Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 69

SPORTS Sunday, September 14, 1986 Albuquerque Journal Sportsline 821-1800 Page 1, Section 6Not ami To Be's BYU Beats Lobos by 1 By Frank Maestas JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER The touchdown, a 21-yard pass from Steve Lindsley to wide receiver Mark Bellini, came on a fourth-and-10 play. Bellini, who burned UNM's secondary for five catches and 80 yards, beat Anthony Stevenson to the left corner and was wide open when he tucked in the perfect throw. Kicker Leonard Chitty, who was 4-of-4 on extra points and kicked a 44-yard field goal with one second left in the half, made it 30-24. Now a TD and extra point would win it New Mexico knew it had to burn some time off the clock, but couldn't do it. It was three plays and punt.

And the punt went only 34 yards, and Brigham Young took over at the Lobo 45. On the first play, Lindsley faded back and spotted Richard Zayas behind the secondary and hit him for a 47-yard gainer to the UNM 8. On third down, Lakei Heimuli bulled bis way over from the 1 and Chitty's PAT was true. If ever New Mexico had a chance to beat when I tell them New Mexico is a good football team," said BYU coach LaVell Edwards. "I knew this would be a tough one, but I didn't plan on our turning the ball over six times and still turning out a victory." "We played better than we did at Tennessee, and if we keep improving we're going to win ballgames," said UNM coach Joe Lee Dunn.

"It was like victory was not meant to be for us. We played better on defense than we did against Tennessee, but we still let them get those two long passes that killed us in the end." New Mexico took the opening kick and went 63 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead with just over four minutes into the game. The rest of the day, the Lobo offense looked great one time and terrible the next. UNM got the first big break of the game early in the third period when Donny Gassoway recovered a fumble at the BYU 28. But on the next play, Rucker under- threw Glenn Rogers and Troy Long picked it off at the 8.

Four plays later, however, Heimuli fumbled and Stevenson recovered at the 33. On third-and-1 from the 8, Rucker was sacked and the Lobos had to settle for three points from Bibbo. The next time New Mexico got the ball, the offense was in high gear. Rucker guided the team 66 yards in only five plays for a 17-17 tie. In the opening minute of the final quarter, Brigham Young was at the Lobo 3 when defensive back Bob Umdenstock tipped Lindsley's pass, finally got control of it at the 16 and ran it back to the 21.

Ten plays later, Rucker scored from the 3 and Bibbo's PAT put the Lobos ahead 24-17. Mike O'Brien fumbled the ensuing kick-off at his own 17, and Lobo Sean Mermer recovered. On the next play, Rucker could have walked in for the score as he faked a pitch to his outside man and kept the ball. a top 20 team for the first time, this was the day. Brigham Young turned the ball over six times while UNM had only one turnover.

The bitter defeat must be shared equally by the offense and defense. Errors by both, for example, contributed to the field goal that the Cougars kicked just before the half to put them ahead 17-7. Following a Lobo punt after Kenneth Whitehead had dropped a pass at the 50 that would have kept UNM's drive alive, BYU took over at its own 20 with 3:32 left. On third-and-5, BYU picked up 19 yards to its 45. But the play of the drive was a 42-yard run by Lindsley on third-and-14 after two Lobos had him hemmed in and let him get away.

His run put the ball at the 17. That's the way most of the game went. Brigham Young converted on nine of 13 third-down plays. New Mexico was 2-of-13, counting the fourth-and-14 on the final play of its final possession with 1:10 remaining. "Well, I think people will believe me now PROVO, Utah Closet Oh, so close! Brigham Young scored twice in the final six minutes of play Saturday for a 31-30 comeback victory over New Mexico in a Western Athletic Conference football game before 64,385 partisan fans.

The 21-point underdog Lobos had the Cougars reeling after quarterback Billy Rucker's 17-yard keeper for a touchdown that put New Mexico ahead 30-17 with exactly nine minutes left in the game. But Joe Bibbo failed to convert the extra point after Rucker's touchdown, and that proved to be the difference. Bibbo's PAT attempt hit the right upright and bounced back. Just as the ball was snapped, a plastic football was thrown from the stands, but Bibbo said he didn't see it. With the crowd cheering them on, it took the fast-striking Cougars only 3 minutes and 9 seconds to march 80 yards for a score.

life's Sure Things: Death, Taxes And BYU Over Lobos Dennis Latta 8 ft ly Js JIM BECKWITH PHOTO PROVO, Utah Maybe it's a law that was passed by a politically motivated state legislature or a rule that was passed in a meeting of university presidents. Perhaps it's the 11th commandment Somewhere, etched in stone or written on parchment, is the simple decree the University of New Mexico shall not beat Brigham Young in football. Some folks associated with UNM feel it's a rule that the officials in the Western Athletic Conference passed and enforce. The Lobos could have probably should have won here Saturday afternoon. Some calls by the officials (one in particular), a lapse on defense and the miss of an almost-automatic extra point resulted in a 31-30 loss for UNM.

shouldn't surprise anyone that the Lobos lost here. The Cougars seem destined to beat New Mexico every year, regardless of the circumstances. "When we missed that extra point, it was obvious that BYU was going to win," said UNM offensive coordinator Ben Griffith. "Things' had to go just perfect for the Cougars, and they did. The WAC officials association made that possible.

They made certain of it" "It just seems funny the way BYU wins every year," said UNM offensive tackle Steve Parr. "It seems like the refs want 'em to win and help 'em out" The two plays that most upset the Lobos were non-calls. On the first, the Cougars were marching down the field for the touchdown that would cut UNM's lead from 13 to six points. BYU quarterback Steve Lindsley threw a pass in the flat. The ball hit the receiver, the receiver was hit by a UNM player, and the ball popped loose.

It was recovered by New Mexico. The officials held a little huddle, which they do with regularity when a decision has to be made. They decided to call the pass a comple- New Mexico defenders Donny Gassoway, 46, Tony Edwards, 47, and Anthony Stevenson team up to stop Brigham Young quarterback Steve Lindsley in the first half of Saturday's WAC game in Provo, Utah. BYU won, 31-30. One Thin Point, But Still a Loss I cjtf af tion and gave the ball to BYU.

If the call had been an incomple-tion, no one would have complained. But if the pass was complete, the ball had to belong to New Mexico. Instead of it being UNM's ball, the Cougars continued the march and scored. On the other play, UNM defensive lineman Fred Mady was literally tackled, opening a hole so BYU could score the tying touchdown. The winning extra point followed.

Dunn is hesitant to criticize officials. He jumped on them three years ago and was told by the WAC to keep his opinions to himself. If the officials who worked this game had been in charge of the UNM-UTEP game in the Pit last winter, the Lobo basketball team would have had another victory. In the basketball game, a paper cup was thrown just as Texas-El Paso player was shooting a foul shot in overtime. The shot was off, but he got a second chance because of the cup and made two free throws, giving UTEP the win.

This time, a styrofoam football was thrown through the uprights just as Joe Bibbo was trying an extra point kick for the Lobos. The kick was off and no calls were made. Bibbo said later that he never saw the football, which was thrown from the stands behind the goal posts. Next year, the Cougars come to Albuquerque for their annual victory over New Mexico. It seems that, whatever it takes, BYU will win.

As if by decree, BYU has 10 games and a victory over the Lobos on its schedule every year. By Dennis Latta JOURNAL SPORTS EDITOR points a field goal and two touchdowns after the turnovers. "We had our opportunities, and we didn't do it," Griffith said. "That's not to say our kids didn't do a heck of a job. But we made mistakes and should have done better." The outcome of the game probably was decided by a missed extra point by UNM kicker Joe Bibbo.

After New Mexico's fourth touchdown, his extra-point try hit the upright and bounced back onto the field. The bad-luck break left the Lobos with a 13-point lead. "That turned around the complexion of the game. It gave them a lift," Dunn said. "I thought they were flat at that time.

Then, they knew that all they had to do was score twice and they had the offensive coordinator Ben Griffith. "We can't take any enjoyment from the way we played when we lost. We just didn't play well enough to win." The Lobos are 0-2 this season after playing two nationally-ranked teams. Both times UNM has has pushed its opponents to the limit, but lost "We still haven't won a game yet, and that's what counts," said starting offensive tackle Steve Parr. "We played well, but we still haven't won." Saturday, UNM had a 30-17 lead over Brigham Young before losing 31-30.

"I don't think anybody who was at this game doubted that the University of New Mexico won it," Griffith said. BYU lost the ball six times on turnovers. The Lobos scored 17 game won. What would BYU coach LaVell Edwards had done if Bibbo's kick had been good? "We would have gone for the one-point conversion since this was a conference game. Generally, we will play for a tie in a conference game, because it won't kill you.

But in a non-conference game we would play for a win." In the record book, UNM has lost to the Cougars 14 times in the last IS years. Because Tennessee was upset Saturday by Mississippi State, No. 11 BYU probably will move into the top 10 rankings. But in Albuquerque, the UNM football team and coaching staff know they are as good as the Cougars. The difference was only one thin point.

But that's all BYU needed to win the game. PROVO, Utah The story line is one that football fans at the University of New Mexico have read too many times before the Lobos played well enough to win, but lost. Just one point That was the losing margin Saturday. But in the won-loss column, it might as well have been 100 points. The result is that New Mexico lost the game.

'We just want to win," said UNM coach Joe Lee Dunn. "You can't take consolation from the fact that you played well. If you do that for a couple of weeks in a row, then you end up accepting it. It's not necessarily good for you to play good and lose." 'We've got to get a win," added Late Touchdowns Help UTEP Beat Aggies, 47-33 By Phill Casaus JOURNAL SPORTS WRITER Holtz Loses Debut: H3 recovered his own fumble at the 6, he scored on an option around left end a play later, sending the large Miners contingent into ecstasy. "Another ho-hum UTEP-NMSU game, huh?" asked Miners coach Bob Stull.

"Not for me. I almost had a heart attack." It was Miller who held Stull's heart in his hands. The Miners had taken a 33-17 lead with 9:30 to go, and both clubs seemed ready to play out the string. But the Aggies continued to attack the soft center of UTEP's pass defense, and broke through with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Gene Egan. Luis McDonald caught a Miller throw for the two-point conversion, making it 33-25.

NMSU kicked a chip-shot onside kick, with the. ball falling between the two layers of the Miners' kick team. Todd Parker recovered for the Aggies, and Miller converted yet again, with a 14-yard dart to McDonald. On the two-point conversion, the Roswell native threw to Roger Bocox, who made it 33-33. "The score is not indicative of how close this game was," said Aggies coach Mike Knoll.

"Our kids battled Jck." The Miners intercepted a Jim Miller pass in the final seconds, and Nicky Combs scored a garbage-time touchdown as time expired on the clock. Later, Miners coach Bob Stull would call this cherry-on-top score "good for the rivalry." It was certainly good for the Miners' egos, who nearly choked away their second win of the season. For the first time since 1971, UTEP has a winning record entering a season's fourth week. NMSU falls to 1-2. And it was Garza; the 6-foot-l, 190-pound senior, who made it possible.

With 2:09 remaining, he led the Miners on a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive. UTEP had help: NMSU committed two grievous pass interference penalties, the last putting the Miners on the Aggies' 10. "They made a comeback, which was good for them," said Garza of the Aggies. "But this year, there is no way this team is going to give up. We knew we'd get the points." They did.

Although Garza narrowly avertfed catastrophe when he LAS CRUCES Sammy Garza loosened a tie from necks of his choking teammates, allowing the one-time Sad Sack of American collegiate football to bag another victory. The Texas-El Paso Miners, usually tops in the nation's Bottom 10, scored 16 points in the last 47 seconds to defeat Interstate-10 rival New Mexico State, 47-33, before 32,904 here at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Before half the throng left to watch the Huey Lewis and the News concert at Pan American Center, it was the largest crowd to see a football game hi New Mexico history. Unfortunately for the Aggies, it would be the Texans who would rock n' roll into the late night. Although NMSU bravely came from 16 points down to tie the game at 33-33 with 2:09 remaining, Garza, the Miners' quarterback, led UTEP to the game-winning drive and ran for a seven-yard touchdown for a 40-33 lead? iL7 -i.

i JOURNAL PHOTO DICK KETTLEWELL Texas-El Paso fullback Nicky Combs leaps over players to pick up a first down in UTEP's 47-33 victory Saturday niht over New Mexico State In Las Cruces..