Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • Page 35

5Q If Wolfpack rally crushes Cavaliers' hopes 30-27 Today cn IV FLORIDA TODAY Wires CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Conventional wisdom and the nation's top-rated rushing defense took a beating Friday from North Carolina State. Freshman Tremayne Stephens burned Virginia for 133 rushing yards, including an 84-yard score that rallied the Wolfpack from their fourth deficit to a 30-27 victory qgainst the No. 1 1 Cavaliers. i.The fourth-quarter touchdown by Stephens, the first rusher this year to gain 100 yards against Virginia, capped a wild game that further clouded the ACC's bowl picture.

"Nobody's been giving us a chance all Noon: Florida at Florida State, ABC. 12:30 p.m.: LSU at Arkansas, WIRS. 1 p.m.: Rice at Houston, SUN. 82 p.m.: Grambling State vs. Southern, NBC.

4 p.m.: Michigan State at Penn State, ESPN. 7:30 p.m.: Boston College at Miami, ESPN. 8 p.m.: Notre Dame at Southern Cal.ABC. year, but here we are," offensive guard Steve Keim said. "To win like we did, it's just huge.

And it's really great to throw a curveball into the whole bowl picture." The Wolfpack (8-3, 6-2 ACQ clinched second place in the league behind Florida State. N.C. State also all but guaranteed the ACC will send a team with only eight victories to a top-tier bowl game. "It all would have been easy, so easy," said Tom Fridena, a member of the Fiesta Bowl selection committee. "This really throws everything up in the air.

It's very dusky and dusty now." The net result was that Virginia (8-3, 5-3) wound up in a third-place tie in the ACC with Duke and North Carolina and probably played itself out of the major bowl picture. N.C. State trailed 6-0, 13-7, 19-7 and 25-24, but kept coming back against a defense that came in allowing 56 rushing yards a game, tops in Division I-A, and set an ACC record with 27 interceptions this season. "I could never be prouder of a group of men," N.C. State coach Mike O'Cain said.

"Very few people gave us a chance of beating them here." The final lead change came with 8:22 left, when the Wolfpack caught Virginia in a blitz, creating a hole through the middle of the line for Stephens. He went untouched through the line and veered to the right for the score that gave N.C. State a 30-25 edge. Quarterback Geoff Bender's conversion pass was intercepted by Joe Crocker, who returned it 104 yards for the final margin. The Wolfpack wound up with 140 yards rushing and 300 through the air.

Virginia fullback Charles Way rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Mike Groh rushed for one touchdown and threw for 287 yards and another score. Summaries, schedule, 9C. FLORIDA TODAY, Saturday, November 26, 1994 ebrsska nips Georgia tops Tech 48-10; Zeier injured Oklahoma 1 3-3 mwMitiinaM. iiMiiJL uui urn "4w iff 1 AP ByMikeLopresti Gannett News Service i NORMAN, Okla. In essence, the race for No.

1 is a beauty contest awaiting a final ballot. So now is not a good time for Nebraska to be winning ugly. But little was pretty about Friday. Not the gray, bleak day. Not the normally lusty Cornhusker offense that did not manage a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

And not Nebraska's gritty 13-3 victory against Oklahoma, a win that kept the top-ranked Cornhusk-ers unbeaten and put them in the Orange Bowl as Big Eight cham-'pfcns for the fourth consecutive jtfar, but was not the type to captivate the fickle electorate, i Besides all that, there might be a (jiiarterback dilemma down the road. "We'll let people decide what they want to decide," Nebraska coach torn Osborne said of the polls after ffie Comhuskers (12-0) won their 25th jonsecutive regular-season game. f'ie'U settle it on the field." i The voters have Alabama and Pfnn State to consider, and little eame easy for Nebraska against a Sooner team fighting to send outgoing Coach Gary Gibbs out a winner. 'J Nebraska's total offensive production the first three quarters was two field goals. The nation's No.

1 ground game rushed for only 136 yards. Lawrence Phillips had only 50 yards in 21 carries. More? The Comhuskers had minus yards of total offense in the second quarter. Nebraska quar terbacks had been sacked four times all season, but Brook Berringer went down three times in the first half. More? The score was tied 3-3 at halftime, before Tom 26-yard field goal put Nebraska ahead to stay in the third quarter.

Bellinger's 1-yard touchdown dive finishing an 82-yard march that was the offense's one moment in the sun padded the lead early in the fourth. To be sure, Nebraska's defense held Oklahoma (6-5) to 179 total yards and blocked a field-goal attempt. But could this effort cost the Comhuskers votes? "I wouldn't think so. I'd love to see anyone else in the country come in here and play Oklahoma with their coach quitting," tackle Zach Wiegert said. The Comhuskers also might be getting into a dicey quarterback situation.

Tommie Frazier, recovering from blood clots in his leg, has been cleared to play. Berringer's first-half struggles led Osborne to joke later "I looked at Tommie a few times." Not so jokingly, he "I think Tommie will play Jan. 1." Berringer said it was Oklahoma's defense and not Frazier that caused problems Friday, though he rebounded to finish 13 for 23 for 166 yards, throwing a 44-yarder to Abdul Muhammad to spark the touchdown drive. So Nebraska has unsure waters ahead. But the record stands unsoiled.

The polls must now decide if 13-3 and 12-0 still adds up to No. 1. Wl ft i 1 Vv OKLAHOMA FULLBACK Jerald yardage in the Sooners' 13-3 loss to FLORIDA TODAY Wires ATHENS, Ga. Eric Zeier passed for 115 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with strained ligaments in his right knee Friday as Georgia beat Georgia Tech 48-10. Zeier went down with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the second quarter after completing a short pass when Tech's Elliott Fortune rolled into his right knee.

He was helped from the field and later rolled to the locker room on a cart. Georgia (64-1) qualified for a bowl game by winning its finale, handing Tech (1-10) its ninth loss in a row. Zeier completed his career No. 3 on the NCAA pass yardage list with 11,153, trailing only Brigham Young's Ty Detmer (15,031) and San Diego State's Todd Santos His scoring passes of 7 yards to Brice Hunter and 19 yards to Juan Daniels increased Zeiers career total to 67. Once again, turnovers plagued the Yellow Jackets, with Georgia converting five into four touchdowns and a field goal.

In other college football: Youngstown State 63, Alcorn State 20: In Youngstown, Ohio, Alcom State's Steve McNair completed 52 of 82 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn't nearly enough, as top-ranked Youngstown State's defense scored or set up four TDs and the defending NCAA I-AA champions took a 63-20 first-round playoff victory. The big plays by Youngstown's 30 before stalling and settling for Baker's ill-fated kick. In other college football: Texas Christian 24, Texas Tech 17: In Fort Worth, Texas, Max Knake fired two touchdown passes to flanker Jimmy Oliver and Texas Christian got a late fourth-quarter score to upset Cotton Bowl-bound Texas Tech 24-17. TCU tailback Andre Davis, the Southwest Conference rushing champion, contributed 63 yards of a 69-yard scoring drive with 3:52 left, sealing the victory with a 9-yard run and a 2-point conversion.

The victory earned the Homed Frogs a share of the SWC AP Moore (7) breaks tackles for extra top-ranked Nebraska on Friday. 27-22 with 10 minutes left on a 6-yard run, capping a 79-yard drive. White, injured early in the game, brought the Wildcats right back on a 60-yard scoring drive, passing 4 yards to Lamar Harris for the touchdown with 3 minutes, 54 seconds left. Taylor had kept the drive alive by picking up a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Arizona State 40. After the Wildcats went ahead, Jake Plummer moved Arizona State 22 yards to the 49, then picked up a crucial first down on fourth-and-3 when an incomplete pass was wiped out by a roughing penalty against Arizona's Tedy Bruschi.

Arizona State got to the Arizona GEORGIA'S Phillip Daniels (89) rides down Georgia Tech's C.J: Williams after a short gain. defense included touchdowns of 94 yards with an interception by Leon Jones and 95 yards on a fumble return by Randy Smith. McNair's attempts broke the previous I-AA playoff mark of 78 by Rhode Island's Tom Ehrhardt against Furman in 1985. His completions eclipsed the 44 of Mississippi Valley State's Willie Totten against Louisiana Tech in 1984. l- Youngstown State (11-0-1) set school records with its 63 points and nine touchdowns.

I-AA playoff schedule, 9C. championship for the first time since 1959 and gave them the inside track to the Independence Bowl. TCU and co-champions Baylor and Texas wound up with 7-4 records. Tech (6-5), TCU, Baylor and Texas posted 4-3 SWC records. Rice (4-6, 3-3) can make it an unprecedented five-way tie with a victory today against Houston.

The Red Raiders, after missing two field goals, overcame a 16-14 lead with 6:23 left in the fourth quarter when Tony Rogers kicked a 41-yard field goal. But TCU struck right back, with Davis ripping off runs of 12, 28, 14 and 9 yards as Knake drove the Frogs in for the winning touchdown. Davis, carried 23 times for 107 yards. Arizona survives Arizona State 28-27 AP TCU COACH Pat Sullivan gets a shower from his players after the Horned Frogs defeated Texas Tech 24-17 on Friday. lMm Hurricanes against Boston College Golden Eagles Resurgent 'Cats on the prowl B-CC enters Florida Classic against FAMU with high hopes Who: Miami (9-1, 6-0 Big East) vs.

Boston College (6-3-1, 3-2-1). Where: Orange Bowl, Miami. When: 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN. Radio: WWHL-AM 1350.

Last week: Miami beat Temple 38-14; B.C. lost to West Virginia 21-20. Last meeting: Miami won 23-7 in Boston last year. Injuries: Boston College QB Jeff Ryan (wrist) and DE Stalin Colinet (ankle) are out; Miami LB Rohan Marley (knee), DT Pat Riley (knee) and Mike Crissy (groin) are out for the year; DT Dwayne Johnson (back) is probable; P-K Dane FLORIDA TODAY Wires TUCSON, Ariz. Dan White engineered two late scoring drives and No.

15 Arizona overcame a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Arizona State 28-27 on Saturday. Arizona State, which led 27-15 before the Wildcats rallied, fell a yard short of victory, the distance by which Jon Baker missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 28 seconds remaining. Arizona (8-3, 6-2 Pac-10) tied Southern Cal for second place in the conference. Arizona State (3-8, 2-6) finished its worst season since going 2-7-2 in 1946. Gary Taylor pulled Arizona within Delaware State, the Wildcats have reworked their scheme to shut down the run.

As a result, B-CC is outgaining opponents 344-338. It's fitting that they're playing FAMU, which also has surpassed expectations. Though the Rattlers' 64 mark is close to what was predicted with the hiring of Coach Billy Joe, few expected much after losing quarterback Ray Domingo to a season-ending shoulder injury last month. That just caused Joe to go to Plan a ground-oriented attack that has picked up the slack and led to consecutive upsets of Southern (16-14) and Grambling State (134). It also has allowed quarterback Ernest Cooper to quietly maintain the passing game, throwing for 359 yards over the past four games.

anything about it," the USC coach joked before tonight's game (TV: 8 p.m.,ABQ. No. 17 USC (7-3) seems to have its best chance in years to beat Notre Dame (6-4). Both teams have had their ups and downs, but the Trojans have been more consistent than the Irish. Irish coach Lou Holtz doesn't think Notre Dame's winning streak has much to do with this game.

"If you toss a coin in the air and it came up heads 15 straight times, the chances of it coming up heads again are 50-50. Southern Cal could have won virtually every one of those games," Holtz said. By Gary Graves i FLORIDA TODAY TAMPA If been a while since Bethune-Cookman entered its annual dash with Florida with a goal other than winning to salvage a disappointing season. Then again, it's been a while since the Wildcats put themselves in that position. What was expected to be another down year for B-CC instead has resulted in a surprising 4-6 record that's only five points away from being 7-3.

While that record might not be impressive, it does mark something of a turnaround for the program, and nothing would make it more complete than beating Florida today in the Florida Cjassic at 5 p.m. at Tampa Stadium. The Wildcats enter the game with a two-game winning streak, including a 28-24 upset of North Carolina The Wildcats' resurgence has been led by senior quarterback Tony Kerrin. After a difficult junior year, Kerrin has rebounded to throw for 2,028 yards and 13 TDs on 52 percent passing. In the process, that has helped B-CCs ground game.

The Wildcats are averaging 136.5 yards a game. The only outputs less than that resulted in three of their losses: a pair of two-pointers to Howard and MEAC champion South Carolina State, and a one-point loss to Albany State. The defense also has played a big role. Since a 31-13 loss to to knock the Nittany Lions out of the national title race in Perles last game after 12 years. "Everyone coaches his last game sooner or later.

I'm glad mine will be against Joe Patemo and Penn State," Perles said. "I always look forward to playing him, and I'll miss that" Irish haunt USC's Robinson LOS ANGELES John Robinson isn't quizzed about Southern Cal's 11-game losing streak to Notre Dame all the time, everywhere. "Yeah, on Maui we were out snorkeling and didn't come in all day and none of the fish said it- i Spartans fired up for top-ranked Lions Prewitt (dislocated finger) will not punt, but will kick. Key matchups: Miami LBs vs. Boston College TE Pete Mitchell Outside linebackers Corwin Francis and James Burgess usually will cover Mitchell, whom Miami coach Dennis Erickson said might be the nation's best tight end.

Mitchell leads BC with 50 catches for 578 yards and six touchdowns and outweighs both of the linebackers who will be covering him. Miami also might add a safety to the coverage in zone packages. Miami defensive line vs. Boston College running game BC averages 185 yards a game on the ground, 86 more than Miami is allowing. RBs David Green (973 yards) and Justice Smith (663) give the Eagles one of the most formidable combinations Miami has faced all year.

Marvin Davis, a backup most of the year, will be starting his second game at tackle for Miami in place of the injured Pat Riley. Miami offensive line vs. Boston College defensive line BC leads the Big East in QB sacks with 39 and Miami's Frank Costa has a tendency to stay in the pocket too long. If BC applies pressure to Costa, it could throw the Hurricanes' offense into chaos. Analysis: Boston College, who has upset Notre Dame and Syracuse this season, is trying to hang on to a bowl berth, possibly at the Carquest Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The Eagles run two tight ends and run straight at people. Green and Smith are two of the Big East's top rushers. Though the team looks run-oriented, it is deceptively balanced, averaging 206 yards a game through the air and 185 on the ground. It's an excellent test for Miami, which hasn't played a solid game from start to finish since the victory against Florida State five games ago. Miami's defense has remained excellent throughout, but the offense has been inconsistent and the special teams awful.

If Miami is to have any hope of a national title, this is a must win. Game notes: This is the 10th anniversary of the most famous Boston College-Miami matchup. On Nov. 23, 1984, the Eagles, thanks to a miraculous Hail Mary pass from Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan on the last play of the game, beat Miami 47-45 Miami is ranked first in the nation in total defense (217.5 yards a game allowed), while BC is fifth (257.5). Al Shipman enters the game with a chance to set the school record for average yards a carry.

The old mark was held by Jack Losch, who had a 9.0 average on 47 carries in 1955. Shipman is averaging 10.1 yards on 45 carries James Stewart needs 39 yards rushing to become the first Miami back since Alonzo Highsmith to rush for 700 yards in a season. Chris T. Jones leads the team with 34 receptions and Jammi German is second with 31. Only once since 1982 has Miami had a team receiving leader with less than 40 catches Horace Copeland, who had 39 in 1991.

Since UM's rise to the nation's elite in the early 1980s, every regular starting quarterback has thrown for at least 5,000 yards in his career. Frank Costa enters his final home game with 4,005. A Miami victory would give the Hurricanes their ninth 10-win season since 1983. Prediction: Miami 30, Boston College 14. Evan Grant, Florida Today FLORIDA TODAY Wires STATE COLLEGE, Pa Even tiough Penn State has more to play for, Michigan State might be more fired up in its last regular-season game under Coach George Perles.

"They're going to come in here with a lot of emotion and play hard," Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins said. "By far it's going to be our toughest game." The Spartans (5-5, 4-3 Big Ten) will be eligible for a bowl game if tiey upset No. 2 Penn State (10-0, 7-0) today (TV: 4 p.m., ESPN). I Penn State is headed to the Rose Bowl, and the Spartans would love.