Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 43

MIT COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2-8 NFL 9 SCOREBOARD 11 CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 199 7- -j- Toronto gets the job done 5 RICK r- CLEVELAND A Columnist J- The Clarion-Ledger The Jays take a 1-0 lead in the World Series with an 8-5 victory over the Phillies. The Associated Frees Game 1 Blue Jays 8, Phillies 5 Game 2 Today: Philadelphia (Mulholland 12-9) at Toronto (Stewart 12-8). 7:29 p.m. TORONTO Image is everything, and this was the picture Saturday night: The Toronto Blue Jays cleanly and crisply put away the down-and-dirty Philadelphia Phillies. The Blue Jays seemed to barely break a sweat, barely muss their hair.

They went about their business efficiently and went around the bases quickly, beating Philadelphia 8-5 in Game 1 of the World Series. While Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk and the Phillies were sliding home for their runs, the Blue Jays were scoring standing up. Devon White tied it at 4 with a solo homer in the fifth inning, John Olerud put them ahead with a solo homer in the sixth and Toronto put it away with three runs on a pair of no-doubt doubles in the seventh. "We have a good offensive team," Toronto second base- man Roberto Alomar said. "We try to get the top men on base and let the bottom men in the order do their'job! That's what we did tonight." 3 Toronto, bidding to become the first World Series champion to repeat since the 1977-78 New York Yankees, will try to make it two in a row tonight in Game 2.

I Jays teach Phillies a lesson, 10D The Associated Press Toronto's Devon White is greeted after a 6th-inning homer. mm I mrm i I i Ole Miss pitches 19-point shutout By Rusty Hampton ClartorH.adgr Stan Writer Hogs' frosh Smith caught in middle in more ways than one Mark Smith, 19, was walking back to the Arkansas athletic dorm from a VVestern Civ class when he heard the unspeakable news last Wednesday. Teammate Shannon Wright, his buddy, was dead. He shot himself. "I didn't believe it," Smith said Saturday afternoon.

"I thought it was a bad joke." For his teammates, and especially Mark Smith, stark reality set in during the next 72 hours. Smith talked, while seated in front of his corner locker in the visitors' dressing room at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Ole Miss had just defeated the Razorbacks 19-0 on a miserably muggy afternoon. Someday maybe months, maybe years from now Smith may be able to look back, Itake stock of what happened and sort out his Amotions and what effect all this has had on his Not now. It's all happened so fast.

On Wednesday, Smith got the news. On Thursday, he watched them bury his friend. On Friday, the Razorbacks traveled to Jackson. On Saturday, ithey played and lost. On Wednesday, Smith was an outside linebacker, fresh from making his first start and playing well against Tennessee.

On Thursday, the day Shannon Wright's funeral, he was moved to I middle linebacker to replace his friend "Weird," Smith said, when asked how it felt. just real weird. I can't tell you in words what it felt like. Weird, that's all. "I looked up to Shannon.

He helped me a lot 'in football," Smith said. "He had all the experience I didn't have. He taught me a lot. He was my friend." Smith, a handsome young man who looks his tender age, spoke in a monotone, showing little emotion. One suspects all emotions were spent.

Felker: Men in white were flat There were no "Win one for the speeches in the Arkansas locker room. To a man the Arkansas Razorbacks said they didn't Use Shannon Wright's death for any kind of inspirational edge, nor would they blame defeat on the week's events. "We had a very unfortunate event last week, nd we've dealt with it the best way we know how," coach Danny Ford said. "We wish Shannon Wright had been with us today, but he's not. But understand, I don't think that's the reason we lost the football game.

"Ole Miss won the football game because they made the plays defensively and didn't make turnovers offensively," Ford continued. "They did the things you have to do to win in football, and we didn't. You can't measu what effect what happened last week had on the game. "We (coaches) tried our best to get them back and get them back on football. How successful we were, I can't tell you.

Hell, I have enough trouble figuring out why we keep turning it over. We could have gotten them back 1,000 percent and we still pouldn't win with that many turnovers." Arkansas lost four turnovers, Ole Miss one. Like Ford said, you don't win many games with those numbers no matter your emotions. Razorback coaches, including running backs coach Rockey Felker, said the players appeared flat at the outset. Indeed, Ole Miss thoroughly dominated the first half.

The Rebels moved the ball well between the 20s. But when the Rebels neared the Arkansas goal line, the red zone became the "Dread Zone." A 165-72 advantage in total offense translated into just a 9-0 lead. Razorbacks' tank finally ran dry Arkansas was like a different team to begin the second half, lauching two long drives. The first ended with a fumble caused by Cassius Ware, who was seemingly everywhere into the Ole Miss end zone. The second ended in a missed field goal.

"I think that's all we had left," Ford said. "Our gas ran out right there." Much of the Rebels' season high-tying 258 yards rushing came right up the middle of the Arkansas defense. That's where Wright, the tjeam's second-leading tackier, has patrolled in die past, and where Mark Smith was Saturday. Statisticians credited Smith with four tackles. I''l wasn't very good," Smith said.

"I've got a jtjtmg, long ways to go. I've got to get stronger." Smith, a freshman, has many games ahead of nim. It's doubtful he'll ever play a more difficult one, under such distressful circumstances. The midweek suicide of Arkansas linebacker Shannon Wright overshadowed the normal pregame build-up for Saturday's Southeastern Conference football game between Ole Miss and Arkansas. How would the Razorbacks react to.such a tragedy? Ole Miss had some questions of its own, though, and they didn't involve the Hogs.

Specifically, would the Rebels get their season back on track after being derailed two weeks ago at Kentucky? The answer. Yes. With the defense again making big plays, Ole Miss won 19-0 before an estimated crowd of 37,000 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. "We really needed a game like this," said Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer. "This was a big confidence-builder," said linebacker Gary Abide, credited with a team-high 16 tackles.

"It was important for us to prove that we're one of the better teams around." Some might have doubted that Oct. 2,1 when Ole Miss lost 21-0 at Kentucky. Kentucky was the better team that night, but Ole Miss was the best team at the stadium Saturday afternoon. The Rebels, 4-2 overall, improved to 3-2 in the SEC. Arkansas fell to 3-4 and 2-3.

Ole Miss is second in the Western Division behind Alabama, the defending national champion. Alabama was tied 17-17 Saturday by Tennessee, snapping The Tide's 28-game winning streak. Alabama, 5-0-1 and 4-0-1, travels Saturday to a soldout Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, where Ole Miss hasn't lost since 1991. "They've gotta come to Oxford," said linebacker Cassius Ware, smiling. See REBELS, 7D Rebels' Smith sets tempo, 7D 1 ft i i Vm Greg Jenson The Clarion-Ledger Alundis Brice, No.

22, and a host of Rebel defenders mob the Hogs' Orlando Watters on the way to posting their first shutout of 1993. Bullies win 23-0 Jags whip Tigers Eagles blow lead By Derrick Mahone Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer By Mike Knobler Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer By Robert Wilson Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Southern quarterback Eric Randall threw two first-half touchdowns Saturday night as the Jaguars cruised to a 16-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory over Jackson State. Randall, a sophomore, had touchdowns passes of 4 and 21 yards as Southern held a 13-3 halftime lead. Southern kicker Duane Fuller added a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter before an estimated 50,000 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. JSU scored on its first possession as Oliver Dean capped a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal with 12:34 left in the first quarter.

The three points represented JSU's lowest offensive production since a 24-0 1-AA playoff loss to Ste-phen F. Austin in 1988. STARK VILLE Michael Davis ran for 128 yards Saturday and Mississippi State shut out a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time in 30 years as the Bulldogs blanked South Carolina 23-0. State snapped a five-game SEC losing streak and won for just the second time in its last eight games. Davis and Todd Jordan both ran for touchdowns, and Tom Burke kicked three field goals.

The Bulldogs are 2-4 overall, 1-3 in the SEC. The Gamecocks are 3-4 and 1-4. State sacked South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill four times and held the Gamecocks to 28 yards on 29 carries. State ran for 269 yards. State hadn't shut out an SEC opponent since a 7-0 -victory at Tennessee in 1963.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Southern Mississippi blew a 15-point halftime lead and lost to No. 23 Louisville 35-27 Saturday before 36,322 at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville scored 13 points in each of the third and fourth quarters and took advantage of three second-half USM turnovers for its comeback victory. The Cardinals bounced back from last week's 36-24 loss at West Virginia to improve to 6-1.

USM, 1-5, dropped its fourth straight game, all on the road. The Eagles' only win was a 44-37 decision over Division I-AA Northeast Louisiana. Louisville took the lead when quarterback Jeff Brohm connected with split end Kevin Cook for a 33-yard touchdown pass with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left in the third quarter. SWAC coverage, 6D I State "scalps" Carolina, 4D I Eagles collapse again, 8D NFL TODAY INSIDE BY THE NUMBERS I SCAC Colorado College 37 Trinity 6 Rhodes 31 Sewanee 13 Other Colleges SW Louisiana 19 Arkansas St. 3 Tulsa 23 Memphis St.

19 TCU 14 Tulane7 Cincinnati 44 Ball St. 12 Rutgers 45 Army 38 Navy 31 Colgate 3 Wake Forest 20 Clemson 16 E. Carolina 31 La. Tech 28 Maryland 26 Duke 18 SMU 28 Houston 28 Junior Colleges Jones 32 Gulf Coast 7 Pearl River 35 E. Central 7 Itawamba 29 Northeast 6 SWAC Grambling 45 Bluff 7 Alabama St.

28. Texas Southern 26 Top 25 1.FSU40 15. Virginia 14 3. Notre Dame 45 BYU 20 5. Ohio St.

28.. 25. Michigan St. 2 1 6. Nebraska 45 Kansas St.

28 18. Michigan 21 7. Penn St. 13 20. Colorado 27 9.

Oklahoma 10 11. Arizona 27 Stanford 24 22. UCLA 39 12. Washington 25 13. Texas 34 Baylor 17 14.

N. Carolina 41 Ga. Tech 3 16. Wisconsin 42 Purdue 28 Wash. State 34 21.Cal7 24.

Syracuse 24 Pitt 21 Top 25 report, 2D BIG DAY IN SEC: Receiver David Palmer, lining up at quarterback, ran in a 2-point conversion as No. 2 Alabama tied No. 10 Tennessee 17-17. 3D AIR ATTACK: Steve "Air II" McNair threw two touchdowns as Alcorn beat Prairie View 31-10 for homecoming. Valley's homecoming, however, was spoiled 30-13 by Alabama-Birmingham.

6D WHATEVER IT TAKES: A Washington archer will do anything to keep hunting, evetnf it means sinking his teeth into it.2D State Colleges 23. Louisville 35 USM 27 Ole Miss 19 ArkansasO Miss. State 23 S. Carolina 0 Southern U. 16 Jackson St.

3 Alcorn 31 Prairie View 10 UAB30 Miss. Valley 13 Miss. College 21 Samford 14 E.Texas St. 19 Delta St. 14 SEC 2.

Alabama 17 10. Tennessee 17 19. Auburn 38 Florida 35 Kentucky 35 LSU 17 Georgia 41 Vanderbilt3 Gulf South West Georgia 23 Valdosta 16 Central Ark. 42 Llvinoston 27 N. Alabama 17 Henderson St.

0 Saints vs. Steelers These two have won eight straight be-' tween them, the Steelers three in a row following an 0-2 start. And both depend on defense, meaning this will probably one of those games that could be decided by kickers Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson. NFL previews, 9D The Associated Press Alabama's David Palmer, No. 2, heads toward a tie with Tennessee.

Story, 3D.