The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 37

THE COURIER-JOURNAL LOUISVILLE, KY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991. ILDi ickens beat dickers out of off Brohm hurt as winning streak ends By RUSS BROWN Staff Writer It started badly and ended worse for the University of Louisville football team last night in its 28-11 loss to llth-ranked Tennessee in front of a record crowd of 40,457 in Cardinal Stadium. First, Carl Pickens put of into an early hole with a 75-yard touchdown catch. Then he drove the final nail into the Cardinals' coffin with a 67-yard punt return for another TD.

And finally, Tennessee's hard-hitting de- fense cast a pall urn fcr 'l jtl over of L's season by sending starting quarterback Jeff Brohm to the sidelines with a broken ankle that Rick Bozich's column, Page A 1. Tennessee's defense made life miserable for Jeff Brohm, Page 6. yO ill -4 1 I fvw in) v.v -v will probably keep him out for the rest of the season. Brohm suffered a broken fibula bone in his right ankle. His lower leg was placed in a cast at Humana Audubon Hospital and the cast will remain on for at least six weeks.

"It was a broken bone, right now I just have to have a cast on it," Brohm said. "He (team physician Dr. Raymond Shea) is going to X-ray it in a few more days. It's stable right now. He doesn't think I need to have it operated on." of coach Howard Schnellenberger said backup quarterback Erik Watts, a senior from Tulsa, will start the Cardinals' next game against Ohio State on Sept.

14 in Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Brohm was hurt with 5:09 left in the game when he was sacked by Tennessee's 239-pound senior linebacker, Ernest Fields. See BROHM Page 6, col. 1, this section STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES H. WALLACE Jeff Brohm showed his exhaustion shortly before he went down with a broken bone In his right ankle.

STAFF PHOTO BY JAMES H. WALLACE Kacy Rodgers mashed Ralph Dawkins to the carpet on fourth down after the Cards had first-and-goal at the 2. Old news: Connors makes semis UK's offensive linemen found teamwork, toughness came right out of the Blue Associated Press NEW YORK Jimmy Connors didn't need a miracle to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open, just a psyched-out opponent who cracked under pressure and let him steal the match at the net. 4 7 Connors methodically took apart Dutchman Paul Haarhuis 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-2 last night before another frenzied crowd of nearly 20,000 fans to become, at By PAT FORDE Staff Writer LEXINGTON, Ky.

Today's story comes to you from the Blue Room, a windowless rectangle connected to the University of Kentucky's football practice facility. The name is derived from the blue-and-white pads on the walls and blue carpeting, which pretty well sums up the room's contents except for the air. Try to inhale. The air in the Blue Room feels as thick as peanut butter. It was in this setting that the UK offensive line was molded into a unit one that began blowing defenses backward midway through last season and now is considered the strength of the Wildcats as they head into their season opener tomorrow night against Miami of Ohio.

At least, the linemen say they owe it all to the punishing proceedings in this room last fall. Their coach begs to differ. "I think the Blue Room is more legend than substance," snorted line coach and offensive coordinator Rick Rhoades. "We spent a couple days in there going over some things that needed to be brushed up. What really happened was the fact that about 20 guys made the commitment to be the best they can be.

That's the story there." Perhaps. But what facts can be separated from legend are these: After struggling to provide holes for running backs and time for quarterbacks the first four games last year, Rhoades began taking his linemen into the Blue Room for several intense, pre-practice practices in private. "He had us going full-go before practice even started," senior offensive tackle Greg See UK LINEMEN Page 5, col. 3, this section SINGLES AT A GLANCE Men YESTERDAY'S RESULTS (4) Jim Courier d. (6) Pete Sampras 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

(5) Ivan Lendl d. (3) Michael Stich 6-3, 3-6, 4-6. 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. Jimmy Connors d. Paul Haarhuis 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-2.

TOMORROW'S SEMIFINALS Lendl vs. (2) Stefan Edberg. Courier vs. Connors. Women TODAY'S SEMIFINALS (1) Steffi Graf vs.

(6) Martina Navratilova. (2) Monica Seles vs. (7) Jennifer Capriati. 'A Downs' demise casts shadow on Kentucky harness racing ASSOCIATED PRESS Jimmy Connors celebrated after beating Paul Haarhuis to reach the U.S. Open semifinals against Jim Courier.

Connors said later, "Is this for real?" 39, the oldest semifinalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974. Connors, a wild-card tournament entry who is ranked 174th in the world, reached the semifinal for a record 14th time and is two victories away from his sixth Open title. The last player to win as many as six Opens was Bill Tilden, who won his seventh in 1929. "Is this for real?" Connors wondered aloud as his achievement sank in. "I can't describe this to you, the highs, the lows.

It'll take six months before I can tell you what happened here, and it's not over yet." Haarhuis, who beat top-ranked Boris Becker in the third round, dominated an unsettled Connors early in the first set, then backed off and allowed him to take control. Retreating totally to the baseline, Haarhuis ceded the net to Connors and eventually made more and more errors on groundstrokes as the pressure from Connors and the crowd grew. By DAVE KOERNER Staff Writer As the demise of Louisville Downs grew imminent this summer, Jack Myers, manager of Riverside Downs in Henderson, wrote a letter to the Kentucky Harness Racing Commission asking for extra fall racing dates. "To me, Riverside can be the savior for the industry in Kentucky," Myers said. "Because once the horsemen leave the state and get set up elsewhere, Kentucky will have a difficult time getting them back." Riverside since has received approval for the additional dates and will begin its meet Oct.

4 instead of Oct. 25. Riverside also will pick up extra days in 1992 from Feb. 14 to June 27 and Sept. 18 to Nov.

21. In all, Riverside will race 115 days next year, 37 more than in 1991. But that doesn't translate into a bright fu- Churchill wants 'first-rate conversion of Louisville Downs to training facility, Page 7. ture for harness racing in Kentucky. Combined with The Red Mile in Lexington, Riverside racing will give the state 171 harness dates in 1992, considerably short of the 210 days this year.

Also, there will be two large gaps in the racing calendar, with nearly a three-month void from late November through mid-February and another gap in July and August. Because of those voids, horsemen who might race at Riverside, which caters to a cheaper horse with a daily purse schedule of about $10,000, probably will look toward Illinois in hopes of creating a new circuit. In the past, Riverside often drew most of its See DOWNS' Page 7, col. 4, this section grade of tennis to get past his next opponent, French Open champion Jim Courier, who knocked off his friend, Pete Sampras, the defending champ. Ivan Lendl was just as happy after knocking off Wimbledon champ Michael Stich to reach the Open semifinal for the ninth time in 10 years.

Connors turned the match around after See CONNORS Page 2, col. 3, this section "I've learned that I can't stay back time after time. It will wear me out," Connors said. Haarhuis said Connors bothered him more than the crowd. "I had a chance in the second set to serve it out," Haarhuis said.

"He's shown this week that he's come back many times. It was a mistake for me to let the second set go. I started making too many errors." Connors will have to play a higher INSIDE LOOKING PACK 71 YEARS AGO SEPT. 6, 1920 Jack Dempsey knocks out Billy Miske in the third round to retain the world heavyweight title. Sports People Major-league baseball Golf Bo gets three RBIs fN as White Sox roll See Page 2 SSjp jf Hoosiers search for elusive upset See Page 5 .2 .2 .3 .4 .7 Scorecard, Thoroughbred racing.