Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 16

2B Reno Gazette-Journal Saturday, November 26, 1988 Today's TV tip Almanac Weekend Lineup Southwest Conference champion Arkansas, with a 10-0 record, plays defending national champion Miami, which Is ranked No. 3 with an 8-1 record. Channels 2-9, 9 a.m. Marcua Allan, Mik Roller and Ban Sanders an rushed lor more than 20 yards aoainet Oklahoma In becoming th only three running backs to rush for mor than 2,000 yards In a collsgs saaaon. Worth watching Bills are great, but take the Bengals Today loiiego rooiDaii Arkansas at Miami channels 2-9, 9 a.m.

Georgia Tech atGeorgla TBS, 9:30 a.m. Notre Dame at Southern Cal channels 8-10, 12:30 p.m. Notre Dame is ranked No. 1. Southern Cal is ranked No.

2. Although both teams are scheduled to play bowl games Jan. 2, today's winner will take a giant step toward the national championship. Florida at Florida State ESPN, 4:30 p.m. College basketball ureal Aiasxa Shootout at Anchorage, Alaska ESPN, 1:30 p.m.

Maul Classic at Maul, Hawaii ESPN, 8:30 p.m. Maul Classic at Maul, Hawaii ESPN, 10:30 p.m. Pro basketball Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons channels 2-9, 5:30 p.m. Sunday pro TooiDaii Phoenix Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles channels 2-9, 10 a.m. The Eagles are contending for a division championship.

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals channels 4-12, 10 a.m. The Bills already have clinched the championship of the AFC East. San Francisco 49ers at San Diego Chargers channels 2-9, 1 p.m. The 49ers, with a 7-5 record, must keep winning to stay in the playoff hunt. New York Giants at New Orleans Saints ESPN, 5 p.m.

The Saints, who lead the NFC West, are coming off a victory over the Denver Broncos. UNR notepad Last week was a big week for my pro picks, with seven of the eight games coming through big. The only one that stood between me and a perfect week was Denver. I really liked the Broncos and the points against New Orleans, but that 42-0 score was a big surprise. This week's two college picks are from the South, and both are traditional rivalries.

In one I like the underdog to keep it close and in the other I expect the favorite to roll up some big numbers. Here are today's college picks (home team in CAPS): Georgia Tech plus 14 Vfc over GEORGIA No doubt that Georgia is the better team. But the favorite has only beaten the spread once in the last 10 tries here. Georgia Tech has hung tough against some good clubs, and I feel it can keep this one close. Take the underdog Yellow Jackets for $330.

LSU minus 19 over Tulane This is LSU's last chance to show what it Trojans play From page 1B The Trojans appear more versatile on offense, averaging 472.1 yards a game (eighth nationally). Despite having no regular tailback (three have played extensively), they are averaging 223 yards a game on the ground. And with Rodney Peete, their Heis-man Trophy candidate, throwing to split end Erik Affholter (like Peete an AU-American), flanker John Jackson or tight ends Paul Green and Scott Galbraith, they are far more productive in the air than is Notre Dame. Lou Holtz's option-oriented offense depends laregly on quarterback Tony Rice's speed and ball-handling, and the running of tailbacks Tony Brooks and Mark Green. But Rice has improved as a passer in 1 seasons as the starter and this year has hit several deep, play-action throws when opposing defenses have become too run-conscious.

Sophomore Ricky Watters and freshman Raghib "Rocket" Ismail give the Irish speed at wide receiver. The outcome could turn on how well USC handles the option. If the Irish run well consistently, they'll control the ball and make USC more vulnerable to the big-play pass. If the Trojans stop Notre Dame on the ground, Rice will have to throw into a defense that's looking for it, and the Irish could be in big trouble. Last year at South Bend the Irish ran for 351 yards the most against CARL VINCI The bottom line Original bankroll $10,000 Profitloss last week 1 ,940 Amount wagered 3,520 Amount returned 5,460 Bankroll to date $14,455 College record vs.

spread: Last week 1-1, season 10-11-0, Pro record vs. spread: Last week 7-1, season 59-53-0, $5,535 The Chiefs are 13-2 against the spread as a dog on the road against non-division teams. Also, the visitor is 8-1 against the spread in this series. Take the Chiefs for $440. CINCINNATI BENGALS minus 3tt over Buffalo Bills I can believe this.

I just did not jump on these Bills all year, and they've just kept winning and winning. So what do I do now? I bet against them. I just feel the Buffalo Bills will still be celebrating last week's AFC East clincher. The Bengals still have to keep winning and they are 5-0 at home this year. The Bills are 0-3 in this series and 2-6 straight up against the AFC Central.

Take the Bengals for $440. PRACTICE: USC quarterback Rodney mmmMmmmmmmMMmtM UNR vs. College of Idaho At Lawlor Events Center tonight, 7:30 PST Radio: K-ONE (AM 1450), Dan Gustin, pre-game show begins at 7:08 p.m. College of Idaho nickname: Coyotes. Coaches: UNR, Len Stevens (15-13, second season at UNR).

College of Idaho, Marty Holly, 165-46. Last game: Season opener for the Wolf Pack, which defeated lllawarra of Australia 95-88 in an exhibition game Nov. 18. College of Idaho, an NAIA team, is 4-1. The series: The teams have met six times previously, with the first meeting in 1954 and the last in 1982.

UNR leads the series 5-1, and won the 1982 game the first between the two schools since 1965 1 13-82. College of Idaho's only victory came in 1954, by a 79-75 margin. Key matchup: Stevens says the toughest matchup for UNR in tonight's team will be a battle with itself. "The thing for us is that we want our guys to get some momentum going into the Washington game. We've got to go out there like we're playing for a national championship.

We're not really playing against the College of Idaho we re playing against ourselves." As more concrete matchups go, there's 6-7 Gabe Parizzia of UNR against 6-9 Andy Santamaria of College of Idaho. The two are former junior college teammates who are both from Argentina. Tampa Bay Buccaneers plus 4Vi over ATLANTA FALCONS I keep backing the Buccaneers, and they really haven't been that bad. On the other hand, the Falcons are playing really well, but here they come up as a 4Vi-point favorite. The Falcons are 1-5 against the spread in this series, and the Bucs are 5-1 against the spread on the road this year.

This one should be a close game. Take the Bucs for $330. Miami Dolphins plus 2Vi over NEW YORK JETS Both teams really look bad, but Miami does have some weapons, and the Dolphins' defense is playing as well as ever. Dan Marino did throw for more than 500 yards in a loss to the Jets earlier this season, but I can't see that happening again. Also, the Dolphins are 5-1 against the Jets as a dog.

Also, the Jets are 2-12 against the spread as favorites. Take the Dolphins for $330. Cleveland Browns plus 1 over WASHINGTON REDSKINS I hate to bet against the Redskins at home, but this is just not the same team that won last year's Super Bowl. Also, Doug Williams is just not getting the job done. The Browns need every game from her on out, and they've got the weapons to do just that.

Take Cleveland for $220. Carl Vinci coached high school sports for 10 years. He makes his picks in the Reno Gazette-Journal on Saturdays and on Reno radio station K-ONE (AM-1450) Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. Vinci is the sports manager of Baldini's Sports Casino, which will open in December. Associated Press Peete sets to throw during practice.

flanker Floyd Turner, who has 37 receptions for 680 yards this year? In another first-round game featuring a pair of Big Sky teams, No. 1 ranked Idaho will be looking to avenge its only loss of the season against Montana, which finished second in the Big Sky. This marks the first time ever that the conference has sent three teams to the playoffs. Idaho will be making its fourth straight appearance in the playoffs. The Vandals have dropped first-round games in each of the last three seasons.

The Vandals, who became the first Big Sky team in 13 seasons to win consecutive conference championships, lost their lone game of the season at Montana, 26-17. Idaho gained more than 600 yards in total offense in the loss, but the Grizzlies intercepted Vandals' quarterback John Friesz five times in the game. The game, which will be played at 1 p.m. in Moscow, Idaho, will feature the Big Sky's best offense against its leading defense. Idaho leads the conference in total offense with 443 yards per game.

Montana, meanwhile, has allowed a league-low 279 yards a game. The Grizzlies also rank first in the Big Sky in scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense. champions cally you'd put yourself in position." The Hogs have won the Southwest Conference title and a berth in the Cotton Bowl, but they have been virtually ignored in speculation about who will win the national championship. Miami and Arkansas both need top-ranked Notre Dame to lose today at Southern California. If the Fighting Irish win, their Fiesta Bowl game against No.

4 West Virginia likely will determine the national champion. The betting line has. This game could be a rout. Let's face it, QB Jones was the team for Tulane. Without him, the Green Wave can't score.

We know the Wave has no defense, so it's the Tigers at home to avenge last week's humiliating loss to Miami. Take LSU for $330. Pro picks: Phoenix Cardinals plus 6 over PHILADELPHIA EAGLES The Cards are a good team. They have a great running game with Stump Mitchell and Earl Farrell. Now the Eagles do have Randall Cunningham, but really, that's all.

He will have to scramble a lot, with this aggressive Cards defense. Also, the Cards are 6-3-1 in Philadelphia and the Eagles are 0-6 straight up after they play the Giants. This game goes down to the wire. Take Phoenix for $440. Other games Kansas City Chiefs plus 2 over PITTSBURGH STEELERS Kansas City has a good defense, and Steve DeBerg is a good quarterback.

I feel that Pittsburgh's turnover ratio and the lack of a consistent pass rush is too heavy a burden for such a weak team as the Stealers to bear. Notre Dame the Trojans in 10 years in a 26-15 win over USC. "Their offense didn't really blow us out," Smith said. "They trapped us, froze our linebackers, hit us with the reverse, got outside on the option." Since then the Trojans have made great strides in defending the option witness their 23-7 win over Oklahoma nine weeks ago, when they held the Sooners' wishbone to 89 rushing yards. "What happened last year was, Southern Cal made a few mistakes," Holtz said.

"They've corrected those, made some subtle changes and become very sound." "It's tricky," Smith said. "Oklahoma couldn't pass at all and we could just play the run. But against Notre Dame our secondary has to be conscious of run-support, but not so much that they let Rice throw the bomb over their heads." Among Holtz's concerns is that Southern Cal will get out to an early lead. "What scares you against Southern Cal is that you could be forced into a catchup game," he said. "We're not a very good team when we're required to throw, and we haven't been forced into a passing game all year.

"We haven't played a team that runs and throws as well as Southern Cal, and it starts with Peete. They have great running backs, their offensive line is big and strong." I-AA playoffs First round, today Citadel, 8-3, at Georgia Southern, 9-2, 9:30 a.m. Delaware, 7-4, at Furman, 9-2, 10:30 a.m. Western Kentucky, 8-3, at Western Illinois, 10-1, 10 a.m. North Texas, 8-3, at Marshall, 10-1, 10:30 a.m.

Northwestern 9-2, at Boise 8-3, noon. Jackson 8-0-2, at Stephen F. Austin 9-2, noon Montana, 8-3, at Idaho, 9-1 1 p.m. Massachusetts, 8-3, at Eastern Kentucky, 9-2, 4 p.m. Quarterfinals Saturday, Dec.

sites and times TBA. Semifinals Saturday, Dec. 10. Championship Saturday, Dec. 17, at Pocatello, Idaho.

can," Hall said. To continue the ride to the title game in Pocatello, Idaho, on Dec. 17, the Broncos first need to put the wraps on Northwestern State and send the Demons back to Louisiana thinking looking to get even for last year's 51-7 beating on their home turf. Miami coach Jimmy Johnson had a warning for his own players. "Arkansas is a much better team than what we faced a year ago," he said.

"We took advantage of Arkansas last year with the style of pass defense they played. Also, we took advantage of their offense, in that they were one-dimensional. This year they've made drastic improvement in those two phases." fe- lllUlHi lllMIIIIIMI Broncos return to l-AA championship hunt Lineups Nevada-Reno Darryt Owens, Sr 6-0, 180 Kevin Soares, Fr 6-1, 170 Gabriel Parizzia, Sr 6-7, 220 Matt Williams, So 6-3. 185 Jon Baer, Jr 6-9, 210 College of Idaho PC Richard Reed, Sr 5-8, 160 Dean Morrison, Sr 6-5, 190 Gary Stoker, Sr e-3, 1 SO Andy Santamaria. Jr 6-9, 220 Dan Hardee, Jr.

Opener By Becky PaulGannett New Service BOISE, Idaho Let your minds drift back in time to the early 1980s. Boise State University football was riding the crest of winning an NCAA Division I-AA title. Now come closer to today, to September. Was this bunch of rosy-cheeked, no-need-to-shave-yet football players the future of Bronco football? What was head coach Skip Hall going to do with a team of freshmen and sophomores? Win. Hall was going to win with them and what's more, years before anyone would have predicted, he was going to have them in the playoffs again, for the first time since 1981.

Today the Broncos play host to Southland Conference champion Northwestern State University from Natchitoches, the eighth-ranked team in I-AA in a first-round playoff game. "This is going to mean a great deal for this team through the years," said Hall, who has further altered the BSU lineup so it will show 12 sophomores and six freshmen as starters. "That's what's so great about this young team.to have a taste of it this year." That almost sounds like the Broncos are just happy to be here. Not so. "As long as the championship is still available, we want to go as far as we about Christmas shopping and not the playoffs.

And to do that, the Bronco defense needs to be as stubborn against the Demons as it was in the second half of last week's Big Sky Conference showdown with No. 1 Idaho. Northwestern State has made its living on balance this year, in total yards anyway. The Demons use a run-oriented attack that is complemented by a periodic pass to roll up an average of 401.4 yards per game. The Broncos' 280.6 doesn't look very impressive compared to that, but don't think NSU coach Sam Goodwin isn't worried about what BSU might have up its sleeve.

"They do so many things I haven't seen on film all year, unusual things," Goodwin said after reviewing films of the Broncos' games against Montana State, Nevada-Reno and Idaho. "They're sound and they're solid but they do a lot of different things we don't see down here very much. They probably pull more unusual stuff in three games than we'll see in three seasons." The dangerous part of NSU's offense is it keeps the defense guessing as to which barrel will be firing. Will it be quarterback Scott Stoker one of three rotated in by Goodwin and who has thrown for 1,960 yards? Will it be Johnson also warned that while Arkansas is 10-0, Miami is likely to be "somewhat complacent" after last Saturday's 44-3 victory at Louisiana State. Orange Bowl-bound Miami, 8-1, will be the first Top Ten team Arkansas has faced.

A victory by the Razorbacks would boost them into contention for No. 1, coach Ken Hatfield said. "I don't think there'd be any doubt. If you beat Miami in Miami realisti From page 1B Dan Hardee, 6-6, who was averaging 14 points and 7.8 rebounds, is the other forward. He'll be matched against UNR's 6-9 Jon Baer.

On the wing, College of Idaho starts 6-5 Dean Morrison (13 ppg) and 6-3 Gary Stoker (5.5 ppg), while 5-8 Richard Reed (15.3 ppg, 6.3 assists a game) runs the point. Stoker is from Winnemucca, where he was a two-time Class AA state player of the year. Holly doesn't think his team is anywhere near its 1987-88 form yet. That team finished 28-6 and reached the national NAIA quarterfinals. "We were so good last year," he said.

"We were close to winning it all, but we lost four starters from that team." The problem, he says, is that no one has stepped forward as the go-to guy. Said Holly: "We don't have anybody that when the score is 60-60 will jump up and take the shot." The Coyotes will get a lift Dec. 27 when forward Andrew Jackson, a transfer from the University of Idaho, becomes eligible. "I think when it counts, we'll be good," Holly said. He doesn't think his team is there yet, and he's heard great things about UNR.

"My friend came down and scouted their exhibition game and he told me they're going to be excellent," Holly said. "This isn't a good time for us to be getting them. It is not one of my greatest ambitions to play UNR in its home orjener." Unbeaten Hogs test Miami's defending MIAMI (AP) Wide receiver Andre Brown of third-ranked and defending national champion Miami warned Arkansas to be ready for the best when the two teams play today. "We're not going to come in flat," Brown said. "We're excited about Arkansas coming down here undefeated.

They'll have revenge on their mind. We want to show 'em we're a good team. "Arkansas better watch out." Brown expects No. 8 Arkansas to be.