped to him on fourth down deep in TSU territory. Texas Southern moved from the 28-yard line down to the 4 but Lee Alexander's 21-yard field goal attempt slid off to the right. The wet conditions and slippery football showed up again with 1:01 left in the first quarter when Adams let the ball slip put of his hands, giving Texas Southern possession near mid-field. Again, Tennessee State's defense held and the ensuing punt initiated TSU's lone first half touchdown. Starting from their own 46, the Tigers moved to the touchdown in eight plays with Adams hitting important passes to Lee Haynes, Ron Holland and Henry Foster.

FOSTER'S reception moved the ball to the 1 and, on fourth and goal, Larry. Kinnebrew swept the right side for the touchdown. It was a costly, score for TSU, though, as Kinnebrew was taken from the field with an apparent leg injury. He was later taken to a hospital for tests. Tennessee State's defense finally yielded points after five scoreless quarters this season when Alexander hammered through a 36-yard field goal with just 12 seconds left in the first The field goal came after a lengthy Texas Southern drive, punctuated by down runs by Lance Courville and Horace Stroud.

That left the score 7-3 at intermission. Forced to stay on the field, a bone-weary 21 of 28 plays in the third quarter, the Tennessee State defense captured the momentum and decided the game two plays into the final quarter. Texas Southern had maintained possession for 15 straight rushing plays before TSU finally forced a punt. THE PUNT traveled all of 2 feet before it slammed into the hands of Tiger linebacker Primes Bobo, and the sophomore from Memphis (Turn to Page 8, Column 3) South Alabama 41, Vanderbilt 0 Bethany 14, John Carroll 10 Bridgewater 24, Maryville 0 Citadel 29, Tenn-Chattanooga 13 1 Clark 59, Fisk 7 Clemson 17, W. Carolina 10 Davidson 56, Southwestern 3 Elizabeth City St 21, Norfolk St 12 Florida 21, Miss.

St 15 Frostburg St 38, Salisbury St 0 Furman 21, VMI 16 Georgia Tech 17, Memphis St 8 Georgia 34, Texas Christian 3 Guilford 24, Hampden-Sydney 22 Jacksonville St 24, Ala. St 14 Kentucky 21, Bowling Green 20 Miami 10, Florida St 9 Newberry 20, Catawba 13 North Carolina 17, Maryland 3 Presbyterian 16, Lenoir Rhyne 3 Shepherd 34, W. Liberty 7 Southern Miss. 35, E. Carolina 7 Tennessee 42, Auburn 0 Tulane 26, Mississippi 24 Of D.C.

29, Livingstone 9 Va Tech 38, James Madison 6 Virginia 20, Duke 17 W.Ya,State28,Glenvillel4 Wake Forest 27, N.C. State 7 Wash Lee 16, Centre 9 Western Ky. 20, Austin Peay 14 Wofford 28, Carson-Newman 14 (Turn to Page 8, Column 2) Ouch! Florida 21 Mississippi State 15 Story on Page 2 North Carolina 17 Maryland 3 Story on Page 6 Western Kentucky 20 Austin Peay 14 Story on Page 9 Nebraska 21 PennState7 Story on Page 11 Stanford 31 Oklahoma 14 Story on Page 11 Ohio Stats 33 Arizona State 2 StSryonPage 12 Staff photo by Frank Empson Over We Go TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Crimson Tide quartej Vanderbilt defender Keith Edwards after gain-back Alan Gray is sent head over heels by ing 12 yards during the first quarter..