Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 142

ASBURY PARK PRESS PAGE H16 SUNDAY, OCT. 7, 2001 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 3 six of their last 20 games begin mm tz-i Penn State gets shut out at home for the first time under coach Joe Paterno. JASON TOWLENStafT Photographer Rutgers' Ravon Anderson rushed for a career-high 163 yards. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATE COLLEGE, Pa. Joe Paterno was midway through his postgame briefing when he inadvertently knocked over a plastic water bottle.

"Typical," Paterno said, then smiled as he rested his head in his hands and watched the water spill MICHIGAN 20 over several PENN ST. 0 taPe record-mmmi ers. Paterno, in his 36th season as coach of Penn State, was trying to gather his wits after yesterday's historic 20-0 loss to No. 15 Michigan. Not only are the Nittany Lions (0-4, 0-3 Big Ten) off to the worst start in their 115-year history, but the Wolverines became the first team to shut out a Paterno-coached team at Happy Valley, a span of 212 games.

"I'm a little baffled now," Paterno said, adding that he was also frustrated, disappointed and not about to give up on the season. John Navarre threw two touchdown passes and B.J. Askew ran for 122 yards as Michigan (4-1, 2-0) prevented Paterno from equaling Bear Bry- ft i v- fa 0 L' ISM North Carolina wins 3rd in row Darian Durant threw two touchdown passes and Derrick Johnson made a key fourth-quarter play on special teams as host North Carolina beat East Carolina 24-21 yesterday. The Tar Heels started 0-3 with losses at Oklahoma, Maryland and Texas, but have won three straight, beating the Pirates (2-3) in their first meeting in 20 years. Durant threw TD passes of 29 and 21 yards to set the North Carolina single-season freshman record for scoring passes with eight.

His last one to Sam Aiken with 12:04 left gave the Tar Heels an eight-point lead. Art Brown then took the ensuing kickoff and was headed into the end zone for what was going to be an 81-yard kickoff return for East Carolina. But Johnson poked the ball out from behind before Brown could cross the goal line and it rolled out of the end zone and the Pirates were deflated. BOSTON COLLEGE 33, TEMPLE 10: William Green ran for 113 yards for his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game, and scored two touchdowns as the Eagles beat the Owls. Green, who began the day as the nation's second-leading rusher at 150 yards per game, didn't top the 100-mark until scoring on a 28-yard run with 1:40 to play on his final run of the day.

He also scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter. Brian St. Pierre threw a pair of touchdown passes for host Boston College (4-1, 2-0 Big East), matching its best start in five years under coach Tom O'Brien. ALABAMA 56, TEXAS-EL PASO 7: Tyler Watts ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more as the host Crimson Tide won for their first noncon-ference victory in nearly two years. Watts scored on runs of 16 and 9 yards and connected with Tri-andos Luke on TD passes of 10 and 2 yards.

Alabama (3-2) had lost five straight nonconference games dating to the 1999 Orange Bowl, a 35-34 loss to Michigan. Its last victory outside the Southeastern Conference was 35-14 over Southern Mississippi on Oct. 30, 1999. ROWAN 63, BUFFALO ST. 14: Quarterback Tony Raci-oppi, a Red Bank Regional High School graduate, completed 17 of 29 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a fifth touchdown to lead the host Profs (5-0) to victory.

His touchdown passes were of 21, 5, 22 and 17 yards. He also scored on a 4-yard TD run. Racioppi opened the scoring in the first with his touchdown run. Later in the period, he threw three of his touchdown passes as Rowan took an early 2W) lead. SACRED HEART 30, ST.

JOHN'S 14: Senior running back Marvin Royal rushed for three touchdowns to lead the host Pioneers (4-0, 3-0) past the Red Storm (1-3, 1-3). CENT. CONNECTICUT ST. 19, ST. FRANCIS, PA.

6: Clinton Dunston ran for 180 yards and a touchdown as visiting Blue Devils (1-5, 1-2 NEC) beat the Red Flash (0-5, 0-2). STONY BROOK 52, WAGNER 30: Scott Bard threw five touchdown passes, three to Andre Blocker, and set a Northeast Conference record with 474 yards passing as the host Sea-wolves (1-2, 1-2) beat the Sea-hawks (1-3, 1-3). SIENA 20, LA SALLE 6: Ryan Hungershafer snared two touchdown passes from Christian Karolus in the final quarter to lift the host Saints (1-3, 1-1) to victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Karolus completed nine of 16 Rutgers From Page HI for not being able to give your team the confidence that your job gives them if you do it well. Barone's misses of 36, 25, 38 and 46 yards left Rutgers trailing 17-5 heading into the fourth quarter.

It wasn't all Barone's fault. Tight end L.J. Smith dropped a touchdown pass at the beginning of the second quarter. Nonetheless, the Scarlet Knights were able to stage a comeback, cashing in two mis-cues for touchdowns in a span of 1:14. Both extra point attempts failed one on a Bar- one miss and the other on an errant snap.

Syracuse got the winning touchdown with 1:18 remaining when sophomore quarter back R.J. Anderson rolled out and hit tailback James Mun-gro. "We still haven't reached a point where we've done enough things right in practice and enough things right on game day," coach Greg Schi-ano said. Schiano said he based the decision to start Barone over Ryan Sands on the week in practice. Sands was 3-for-3 this season on field-goal attempts, and the decision whether to re place Barone began weighing on his mind as the game wore on.

"You can't get in there with the quick hook," said Sclaano. "We're going to have to win a game with a field goal down the road, and if Steve thinks I'm going to yank him every time he misses a kick, that's not going to be good for us." However, with the score 17-17, Schiano, Barone and Sands got together and decided that the next field goal would be Sands' to make or miss. It never got to that point. The rally began with an in terception by safety Tarell Freeney of an Anderson pass to give Rutgers the ball in Or- ning late in the 1999 season. "They've definitely lost a lot of respect in the context of being a national powerhouse," Askew said.

"Either you win, or you lose. Michigan has beaten Penn State five straight times, out- scoring the Nittany Lions 145-46. The last time the Lions were shut out at home was 1965 Rip Engle's final season be fore Paterno took over. "It's not easy, it never is," Pa terno said. "We've gotten beat by four good football teams, so it's not as if we have anyone we can beat up on.

We knew going in we wouldn't be a dominant team but maybe we'd be able to steal a game." Paterno tried some tricks against the Wolverines. He started freshman Zack Mills at quarterback in place of Matt Senneca the first freshman to open at the position since Wally Richardson in 1992. He also called a reverse, a shovel pass and a few first-down pass plays. Nothing worked. Mills was sacked four times, intercepted twice and lost a fumble.

His re ceivers dropped passes and penalties ended several promising drives. Mills was 21 of 38 for 244 yards. "We have to stay optimistic," Mills said. "When we don't, that when the ship sinks. Red Bank's Eric McCoo rushed five times for one yard.

fjji-' Associated Press in for the go-ahead touchdown, then the next thing you know were going the other way. Tony Fisher broke through the line and looked as though he might be on his way to a 98-yard touchdown run, but pulled his right hamstring and fell at the 30. Two plays later, Holiday started running left, stopped, cut up the middle, broke one tackle and appeared to be stopped until he was hit by Pitt defensive back Shawn Robinson and broke free, outracing defenders to the end zone to give the Irish a 17-7 lead with 1:06 left in the third quarter. "They stretched the offense out and I just cut back," Holiday said. "I thought I was down but I just kept my feet going and I burst out of there.

It caught me by surprise." Injured WR returns Princeton receiver Chisom Opara left the field on a stretcher but returned to the sideline for the second half. Team officials said Opara sprained his neck, and might be able to play next weekend. He was hurt with 7:47 remaining in the first period. After catching a pass and turning it into a 9-yard gain, Opara was tackled. He remained motionless for several minutes while trainers and emergency personnel tended to him.

Opara showed movement in his arms and legs, according to university officials, and was immobilized as a precaution and taken to a hospal for X-rays. I I 1 .1 kJ RUTGERS NOTES RB Anderson makes most of his opportunity PISCATAWAY Ravon Anderson sat on the bench all season while four other running backs had an opportunity to impress coach Greg Schiano. After an exceptional week of practice, Anderson, who doesn't fumble and who has excellent field vision things Schiano looks for in a back got his chance in yesterday's 24-17 loss to Syracuse. Anderson gained a career-high 163 yards on 13 carries and caught four swing passes for 16 yards. Anderson, a senior, broke one run for 66 yards and had a 13-yard touchdown run.

COMING TOGETHER: The much-maligned offensive line started to jell, especially in pass protection. Quarterback Ryan Cubit, who suffered eight interceptions in four previous games, was picked off just once yesterday and that came on a desperation pass that ended the game. Cubit was sacked just once in the first half. Trohn Carswell started in place of injured left tackle Howard Blackwood (ankle sprain). Rutgers lost starting linemen Julian Ross (ineligibility) and Jeremey Wo-mack (quit) at the beginning of the season.

Brian Boehrer (concussion), Mike Esposito (kidney) and Travis Mills (back) have all been injured this season. Greg Tufaro angemen territory. Seven plays later, senior running back Ravon Anderson bolted for a 19-yard TD to make the score 17-11, with Barone missing the extra point wide left. Rutgers tied the game when Mungro slipped on the ensuing kickoff, allowing Rutgers to dive on the ball at the 10-yard line. Rutgers quarterback Ryan Cubit found Delrico Fletcher on a slant three plays later to tie the score.

This time, the snap on the extra point sailed over holder Sean Carty's head. C.W. Post While Rankin, a graduate of Toms River South, threw for 214 yards, he suffered three interceptions. "We knew going in that it would be decided in the line, our offensive line against their defensive front and our defensive front against their offensive line," said Hawks coach Kevin Callahan. "They outplayed us in that area.

We needed to tackle very well and we couldn't give up big plays in the passing game. We didn't do very well in those areas either." Monmouth's biggest defensive lineman was 13 pounds lighter than Post's smallest offensive lineman. Post first got the ball at the Monmouth 8 after intercepting a Rankin pass. Two plays later freshman quarterback Frank Ingoglia (15-for-28, 254 yards, 3 TDs) hit 6-8, 270-pound tight end John Cipot in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Associated Press Penn State's Bruce Branch, (1) knocks away a pass intended for Michigan's Ronald Bellamy.

ant's major college record of 323 victories. The 74-year-old Paterno is stuck on 322, and might be for a while. The Nittany Lions next play at No. 14 Northwestern on Oct. 20.

The rest of the schedule is Ohio State, Southern Mississippi, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Virginia. Only Indiana, which beat Wisconsin 63-32 yesterday, has a losing record. For a team with two national titles and five perfect seasons under Paterno, Penn State has taken a mighty fall the past two years. The Lions have won only ceiver R.J. English was running untouched at the 4 when the ball slipped out of his hand.

"I'm not sure what happened," English said. "I turned around, the end zone was there and I guess I forgot about the fundamentals." Notre Dame safety Abram Elam, who had an interception earlier, recovered the ball on thel. "I was just running to make a play," Elam said. "It just so happened the guy put it in my arms." Irish coach Bob Davie had talked all week about the lack of big plays by Notre Dame this season. "It was huge.

We deserved it," Davie said. "There were going in the third period, which gave the Raiders a 28-3 lead. Princeton's Cam Atkinson was held to 51 yards rushing but scored on a 16-yard run to pull Princeton within 28-10 with 1:13 left in the third period. Branch's 10-yard scoring run with 1:25 left provided the final score. The Tigers took an early lead on a 33-yard Taylor Northrop field goal but gave up 28 unanswered points to trail 283 early in the third period.

The Raiders put together first-half scoring drives of 79, 60 and 89 yards, highlighted by Matt Kobelski's two touchdowns and the 60-yarder from McCune to Parker. McCune was 14 of 17 in the first half for 187 yards. Notre Dame's Anthony Weaver stuffs Raymond Kirkley. Notre Dame forced five turnovers. Irish offense awakens THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SOUTH BEND, Ind.

Notre Dame got the lucky break and the big plays that were missing in its worst start in the team's 114 years. Carlyle Holiday ran for 122 yards, including a 67-yard TD run, and NOTRE DAME 24 the Irish PITTSBURGH 7 (1-3) recov aaaaaaBM ered five turnovers in beating Pittsburgh 24-7 yesterday, scoring one more point than they had In their three losses combined. The biggest play, however, turned out to be a misplay by the Panthers (1-3). After falling behind 10-7 in the third quarter, the Panthers appeared ready to score as re Hawks overmatched Colgate's offense overpowers Princeton passes and rushed for 67 yards in the upset of La Salle (3-1, 1-1 MAAC). DELAWARE 49, NEW HAMPSHIRE 36: Sam Postlethwait threw for three touchdowns and Butter Pressey scored three times to lead the Blue Hens (2-3, 2-2) to an Atlantic 10 victory.

Delaware, which gained 480 yards and had 164 return yards, never trailed after taking a 7-0 lead on a 30-yard pass from Postlethwait to Pressey. INDIANA 63, WISCONSIN 32: Levron Williams rushed for a school-record six touchdowns as the Hoosiers (1-3, 1-1 Big Ten) shocked the host Badgers (3-3, 1-1). HOFSTRA 34, WILLIAM MARY 28: Rocky Butler passed for 370 yards and four touchdowns as the Pride (4-1, 4-1) beat the host Tribe (3-2, 2-1). PENN 43, HOLY CROSS 7: Kris Ryan ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns and moved into fourth place on the Quakers' (3-0) all-time rushing list as they beat the visiting Crusaders (2-2). ARMY 28, HOUSTON 14: Josh Holden ran for a career-high 151 yards and two touchdowns as the host Black Knights (1-3, 1-2 Conference USA) snapped a seven-game losing streak.

The win is only the second for Army in its last 19 games. Houston (0-4, 0-3) has lost eight straight. AIR FORCE 24, NAVY 18: Keith Boyea ran for a career-high 118 yards and led three long touchdown drives as the visiting Falcons (3-1) beat the Midshipmen (0-4). The Associated Press by bigger By HOWARD BASS CORRESPONDENT WEST LONG BRANCH Too big, too strong, too good. Monmouth University was smothered by C.W.

Post's defense and gave up nearly 500 yards in a 31-12 loss to the Pioneers (6-0) yesterday at Kessler Field. Monmouth's running game was C.W. POST 31 stopped MONMOUTH 12 cold, gain HMMMHi ing just five yards on 26 attempts. Matt Merk-linger, averaging 99.3 yards per game, led the Hawks (3-1) with 26 yards on the ground while Chad Smith, who ran for 120 yards last weekend, lost 12 yards on seven rushes. Monmouth's longest run was a seven-yard gain by quarterback Bill Rankin; this from a team with five runs of 27 yards or more in its previous three games: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PRINCETON Colgate's Tom McCune threw three touchdown passes and Jamaal Branch rushed for a career high 150 yards as the Raiders defeated Princeton 35-10 yesterday.

The Raiders (3-2) manhandled the young Princeton defensive line, amassing 241 rushing yards and 506 yards of total of- fense. The COLGATE 35 Tigers (1-2) PRINCETON 10 failed to solve the Raider defense, generating only 175 yards in total offense. Colgate wide receiver Joe Parker scored two touchdowns, one on a 60-yard catch in the second quarter, the second on a 25-yard pass from McCune early.