The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 43

in. -i rm i VkVar Wis VANDERBILT11C TOP2512C OVC 13C STATE 13C SEC14.15C PENN STATE SURVIVES SCARE Page 12C ALL THE SCORES 10C SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1994 mi i MVYTOAI 11 mm mmm (SUD13 D1fjLT David -lit riimAr Blast in Bluegrass puts bowl in sight By MIKE ORGAN Sports Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. There was frustration in the final minute again, but this time Vander-bilt could celebrate anyway. The Commodores came 47 seconds away from their first Southeastern Conference shutout in 26 years, but nonetheless climbed over the .500 mark and remained in bowl contention with a 24-6 victory over Vandy hadn't beaten an SEC rival four consecutive years since stopping Auburn five consecutive years from 1946-50. Vanderbilt took control in the third quarter when Jer-maine Johnson raced up the middle eight yards for a touchdown that capped off a 50-yard scoring drive where the Commodores ran on every down giving Vandy a 16-0 A steady wind kept both teams from throwing the ball effectively so Vandy relied on the run on every play of the sec host Kentucky.

"We were talking about it on the sidelines because we really wanted to get the Came report, 11C Utiiui I iiiui II mi i i i j.i JUIIWIJI IWIHIILH. -if fw m' ond half while the Kentucky offense struggled. "I'm in shock," said Kentucky senior fullback Damon Hood, who will end his career without ever experiencing a win over Vanderbilt "It's unbelievable, we shouldn't have lost this game we should beat Vandy. That's how I feel personally." The Wildcats did manage a drive early in the fourth quarter and moved the ball to the Vanderbilt 15-yard line, but Collins stopped it cold when he stripped Moe Williams of the ball and safety Matt Anderson recovered for the Commodores. Vanderbilt took a 24-0 lead 10 plays and 87 yards later when Ronnie Gordon ran into the end zone from two yards away on a quarterback keeper.

"We played so much better in the second half and that really didn't surprise me," said Johnson, who rushed for more than 100 yards for the sixth time this season by picking up 109 yards on 19 carries. "We've been a second half team all year. There were little signs in the first half that let me know we would get it done in the second half. If we'd just had another block here, another step there, that kind of thing in the first half." shutout because we haven't had one around here," said senior linebacker Gerald Collins. "Not getting it was kind of disappointing, but once they scored I was like, 'To hell with if" Unlike so many years before, Vandy's season hasn't gone to hell by the month of The victory before a Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 40,500 pushed the Commodores to 5-4 and above .500 for the first time in November in 10 years.

Vanderbilt, 2-4 in the SEC, is off next Saturday before finishing the season with visits from Eastern Division rivals Florida and Tennessee. Not recording a shutout was the only truly disappointing thing yesterday for Vanderbilt, which whipped the Wildcats (1-8 overall, 0-7 SEC) for the fourth consecutive year. "It may have been our best defensive effort to date," said VU Coach Gerry DiNardo. "It was a lot of fun a lot of fun." The players had fun rubbing in their domination over Kentucky afterwards. Some Commodores displayed an unusual cockiness, chanting "Same old Kentucky" as they strutted off the field while others held up four fingers for the four straight wins.

Vanderbilt takes the high road LEXINGTON, Ky. You knew the college football universe had come unstuck when you opened the local paper yesterday and saw where Kentucky's players were talking about revenge. "They came out disrespecting us," said Wildcat safety Melvin Johnson. "They came out and tried to ruin our season last year. I think that's pretty much what we're going to do this week with them." Excuse me, Melvin, but are you talking about Vanderbilt? The Commodores? Disrespectful? Maybe this is another hint that Vanderbilt football is coming of age.

When you start talking about the three R's revenge, respect, retribution it's a telling sign that the football world is tilting. "They were talking about revenge and all this and that," mused Ronnie Gordon, Vanderbilt's quarterback. "Once you get into the revenge game, I don't think you can play at your best level." This strikes a familiar chord with those who have watched Vander-bilfs football struggles through the years. It is a program that has lived and died trying to make amends for past failures, forever talking about revenge, always trying to get even. But the football shoe is on the other foot, at least as far as Vanderbilt and Kentucky are concerned.

They are ships passing in the night, one going out to sea, the other crashing into the rocks. After a 24-6 VU victory yesterday, the Wildcats must now wait another year to scratch a black-and-gold itch. Kentucky has lost four in a row to the Commodores and some Wildcat players, like senior defensive tackle Roger Sullivan, will leave the premises having never beaten a team that has long been an SEC welcome mat Asked if he thought he would conclude his career 0-4 vs. Vandy, Sullivan shook his head and said: "Heck no. I never dreamed of it" Indeed, it is a nightmare.

Kentucky has all the markings of a program that has stepped into an elevator shaft a troubled head coach, rumors of impending changes on the staff, sparse attendance, zero enthusiasm and even the perfunctory airborne idiot Roadkill Kessler of WKQQ radio has taken up residence on a billboard at a Lexington intersection and vows to stay aloft until the Wildcats win a game or the season concludes whichever comes first Roadkill is fortunate that Division I-A whipping boy Northeast Louisiana comes to town next Saturday. None of this should diminish what Gerry DiNardo and VU have accomplished. When was the last time the Commodores won four in a row over an SEC opponent? Any SEC opponent? And it's not every year that the Commodores hit November on the plus side of .500. The Commodores even had enough left in the fourth quarter yesterday to rub it in just a little bit When the Vanderbilt offense jogged off the field after its a touchdown that stretched the lead to 240, several players held four fingers aloft "There was some talking out there. We were both jawing.

I thought we were going to fight" admitted offensive tackle Robert Couch. "That's what it's all about They're trying to talk to us and we're kicking their behinds." David Climer is a Tennessean senior writer. He can be reached at 259-8020. Rei Perry Staff VU linebacker Kirk Williams clamps down on Kentucky's Raymond McLaurin at the line of scrimmage. Mem off ohis Dulls a miracle Tech's Queen rules with 4 touchdowns COOKEVLLE Senior tailback Willie Queen went out in a blaze of speed and glory in his final home game at Tennessee Tech yesterday.

The burly back tied a school record with four touchdowns to lead the Golden Eagles (5-5, 3-4 OVC) to a tough 28-20 Ohio Valley Conference victory over Tennessee State (4-5, 3-3). Queen scored on bursts of one and By LARRY TAFT Sports Writer OXFORD, Miss. On the gates of that abyss of fire and eternal doom, one may find ice crystals this morning. After all, by the will of the football gods and an underrated, rag-tag group of Tigers, Memphis State uh, make that the University of Memphis put to rest an 0-for-forever Oxford jinx yesterday. Maybe all Memphis needed was a name three yards before change that and Joe Borich's dramatic racing 71 yards on a screen pass late in the second quarter to help Tech to a 21-20 halftime lead.

ri OVC report, 13C two-yard touchdown pass with four seconds remaining to take SEC report, 14-15C the historic 17-16 come-from-behind sparked the Tigers. Memphis drove 31 yards on six rushing plays for a score, the TD coming on Frank Fletcher's run. A failed two-point conversion had the Tigers looking at a 16-11 deficit When the Rebs went three-and-out, Memphis took over and was given a five-yard boost for violation of the fair catch zone. Then, the miracle began. After Ole Miss pinned the Tigers on a third-and-U, Memphis picked up an automatic first down at the Mississippi 38 on a taunting foul.

The call infuriated Ole Miss. The NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations lists "taunting" as a 15-yard penalty, but does not include an automatic first down. "None of the officials in that crew knew the rulel but they gave them the first down because they had already moved the sticks, and that's the truth," Ole Miss linebacker Abdul Jackson said. The Tigers took advantage of the break. Once on third down, then on fourth, the Tigers managed to get a first Then it came down to third-and-eight at the Ole Miss 11.

Borich scrambled left, kept the ball and picked up nine yards, going out of bounds at the two. Calling time, Memphis failed to return to the sideline promptly and the play clock reached one second before Borich received the snap, rolled left and threw back on the right side to Roskelly, who made a diving catch for paydirt "I knew if the ball was anywhere close, I would catch it but Joe put it right on the money," Roskelly said. "What a feelingT He then blew through the middle of the line and over a couple of defenders late in the fourth quarter for a 49-yard score. "It's kind of funny," Queen said of the record-tying effort, "because for the first eight games, I hadn't scored none." It was the Golden Eagles' third consecutive win over TSU and much of the credit goes to Queen, who had 27 carries for 141 yards and two receptions for 89. The game ended with Tennessee State on the six-yard line with one second remaining.

Clarence Jones caught a pass from Robey Williams at the four and was immediately tackled. "We had every opportunity early in the ball game, but we're not playing with any emotion," TSU Coach Bill Davis said. "We didn't have any intensity today." TOM WOOD TSU mm big one slip away, 13C. AP Memphis quarterback Joe Borich looks for a receiver in the fourth quarter. said senior wide receiver Billy Rutledge, the former Warren County High School standout whose blocked punt gave Memphis a first-quarter safety and led to a field goal on the Tigers' ensuing possession.

"Our defense won this game for us. The offense didnt play well until the final quarter, but we eventually got the job done." Ole Miss (4-5) dominated early, going up 6-5 early in the second quarter on the second of two Tim Montz 24-yard field goals. The Rebels expanded that lead to 13-5 by intermission and owned a 16-5 advantage well into the fourth quarter before Roskelly's 43-yard punt return with 8 minutes remaining win over Mississippi and end a string of 14 straight losses in Oxford. And the irony of ironies is that neither Borich nor his receiver Californian Ryan Roskelly have much understanding of the intensity of the rivalry between these two neighboring teams and their fans. Nor with next week's foe, Tennessee.

"Being from Utah, I'm not really sure about the rivalry, but I know it is one great win," said Borich, a junior. "This is the biggest game I've ever played in, and next week would be great, too." For a full 10 minutes after the game, the approximately 5,000 Memphis fans who braved the high winds and occasional heavy rains stood and cheered their Tigers (6-3). "This is a huge win for us and our fans," AROUND THE NATION AROUND THE DIAL TENNESSEE Ur dl.lc Vanderbilt's victory over Kentucky Scott Galyon, a former quarter SECOVCSTATE Alabama won the 700th game in school history with a rout of LSU. On 15C. SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE -14-15C No.

5 Miami took sole possession of first place in the Big East by beating No. 10 Syracuse 27-6. On 12C. AP TOP 25- will be replayed at 10 p.m. tonight on Sport-South.

Coach Gerry DiNardo will review the game on his weekly show at 11 a.m. on Channel 4. Thursday: San Diego State at Mem. 17, Ole Miss 16 5. Fla 55, So.

Miss 17 Miss. St 17, Ark. 7 4. Aub. 38, ECU 21 8.

Ala. 35, LSU 17 Vandy 24, Ky. 6 I WW 12C 14. Colo. St vs.

Wyoming 15. Kn. St. 38, Iowa St 20 22 USC 23, 16. WSU 10 18.Ariz.vs.Cal backdefensive DacK at tiny Seymour High School, has found a home at linebacker for the Vols.

"I had confidence In myself, but I was not used to being around athletes like I am now," he says. UT was idle yesterday and hosts Mem- Neb. 45, Kan. 17 2 Perm St 35, Ind. 29 5.Miami27,10.Syra.6 7.Colo.17,Okla.St.3 S.FSU 41.

Ga. Tech 10 -13C -13C STATE. OVC. itaiPaS STREAKS AND STATS Prairie View lost 70-20 to Tarleton State and with the defeat tied the NCAA Division I record of 44 consecutive losses set by Columbia from 1983-88. The NCAA overall record is 50 in a row by Division III Macalester College (1974-79).

Tn. Tech 28, TSU 20 Ind. St 28, WKU 16 Evans. 33, Cumber. 32 Citadel 42, UT-C 26 Marsh.

42. ETSU 12 Sewanee at TrWV BYU, 6:55 p.m., ESPN. Saturday: The schedule includes Notre Dame at Florida State, 11 Channel 2, Alabama at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.rrt., Channel 2. MTSU 28, A. Peay 3 UT-M 42, Char.

So. 14 EKU 34, SEMO 6 Murray 45, M'head 6 New Mex. 23, 2 Utah 21 22 Mich. 45, Purdue 23 11 Tx. 34, Tex 10 21 Ore.

34, Ariz. St 10 Stanford 46, 12 Wash. 2825. BYU 24, NE La. 10 22 Duke 28, 12 Va.

25 pis Saturday. On 15C. GALYON.