Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 55

if; Wf rw, r'M'JtoittfJh! Sunday, September 27, 198 9D tyr fa.t Vtf( r-YiC-Vt it Theaarion-Ledger. Jackson Daily News' 1 i 4 1 1 4 fKe ff" 4h 0 4 viz Yr- Walters was thinking TD all the way Statistics, Page 10 By MICKEY SPAGNOLA Daily News Sports Writer For the beginning of the Danny Walters story, let's turn back the clock to Thursday, during an afternoon practice in Fayetteville, Ark. This is where the cruel ending Ole Miss was dealt in its 27-13 loss Saturday night began. Not in Mississippi Memorial Stadium where 63,522 people formed the largest sporting gathering in the state's history. Arkansas starting strongside cornerback Kim Dameron limped off the field with an injury.

The decision came quick. Damerson would not be able to start. Some guy named Danny Walters was called front and center. The junior from Chjcago was summoned. "I knew then if he didn't play, I'd have to start," said Walters.

And during the course of this game, nobody really knew anything about Danny Walters. The names that rose to the top were running backs Gary Anderson, who jetted his way to 90 yards rushing, Darryl Bowles, the guy Ole Miss nearly had signed then got away to Razorback land. There was less than 6 minutes worth of ticks left in this contest. Arkansas led 20-13. Ole Miss was on the march.

The Rebels, who crawled back into (heir first-quarter slumber, were staving alive on the strength of quarterback John Fourcade's brilliant scrambling and passing. Once again, the Rebels were down to third-and-6 at the Arkansas 20. Fourcade dropped back to pass, and threw right, just when wide receiver Gino English was making his bf eak to the right sideline. Then Walters stepped into the world of college football. "I had my man secure and I turned and the ball was on the way," said Walters, who was called Walker in the press box.

"I just stepped right in front of him." An understatement. Walters stepped right in front on English and 87 yards of Mississippi Memorial Stadium opened up in front of him. Walters, a former running back, showed why he used to carry the ball. And he made believers out of this loud gathering he hadn't lost the knack. He sped down the Arkansas sideline.

"I was thinking goal line after I broke the line of scrimmage," Walters said. Fourcade, who became Ole Miss' career total ofense leader a few plays earlier, was thinking oh, no he's not. Fourcade had the last chance of catching Walters. His flat out speed was amazing. ft 4 i 1 Staff pholo by Me Barrnl! Ole Miss' Michael Harmon is wrapped up by two Razorbacks.

we Qiu everytning right, hloan said ol the crucial iiliiiiiMiliii uepuuii. i jusi uesignea me piay too long. For Arkansas coach Lou Holtz, Walter's interception re- turn for a touchdown and the Razorbacks' comeback turned the clock back even farther in time. All the way back to last week, when Sugar Ray Leonard showed the world their was no quit in him against 1 nomas Hearns in their championship num. "Sometimes you've got to reach down inside like Sugar Ray A If it Leonard, Holtz said.

There were so many critical plays, especially on third and fourth down. Heck, I didn't even watch until they got to third and fourth down. "It can be said that on Sept. 26, on that night, we played our tails off." lt'i Qle Miss The Game "It seemed like the farther I ran, the goal line was running too," Walters said. "I looked up and Fourcade was the only guy I had to beat.

I didn't feel a quarterback could catch me." His feeling was right. Barely. Their paths finally converged at the 3-yard line. But Fourcades's lunging bump wasn't good enough to get the job done. Walters stumbled into the end zone with the touchdown that broke the game open and gave Arkansas its 27-13 advantage.

"The pass I threw was a pretty bad pass," Fourcade said. "It was pretty far across the field. I threw one like that against South Carolina and completed it. This time it caught up with me." Ole Miss coach Steve Sloan, though, would not let his quarterback shoulder the blame alone. Hogs burst Rebs' bubble with rally Continued From Page ID half.

In between, Ole Miss controlled the game, both offensively and defensively. The Razorbacks took the opening kickoff and went right at the Rebels. Nothing fancy, mind you just block and run and move the chains. Arkansas went 75 yards in 14 plays and nearly seven minutes, before settling for Lahay's 23-yard field goal. Ole Miss had two factors to thank that they trailed only 3-0 instead of 7-0: 1) an illegal procedure penalty that erased James Tolbert's 10-yard touchdown run, and 2) freshman Barry Wilburn's deflection of a third-down pass at the goal line.

The Ole Miss offense managed only one first down before striking quickly on its second possession of the second quarter. The Rebels went 76 yards in seven plays, the big one a 56-yard pass from Fourcade to Breck Tyler down the right sideline. That set the Rebels up at the Arkansas 22, and an 18-yarder from Fourcade to Michael Harmon moved it to the 4. Ole Miss needed all four plays to cover those 4 yards with Andre Thomas nudging over the goal line on a fourth-down Staff photo by Jay Koalzei lugs Florida quarterback Wayne Peace. 92681 12 3 4 Arkansas 3 7 0 0 Ole Miss 0 13 0 0 TT I Hidden Factors Ole Miss' inability to run the football.

The Rebels gained only 99 yards on 31 rushing attempts. Quarterback John Fourcade got 44 of those yards, mostly on scrambles. Eye openers Ole Miss wide receiver Michael Harmon caught a career high eight passes for 130 yards. Ole Miss defensive end James Otis and linebacker Thomas Hubbard, who were hobbled by knee injuries, didn't start the game, but entered after Arkansas picked up for straight first downs. For the first time this season Ole Miss marched 80 yards for its second touchdown in the second quarter.

Arkansas' Derek Holloway shocked the jam-packed crowd and the Ole Miss kickoff coverage squad with his speed, returning kickoffs for 32 and 50 yards in the first half. Costly mistakes Siaft pnolo by Mike barren Arkansas' Jessie Clark, 33, finds the going tough against the Ole Miss defense here, but the Razor-backs had the last laugh, winning 27-13. i Arkansas turned the game around in that 1:59. Speedy Derek Holloway returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to mid- field and Arkansas scored in nine plays from there, with the help of a 15-yard assessment against Ole Miss for having 12 players on the field. The penalty gave Arkansas a first down at the Rebel 1 3 with 1 1 seconds showing and no timeouts.

Jones hit tight end Dar- i ryl Mason, who made a diving catch just over the goal line for the score. Lahay's PAT cut the Ole Miss lead to 13-10 at half- I time. Ole Miss was called for an illegal procedure penalty after converting the extra point on the first touchdown. When Todd Gatlin was backed up yards he pulled the kick to the left. With time running out in the first half and the ball on the Ole Miss 29 the Rebels were caught with 12 players on the field moving the ball up 15 yards to the 14 just prior to Arkansas' touchdown with 6 seconds left in the half.

Mickey Spagnola if plunge at right tackle. Todd Gatlin kicked the point, but the Rebels were penalized 5 yards for illegal procedure and Gat- lin missed wide left on his next try. Ole Miss' next series was perhaps the Rebs' most impressive of the season. They went 80 yards in 10 plays and needed only one third-down play in the bunch. Fourcade hit Harmon with a 21-yarder on that one and later kept on an option play around left end for 10 yards and another touchdown.

This time, Gatlin was good with no penalties and Ole Miss led 13-3 with only 1:59 left in the half. State's Donald Ray King runs into a pack of Florida tacklers, while Florida's Wayne Peace contemplates another sack. rrv i rvJ Ur- 'Yk i-CArYY, I USM hangs on, beats Richmond The USM Game 92681 12 3 4 USM 7 7 3 0 Richmond 7 3 0 0 Hidden Factors USM didn't leave the hotel until 12:15 (EDT) and arrived at City Stadium less than an hour before game time, which really didn't give the team enough time to get dressed and warm up properly. "We had probably gone back to an old itinerary maybe the one we used when we came up here before but we had changed that part," said USM coach Bobby Collins. "I didn't realize it until yesterday (Friday) and I just left it alone." Continued From Page 1 With 40 seconds remaining, DuBois lofted a pass towards tight end Rich Sherer at the end zone.

Sherer, with Danny Jackson in front of him, pushed the USM free safety as he lunged for the ball in the end zone, giving the ball to USM on the offensive interference call and allowing the Golden Eagles to run out the clock. The narrow defeat was no consolation to Richmond coach Dal Shealy, whose team has also lost respectable decisions to North Carolina State and Virginia Tech. "This is not a moral victory," said Shealy. "We don't have moral victories. Our guys gave a great effort, but made critical mistakes.

USM is the best football team we have faced." USM, despite controlling the ball 20 minutes in first half, had only a 14-10 lead to show for it in the third quarter. That appeared in jeopardy when Redden went off right tackle for 26 yards, giving the Spiders a first down at the USM 24 midway through the period. Two plays later Richmond's first fatal mistake occurred: jBois rolled left, suffered a bone-jarring tackle by USM nose aard Jerald Baylis and fumbled into the hands of defensive ackle Larry Alford. i USM then managed one of its few drives of the second half, ending with a 40-yard field goal by Steve Clark just as the quarter ended. The game, however, was anything but decided.

After another USM drive, aided by a fumble by UR's Billy Kohl, ended in a missed 43-yard attempt by Clark midway through the fourth period, Richmond without the services of Redden moved to the Southern 47, where on fourth-and-1 linebacker Greg Kelley shot through and nailed running back Reggie Evans for a 1-yard loss. USM receiver Louis Lipps gets the word from assistant coach Milo McCarthy. Costly mistakes With his team driving and just seconds remaining in the game, Richmond tight end Rich Sherer, who had earlier caught a touchdown pass, pushed USM free safety Danny Jackson on an incomplete pass in the end zone. It was a first down play, but the offensive interference in the end zone gave USM the ball on the 20. The Hero The USM defense in the second half, led by noseguard Jerald Baylis and linebacker Greg Kelley.

The two led USM with 15 and 11 tackles, and were responsible for several crucial defensive plays toward the end. TD. "I went up on the pitch because I was looking for Redden early," said Miller, "and he ran right by me. By that time, it was too late." USM followed that midway through the second quarter with another drive that comsumed more than seven minutes, staying mostly on the ground. Collier, forced to miss a play after a facemask penalty by Richmond defensive end Jay Browne, scooted 10 yards up the middle for the score on his first play after returning to the game.

Clark's kick made the score 14-7. Richmond, with only one timeout remaining, stormed right back up the field and cut the gap to 14-10 at the half with a 41-yard field goal by Scott Schramme. "I just cut back in the gap," said Kelley. "He just ran into my arms." Richmond had one more chance before its desperation drive in the waning minutes. With a fourth-and-1 on its own 25 and 2:27 left, DuBois' pass was batted down by Baylis.

The picture had looked rosy for the Eagles in the first half. USM got on the scoreboard first with a drive that lasted 7 minutes, 24 seconds and ended with a 16-yard pass from USM quarterback Reggie Collier to flanker Louis Lipps late in the first quarter. Richmond came right back, though. Three plays later DuBois made a picture-perfect fake and found Sherer behind USM cornerback Bruce Miller on the sidelines for a 71-yard -Jim Grove.