The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 32

SECTION SPORTS fain Scoreboard, 2C Sports A.M., 13C Preps, 14C The Sunday TENNESSEAN SUNDAY, September 27, 1987 Earnhardt eyes sweep on short tracks, 1 3C Kroll leader in Walker Pro-Celebrity golf, 15C Tid outlast gritty VU JOHN BIBB Sports Editor Jffl Sunday Ayem ti QUv7 ihi- Knjf jv7 -V1 9 Final minute TDbyBama avoids upset JOHN BIBB Sports Editor Prancing Bobby Humphrey, Alabama's spirited Heisman hopeful, took control of a troubled Crimson Tide football team last night and led a late, 30-23 victory over Vanderbilt at Dudley Field. Humphrey, who was sidelined with leg cramps in the third period, grabbed the Bama reins with less than four minutes to go and the score tied 23-23. Heromped54yardsonakickoff return following the third field goal of the battle by Vandy's Johnny Clark. Then, in swift order, Humphrey raced for 31 more yards in three carries during a 46-yard, five-play winning drive. He leaped over a mountain of defenders and blockers to score from the one and settle the issue.

It was Humphrey's third touchdown of the game and offset a strong Vanderbilt bid for an upset. The Commodores, utilizing a balanced pass-run offense, had stunned the Tide with two first-half touchdowns and three second-half field goals. But, at the end, it was Humphrey, the latest in a long line of superb Alabama runners and one of the nation's leading Heisman Trophy candidates, who brought down Vanderbilt's upset hopes and handed the Tide's new coach, Bill Curry, his first Southeastern Conference victory. I Turn to PAKE 7C, Column I Rick Musacchio Stait Alabama's Bobby Humphrey is about to reclaim the football in the endzone, haing just crossed the goaline for a touchdown. 1 Ml Time to tell if Majors was right KNOXVILLE Tennessee and Auburn battered each other for 60 minutes here yesterday, but it may well be some chilly November afternoon before the significance of their 20-20 tie is realized.

That's when Tennessee hits a three-game SEC stretch against Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt During almost an identical time frame, Auburn must play Florida, Georgia and Alabama each currently listed among the nation's top 20 teams. Down the road, the schedule obviously favors the Vols. With less than 2 minutes remaining, Tennessee Coach Johnny Majors decided to go for a tie instead of chancing an opportunity to win. There'll be those disappointed Vol followers who will offer criticism for Majors' dodging the issue yesterday. Nevertheless, there is considerable evidence that Majors' postponement later may become the most heralded long-range decision of the season.

Only time will tell. rn AJORS was careful to avoid any I VI mention of any specific future opponent that could wind up as psychological batter on a lockerroom bulletin board. But, the message might just as well have been flashed on the scoreboard at Neyland Stadium and tracked across television screens from coast to coast: From here on, Tennessee's path to the possible SEC throne is smoother than Auburn's. Whatever lies ahead, yesterday's match between two undefeated, nationally-ranked Southeastern Conference powers was a classic expression of intercollegiate football. Rocking and socking for a full four quarters, the Vols and Tigers waged a battle demonstrating why the SEC for years has been known as the Land of Defensive Giants.

Tennessee's defensive game plan, obviously drawn toward grounding Auburn's early-season passing attack did just that. ON THE other side of the field, Auburn's Coach Pat Dye recognized the Vol strategy and eventually put the Tigers' new toy back in the chest. He ordered his troops to go hit theturf. Hetold his men to go to their running game. Utilizing their potent pass-i ng attack as a decoy, they rammed for two second-half touchdown drives which built a 20-10 advantage with four minutes gone in the final period.

Auburn required 27 plays to produce its two TDs, and 24 of those plays were ruas. To be sure, all three passes were key plays. But, the Vols knew their best chance, perhaps their only chance, to win was to get Aubum on the ground. They couldn't beat Auburn without stalling the pass that had been so spectacular in Auburn's routs of Texas and Kansas in its first two starts this season. Successful in that endeavour, Tennessee then fought off a series of Auburn offensive sets.

The Vol defenders faced the Wishbone, the I-forma-tion, the full-house an unbalanced line and the shotgun. It was against the full range of attack, the Vol defenders fought. And, in the final period, the Tennessee offense staged a gritty surge to gain its share of the glory. Tennessee gains tie with Auburn on late comeback Vols, Tigers 20-20 score, stats even VHP i Jt A 7 Lm f. Z'' Ricky Rogers Stall DAVID CI.IMER Sports Writer KNOXVTLLE Depending on your perspective, yesterday's 20-20 tie between Tennessee and Auburn was somewhere between beauty and beast.

More than anything else, though, it was appropriate. On this sun-splashed afternoon amid the tingle and tension of Ney-land Stadium, it was simply too close to call. Hence the tie. And hence the different attitudes with which it was received. Did somebody say Kiss vour sister? "I have one sister.

She's beautiful and I love her," said Tennessee Coach Johnny Majors, a j'rin that was equal parts happiness and relief splitting his face. "Both teams had a chance lo win. Both teams showed a lot of good stuff. Neither team deserved to lose." Said Auburn Coach Pat Dye: "After a tie, you m't feel the depression of a loss and you don't feel the elation of a win. We're frustrated.

"I guess the game was supposed -o end in a tie." Given 2020 hindsight and after further examination of the evidence. Dye was right. The statistics were pretty much even in a game where both defenses sparkled. UT managed 2 HO yards of total offense, with Jeff Francis completing 1 3 of 20 passes for 1 66 yards. He was intercepted once.

Freshman tailback Reggie Cobb managed just 66 yards including only 22 in the first half but scored twice. Auburn gained 215 yards, featuring 1 29 on Jeff Burger's 16-for-27 passing, but the Tigers switched to the run for much of the afternoon, with James Joseph getting 59 yards and Vincent Harris adding 54. As even as it obviously was, there were plenty of opportunities for each team in what Majors called "a gut-testing, sweaty game." Tennessee faced its tactical crossroads with just 1 :20 remaining after Cobb had skittered seven yards for his second touchdown of the game, chinning the Vols back within a single point at 20-19. Like they say in the commercials, you make the call. Majors did.

And he scarcely hesitated before sending Phil Reich onto the field to kick the conversion that tied the game. "Coach Majors always puts up one or two fingers after a touchdown to signal what we're going to do," Reich said later. "There was no delay." Then came Auburn's final, frantic, do-or-Dye rush at glory. Starting from their 20-yard line with three timeouts remaining, the Tigers threw caution and the ball to the wind. Burger completed four straight passes during the last-ditch run but he Turn lo XC Column 3 Tennessee's Alvin Harper eyes Auburn's Alvin Biggs, unaware that Nate Hill is coming from behind.

Strike league offered to players ion players. The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution reported in today's combined editions. "By Monday, we hope to know something," Brad Turell, a Fox vice president in Los Angeles, told the newspaper. The Atlanta newspaper also quoted a union official, who was not named, as saying that games would be played on Monday nights, perhaps as early as Oct. 5.

"We've been approached by different people who want to take over the whole banana," he said in an interview with the Associated Press. "It wouldn't be all-star games, but rather the same teams that are now out on strike." Meanwhile, the players strike entered its fifth day with WASHINGTON (AP) Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, said yesterday he would give "serious consideration" to an offer from a television network that would enable striking players to form their own league. "Several network types have approached my people, offering us a blank check so they could televise what would be a players' league," Upshaw said. "They're saying each player would own a part of the franchise, and saying they've got a way to make this happen." Upshaw would not specify which network, or networks, offered the deal. An official of Fox Broadcasting television's would-be "fourth network" confirmed that Fox is talking with the NFLPA about televising games played by striking un Turn lo IK, olumn I miILfA 'iir'i4VA fUAJFVJ'Mi 1,1 mi.x.iCmimavimmmmmmAi'imm.

miifiiui'Www Hi i i mm mffrflltrfTlnir Tl tll h.s lit I COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES Baseball, final days. Toronto increases lead over Tigers in AL East Glance. Finish line near AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division TORONTO A pinch hit by Juan Beniquez, a bases-loaded triple in the ninth inning, gave Toronto a 10-9 win over Detroit here yesterday as the winning Blue Jays increased their lead to 34 games. The win for Toronto was its seventh in a row and marked the second straight day that the Blue Jays scored three runs in the final at-bat to edge the second Tigers. The win also left Toronto with a magic number of five in the title chase.

0 Details, IOC Football. Tennessee State grabs first win, 21-16 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. New Ten-nessee State quarterback Chaun-cey Hines ran for a touchdown and passed for a second to give the Big Blue its first win of the year, a 21-16 victory over Florida 21 Details, DC Tenn. Tech wins; Western beats MTSU Improved Tennessee Tech won last night, beating Austin Peay 14-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams. Middle Tennessee State was a 28-16 loser at Western Wisconsin 30, Ball St.

13 Southwest Miami 51, Arkansas 7 Baylor 36, Texas Tech 22 Houston 38, S. Houston 34 Lamar 28. S.F. Austin 26 Okla St. 36.

SW La. 0 Rice 38, SW Texas 28 Texas 61, Oregon St. 16 UTEP 37, Hawaii 13 Oklahoma 65. Tulsa 0 Far West Air Force 27, Colo. St.

19 Nebraska 35, Arizona St. 28 Sou. Cal 31, California 14 Colo. 26, Wash. St.

17 Montana 41, Nevada-Reno 29 BYU 45, New Mexico 25 Oregon 25, San Diego 20 S.Jose St. 24, Stanford 17 UCLA 34, Arizona 24 Utah 51, Idaho St. 16 Fulter.St.30.UtahSt.il Washington 31, Pacific 3 Wyoming 34, Iowa St. 17 Complete scores, 2C SEC Tenn. 20, Auburn 20, tie Alabama 30, Vandy 23 Ohio St.

13, LSU 13, tie Rutgers 19, Kentucky 18 Florida 38, Miss. St. 3 Georgia 13, S. Carolina 3 Tulane 31, Ole Miss 24 ovc TSU 21, Fla. 16 Tenn.

Tech 14, APSU9 VVKU28, MTSU 16 E. Kentucky 23, C. Fla. 16 Louisville 34, Murray St. 10 Marshall 38.

Ytown 13 S. Ark. 38, Morehead 23 East Army 48, Citadel 6 Penn St. 27, Boston Col. 17 Brown 17.

R. Island 15 Bucknell 32, Penn 24 Colgate 27, Cornell 3 Richmond 28, Delaware 21 Harvard 27, N'eastern 24 Lafayette 38. Columbia 7 Holy Cross 63. Lehigh 6 Carolina 45, Navy 14 N. Hamps.

41, Dartmouth 3 Pitt 6, West Virginia 3 Yale 30, Connecticut 27 South Clemson 33, Ga. Tech 12 Princeton 42 Davidson 6 E. Ciarolina 16, Ga. Sou. 13 Valdbsta 24, UT-Martin 10 UT-Chalt.

16. Furman 14 48, Elon 35 Sewajnee 42, Earlham 7 N.C. J. 42. Maryland 14 Texas ASM 27.

So. Miss 14 Virginia 42, Duke 17 VMI27.Woftord11 Syracuse 35, VPI21 W. Forost St. 12 Midwest Cincy 3 V.Miami (0)26 Indiana 2D, Missouri 17 Iowa 38, Kansas St. 13 La Tech 16, Kansas 1 1 Michigan 49, L.

Beach 0 Fla. St. 31, Michigan St. 3 Minnesota 30, C. Mich.

10 No. III. 16, western 16, tie Notre Dame 44, Purdue 20 Pet. GB Toronto 96 59 .619 Detroit 92 62 .597 3V Milwaukee 86 69 .555 10 West Division Pet. GB Minnesota 83 72 .535 Kansas City 78 77 .503 5 Oakland 77 78 .497 6 NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division Pet.

GB St. Louis 91 63 .595 New York 88 67 .568 3V Montreal 87 67 .565 4 West Division Pet. G3 San Francisco 84 70 .545 Cincinnati 77 77 .500 7 Magic numbers: St. Louis 5, San Magic number for Cards now five as Mets lose struck out Leon Durham with two runners on base to end the game, providing St. Louis with a 3'i game margin over the second place New York Mets.

Details, IOC tr CHICAGO The magic number for the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League East went to five here yesterday with a 5-3 Cardinals win over the Chicago Cubs. Pan Driessen hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Ken Dayley I 0 Details on Tech, 5C Francisco, Toronto 5, Minnesota 3. i..