Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 51

2 NFL WEEK 11 SCOREBOARD OUTDOORS- THE CLARION-LEDGER JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1995 Delta State rings bell 14-0 in finale with archrival MC rick CLEVELAND Columnist The Clarion-Ledger dates back to 1935 ends with DSU holding a 17-15-2 edge. In Heritage Bell games, MC led 10-6-1, but the Statesmen won the one that mattered most. The last one. Asa result, the trophy will remain at DSU for five years, then be offered to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, which opens next year. "That team in there," said DSU coach Todd Knight, motioning to the Statesmen's rowdy locker room, "will always be remembered as the one that kept the bell at Delta State." The game meant more than that to DSU.

By winning its last three Gulf South Conference games, the Statesman finished 5-4 in the league, above .500 for the first time since 1989. DSU was 5-6 overall. Depth-depleted MC, in the first year of its two-year transition from Division II to Division III, wound up 2-7-1, overall and in the GSC. "I thought we played great, especially in the first half (which ended 0-0)," said Choctaws coach Terry McMillan. "Defensively, we played about as well as we have all year.

Turnovers were the difference." MC lost three fumbles and an interception. DSU lost just one fumble. See STATESMEN, 6D McMillan mulls fate, 6D Dem Tigers shore can block after all, as Rebels found out BATON ROUGE This past week, we established the fact that, yes, LSU players do lis-. ten to talk radio call-in shows. Saturday night, Gerry DiNardo must have piped the pre-game, call-in show into the Tigers' locker room.

Caller after caller phoned to complain about the LSU offensive line. "How come dem boys up front can't block nobody?" Sam from Thibo- daux asked. "How come we can't recruit any of The 34-game series becomes part of the schools' heritage. By Mike Chrlstensen Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer CLEVELAND On a cold, windy, sloppy Saturday fit for mourning, the Heritage Bell Classic was laid to rest at Delta State's Travis E. Parker Field.

The marker will show that Delta State won the final battle against archrival Mississippi College 14-0 before a crowd of 5,134. The emotion-charged rivalry that I Greg JensonThe Clarion-Ledger Delta State tailback Will Smith sweeps the left side against MC defensive end David Smith, No. 87, in the first quarter. one rasss Rebels must win at Mississippi State to give Tommy Tuberville a winning season. Ox! By Rusty Hampton Clarlo ft-Ledgar Staff Writer yj BATON ROUGE Ole Miss came to the un-! friendly confines of Tiger Stadium Saturday in search of a victory over LSU and a winning season.

The Rebels failed miserably, and now they must regroup and hope to finish strong two weeks from now in an even less friendly environment: Mississippi State's Scott Field. LSU ripped the Rebels 38-9 on a chilly night, before 78,246 at the stadium known as Death Valley. Ole Miss scored first, on a 37-yard field goal by Tim Monte. LSU dominated the rest of the game, whip-ping the Rebels up front on both sides of the balL "We just didn't physically match up with them," said Ole Miss coach Tommy Tuberville. "They out-physicaled us.

They manhandled us." Said Ole Miss linebacker Nate Wayne: "I don't see how they have won only four games. They should be at least 10-0 by the way they played tonight" Instead, the Tigers are 5-4-1 overall and 3-3-1 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers can clinch their first winning season since 1988 on Saturday, when they play host to Western Division champion Arkansas. A win then would make LSU a leading candidate for the Dec. 29 Independence Bowl in Shreveport and also give it an outside shot at the Carquest Bowl in Miami.

"You couldn't ask for a better script, going into the last game with a chance for a winning record," said first-year LSU coach Gerry DiNardo. Said Tuberville: "Our guys were playing for pride but they were playing for a bowl game. Sometimes that makes a difference." Ole Miss fell to 5-5 and 2-5. The Rebels now must beat State to finish with their first winning See REBELS, 10D fa dem big boys what can block? Sure enough, LSU came into Tiger Stadium Saturday night ranked No. 10 of 12 Southeast- erfc Conference teams in rushing offense.

The Tigers were ranked No. 9 in total offense. Pass protection had been so porous that maimed se-; nior quarterback and noted talk radio fan Ja-' rnte Howard couldn't play against the Rebels. Well, Sam from Thibodaux and all the others will have to find something else to complain about this week. LSU, playing an 18-year-old freshman at quarterback, manhandled Ole Miss at the line of scrimmage en route to a 38-9 victory before a chilled crowd of 78,246.

The white-shirted Tigers mowed down blue-shirted Rebels like well-aimed bowling balls. It was like men against boys, jlerbert Tyler, the 5-foot, 10-inch freshman quarterback, acquitted himself admirably. Truth is, all he had to do was turn and hand or pifjch the ball to fellow freshmen Kevin Faulk and Kendall Cleveland. The much-maligned offensive line handled the rest. faulk raced for 159 yards, not counting a 56-yajxl, third-quarter touchdown sprint with a screen pass.

Cleveland powered for 84 more. Both were at times several yards into the Ole Miss secondary before anyone laid a hand on them. LSU did what others didn't SU blocked Ole Miss as well as anybody has blocked anybody this season and certainly better than anybody had blocked the Rebels. Understand, Ole Miss came in with the league's second-ranked defense. After a poor opening game showing against Auburn, the Rebels had played solid defense game after game after game.

"Piat's what made LSLTs utter domination so Shaking. Three straight foes had failed to gain as many as 300 yards total offense against the Rebels. LSU had more than that early in the third qujarter. Indeed, every Tiger possession went at least 40 yards until LSU held an ever-so-comfortable 24-3 lead. Only Auburn, Florida and Arkansas three pretty fair teams had managed to gajn as many as 400 yards against Ole Miss.

LSU had 403 after three quarters. The only defense that seemed to work for the Rebels was when they twice had 12 men on the field. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, this was Ti-ge Stadium not Calgary and officials wej-e paying attention. The game's tone was set early when the Tigers, on their first possession, faced third and one on their own 45. The Ole Miss defense lined up with eight players bunched at the line of scrimmage.

So, Tyler handed to Faulk who ridped over left guard for 14 yards, 10 before he was so much as touched. Where the LSU offensive line was concerned, it was a bullish statement and one the Tigers would repeat time after time like a broken record. Take that, Sam from Thibodaux. Rebs still can finish winners The victory kept alive LSU's bowl hopes. The Tigers, 5-4-1, must beat Arkansas here Saturday for the sixth victory necessary for boWl participation.

Late Saturday night, that possibility seemed exceedingly more likely than it had hours earlier. Meanwhile, 5-5 Ole Miss must now defeat archrival Mississippi State at Starkville Nov. 25 to make Tommy Tuberville's first season a winner. The Rebels' chances weren't helped when Ed Fortson, perhaps the team's most productive defensive interior lineman, was helped off; the field in the second quarter with an apparently serious knee injury. Quentin Wilson, who played in Fortson's stead, was carried off the field late.

No doubt, the MSU Bulldogs, vastly improved in recent weeks, will enjoy watching the Ole Miss-LSU videotape almost as much as LS, players will enjoy the various call-in shbws this week. To contact Rick Cleveland, call 961-7294. sten AlostThe Associated Preu Ole Miss' Dou Innocent scampers away first half Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, and his 92 yards on 19 carries put him from LSU defender Greg Hill during the Innocent gained a first down on the play, over the mark for his career. I Rebels are cutting costs, 10D I Innocent reaches milestone, 10D Domination continues as Tide halts Bulldogs Alabama's Dennis Riddle gains 181 yards and scores twice in the 14-9 victory. By Mike Knobler Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer TUSCALOOSA No.

16 Alabama held Missis Turnovers help Eagles turn back Tigers 17-9 USM, 5-5, beats Memphis to keep its hope for a winning season alive. By Robert Wilson Clarion-Ledfler Staff Writer MEMPHIS Southern Mississippi took advan Tigers make it 7 straight in blowout of Panthers Jackson State claims a share of the SWAC title with a 68-0 victory. By C.B. Bryant Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas The 16th-ranked sippi State to 135 yards total offense and won 14-9 Saturday, extending its dominance in the series. The Tide beat the Bulldogs for the 37th time in 38 years.

Alabama, 8-2 and 5-2, got 181 yards and two TDs from Dennis Riddle, whose 38 carries were the second most in school history. Keffer McGee became the third tage of five Memphis turnovers for a 17-9 victory to break a three-game losing streak before 11,503 at the Liberty Bowl. USM defensive back Derrick Hervey had the final Memphis turnover, returning a Qadry Anderson pass 15 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute, 16 seconds left in the third quarter. Jackson State Tigers cruised to their seventh straight victory Saturday with a 68-0 shutout over Prairie View A M. The Tigers, 8-2 overall, clinched at least a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown at 6-0 while tying a school record for most consecutive wins in a season.

It was a bittersweet end for the USM, 5-5, kept alive its hopes for a winning season. The Eagles visit Southwestern Louisiana Sat- urday to end the year. Full-page coverage, 90 Bulldog to run for 1,000 yards in a season and the first since 1975. McGee ran for 78 yards Saturday, giving him 1,015 on the year. State is 3-7 and 1-6.

Full-page coverage, 80 Prairie View Panthers. They finished the season 0-11, 0-7. The only title they have to show is the na-tion's longest losing streak at 57 straight games. Full-page coverage, 7D NFL TODAY BY THE NUMBERS INSIDE (01 gl 5 eO. Jeff Gordon goes for his first Winston Cup championship today in the NAPA 500 at Atlanta.

2D There's more to today's Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers 'game than the Deion Sanders-Jerry Rice matchup. 3D Tremont captures the Class 1 A Softball state championship on a cold, wet field in Jackson. 4D New bag limits and antler restrictions make Mississippi's coming gun season on deer one of change. The season opens Saturday statewide. 12D 13.

Michigan 5 Purdue 0 14. Virginia 21 Maryland 18 17. Oregon 17 Arizona 13 21. Virginia Tech 38 Temple 16 22. Washington 38 UCLA 14 23.

Syracuse 42 Pittsburgh 10 24. Clemson 34 Duke 17 25. Wyoming 34... San Diego St. 3 1 BASKETBALL State College Men Spirit Express 91 Delta State 78 Athens State 107 Carey 97 Belhaven 90 Selma 48 State College Women Christian Bros.

61 Belhaven 57 State Juco Championship Hinds 12 Itawamba 7 State Colleges 16. Alabama 14 Miss. State 9 LSU 38 Ole Miss 9 So. Miss. 14 Memphis 9 Jackson State 68 Prairie View 0 Delta State 14 Miss.

College 0 Alabama State 56.. Miss. Valley 28 SEC 3. Florida 63 South Carolina 7 15. Arkansas 24 Louisiana 13 20.

Auburn 37 Georgia 3 1 Kentucky 33 Cincinnati 14 Vanderbilt 29 La. Tech 6 Liberty Alliance East Carolina 28 Tulsa 7 Rutgers 45 Tulane 40 SWAC Southern U. 48 Texas So. 13 Grambling 48 Elizabeth City 8 Top 25 1. Nebraska 41 10.

Kansas 3 2. Ohio State 41 Illinois 3 5. Northwestern 31 Iowa 20 6. Florida State Carolina 12 7. Kansas State 49 Iowa State 7 9.

Colorado 21 Missouri 0 1 1. Texas 52 Houston 20 12. So. Cal 28 Oregon State 10 COLTS VS. SAINTS Noon, Fox-40 WDBD This game is hardly a marquee matchup.

But nonetheless it is crucial to both teams. Indianapolis, 5-4, is pursuing its first playoff appearance since 1987. The 3-6 Saints hope to avoid their second straight losing season after winning three of their last four games. 3D Ed ZurgaThe Assoclsted Press Kansas' Mark Williams passes against Nebraska during a 41-3 loss to the Huskers. 5D 32 -y.