The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 25

OctohkkM, 19J4 Section Cyclones Dominate Ian Robinson 's victory in course-record time leads Iowa State to cross country title. Page 1CD it 1 Mm Peace DAVID WITKE, Executive Sports Editor, 515-284-8130 Streak Survives Arkansas scares Auburn, but the Tigers rally to win their 19th game in a row, 3114. Page 5D Discouraging loss Missouri leaves ISU, Doxzon dazed Controversial tie Purdue pushes Iowa into 21-21 finish rrM.ow.'Jil By RON MALY Staff Whitf.k By RANDY PETERSON Rkgistkr Staff Writkr Marc Hansen The Cyclones figure to be big underdogs in their final games against Kansas State, Nebraska and Colorado. Coach Jim Walden already has said he expects to be fired sometime after the Nov. 19 finale at Colorado.

The last Iowa State team to finish without a victory was the 1930 squad ISU Please turn to Page 8D that let Purdue tie the Hawkeyes, 21-21, Saturday. "You Just have to look at the plays on film." Iowa defensive back Plez Atkins and linebacker Bobby Diaco will watch the films for clues to another Saturday gone sour. They will watch two plays in particular a 28-yard touchdown pass from lOWAPtectse turntoPage 60 Ames, la. After finding another opponent it couldn't beat, Iowa State's football team is staring at the school's first winless season since 1930. With an 0-7-1 record following Saturday's 34-20 loss to Missouri, the outlook for the rest of the year is grim.

West Lafayette, Ind. Iowa football coach Hayden Fry sighed heavily. The man of many words was finally speechless. "We have a gag rule in the Big Ten," Fry said, explaining why he wouldn't comment on two controversial late plays Ralphie didn't have a chance If incoln, Neb. This was a fine Saturday for the process of elimination.

We still don't know, Nebraska wins battle against Colorado, 24-7 really-truly, who's No. 1 in college football. But the field is shrinking. Scratch Colorado, but don't scratch too hard. After being pummeled, 24-7, by Nebraska, this team can't take much more physical contact.

Before a team can write a miracle finish, the way the Buffaloes did at Michigan, it must put itself in a position to write a miracle finish. Hail Mary? Hail no. Not this time. "Holding Colorado to seven points," said Tom Osborne, the Nebraska coach. "That's significant." For more significance, take a random walk through the statistics.

Pick "it 1.1'' iv I Ll iiJ JiIjlL Hail Mary? Hail no. Not for Colorado this time. nil i f- i-v ''rt' VWr Vv V'Vv By RICK BROWN RiGisTF.R Staff Writer Lincoln, Neb. The sweat was still oozing out of Zach Wiegert's pores when someone threw a new challenge in his path. "Do you think you're better than Penn State?" someone asked Wiegert, one of Nebraska's mammoth offensive linemen.

"I don't know, we've never played them," Wiegert said. Colorado? Now, that's a different story. The answer is yes, and the proof came in a three-hour display of dominance Saturday at Memorial Stadium. This battle of the unbeat-ens ended Nebraska 24, Colorado 7. "We can speculate on any number of things, but what we ought to speculate on is that Nebraska outplayed us," Colorado Coach Bill McCartney said.

The duel for Big Eight supremacy, the inside track to the Orange Bowl and a solid shot at the mythical national championship were all on the line Saturday. "This was the Orange Bowl," Colorado linebacker Matt Russell said. "We're not going and they are." Colorado entered the game ranked second by the Associated Press and third by Cable News NetworkUSA Today, Nebraska was third in the Associated Press poll, second in the other. Penn State was No. 1 in both.

"This was a big step," Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said. "We've got a chance to do some things now." The victory ended a string of 12 consecutive losses for Nebraska to top five teams dating back to 1987. The Cornhuskers have outscored their four rated foes this season, 121-34. Heisman Trophy candidates dotted the pregame menu, but Nebraska won with meat-and-potatoes football. A rock-solid defense, a superior kicking game and a new weapon on offense, the tight end, paved the way for the Cornhuskers' victory before the 200th sellout crowd in Memorial Stadium.

Colorado came to town with Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Kordell Stewart and running back Rashaan Salaam, the nation's leading rusher at 174 yards a game. The Buffaloes' offense ranked second nation-: ally at 502.8 yards a game and fourth in scoring offense at 40.2 points a game. But Nebraska's defense, third nationally in rushing defense and 10th in total defense, controlled the line of scrimmage. "It was a battle up there," Nebraska defensive tackle Christian Peter said. The Buffaloes finished with a season-low 314 yards rushing, 134 by Salaam.

Ninety-eight of those yards came after Nebraska had taken a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. Colorado also failed on all 1 1 of its third- HUSKERS Please turn to Page 7D A 11 v' tit i Jf a stat, any stat other than passing yardage, which doesn't count. Nebraska's dominance was total. How many third downs did Colorado convert? Zero. In 1 1 tries.

How many fourth downs did Colorado convert? Zero for four. This was not a pretty exercise. Games won by tight ends, fullbacks and defensive linemen seldom collect style points. Aesthetics aside, the game was a monument to good, old-fashioned Big Eight football, which doesn't always translate so well at the Orange Bowl against homegrown Floridians. Nebraska did it so well Saturday, though, you have to wonder about the next trip to Miami.

Barring any major surprises, there will be a next trip. Soon. "This was the Orange Bowl game," said Matt Russell, a Colorado linebacker. "We're not going and they are. We can still go 11-1, and that's not a bad season.

We just can't win the big show now." The sign in the end zone seats, said it better. "Ralphie," it read, referring to Colorado's four-legged mascot, "it's what's for dinner." The main course. Medium rare, smothered in onions. Dinner was a team with an 1 1 -game winning streak. "We played horrible, and they played great," tight end Christian Fauria said.

That's not the half of it. They played great without Tommie Frazier, the pre-blood-clot Heisman Trophy candidate. They played great with a mere mortal at quarterback. While Frazier invents new ways to cross the goal line, his understudy is a brick-and-mortar guy who coastructs touchdown drives with all the flair of a man cutting sheet rock. No magic, just know-how.

"I think everyone has a lot of confidence in me," Brook Berringer said after enduring a week of hand-wringing from skeptics who thought the sky was falling without Frazier around to hold it up. Speaking of quarterbacks, we now know of another who will not be assuming the Heisman pose. Knee up, arm out, eyes peeled for imaginary tacklers. You're still in the running, Rashaan Salaam. Most of your 134-yard rushing total was background noise, but you're still on the short list.

And so are you, Lawrence Phillips. Your 86 rushing yards were more adventurous than they look on paper. But not you, Kordell Stewart. Off you go. Off the list of candidates.

Stewart came into the game ranked fifth nationally in passing efficiency. He completed only 12 of 28 passes for 150 yards and earned scant applause from the members of Nebraska's defense. "You could see him getting scared back there," said Christian Peter, a crew-cut defensive tackle who wears a "Peterbilt" tattoo on his left arm. A JEPFHEY Z. CARNEYTiIF.

RBOISTER Nebraska tight end Eric AHord had five catches against Colorado, including a 30-yarder for a touchdown in the 24-7 victory. Prosperous Opening Day Western Illinois Falls UNI claims Gateway title, playoff berth Pheasant hunters have a day worth waiting for By LARRY STONE Rkciistf.r Ol Tl KIOR Wr itf.r By DAN McCOOL Rmjistkr Staff Wkiti trucking firm advertisement on a truck? "When he gets scared he starts throwing some bad balls. He still hasn't beat us." This is true. But now for the larger truth. Who's No.

Penn State or Ne aided hunters. Success was good in most parts of the state, although there were a few exceptions, according to reports from other resources department officials. "I've seen more hunters today than I have for several years," said Randy Edwards, enforcement supervisor for south central Iowa. Steve Pierce, law enforcement supervisor for northeast Iowa, said hunting license sales were brisk, and som outlets ran out of the required stamps and permits. Denny Phillips, law enforcement supervisor for northwest Iowa, saw many hunters with three-bird limits, especially around state-owned wildlife areas.

Many were non-residents, who'd heard about the pheasant rebound. "I think they're making up for PHEASANTS Please turn to 40 braska? The Cornhuskers believe they de New Providence, la. Finally! Saturday was the day Iowa pheasant hunters have been waiting After wet seasons, dry seasons, bad winters and lean years, Iowa pheasants are making a comeback. The increase in birds, along with fair weather and the advanced crop harvest, combined to make Saturday one of the best opening days in several years. "Everybody we talked to, even in marginal areas, was seeing a few birds," said Art Roseland, a wildlife management supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources.

"The hunters were pretty happy!" Roseland, who works in northeast Iowa, said good weather and the lack of standing crops also Cedar Falls, la. The chariot that was supposed to carry Northern Iowa's football team to at least a share of a fifth successive Gateway Conference championship almost turned into a pumpkin Saturday night. The newest member of the football team averted such a fate in the UNI-Dome. Tailback Marvin Sims, who transfered to Northern Iowa from Nebraska in August, scored a pair of second-half touchdowns as the Panthers, ranked seventh in Division I-AA, clinched the title their seventh since the football UNI Please turn to Page 90 serve top billing but aren't interested in campaigning. "I don't know," Osborne said.

"I don't much care about polls. And that was that, except for this: "Anything more I say at this time will be counterproductive. So up he stood and out of the inter LARRY STONETllF. RtilSTFR lowans Casey Hayes of Ames, left, Brian Smith of Eldora and Brett Lawrence of Eldora take a break from hunting pheasants near New Providence on opening day of the season Saturday. view room he went.

He might have been smiling. It was hard to tell..