The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 39

n. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1992 The Palm Beach Post SECTION Sports Debate over: Arizona stuns No. 1 Huskies Seminoles: 69 points, 858 yards, eighth win 'No question who 7C Miami players: is No. 1 now' 4L By TOM D'ANGELO Palm Beach Post Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE Florida State found the perfect answer to Maryland's run-and-shoot offense the score-at-will offense. The Seminoles scored on their first 10 possessions Saturday, treating a record-setting Doak Campbell Stadium crowd to a record-setting 69-21 victory.

The beating was so thorough a portion of the 64,127 in attendance for homecoming headed home in the second quarter. "We finally had a ball game where we put everything together," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "Charlie (Ward) threw the ball well, we ran the ball well and we caught the ball. That's the first time we've done that." Maryland's Mark Duffner was more to the point: "We got whipped, plain and By GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI The Los Angeles Times TUCSON, Ariz. Little was spared in the aftermath of Arizona's 16-3 upset of the late great No.

1-ranked Washington Huskies Saturday afternoon. Washington's stay atop the polls? Finished. Washington's 22-game win streak? History. Washington's national championship hopes? Slim. Washington's Rose Bowl chances? Iffy.

Chances are the dazed Huskies (8-1) will awake this morning, their dreams of an undefeated season as long gone as the uprights pilfered by jubilant Arizona fans, and still wonder how they lost this one. Not that you could blame them. In short, Washington was beaten by a Wildcat offense so boring that it actually does lull opponents asleep. The only thing more conservative in Arizo- Offense enjoys new look 1 1 simple." The ACC champion and sixth-ranked Seminoles (8-1) conclude their first season in the league 8-0, becoming the first team since Maryland in 1985 to go unbeaten and untied in league play. The Seminoles spent the chilly afternoon (temperatures in the mid 40s) rewriting the record book.

Among the more notable statistics: Florida State established school and ACC records with 858 total yards, breaking the school mark of 706 yards set against East Carolina in 1982. Florida State's 40 first downs were a school and ACC record. The Seminoles' point total was the most allowed by Maryland since a Please see FLORIDA STATE 1 1C na is Barry Goldwater. Dive plays. Off-tackle plays.

Sweep plays. Quarterback sneaks. Arizona (6-2-1) ran them over and over and over again. You would have thought the forward pass was illegal. So predictable were the Wildcats that any of the 58,510 fans who squeezed into a sold-out Arizona Stadium could have directed the offense.

The motto of choice: When in doubt, hand off. That's what the Wildcats did, using 54 of their 66 offensive plays for the run. Guess what? It worked. The Wildcat Please see ARIZONA7 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington quarterback Mark Brunell is wrapped up by Arizona's Rob Waldrop (left) and Tedy Bruschi for no gain in the first quarter. Gators survive close call 24 20 Late drive, With Rhett, Emmitt-like approach thing of the passed GAINESVILLE Emmitt Smith doesn't live here anymore.

And, believe it or not, that's as good for the Florida Gators as it is for the Dallas Cowboys. Now understand that we're just kicking around offensive theories here in the aftermath of a 24-20 win over Southern Mississippi. defense stop S. Mississippi 1 1 By JEFF SNOOK Palm Beach Post Staff Writer GAINESVILLE Following another three hours of gut-twisting, hat-throwing and decisionmaking, Steve Spurrier burst into the Florida locker room and smiled. "Who says we can't win the close games?" he asked.

MUUUii. I in 'if Ballplays, as Steve Spurrier would put it, nothing more. For the record, no Gator ever ran harder or farther than Emmitt did in 1989, the year he set Dave George Statistics IOC No. 3 Alabama routs LSU 5C And who says the Gators can't come from behind? Fourteenth-ranked Florida drove 77 yards in the fourth quarter and then stopped a late Southern Mississippi drive to preserve a 24-20 victory in front of 82,882 fans at Florida Field Saturday. It was the third victory of seven points or fewer for the Gators (6-2).

A year ago, they played only two games decided by 16 points or fewer. "I really think these tough games are more fun," Spurrier said. Spurrier couldn't have been having too much fun when Florida trailed 20-17 after the first play of the fourth quarter. By that time, quarterback Shane Matthews was well on his way to another 300-yard passing day (22-of-39 for 317 yards) and tailback Errict Rhett was on his way to only his second 100-yard rushing game of the season (21 Please see FLORIDA IOC I 'I urv vn.4' r- "Mi if' f', 1 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Florida's Greg Keller can't hang on to a potential touchdown pass from Shane Mathews as Melvin Ratcliff defends, but Gators hang on to win after trailing a home game in the fourth quarter for the first time in coach Steve Spurrier's three seasons. Quality and quantity key expansion draft yd Coles, Askins rally Heat by Nets 106-94 in home opener By BRIAN BIGGANE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer MIAMI Bimbo Coles and Keith Askins are no longer part of that great depth the Miami Heat have been building over the past few years.

With three frontline regulars out, their time has come to step forward. And Saturday night, both made the most of it. Flondas season record of 1,599 yards and led the SEC in rushing for the second time. For every shot Galen Hall took that season in the midst of an NCAA coach hunt, Smith took three. Kyle Morris, who sometimes matched coin-flip predictability with his passing, was no threat at quarterback.

Then Morris got suspended for gambling and the job was handed to freshman Donald Douglas, college football's original panicky guy. The Gators won seven games for the simple reason Emmitt wouldn't be stopped by anything less than three tacklers at a time. Even as the key to every defensive game plan, Smith rushed for 100 yards nine times in 12 games. He averaged 145 per. And on those clammy occasions when the Gators were stuck between a pass attempt and a quick kick, Emmitt went out, reluctantly.

He led the team with 21 catches in 1989. Willie Jackson, by contrast, has 19 receptions in his last three games for Spurrier. No, Emmitt doesn't live here anymore. And Errict Rhett, for all his records, can't even pay Smith's rent, but that's not altogether bad. Smith was the Gators' pulse.

Rhett is, at most, their blood pressure. He's an indicator of how Florida is feeling, how many times Shane Matthews will be allowed to return to the huddle without a new bruise, how often Spurrier's cap is going to hit the turf during the course of a game and how high it's going to bounce. Even though Rhett led the SEC with 1,109 rushing yards last year, he's just another specialty of the house on a three-page offensive menu. And the Gators avoided an embarrassing home loss to the Golden Eagles Saturday simply because Rhett did the few things that are asked of him alone. Running hard into the strength of the defense and catching soft, underneath it.

"When coach Spurrier first came here, I was thinking, 'Man, we're going to be passing the ball all the time with five or six Rhett said. "I didn't know what I was going to do. Please see GEORGE IOC i 0 ROCKIES 12C 12C Summary Magic beat Bullets 103-98 Expansion Draft 1992 INSIDE Draft at a glance 9C Marlins to host draft party 9C This year's free agents 8C Complete team-by-team listing of who we think will be protected and who will be available 8C By CRAIG DOLCH Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Expansion drafts historically have been baseball's version of rummage sales. Interested in a slightly used pitcher? Need a broken down catcher that occasionally works? How about a shortstop with low mileage? Boy, have we got some deals for you. When the American League expanded after the 1960 season, the first picks were guys named Eli Grba and Bobby Shantz.

The next year the National League expanded with Eddie Bressoud and Hobie Landrith the ceremonial first picks. Manager Casey Stengel explained why the New York Mets wasted no time in selecting Landrith, a journeyman catcher. "You gotta have a catcher," Stengel said, "or you're going to have a lot of passed balls." If Stengel and most of the other expansion managers had their way, they would have passed on the expansion draft because of the lack of talent. The first picks in subsequent drafts were more recognizable Manny Mota, Ollie Brown, Ruppert Jones, Bob Bailor but not much more successful. The expansion drafts of the 1 Coles scored a career-high 25 points in a near-flawless performance at point guard and Askins made some big defensive plays down the stretch as Miami (1-1) held off New Jersey (1-1) for a 106-94 victory in the Heat's season opener in front of 15,008 at Miami Arena.

"Bimbo and Keith are two of our better athletes by far," coach Kevin Loughery said. "They're a big reason we're a better team defensively; the better athletes do that. "Bimbo made some big hoops and Keith made big plays at both ends." Clearly missing starters Steve Smith, Grant Long and Brian Shaw all of whom figure to remain sidelined for another week or more Miami continued to struggle offensively in the first half, just as it had in the second half a night earlier in a 110-100 loss at Orlando. Please see HEAT1 2C 1960s are remembered more for the managers they produced than the players. Five 1992 major league managers Roger Craig, Jim Fregosi, Cito Gaston, Lou Pin-iella and Buck Rodgers were taken in the expansion drafts in the 1960s.

Their biggest contributions came in the dugout, not on the field. These drafts were the epitome of crap shoots. No general manager left an expansion draft thinking he Please see DRAFT9C SCOTT WISEMANStaff Photographer Miami's John Salley puts up a shot over New Jersey Nets' Chris Morris (left) and Derrick Coleman as the Heat rallied to a 106-94 victory in their home opener Saturday behind a career-high 25 points from guard Bimbo Coles and the defensive play of Keith Askins. DOLPHINS DISTURBED SCOREUNE: (407) 820-4567 (Code 4000) SUNCOAST DENIED The Chargers were knocked out of the playoffs when the Florida High Schools Activities Association denied the school's appeal of a reclassification ruling. STORY, 19C Top 25 1 2) Arizona 16 1 Washington 3 (3) Alabama 31 LouisianaSt.il (4) Michigan 40 Northwestern 7 (5) Texas 40 Louisville 18 (7) Nebraska 49 (13) Kansas 7 (8) Notre Dame 54 (9) Boston College 7 (10) Syracuse 28 Virginia Tech 9 (2 1 Stanford 23 (11) Southern Cal 9 (16) Colorado 28 Oklahoma St.

0 (17) North Carolina St. 31 Virginia 7 Clemson 40 (18) North Carolina 7 (19) Mississippi St. 10 Arkansas 3 Texas Christian 23 (20) Texas 14 (22) Ohio St. 17 Minnesota 0 (25) Washington St. 20 Arizona St.

18 NBA 12C Miami 106 New Jersey 94 New York 89 Philadelphia 85 Orlando 103 Washington 98 Detroit 89 Indiana 87 Golden St. 122 Minnesota 1 19 (OT) Atlanta 100 Chicago 99 I Utah 122 Dallas 106 Milwaukee 124 Boston 88 Phoenix 111 LA. Clippers 105 San Antonio at Denver late Houston vs. Seattle late Several Miami Dolphins are complaining about playing time, inspiration or offensive strategy as they prepare to 'meet the Indianapolis Colts today at 1 p.m. STORY, 17C COLLEGE FOOTBALL 3-6C State schools (6) Florida State 69 Maryland 21 1 4) Florida 24 Southern Mississippi 20 Cent.

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