Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 48

40 The Chrion-ledgerlactuon Daily News Sunday, December 1, 1985 JACKSON STATE! STATISTICS -State i Game The Jackson State's size gets Ham's attention 113085 1 2 3 4- JSU 0 0 0 0- 0 GSU 10 7 3 7- 27 First quarter GEORGIA SOUTHERN 27, JSU 0 JSU GS First downs 20 14 Rushes-yards 33-105 43-192 Passing yards 234 160 Return yards 0 76 Passes 25-60-4 7-12-1 Punts Fumbles-lost 2-2 3-1 Penalties-yards 7-62 5-40 Time of possession 31:53 28:07 Jackson State 0 0 0 0 0 Ga. Southern 10 7 3 7 27 GS Belser 48 pass from Ham (Foley kick) GS FG Foley 25 GS G. Harris 1 run (Foley kick) GS FG Foley 37 GS Belser 45 pass from Ham A 4,128. INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS JACKSON STATE Rushing No. Net TD Long Jackson State had to fight itself, as well as Georgia Southern, in the opening period.

Turnovers and the lack of the big play put the Tigers behind 10-0 after the first quarter. Georgia Southern won the toss and elected to kick to the Tigers. Jackson State got to its 41 and the drive died when Shannon Boyd's pass for Stacey Mobley was intercepted at the Eagles' 11. The first of three big plays in the quarter came on Ham's 43-yard jaunt on the first play to the Tiger 46. Then, three plays later, Ham, on a third-and 12 from the Tiger 48, rolled out right and Tony Belser took a pass in front of Darrell Wood for a touchdown.

The next time the Tigers had the ball, they went from their 20 to the Georgia Southern 30 where they had a fourth-and-2. After a timeout, the Tigers' Lewis Tillman was inches short and turned the ball over at the 28. The second big play in the quarter came on the Eagles' next possession when on a first-and-10 from the Jackson State 45, defensive back Warren Plowden was called for interference to give the Eagles the ball at the 30. Four plays later Tim Foley hit a 25-yard field goal. The Associated Press BREAKING LOOSE JSU quarterback Shannon Boyd breaks up the middle for a gain as James Harvey follows.

Fourth quarter Jackson State got a bad snap on a punt and Georgia Southern wound up in possession on the Jackson State 46. Belser then slanted in the middle to pull in a Ham pass and went all the way for the touchdown. The Tigers never threatened in the quarter. watching the game films." Ham's passing (6 of 10, 145 yards, 2 TDs) was something he had trouble with, too. At 5-foot-10 he was having trouble getting the ball to his receivers as easily as he would have liked because of the size of the Tigers.

When he did make completions, like the 45-yard pass to Tony Belser for the game's last score, they were things of beauty. "The coaches kept saying it was open," said Ham. "But I kept telling them, 'I can't see it. I can't see They have great size and strength." And the Tigers also had a remarkable season. Picked to finish no better than fifth, Jackson State along with Grambling can call itself SWAC champion.

Granted, no matter how you look at it, the game goes down as a loss and keeps Jackson State perfect in playoff play at 0-4. But the Tigers refused to let the outcome overshadow what was accomplished. "We came a long way through a lot of adversity," said Tigers quarterback Shannon Boyd, who tasted defeat for the first time as a starter. "We had a downfall as a team. We didn't play well.

"We won six in a row and won the SWAC. This doesn't take away from anything we've done considering nobody expected us to do anything this year." "We were trying to get to a national championship," said JSU linebacker Jackie Walker. "We had one chance and were trying to reach another height. I think we played with a little too much excitement and over-pursued. It (over-pursuing) opened up the running lanes.

We just didn't do it this time." By TIM TURNER Daily News Sports Writer STATESBORO, Ga. Jackson State's football team got Tracy Ham's attention in a hurry. They were big and fast. "We had dinner with those guys last night and it was impossible to look past them," said Ham, who directed Georgia Southern to a 27-0 victory. "We are used to playing against big teams, but not that big.

They had my attention. "You wouldn't know by the way they played us they don't play against the option much. They beat our linemen a couple of times. When you get through the line you stop the option." The plays Ham made were back-breakers. From the Georgia Southern 11, the Tigers were within a couple of feet of making a sack.

When the pocket gave way, however, Ham tucked the ball in and went 43 yards to the Tigers 46. The Eagles eventually scored a touchdown that would be the first 6 of 27 unanswered points. On the Eagles' second touchdown, the Tigers again appeared to make the play. With Georgia Southern on the Jackson State 26, the Tigers looked to have stopped the play at the line of scrimmage. Ham, however, handed off to Ricky Harris who went 21 yards to the 1 to set up the score.

"We used to run the option ourselves," said Jackson State's W.C. Gor-den. Nine times you may have it on track, but that 10th time, they can break it. A guy like Ham makes it (the option) more potent. He was a more effective passer than we had earlier thought.

His doing that (passing well) is something we could not pick up from Second quarter Turnovers hurt the Tigers again. Jackson State drove to the Georgia Southern 44, then Trence Collins had Boyd's pass go off his chest into the hands of defensive back Nay Young. Young returned the ball 43-yards to the Jackson State 26. Ricky Harris carried twice to go to the 1 and Gerald Harris scored. The Tigers again got in deep, to the Eagle 22, but Boyd was intercepted in the end zone.

The Eagles got to the Tiger 6, but Ham was intercepted by Anthony Loving with 27 seconds left in the half. Third quarter Quotes Jackson State coach W.C. Gorden: "We'd like to use the rain as an excuse, but we've played some of our best football games in the rain. We just reverted back to what beat us earlier in the year. We were not annihilated by any means.

We didn't get the ball in offensively. They were able to hold on to the ball and the fact that they won the game is no excuse to say their win was cheap." Georgia Southern coach Erk Russell: "I now can see how Jackson State has gotten the rushing defense statistic (No. 1 in Division l-AA) because they line up and come at you and make things happen. We got good plays off them, but they got to our quarterback more and threw him for losses more than we've had that happen all year." The Tigers offense continued to sputter in close. Jackson State held the Eagles in their first possession and got the ball at its own 45 and on five plays went to the Georgia Southern 28.

A draw then lost 3, a run gained 1 and a sack turned the ball over to Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern then drove to the Jackson State 20. It couldn't move any closer and Foley kicked a 37-yard field goal. JSU STAMM ADVERTISING INC. STAMM I v-'.

120 Upton Drive Jackson, Ms. 39209 (601) 922-3400 Georgia, from ID them. We knew they had to pass and the Demerritt 9 63 0 11 Tillman 13 33 0 9 Smith 4 22 0 19 Boyd 6-507 Passing Att. Cp. Int.

Yds. TD Long Boyd 50 25 4 234 0 21 Receiving No. Yds. TD Long Demerritt 9 78 0 21 Hull 6 63 0 16 Tillman 5 30 0 7 Maynie 3 30 0 12 Mobley 1 18 0 18 Jones 1 15 0 15 Punting No. Yds.

Avg. Long McJulien 4 174 43.5 53 Returns-yards Punts KOs Int. Jones 0-0 2-42 0-0 Loving 0-0 0-0 1-0 GEORGIA SOUTHERN Rushing No. Net TD Long R.Harris 11 75 0 21 Ham 18 63 0 43 G.Harris 12 50 1 32 Thompson 2 4 0 3 Passing Att. Cp.

Int. Yds. TD Long Ham 10 6 1 145 2 48 Thompson 2 10 15 0 15 Receiving No. Yds. TD Long Belser 2 93 2 48 Barron 2 44 0 29 RHarris 3 23 0 15 I low cost tetter tt-thrulf DASSing fOT- Ms' -lPlre Sports of all sorts.

Every day in Sports. For home delivery of The Clarion-Ledger, call 961-7130. Call for free estimate Ideal for individual or entire fleet indentification from there at the 8:50 mark for a 17-0 lead. The Tigers dodged the proverbial bullet near the end of the half. Jackson State drove to the Eagles' 15, but Boyd was picked off in the end zone.

On six plays, Georgia Southern drove to the Jackson State 6. Anthony Loving intercepted Ham with 27 seconds remaining and the half ended 17-0. After holding the Eagles on downs in their initial possession of the second half, the Tigers took over at their own 45. The Tigers moved swiftly to the GSC 28. But with a second-and-8 from the 28, Billy Smith lost 3 yards on a draw.

Boyd rushed for 1 and then on a fourth-and-10 was sacked back to the GSC 43. Following the change of possession, weather slowed them down. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Tracy Ham, almost trapped in the backfield, went 43 yards up the middle to the JSU 43. On the next play Ham carried for no gain before being sacked for a 2-yard loss to the JSU 48. Then Ham, being chased to his right found Tony Belser in the end zone for 48-yard touchdown play with 10 minutes, 53 seconds elapsed.

Tim Foley's kick made it 7-0. The long run by Ham was typical of his play all day, he led both teams with 107 yards gained, but because of losses on sacks finished with a net of 63 yards. On Jackson State's next possession, the Eagles held the Tigers on a fourth-and-2 from the GSC 30. On the first play, Ham was sacked. Two plays later he hit Herman Barron on the left sideline for 29 yards to the JSU 45.

Tiger defensive back Warren Plowden was flagged for interference and the ball wound up at the JSU 30. Following four rushing plays to the 7, Foley hit a 25-yard field goal. Another Jackson State turnover, in the second quarter, led to the Eagles' next touchdown. The Tigers had a sec-ond-and-7 from the GSC 44 when Shannon Boyd's pass bounced off Trence Collins' shoulder pads. Eagles defensive back Nay Young picked off the ball i and ran it back 43 yards to the JSU 26.

Ricky Harris carried for 4, then for 21 yards to the 1 and Gerald Harris went in Punting No. Yds. Avg. Long Ham, who is known for making something from nothing when the pocket breaks down, sprinted 37 yards to the Jackson State 20. The Eagles moved to the Tiger 20 and Foley put Georgia Southern up 20-0 with a 37-yard field goal.

Jackson State sealed its fate with yet another turnover. The Tigers, lined up to punt on a fourth-and-1 from their own 47, but got a bad snap from center Cedric McSwine. McJulien scooped the ball, then fumbled it away at the 46. Ham then went to Belser, who broke several arm tackles for a touchdown. 'The play was open all day," said Belser.

"They were giving us the middle. Fortunately Stacy had a chance to get it to me." Parker 233 33.3 39 Returns-yards 0 Punts KOs Int. Belser 3-36 1-25 0-0 Aiken 0-0 0-0 1-0 Young 0-0 0-0 2-43 Rossignol 0-0 0-0 1-0 I-AA PLAYOFFS i Mi Lacewell chooses right kicker, Arkansas State boots Grambling SUWEWIT SAUL1 S-21F all m.tar 570SH 8S70SB 155SRI2 eiotkall 9S70SR1 MSEBSff I-AA Playoffs Saturday's Scores Ga. Southern 27, Jackson St. 0 E.

Washington 42, Idaho 38 Rhode Island 35, Akron 27 Arkansas St. 10, Grambling St. 7 Saturday's Games Ga. Southern at Mid. Tenn.

St. E. Washington at Northern Iowa Rhode Island at Furman Arkansas St. at Nevada-Reno I IKE kw OK) bring ii to Cf A Statistics, 10D From Wire Reports A little compassion paid off Saturday for coach Larry Lacewell and his Arkansas State University Indians. Soccer-style kicker Stuart Reid had missed field goal attempts of 23 and 29 yards so Lacewell turned to straight-on kicker Frank Richards when ASU reached the Grambling 7 with 9 seconds remaining and the score tied 7-7.

Richards, who had failed on three attempts earlier in the season, kicked it through with 5 seconds left and ASU won the first-round game in the NCAA Divison I-AA playoffs 10-7 at Jones-boro, Ark. "To be really honest, I didn't want to hurt that other kid," Lacewell said. "Frank has missed just as many as the other guy, but it was his bat I felt sorry for Stuart" Ironically, Reid missed a 44-yarder and Richards missed a 46-yarder in the final 90 seconds of a 15-13 loss to McNeese State in the fifth game of the season. The Indians have not lost since. "Coach Lacewell told me, 'Go be a and then he winked at me," Richards said.

"The timeout (by Grambling) helped a lot I was really needing more time to go over my steps. Because of the McNeese game, I bad the determination to make it and win this time." ASU, champion of the Southland Conference, plays at Nevada-Reno next week. The Indians resorted to two trick plays to beat the Tigers. A 25-yard guard around by Ray Brown reached the Grambling 1 and set up ASlTs only yards from the Grambling goal but managed only seven points. Grambling, 9-3 and co-champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, ran only 18 plays in the first half.

The Tigers started an average of 85 yards from the ASU goal. The situation did not improve for Eddie Robinson, the winningest coach in college football, in the third quarter. The Tigers started from their 15, 4 and 10 and failed to make a first down. RHODE ISLAND 35, AKRON 27 Record-breaking quarterback Tom Ehrhardt threw for five touchdowns four to tight end Tony DiMaggio to lead the Rams to a Divison l-AA playoff victory over the Zips at Kingston, R.I. Ehrhardt completed 43 of 70 attempts for 472 yards to give Rhode Island a second-round playoff game against Furman at Greenville, S.C., next Saturday.

Ehrhardt hit DiMaggio on scoring plays of 3, 4, 3 and 7 yards, and added a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide reciever Bob Donf ield to lift Rhode Island's record to 10-2. Akron fell to 8-4. EASTERN WASHINGTON 42, IDAHO 38 Eastern Washington University rode the passing of quarterback Rick Worrnan to register an upset victory over the University of Idaho in the first round of the Divison l-AA playoffs at Moscow, Idaho. Eastern Washington now advances to the quarter-finals and will play next week at Cedar Falls, Iowa, against the University of Northern Iowa. llfiirW H.j.." iol .1 76 31X10 SOU HT( Ft V77 MX 90 DATS SAME AS CASH on revolving charge at Firestone stores and many oeoters Minimum monthly payment required AH finance chorgei refunded when oad at oareed.

We obo honor Vio. MasterCard, Omen Club. Carte Bkmcne and American Eapreti Puces and credit plan ihown ore avoilabte at Firestone stores touchdown, a 1-yard effort by Ricky Je-mison. A shovel pass from Dwayne Brown to Homer Rhodes worked for 12 yards and a first down at the Grambling 18 in the closing seconds. Jemison made 1 1 yards and then Richards, who had missed his only three field goal attempts of the year, came on.

Earlier, Stuart Reid, 7 of 17 during the season, missed from 23 and 29 yards. Sophomore quarterback Chauncey Allen relieved senior Terrell Landry on the first series of the fourth quarter and took the Tigers 80 yards in 11 plays for the tying touchdown. Allen completed 4 of 7 passes for 69 yards in the drive and the 6-f oot-4 Landry scored from inches away on fourth down. ASU, 9-3 and winner of seven straight, had the ball almost 21 minutes in the first half. The Indians started their five possession an average of 52 See your independent deolers for their prices ond credit plans Stores and dealer ore listed me Yellow Pooes If we show set) out of your sue, we II give you fomcheck' assuring later delivery ot me odvertised price.

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