Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 17

C8 The Arizona Republic Sunday, September 17, 1995 (DJ1QB on final TD' vs. ASU. Osborne guilty9 victory margins impress him as a voter, Osborne replied, "Not really. "That is one of my concerns about the present system. That's why we need some sort of computer rating, to take the subjectivity out of it.

Other factors should be evaluated." Yet with the Cornhuskers in control of the game, they still were throwing halfback passes, running the option out of shotgun formation, a tackle-eligible pass play, making direct snaps to the running back out of shotgun, causing Snyder to glare across the field at his adversary. "This week hasn't been very nice," Osborne said. "We've kind of come to expect the unexpected around here. We were bothered this week by everything that was going on, but it didn't bother the way we played." By Lee Shappell Staff writer LINCOLN, Neb. It is difficult to say what was the greatest crime around here this week.

On Saturday, embattled Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne entered a plea of "guilty" after the second-ranked Cornhuskers shucked Arizona State like a bushel of roasting ears, 77-28, at Memorial Stadium. The 77 points was the most ASU ever has surrendered. "It was a bush league thing to do," Osborne said of Nebraska's final touchdown a pass play. "We should have just run a draw play and run out the clock." Nebraska got a new microscope on campus this week, but it was not in any science lab. Every major news ranked first or second in the polls.

And, Osborne said, the scoring of mass quantities of points is a foolproof method of ensuring the necessary lofty placement. But, Osborne said, he was not trying to score when third-string quarterback Matt Turman connected with third-string receiver Lance Brown for a 39-yard scoring pass and the Cornhuskers' 76th point with 38 seconds to go. "The last touchdown was bad my mistake," Osborne said. "We were trying to get a 12- to 14-yard hook pattern to get a first down so we could keep the drive going and get a few more players in the game. I apologized to Bruce (Snyder, ASU coach)." While Osborne apologized for the final touchdown, he did not apologize for taking a timeout in the closing moments of the first half that enabled the Cornhuskers to score once more before the break.

Quarterback Tom-; mie Frazier's resulting 3-yard run gave Nebraska a 63-21 edge with 39 seconds left. "ASU had scored so quickly on three occasions that I thought if we had a chance we'd better score," Osborne said. "We played real close to the vest in the second half. We weren't trying to exploit anything." Osborne, one of the voters in the coaches' Top 20- poll, noted that highly ranked teams such as No. 1 Florida State (a 77-17 winner over North Carolina State) and No.

7 Penn State (66-14 victor over Temple) routinely pile up points, too. Asked whether point totals and outlet from CBS' 48 Hours, to ESPN Game Day, to Sports Illustrated, to The New York Times was here to chronicle the series of crimes the defending national champion Cornhuskers are accused of committing. The frenzy was sparked by Osborne's suspension of I-back Lawrence Phillips, a Heisman Trophy candidate, after Phillips was charged with roughing up his former girlfriend. The Nebraska players said they were highly motivated to prove they are more than a one-man team. No amount of off-the-field distraction could keep them from their appointed mission: an appearance in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, where they hope to successfully defend their title.

But to get there, they have to be ASU Notes Saluting a comrade I Arizona at a loss for words ARIZONA, from page CI I I A 1 Man-Childs matures vs. ASU AS 4 11 ICS vi tsMJ NEBRASKA 77 ARIZONA STATE 28 Arizona State 7 14 7 0 28 Nebraska 35 28 0 14 77 i FIRST QUARTER CORNHUSKERS Clinton Childs 65-yard run. Childs took handoff and skirted left end, running untouched to the end zone. Kris Brown kick. Time 14:49.

Huskers 7, Sun Devils 0. CORNHUSKERS Ahman Green 3-yard run. Huskers went 64 yards in nine plays on their second possession. Big play was a 22-yard pass from Tommie Frazier to tight end Mark Gilman. Brown kick.

Time 9:53. Huskers 14, Sun Devils 0. CORNHUSKERS Frazier 1 5-yard run. Huskers covered 28 yards in three plays after Reggie Saul's 28-yard punt return gave them good field position. Frazier scored on an option keeper around right end.

Brown kick. Time 7:35. Huskers 21, Sun Devils 0. CORNHUSKERS Jon Vedral 27-yard pass from Frazier. Huskers needed only four plays and 34 seconds to cover 73 yards.

Big play was a 34-yard pass from Childs to wingback Clester Johnson. Brown kick. Time 5:38. Huskers 28, Sun Devils 0. SUN DEVILS Keith Poole 2-yard pass from Jake Plummer.

Devils covered 80 yards in five plays. Big play was a 66-yard pass from Plummer to Poole, which gave ASU a first down at the 2. Nycz kick. Time 3:35. Huskers 28, Sun Devils 7.

CORNHUSKERS Jeff Makovicka 13-yard run. Huskers drove 80 yards in eight plays. Frazier's 18-yard run was the big play. Brown kick. Time 0:00.

Huskers 35, Sun Devils 7. SECOND QUARTER SUN DEVILS Poole 80-yard pass from Plummer. Poole got behind secondary and caught ball over his shoulder in full stride. Nycz kick. Time 14:43.

Huskers 35, Sun Devils 14. CORNHUSKERS Childs 38-yard run. Childs found daylight on sweep left and ran through ASU's secondary. Drive covered 55 yards in five plays. Brown kick.

Time 12:35. Huskers 42, Sun Devils 14. CORNHUSKERS Johnson 28-yard pass from Frazier. Huskers needed just two plays to cover 36 yards after Michael Booker intercepted a Plumper pass. Brown kick.

Time 1 0:48. Huskers 49, Sun Devils 1 4. SUN DEVILS Poole 38-yard pass from Plummer. Devils covered 80 yards in six plays. Key play was a 25-yard reverse by wide receiver Ricky Boyer.

Nycz kick. Time 9:17. Huskers 49, Sun Devils 21. CORNHUSKERS Green 26-yard run. Green, an I-back, took snap from center when Huskers lined up in shotgun formation with third and 24.

Drive covered 56 yards in 21 plays. Brown kick. Time 3:40. Huskers 56, Sun Devils 21. CORNHUSKERS Frazier 3-yard run.

Huskers went 41 yards in four plays just before the half. Frazier attempted two passes on the drive. Ted Retzlaff kick. Time 0:39. Huskers 63, Sun Devils 21.

THIRD QUARTER SUN DEVILS Terry Battle 1-yard run. Devils drove 88 yards in nine plays. Big play was a 38-yard pass from Plummer to Derrick Charles. Nycz kick. Time 2:02.

Huskers 63, Sun Devils 28. FOURTH QUARTER CORNHUSKERS Terrell Farley 21-yard interception return. Farley picked off a tipped Jason Verdugo pass and ran untouched into the end zone. Retzlaff kick. Time 1 2:07.

Huskers 70, Sun Devils 28. CORNHUSKERS Lance Brown 39-yard pass from Matt Turman. This is the play that caused hard feelings on the ASU sidelines. Retzlaff kick. Time 0:38.

Huskers Devils 28. A 75,418. TEAM STATISTICS Arizona State Nebraska First downs 17 30 Rushes-yards 45-171 55-394 Passing yards 290 292 Return yards 77 123 Passes 14-33-2 12-20-1 Punts 7-39 2-61 Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties-yards 8-66 5-30 Time of possession 32:33 27:27 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Arizona State: Battle 9-52, Martin 11-40, Hopkins 12-39, Boyer 2-23. Nebraska: Childs 12143, Green 13-111, Sims 7-47, Frazier 5-35, Jeff Makovicka 8-33, Schuster 2-1 1, Turman 2-10. PASSING Arizona State: Plrmmer 12 26 1 273 yards, Verdugo, 2-4-1 17, Campbell 0-3-0 0.

Nebraska: Frazier 710-1 191 yards, Berringer 2-6-0 16, Turman 2-2-0 .51, Childs 1-1-0 34, Green 0-1-0 0. RECEIVING Arizona Poole 6-200, Bush 3-24, Boyer 2-17. Nebraska: Johnson 4-129, Gilman 3-39. 1 IT 1 JL I IX 5 HI Tt.u--a I Robert O'DaniellThe Associated Press Arizona's Shawn Parnell (above) holds up the jersey of teammate Damon Terrell, who died Sept. 7, before Saturday's game against Illinois in out when quarterback Dan White hooked up with Rodney Williams on a 17-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-3 lead with 8:19 left.

But then disaster struck. With a third-and-5 situation at midfield, Arizona tailback Kevin Schmidtke took a short pass from White but fumbled when he was hit by Illinois safety Tyrone Washington. David James was there to pick up the ball; and the 6-foot, 234-pound linebacker ran 53 yards for what turned out to be the winning score. Arizona had two chances in the 5 minutes, 15 seconds to pull out what would have been its second come-from-behind victory in as many games. On the final drive, White found receiver Richard Dice for a 17-yard pickup that gave the Wildcats a first down at the 40.

But instead of running another pass play with the intention of picking up another 12 yards so the Wildcats could try a long field goal, White threw a bomb down the left side out of the reach of three receivers. On the next play, Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy sacked White and defensive lineman Mikki Johnson scooped up the fumble to ice the game. Afterward, White and offensive coordinator Duane Akina said White's long pass was "miscommuni-cated." The three receivers, Akina said, were meant to be decoys on that play. "It was supposed to be the same play that we called beforehand, the out pattern (to Dice)," Akina said. "What we needed was another 10, 12 yards.

There was enough clock left." In the end, five turnovers including four fumbles and six sacks were just more than Arizona could overcome. With 3'4 sacks, Rice broke the Big Ten record for career sacks held by Michigan's Mark Messner. Rice has 39'i in 38 games, tying him for 12th with Miami's Daniel Stubbs (1984-87) among Division I career leaders. Arizona's Tedy Bruschi, who made one sack against Illinois, is 10th on that list "Obviously, we all had a lot of emotions and things like that," said Akina, who filled in for Coach Dick Tomey. "I also think we all believed Champaign, III.

The before the opening kickoff to pay tribute to Terrell. Friends and family of Terrell (right) carry his casket after funeral services in Los Angeles. Arizona Coach Dick Tomey missed the game to attend Terrell's services. Terrell had collapsed last month during conditioning drills. VI -J 9 7 ILLINOIS ARIZONA Eric Draper The Associated Press By Lee Shappell and Bob Eger Staff writers LINCOLN, Neb.

Clinton Childs has been in the Nebraska program for four years, performing largely as a plow horse among thoroughbreds in the Cornhuskers' backfield. But on Saturday, when the converted fullback made his first start at I-back he proved quickly that he belonged. On the first play, Childs took a handoff from Tommie Frazier, popped it outside, and ran 65 yards untouched down the left sideline for a touchdown. It was the beginning of an onslaught by the second-ranked Cornhuskers, who walloped visiting Arizona State, 77-28. So where was the ASU breakdown on the dash? were the underdog team and we wanted to come out and play with a lot of emotion," said ASU inside linebacker Justin Dragoo, a sixth-year senior who had eight tackles.

"A couple of our players got a little too excited. They wanted to make the big play on the first play of the game. They overran their responsibilities trying to make the big play and, all of a sudden, there was no help outside." By the end of the game, Childs had 143 rushing yards, 34 yards in pass receptions, two touchdowns, and one sprained right knee that might keep him out of action for a week. He was in the lineup because Heisman Trophy candidate Lawrence Phillips was suspended by Coach Tom Osborne after Phillips was accused of assaulting his former girlfriend, and second-string I-back Damon Benning also charged last week with assaulting a former girlfriend sitting out because of a hamstring injury. Childs said he visited with Phillips, his friend, every day this week.

He wasn't certain of Phillips' whereabouts during the game, nor was Osborne. "I missed him on the field," Childs said. "He inspires me a lot. Every time he talked to me this week, he lifted me up, telling me to just keep my head up and do what I know I can do." Gentleman Tom While Osborne was criticized by the Sun Devils for running up the score, there is a counterbalance to their contention. With 5:38 left in the first quarter, and Nebraska sitting on a 28-0 lead, the Cornhuskers already had declined two holding calls and one pass interference against ASU.

"If people want to rip me, that's OK, that's what I get paid for," Osborne said. Chris Dishman, a Nebraska offensive tackle, said his team wanted this win for Osborne, knowing he had been under heavy media pressure as he prepared the Cornhuskers for the game. Five team members have had recent run-ins with the law, most notably Phillips. "We showed what we are capable of doing, and we didn't let the distractions bother us," Dishman said. Quick hits After Childs suffered his injury in the third quarter, with his team in the lead by a 63-28 count, a public-address announcement indicated Childs "could return if needed." Needed for what? To crack triple-figure scoring? ASU defensive tackle Jason Reynolds said Nebraska has an outstanding football team, but he would not concede physical superiority by the Cornhuskers.

"I think we were prepared mentally and physically, but they just got the best of us in the first half," said Reynolds, who had four tackles, including two for 9 yards in losses. 0 0 0 7 7 0 0 0 9 9 Arizona Illinois the game after flying back from Florida, where his 24-year-old daughter died Friday from Reye's syndrome. Of 37 points allowed by Arizona this season, 19 have come off turnovers. Rice also tied his own record for most tackles in a game (10) and that's not an excuse." Tomey accompanied the team to Champaign on Friday but flew to Los Angeles so he could attend Terrell's funeral services Saturday. Williams, who finished with nine catches for 128 yards and one touchdown, said it was just one of those days for Arizona's offense.

"We played really hard, but some plays just didn't work for us," he said. "Those things happen in football games. As a whole, we played really hard." Notes Illinois offensive coordinator Paul Schudel showed up 10 minutes before FOURTH QUARTER FIGHTING ILLINI Bret Scheuplein 47-yard field goal. First score was set up by Tim McCloud's interception of Arizona quarterback Dan White (tipped by Simeon Rice). Time 12:07.

Fighting lllini 3, Wildcats 0. WILDCATS Rodney Williams 17-yard touchdown pass. Jon Prasuhn kick good. Arizona marches 80 yards on nine plays. Williams stumbles near the goal line but reaches and puts the ball over for the score.

Time 8:1 9. Wildcats 7, Fighting lllini 3. FIGHTING ILLINI David James recovers fumble and rumbles 53 yards for the score. Scheuplein kick blocked by Tedy Bruschi. Kevin Schmidtke lost the ball after taking a short pass from White.

Time 5:1 5. Fighting lllini 9, Wildcats 7. A 57,134. Huskers raze the Devils with 7-TD blitz TEAM STATISTICS Arizona Illinois First downs 17 9 Rushes-yards 44-116 41-64 Passing 195 75 Return yards 25 23 Comp-att-int 17-34-1 7-21-0 Punts 10-39 13-42 Fumbles-lost 4-4 2-1 Penalties-yards 7-74 5-46 Time of possession 32:57 27:03 BIG LOSS Several records were set in Arizona State's 77-28 loss to No. 2 Nebraska none particularly flattering to ASU: Most points by ASU opponent: 77 (previous record, 1946; Nevada-Reno 74, ASU 2) Most points in a quarter by Nebraska: 35, first (ties record, against Oklahoma State, 1988).

Most points in a half by Nebraska: 63, first (previous record 55, Colorado, second half, 1983). INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Arizona: G.Taylor 24-113, Schmidtke 7-21. Illinois: Holcombe 28-83, Douthard 2-3. PASSING Arizona: White 17-34-1 195 yards. Illinois: J.Johnson 6-18-0 56 yards, Weaver 1-3-019.

RECEIVING Arizona: R.Williams 9-128, Dice 3-32, G.Taylor 3-24, Schmidtke 2-11. Illinois: Dulick 2-35, McDonald 2-25. braska. We're not as good as they are. But we did do some good things and if we can learn from them and build on them, maybe we can turn it into some wins later on down the Osborne said he didn't think a week full of bad publicity had a negative impact on his team.

"I think our players were ready to play," he said. "The letdown in the second half wasn't due to the week's events. We got up so fast early that it was a little hard to maintain the intensity." Childs led the Cornhuskers with 143 yards on 12 carries. Heralded freshman I-back Ahman Green had 111 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Childs and Green each scored two touchdowns.

Quarterback Tommie Frazier, listed as doubtful as late as Thursday because of a deep thigh bruise, carried five times for 45 yards and two scores and completed 7 of 10 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. "This was one of the best performances since I've been here," Frazier said. "We put things up for them to stop in the first half, and they couldn't doit." The score was 28-0 before the Sun Devils (1-2) knew what hit them. Nebraska led, 35-7, after one quarter and 63-21 at the half. ASU won the third quarter, 7-0, and was outscored only 14-7 in the second half.

That was little consolation to a stunned bunch of ASU players, who were convinced coming in that they had a chance to win. "They shocked us a little bit," ASU wide receiver Keith Poole said. "They're the best team I've ever played against. I did not expect this to happen. Coming into this game, I honestly thought we were going to win.

They're awesome. I give them all the credit in the world." Poole caught six passes for a career-high 200 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. He set out the second half because of a sprained ankle. It was the most points ever allowed by an Arizona State team. The previous high was 74 against Nevada-Reno in 1946.

It was ASU's worst loss since a 50-0 whipping at the hands of Southern California in 1988. Nebraska's scoring total was eighth best in its history. The Huskers rolled up 686 yards of HUSKERS, from page CI said he told Osborne, "that it was not right, and that I didn't appreciate it. "I don't know what's going on on their sideline or within their program, but if they feel like they've got to run it up to match what Penn State did today and what Florida State did today and what those other schools did today, then I'm saddened for college football," Snyder said. Snyder said he could live with the play if it was just two young players trying to compete.

"The last touchdown was bad," Osborne said. "It was my mistake. I apologized to Bruce. It was something that never should have happened." What kind of a day was it for the Sun Devils? Consider that Nebraska I-back Clinton Childs threw a 65-yard touchdown run on the Cornhuskers' first play from scrimmage. And that Nebraska scored touchdowns on nine of its first 10 possessions.

On the Cornhuskers' only first-half punt, Jesse Kosch boomed a 74-yarder that was downed on the ASU 2-yard line. PAC-10 STANDINGS All Gamat PtS OP Confrnc PtS OP 3 0 0 99 1 1 0 43 2 0 0 90 2 0 1 98 2 1 0 68 82 50 17 77 37 38 60 58 55 38 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Oregon Washington Southern Cal Stanford ARIZONA Washington St. Oregon St. J- California UCLA 51 1 1 0 total offense, the fifth-highest total evef allowed by ASU. The Sun Devils had 461 yards of total offense.

Quarterback Jake Plummer completed 12 of 26 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, giving him nine touchdown passes in three games. Sophomore tailback Terry Battle was ASU's leading rusher with 52 yards on nine carries. "It's really important that my team sees that we did do some good things," Snyder said. "We don't match up with Ne 1 2 0 51 0 2 0 33 2 1 0 85 ARIZONA ST. 0 1 0 20 23 1 2 0 93 120 NEXT SATURDAY'S GAMES Oregon State at ARIZONA STATE Southern California at ARIZONA Stanford at Oregon UCLA at Washington State San Jose State at California Army at Washington.