The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 63

section sports Sunday, November 16, 1986 Peim State escapes Notre Dame, 2449 Holds on to remain unbeaten u- pin wyymj -y. 11 1 in I rn i --rmr 1 1 'if: r- As the Irish's Joel Williams (right) leaves the field, Penn State's Don Fiesta said to want The Philadelphia Inquirer GREG LANIER Graham (S3) and Duffy Cobbs celebrate the defensive series that killed Notre Dame's last-gasp threat. Penn State-Mami on Jan. 2 By Ray Parrillo Inquirer Staff Writer SOUTH BEND, Ind. All the angles seemed to be covered for Notre Dame to pull off the big caper and knock Penn State out of the national championship picture.

First of all, it was the final home game for a Notre Dame senior class that had seen little more than frustration in four years. And it was being played on a weekend when the 1966 national championship team was reunited. Second, Vice President Bush was in attendance to boost his presidential campaign. If you can't win one for the Gipper, then win one for his caddy, right? In other words, inspiration was dripping from the brick walls of ancient Notre Dame Stadium. But the third-ranked Nittany Lions didn't play the part of the fall guys.

They teetered on round heels in the final minute but stayed upright and held on to a frantic 24-19 victory before 59,075 entertained fans. The victory moved Penn State (10-0) to within one game of its second straight undefeated regular season and its sixth in Joe Paterno's 21 years as head coach, and it kept alive the Lions' dreams of a national championship. Notre Dame (4-5), perked up by a touchdown that trimmed its deficit to 24-19 with 7 minutes, 37 seconds remaining, buzzed down to the State 6-yard line and had first down with minute, 14 seconds to go. "When that drive started, I looked up and saw a full moon, and I thought, 'What's going on State linebacker Trey Bauer said. "It was like a horror movie." It was Notre Dame that left horrid fied.

Free safety Ray Isom began a series; of critical defensive plays by ging down explosive Tim Brown for; a 3-yard loss. On second down, tackle Bob White blew through the Notre Dame line' and sacked quarterback Steve Beuer lein at the 18 for a 9-yard loss. On third down, Beuerlein scram bled free and passed to tight end Joel Williams at the goal line. The bait glanced off Willftms' fingertips as he was popped from behind by corner-, back Gary Wilkcrson. "The guy looked like he had it for a second," Bauer said.

Notre Dame's final play was a hur-(See PENN STATE on 14-D) afternoon, Penn State coach Joe Pa-terno said his players' feelings about possible bowl games were that they wanted to play Miami. The bowls cannot officially offer contracts to prospective teams until Saturday, but they routinely make their interests known ahead of the deadline. The Fiesta Bowl, at Tempe, and the Citrus Bowl, at Orlando, were believed to have the inside track to a game between Miami and Penn State the only unbeaten, untied teams in the top 10 al fined Press International 1 MIAMI Miami coach Jimmy Johnson said last night that the Fiesta Bowl was planning to move its game from New Year's Day to Jan. 2 and match the top-ranked Hurricanes against Penn State. Miami was expected to accept, but the deal apparently is contingent on I'cnn defeating Pittsburgh next week.

Penn is expected to move from third to nd in the rankings after No. 2 Micliib.m's upset loss, 20-17, to Minnesota yesterday. Johnson disclosed the Fiesta though the Gator Bowl had made a late bid for the game. Miami athletic director Sam Janko-vich said no contracts had been signed. Jankovich has said that he wanted any interested bowl to offer the Hurricanes an escape clause if Penn State were to lose its season finale against Pitt next weekend.

Citrus Bowl scout Tony Martin said his group did not plan, to offer an escape clause. Inquirer staff writer Joe Juliano contributed to this article. Bowl's plans following Miami's 23-10 defeat of Tulsa. Miami improved to 10-0, with only a Thanksgiving night date with East Carolina remaining on its schedule. Penn State also is 10-0 following yesterday's 24-19 victory over Notre Dame.

"The feeling right now is that we are going to the Fiesta Bowl to play in prime time on Jan. 2, after all the other bowls are over," Johnson said. "1 understand that the match-up will be against Penn State. The development with the game at prime time just occurred within the last few Lions make a stand to save shot at No. 1 Owls can't stem Tide? Palmer gains 145 yards Ray Isom said.

"We had 6 yards to defend. If we let them in, our season was over." On first and goal, Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein pitched left to flanker Tim Brown, who had lined up in the backfield. Brown had tortured Penn State all day. He had caught 8 passes for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns, run six times for 28 yards and come within a clipping penalty of stabbing the Nittany Lions with a 97-yard touchdown on a kick-off return. "He's the best all-round athlete I've seen," Isom said.

As Brown swept around left end, Isom stepped up to greet him. The Irish were supposed to have two tight ends in the game, but one had forgotten to come in. Isom slid to the outside and found himself face to (See DEFENSE on 14-D) By Chuck Newman inquirer Staff Writer TUSCALOOSA, Ala. For three quarters they were in a game they didn't figure to be in. They were competitive with Alabama.

Going into the fourth quarter, they trailed by only 10-6 and might have been ahead if they had not turned a possible 14 points into only six. Even Temple coach Bruce Arians, an Alabama assistant before taking the Temple job, thought the Owls had a chance at that point. "I thought the game was ours," he said. But suddenly, Temple became Temple the Temple that shows up almost every time a big game is on the line and Alabama scored two College football Minnesota 20 Michigan 17 Miami 23 Tulsa 10 Oklahoma 28 Colorado 0 Georgia 20 Auburn 16 Pitt 20 Rutgers 6 Boston College 27 Syracuse 9 Tennessee 22 Mississippi 10 Delaware 27 Navy 14 Kentucky 10 Florida 3 Nebraska 70 Kansas 0 Northwestern 24 Mich. State 21 Arkansas 14 Texas 10 Villanova 28 Widener 9 quick touchdowns en route to a 24-14 victory yesterday.

"I wanted to have it la big Temple win I happen here, where we could show the people in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham who Temple is," Arians said. It looked as if it could have been. But on the first play of the fourth period, Alabama's Bobby Humphrey scored on a 39-yard sweep. On the Owls' next scries, a fumble by QB Lee Saltz deep in Temple territory led to another quick Alabama TD, and the dream was dead. A touchdown pass from Saltz to wide receiver Andy Garczynski with 48 seconds left served only to make (See TEMPLE on 14-D) By BILL LYON qucntial matter of self-confidence.

This is a team that believes, that is absolutely convinced, that its manifest destiny is to go undefeated. And you know something? Those (See LYON on 14-D) 7 lit days." Contacted late last night at his State College home, Penn State athletic director Jim Tarman said of Johnson's statement: "That's news to us. "We just got back from South Bend, and I haven't talked to anybody from Miami," Tarman said. "I assume there will be some discussion (today on the bowl situation), because you're allowed to talk to the bowls beforehand, but I don't have any information on this right now." After his team's game yesterday Paul Palmer No. 6 on NCAA all-time rushing list Rich Comizio broke the Quakers' course, but mostly there have been losses.

The rare thrill of victory, the further agony of defeat, a team in keeping with New Orleans' sub-sea-lcvel altitude and above-ground cemeteries. As of this morning, the lifetime record of the hangdog franchise stands at 88-192-5 Things almost got out of hand in 1979 and 1983, the pinnacle years when the Saints broke with tradition by breaking even. But those aberrational seasons stand in wry contrast to eight last-place finishes and that sack-happy year, 1980, when the Saints got their knocked off en "'iffy I. A Quakers keep rolling, down Harvard, 17-10 Penn squad believes perfection is destiny By Jere Longman Inquirer Staff Writer SOUTH BEND, Ind. With 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining, Notre Dame set up at the Penn State 6-yard line for one final assault.

First and goal. The Nittany Lions had two options stop an Irish touchdown or stop talking about playing Miami for the national championship. "A lot of guys were saying a lot of prayers," Penn State quarterback John Shaffer said. "They've never said prayers before on the sideline." Penn State was scared, angry. The game should have been put away, but it wasn't.

Notre Dame had kept plugging feverishly, relentlessly, toward a winning touchdown, and the Nittany Lions, ahead by 24-19, weren't sure if they could do anything about it. "This was our season," free safety The Philadelphia Inquirer JOHN Scttttrt single-season rushing record. route to a 1-15 record that induced long-suffering fans to wear bags over their heads while booing the club they called the "Aints." Ah, but now things may be different. In their 20th season, the Saints, now coached by Jim Mora, finally seem to have evolved into a team that is not only a worthy opponent, but also a playoff contender. A club that, at 5-5, has Saints fans feeling the world finally is their oyster.

Too much so, on occasion. In an ironic stroke of bad timing, the Saints have managed to reach a (See MORA on 10-D) "xv 1 Their defense, after a particularly impassioned play, barks. Uh-huh. Like junkyard dogs. Oh sure, you expect such robust rowdiness at an Oklahoma maybe, where they bay whether there's a full moon or not.

But this, ladies and gentlemen, is the Ivy League. Decorum, please. Their offensive line is jumbo-sized and resolutely, inexorably, moves people backward. In a league accustomed to finesse and guile, here is a team that intimidates everyone else, a team that has been physically superior to everyone on its schedule. Finally, there is the not-so-inconse- Index Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer is having the best season of his career.

review vf frxfry'i i'Vt'i, tames, as well as an expanded look at the Eagles-Lions game. Pages 8-D and 9 D. By Sarajane Freligh Inquirer Staff Writer Gary Steele, Penn's defensive coordinator, noticed him as he ran toward the Harvard huddle. No. 12, Dave Landau.

Something seemed fishy to Steele. "That guy's a quarterback," Steele told head coach Ed Zubrow. On third and 8 at Penn's 41-yard line, trailing by a touchdown with only 3 minutes, 40 seconds left in the game, Harvard apparently decided it was time to attempt some trickery. "Flea-flicker," thought defensive Jim Mora New Orleans' 10th coach in 20 years end A.J. Sebastianelli, and sure enough, the handoff went from quarterback Tom Yohe to Landau.

As Landau got set to pass, Penn defensive end Mike Lista cleared the way for Sebastianelli, his teammate and roomate. With Lista clearing the way, Sebastianelli roared in on Landau. Sebastianelli was credited with his second sack of the game this one for 13 yards on what proved to be the Harvard offense's last gasp. On fourth down, Yohe threw incomplete, preserving a 17-10 victory for the Quak-(See PENN on 14-D) A start that may be only a beginning By Angelo Cataldi Inquirer Staff Writer The future of the long-floundering Eagles franchise will arrive today when a 6-foot4, 192-pound monument to hope named Randall Cun ningham is unveiled at Veterans Stadium. During nearly two seasons as an adored apprentice, Cunningham has captivated fans and frustrated opponents with a rare combination of sleek elusiveness and deceptive strength, but his appearances genei- ally have been brief and his fame (See EAGLES on 9-D) Mora has the Saints marching away from their pathetic past By Ron 'tr iurct Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS The N.v Orleans Saints have spent almost 20 full seasons in the National Football League devoutly avoiding victory as if it were an overripe oyster.

Through all the years they have been doing business hard by the banks of the Mississippi indeed, after 285 regular-season starts the Saints have yet to win their 90th game or record their first winning season. They also have yet to play in a playoff game. There have been moments, of NBA 2-D NHL 2-D Al Morganti on hockey 5-0 Peter Pascarelli on baseball 6-D Women's basketball 7-D Angelo Cataldi on football 8-D Colleges 11-D High schools 17-D Horse racing 20-D Ben Callaway 21-D in brief 22-D.