Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 39

3 NFL 2 COLLEGE BASKETBALL 3-5 SCOREBOARD 9 THE CLARION-LEDGER I JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1992 RICK CLEVELAND Columnist The Clarion-Ledger -cL uj uj LJ LJ tiiiiiv.TiiiriiMil LJ LJ Henry has no regrets about playing for State -a By Mike Knobler Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer i .4 I Kevin Henry will soon end a career he never thought he'd begin. Henry, a senior defensive end, plays his final game for Mississippi State Jan. 2 in the Peach Bowl against North Carolina. A year from When: Jan. 2, 7 p.m.

(CST) Where: Georgia Dome TV: ESPN Series: State leads 1-0 Last meeting: State 26, North Carolina 24 in 1974 Sun Bowl XV- now he plans to graduate with a degree in sociology- The degree is fitting. The last five years of his life have been a personal studv in i i v- A V-J 7 V. 6 At For Henry, the logical choice was Valley, where he used to go watch his idol, Jerry Rice. Rice used lots of tape, so Henry used lots of tape. Rice wore a towel, so Henry wore a towel.

Henry even rolled his socks down just like Rice. And Henry was a pretty good receiver, too. He caught 53 passes for 769 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. He caught 12 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown in his final high school game, a 21-20 Class 2 A playoff loss to Enterprise. But God didn't give Henry Jerry Rice's body.

Henry, now 6 feet 3, 265 pounds, was destined to be a defensive lineman. And unlike Rice, Henry was recruited by Mississippi State. Henry shocked his community when he signed. "I wanted to let people know that I could come to a predominantly white school and play and get my degree and make it here," he said. See HENRY, 6D Henry sociology, an indi vidual exploration of what happens when you're thrust into an unfamiliar environment.

You see, Kevin Henry grew up in Mound Bayou, where being a black person meant being part of the majority, not the minority. Mound Bayou is "about 99.9 percent black," said Prentice James, who coached Henry at John F. Kennedy High School. Henry grew up th i nki ng he'd go to Mississippi Valley State or Jackson State if he went anywhere. That's what his friends did.

That's what his classmates did. There was the Southwestern Athletic Conference or junior college or no college at all. "I would always watch Mississippi State. I never thought I'd play for them," Henry said. "We never had a player from my hometown play for a predominantly white school." Aints haven't won the hearts of all non-believers yet I NEW ORLEANS The guy was surrounded by joyous Saints fans, but he was unimpressed.

He fondled his Dixie beer, while fchants of "Who Dat" cascaded around him. Everybody in the joint was celebrating except Ihis one surly guy, who seemed irritated by all the glad faces and happy noise. The Saints had just clobbered the Rams 37-14 for their fourth straight victory and ninth in 10 games. The Saints, 11-3, were tied for the Second best record in the NFL. After so many years of being unquestionably the worst, the Saints were now among the best.

And, here, deep in the heart of the French Quarter, this one guy looked like he wanted to end it all. I decided to investigate. How 'bout those Saints, said I. "Lousy bums," he said. "These people here just don't understand.

I been watching them guys for 26 years now. They was lousy in '67 when they started and they lousy now. They just setting these people up." Hold on, I said. The Saints defense is ranked No. 2 in the league.

They lead the league in sacks. The Saints offense leads the league in fewest sacks allowed. Bobby Hebert is throwing passes with the accuracy of a darts champion. They have four All-Pro linebackers. This is a heck of a football team.

They could win it all. Doubter: I won't get fooled again The guy grunted, obviously unimpressed. He took another swig of Dixie. "Let me ask you one thing," he said, finally. "In 26 seasons, how playoff games have the Aints won?" None, I answered.

"That's right," he said. "None, zero, nada, null set. How many other teams can say that? None, zero, nada, null set. That's how many." Yeah, but there's always a first time, I countered. This Saints team is different.

This team is solid. The defense is fantastic. The special teams are, too. The offense, since it opened up a i couple months ago, has become one of the league's most efficient. 'X "It's a tease," the guy said.

"They've suck-! ered you, too. It's all a big tease. How many times do you have to see it, before you get it? Jiow many times?" What do you mean, I asked, wishing almost immediately that I hadn't. The guy ordered another round. "Sit down," he said.

"Let me explain something to you. "See, I was there on Sept. 17, 1967. The Saints had won five of their six exhibition games. Tulane Stadium was packed.

People were screaming their heads off and stomping their feet. The Rams kicked off. Our John Gilliam, number 42, caught it at his own 6-yard line and ran it 94 yards for a touchown. You've seen people so happy in your life." I was there, too, I said. "Then you know that the Saints lost that game 27 to 13 and finished that first season 3 and 11.

And you probably know that was the first of 20 straight non-winning seasons. Winning games, breaking hearts "I've seen all the teases," he said. "I was there when they led Oakland 28 to 7 at halftime on Monday night and lost 42 to 35. I was there when Tom Dempsey kicked the 63-yarder and I was there when they released him the next year. "I was there when Archie scored the winning touchdown to beat the Rams in his first game.

And I was there when that bum Phillips traded him. I was there when they were 1 and 15 and I was there when they were the first team to get beat by Tampa Bay. I tell you, I've seen it all. "I've seen more holding penalties, more dropped passes, more sacked quarterbacks, more fumbles. But you don't understand, I said.

All that's ended now that Jim Mora is the coach and Jim Finks runs the show. It's a whole new ballgame. "It's a whole new tease," he said. "Like 1987. They make the playoffs for the first time, right? Vikes come in here and kick 'em 44 to 10.

1 was there. And last year. They win the division, right? Then Atlanta, of all teams Atlanta, comes in here beats 'em. Broke my heart. "It's still happening.

They go out to San Francisco and get a 20-to-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Everybody's cheering, right? I told 'em the final score would be 21-20. And it was. "You watch 'em long enough, you learn." J. D.

SchwalmThe Clarion-Ledger The Peach Bowl will write the ending to Kevin Henry's success story at Mississippi State. fis face Hols 4sir achieve mug 49ers struggle, but still get win ill The Associated Prass New Orleans has clinched a wild card playoff berth. A Saints' win or Philadelphia loss in the final two weeks of the regular season would clinch home-field advantage for the Saints in the first round of the playoffs (Jan. 2-3). It, i 11 1 Saints, Bills to put it on line today By Ralph Vacchiano Gannett News Service ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.

The New Orleans Saints' defense leads the National Football League with 51 sacks, allows fewer yards per game than all but one team, and is the only defense to have allowed less than 200 points this season. And individually, three Saints are among the NFC's top 10 in sacks this season, including left end Wayne Martin (14) and both outside linebackers, Rickey Jackson (11.5) and three-time all-pro Pat Swilling (10.5). The task facing the Buffalo Bills today in the New Orleans Super-dome today (noon, NBC), in particular, the Bills' offensive line, is enormous. Very few teams have had even marginal success stopping the Saints' pass rush. And those that have usually paid in other ways.

The Bills' offensive line vs. the. Saints' pass rush promises to be one of the more intriguing "games within the game" so far this season. The Saints live and die by their defense. And the Bills' offensive line has yielded an AFC-low 21 sacks.

The Bills feel they match up well. I SAN FRANCISCO The blowout never materialized, and neither did Joe Montana. Coming in as 20-point favorites, the San Francisco 49ers struggled to a 21-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Though the win wasn't pretty, it was just what the 49ers, 13-2, needed to clinch their sixth NFC West title in seven years and the home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs. "If we'd have gone out there and beat 'em 40-0, we'd have thought we were world champions before we even got to the Super Bowl.

Now, we know we have work to do. But we have to feel good about still getting the win out of it," 49ers tackle Steve Wallace said. Steve Young, Montana's stand-in for the past two seasons, threw for all three of San Francisco's touchdowns. He had two scoring passes to Crawford native Jerry Rice and one to John Taylor as the 49ers, after missing the playoffs last season, return as the top seed in the NFC this year. "To have won the game says something about our club," fullback Tom Rathman said.

"Clinching the division and the home field advantage, that's a plus but we need to get better no question about it." Montana, activated on Friday after spending nearly all of the past two seasons on injured reserve with elbow problems, watched from the sidelines as the club's third, or "emergency" quarterback. There had been a chance he could see his first action in nearly two years if the 49ers had taken a big lead, but the game was tight all the way. With Tampa trailing by seven, the Bucs were in "I'm sure we'll have some things to help out against the pass rush if need be," said center Kent Hull, a Greenwood native and former Mississippi State star. "But I think to start out with, we're just goingto try to handle them ourselves." The Saints, despite the common perception, do not often rush more than four people at a time. Their out-! standing team speed, and superior pass-rushing ability, enables them to keep the pressure on without blitzing.

"That's true, historically they haven't shown a lot of blitzes," Hull said. "But they haven't had to. They've been getting there with the front four. When you can do it, I wouldn't blitz either." "We don't hardly ever blitz," Saints' coach Jim Mora said. "Sometimes I read in the paper where they talk about the Saints' blitzing defense.

We never blitz. We may blitz less than anybody in the league." The Associated Press Jerry Rice celebrates after scoring the winning touchdown. He had two TD receptions Saturday. position to tie it up again after a 12-yard run by Reggie Cobb gave them a first-and-goal at the San Francisco 3 with five minutes remaining. But Cobb then lost 4 yards on a sweep and Testaverde threw three incompletions, giving the 49ers the ball on downs.

Tampa Bay, 4-1 1, got the ball back at its 37 with just under a minute left and moved to the San Francisco 35 on three completions. But Testa-verde's desperation pass on the final play was batted down in the end zone by Dana Hall. "We played them right down to the wire. That was a whale of a football game and it took everything they had to win the game," said Tampa coa- ch Sam Wyche. Joe Montana remains on sideline, 2D TV TODAY NOTEWORTHY BY THE HUIJBERS THE HOT CORKER Southern Mississippi's Golden Eagles won their second straight game, beating Tennessee-Chattanooga 86-83 Saturday night.

USM is now 2-4 after opening the season with four straight losses. The Golden Eagles missed five free The Buffalo Bills will have a very merry Christmas if they beat the New Orleans Saints today at noon on NBC. A victory would give Buffalo the AFC East title and home-field advantage in the playoffs. But New Orleans' N.C. -Wilmington 91 Auburn 80 Vanderbilt 116 Austin Peay 71 Metro 10.

FSU 63 UNC Charlotte 59 17. Ga. Tech 87 21. Louisville 85 W.Kentucky 84 VCU 78 Top 25 2. Kansas 86 Tennessee St.

83 4. Indiana 79 19. Cincinnati 64 6. Michigan 94 Iowa State 72 1 1. Georgetown 103 St.

85 14. Syracuse 85 Wagner 52 16. Purdue 92 Indiana State 63 20. Nebraska 93.. Appalachian St.

83 22. UNLV115 UC Irvine 97 23. Michigan State 65 Dayton 60 The Mississippi Coast Sharks will swim no more. The Global Basketball Association is folding, just one month after starting its second season. A majority of the owners of the GBA's seven remaining franchises voted Saturday by teleconference to fold the financially troubled league.

One game was to be played Saturday night Mid-Michigan at Cedar Rapids. The GBA was to be officially disbanded today. Late last month, the Louisville (Ky.) Shooters folded. The remaining teams were in Biloxi; Greenville, S.C.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Saginaw, Fayetteville, N.C; Jackson, and Albany, Ga. 1 vSSr throw attempts in the final 48 seconds, but won anyway after UT-Chattanooga's Rich Burns missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game as time expired.

3D State college men USM 86 UT-Chattanooga 83 Alcorn State 85 Campbell 61 State college women Miss. State 106 Miss. Valley 69 Alcorn State 74 Howard 54 New Orleans 75 USM 62 SEC 3. Kentucky 108.Morehead State 65 12. Arkansas 73 Missouri 68 13.

UCLA 68 Georgia 63 Tennessee 97 W. Carolina 55 Old Dominion 93 Alabama 91 Temple 67 Florida 62 Scrooge-like defense could be a party pooper. Alcorn State fans can breathe a sigh of relief: The Braves have finally won a game, defeating Campbell University 85-61 in the Louisiana Classic. 5D It's the SEC vs. the Metro when Florida plays North Carolina-Charlotte at 6 p.m.

on SportSouth. Listings, 9D.