The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 16

Iihr Ncius Theaters Television Comics Classifieds Tuesday, September 23, 1986 Section Gamecocks await Dawgs NCAA l-AA The lop 20 teams in me 1984 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division l-AA football poll conducted by the Division l-AA Football Committee with first-ptoce votes In parentheses, records through Sept. 21 and total points: Furman ranked third in NCAA l-AA poll Record Pis J-O-0 79 72 70 Nevodo-Reno (3) Arkansas St. FURMAN, S.C Ga. Southern (1) William Mory E.Washington Tennessee St. Delaware St.

MoreheodSt. 10. Appalachian St. By Scott Peterson Newt staff writer COLUMBIA Joe Morrison said its just another of the 11 football games on the South Carolina schedule, but his players know different. This is Georgia week, traditionally one of the biggest of the year for the USC football program and perhaps paled only by the long-standing grudge match against Clemson.

It's also a game that's helped set the tone for the Gamecocks in most recent years. In 1984, a thrilling 17-10 victory by USC helped launch a 10-2 season, but it is the only time this Satterfield wants offense that will make defense proud. Page 2C. decade Georgia has lost to the Gamecocks. Last year, USC rolled up 443 yards offensively but lost a 35-21 decision to the Dawgs in what would be one of a handful of frustrating defeats.

"I don't think any game in the third or fourth ball game of the season is a make or break ball game," Morrison said Monday at his weekly press luncheon. "If you look at the season across the country, there have been a lot of strange things See USC, Page 2C 3-0-1 2-0-1 2- 1-0 3- 0-0 2- 041 3- 04 1-0-0 3-0-0 2- 1-0 1- 0-1 2-0-0 2- 1-0 3- 0-0 3-1-0 2-0-0 3- 0-0 3-1-0 2-1-0 2-0-0 66 57 56 51 50 49 45 37 30 29 29 26 23 21 13 11 7 The Furman Paladins are ranked third in the NCAA I-AA football poll, conducted by the Division I-AA Football Committee and released by the Associated Press. The Paladins, under first-year head coach Jimmy Satterfield, have posted wins over South Carolina State and Virginia Military Institute, while playing Georgia Tech to a tie. Nevada-Reno, undefeated in three outings, is ranked No. 1, while Arkansas State is second with a 3-0-1 record.

Georgia Southern, which defeated Furman 44-42 to win the NCAA I-AA championship last year, follows Furman at No. 4. 11. Northern Iowa 12. Massachusetts 13.

Louisiana Tech (tie) Maine 15. E. Illinois 16. Grambling St. 17.

Nicholls St. 18. Jackson St. 19. Delaware 20.

Connecticut iresmiwood ii sssasa kifoster I jA vi to ask ffoir forfeit Mctoirjf e. ft FAlw -4 Summerville tops high school football poll. Page 3C. I ball at Greenwood's 15-yard line, sec-' ond down and eight yards to go, with 57 seconds to play and one time-out remaining. Greenwood's position, according to Geoly, is "we're more interested in moving on to our next opponent.

We don't intend to play the game. We have nothing to prove. As far as we're concerned, we're W)." Geoly said he will ask the executive committee (the league's highest authority) to uphold league rules which make the host school responsible for providing a safe place to play. "We had major concerns about the security in general," he said. "We were there ready to play.

We don't feel like we should have to forfeit." By Tom Layton News staff writer Greenwood and Gaffney may start some legal games before they finish their high school football game next Monday in a closed stadium at Woodruff. Greenwood principal Drew Geoly said Monday he plans to ask the High School League's executive committee for a forfeit victory on the grounds that Gaffney did not provide ample security at its stadium. Greenwood was leading 9-7 with 57 seconds left when the game was stopped because of tear gas released in the stadium. If Greenwood loses that appeal, Geoly said, it is prepared to forfeit to Gaffney rather than finish the game. The new site and date were arranged by Pete Ayoub, executive director of the High School League.

Woodruff was chosen because of its location, about 40 miles from each school. Monday was chosen as the date least likely to disrupt practices. Ayoub said he deliberately did not consider either school's schedule the next two weeks: Gaffney against Union and Rock Hill; Greenwood against North Augusta and Airport. No spectators will be admitted to Monday's finish, Ayoub said. Gaffney would have rather finished the game sooner, coach A.L.

Curtis said. "We're going to prepare for Union all week, and then Saturday or Sunday work on that minute," he said. His team will have the foot- ne rormal exchange of letters be- tween Greenwood and the league office probably will delay any executive committee meeting until Thursday or Friday. "Nothing transpired on the football field which has warranted a forfeiture," Ayoub said. Gaffney employed adequate police protection, Ayoub said.

As members of the Big 16, both schools qualify automatically for playoffs, regardless of whether their game is forfeited or even left Incomplete. But under the AAAA playoff system, the winner Monday will be more likely to have its playoffs at home. The Aisocioted Press Jets' Dennis Gligden picks up extra yardage Sunday afternoon during New York's victory over the Miami Dolphins What's with the NFL? Archer: stand up and take notice Willie Belton may be a unique messenger In the summer of 1971, 1 remember sitting in the late Norm Van Brocklin's room on the Furman University campus when he decided Willie Belton would make his Atlanta Falcons football team. Referring to Belton as a Greenvillian, Van Brocklin, grinning, with his steel blue eyes sparkling, said, "Your boy's gonna make it. He's got that little juke step that you just don't teach.

He could be a helluva player." Belton was 22 years old, a free agent, a father, and was unemployed after some college and a Marine's tour in Vietnam. If the Falcons hadn't been training here, he probably wouldn't even have tried. But they were only a 20-minute drive away. At the urging of a friend, Belton was given a tryout. He beat big odds and made the team, a hometown hero.

Everybody called it a great story then. We didn't know what a "great story" it was. We didn't know that late the night before his surprise tryout Belton had been strung out on heroin. When Charles Levin called him that morning, Belton plunged into a tub of cold water trying to find out where he was, maybe even who he was. Belton told that part at the Greenville Touchdown Club Monday.

The audience of 220 included two armed law enforcement officers. They waited to escort him back to Perry Correctional Center, his current prison home. Except for nine months, he's spent the past it) years in custody. The heroin habit he kicked when he started his pro career was replaced by a cocaine habit once he was making some money. Even during games he snorted it.

"On the plane," he said, "I would slip back in the bathroom and take me a two-and-two (two snorts each nostril) to get myself together. He took it to the locker room, noting, "I would take a two-and-two at halftime to get myself back together for the next half." Cocaine "helped" transform him from a Sunday football player to a night-time armed robber, and eventually a prisoner here. Other credentials At age 37, Belton might be one of the state's best weapons against drugs, perhaps in the educational system. All ages may find his background fascinating, and he gets it across in a way people remember. He has natural public speaking ability, delivering a message with both humor and impact.

Noting his surprise at the size of the crowd at mid-day on a Monday, Belton asked, "Don't y'all have jobs?" He expressed serious gratitude to all who made his appearance possible, concluding the list with the names of the three guards who escorted him. He thanked them "for getting me here safely," laughing with the group at his comment. He said he still has never smoked a conventional cigarette. When he went to Vietnam as a Marine, when he was offered marijuana, he had to learn how to inhale. "That was my 'out'," he said.

He added use of it, both among Americans and the enemy was widespread. He said he realized one day, "I'm in a war, and both sides are getting high." Belton hopes to be a free man once again by February. He knows what he wants to do. He's not sure how he's going to do it. He wants to spread his warning.

"I truly hope this will not be the end for me to spread my message," he said. "For many years since incarceration I've wanted to talk with the young ones. I believe during this time they need me more than ever. "I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on cocaine while trying to support my family in a style we had come to enjoy. Cocaine came out the winner.

I lost everything, including my freedom. "I missed the best years of my children's lives, watching them grow, and society has passed me by." He said as a father, "I don't know if I could cope," if his children became drug victims. "Now, while I'm able and willing to help, why stop me when I'm trying? "Young people of today's society cries out for the knowledge of men such as 1. 1 say give them that chance, the chance I never received, the words I never heard as a young one." Stump Mitchell joins the injured list, while Joe Montana may be back in action late this season. Page 3C.

In Miami's case, it's simply a slow erosion of talent caused by age and injury and masked by the genius of coach Don Shula and the brilliance of Dan Marino and his receiving corps. The Dolphins opened with a 50-28 loss in San Diego, bounced back with a 31-10 win over Indianapolis and followed with Sunday's debacle, which would have uncovered problems even if they had won. Since assistant coach Bill Arnsparger left to become head coach at LSU, the defense has yielded yards in bushels and the current edition is populated primarily by rookies and the aging veterans like the 36-year-old Blackwood, who was cut, then re-signed three weeks ago. Its best talent, linebacker Hugh Wire reports The Los Angeles Raiders are 0-3. The Miami Dolphins are 1-2 and have surrendered 50 points or more in two of their three games.

And the Atlanta Falcons are 3-0. Who says the same NFL teams win every year? "It's frustrating. Frustrating and maddening," All-Pro cornerback Mike Haynes said after the Raiders' 14-9 loss to the New York Giants Sunday. "It's an embarrassment to go into the fourth game of the season with 111 points against us. Some teams don't give up that much in a season," said Lyle Blackwood, one of the remaining Miami "Killer Bees," after the Dolphins lost to the New York Jets 51-45 in overtime.

The Dolphins (168-63-2 entering this season) and the Raiders (161-66-6) are two of the top three teams in the NFL since the current scheduling format was adopted in 1970 after the merger with theAFL. So what's happened this year? See NFL, Page 2C ning's decision to stick with Archer this season was viewed in roughly the same light as Ford keeping Edsel as its flag- ship car. Henning, living on borrowed time with a one-year contract, would sink or swim with his choice. That it has worked this well is remarkable. "Call it a stroke or luck, or say that I was given no other alternative or anything else," said Henning.

"But David's been here three years and he has made consistent progress. He has survived through eight quarterbacks and shown he can get better on a consistent basis. To me, that's not the basis of an offhand decision. "But from the outside, it may look like it was based on some twilight zone theory. But you don't resurrect Johnny Unitas.

You don't resurrect Sonny Jur-gensen. You acquire and work with what's available. Sometimes circumstances come about and people want to know where they come from. They come from themselves. Nobody made that decision easier than David himself." Through diligent work habits and a burning aggression that both the Falcon linemen and Henning admire, Archer has made himself a rising star among NFL quarterbacks.

"I can't say that I have arrived," said Archer, "but I've always felt that I could play. I felt like I could play from day one. All I needed was the experience. When Bart went down, I was ready to play. The only guy I've ever seen in this See Falcons, Page 2C The Falcons have arrived By Mike Hunt News staff writer SUWANEE, Ga.

Last season he was perhaps the NFL's most obscure starting quarterback, distinguished only by vir-ture of being last in terms of efficiency rating and salary. But in the sweet afterglow of the stunning 37-35 win pulled from under Tom Landry's hat, the big one that made the Atlanta Falcons 3-0, David Archer stands on the verge of national recognition. "I took the long way around," Archer said Monday. "I didn't take any shortcuts. This means a lot more to me.

I've worked at it rather than things being handed to me." Not bad for a guy from Soda Springs (Idaho) and Snow Junior College, where Archer didn't play much his first season and a gathering of 1,500 was considered a large crowd. Even when notoriety came in 1983, when at Iowa State he led the Big Eight in total offense, the NFL did not notice. So he decided to take his chances as a free agent with a losing team. With the decline of an immobile Steve Bartkowski in an offense once designed for Joe Theismann, Archer was given the chance to quarterback an NFL team. The Falcons finished 4-12 as Archer threw for 17 interceptions.

From the outside, Dan Hen- APTop 20 The Top 20 teams In the Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes parentheses. 1966 record, total points received and ranking the last week's poll I.Oklahoma (55) 2-0-0 1,175 1 2Miami(1) 3-0-0 1,104 2 3 Alabama 4-0-0 1,020 4 4 Nebraska (1) 2-0-0 954 6 5 Michigan 2-0-0 946 3 6Washngtn(1) 2-0-0 903 7 7 Penn St. (1) 2-0-0 878 5 8 Auburn 2-0-0 639 12 9 Arkansas 2-0-0 639 12 10 Arizona 3-0-0 583 17 11 Arizona St. 2-O-0 544 18 12SCat. 2-0-0 356 13.Maryland 3-0-0 321 14 Texas ASM 1-1-0 312 16 15 Iowa 2-0-0 307 16 UCLA 1-1-0 304 19 17.Baylor 2-1-0 297 9 18 LSU 1-1-0 186 8 19 Michigan St.

1-1-0 148 20 Florida St. 1-1-1 108 15 Sooners, Canes remain 1-2 in poll The Associated Pres The 21st meeting between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 college football teams is on tap for Saturday when Oklahoma visits Miami. That was assured Monday when the Sooners and Hurricanes remained 1-2 for the third consecutive week in the Associated Press poll.

Oklahoma, 2-0, hammered Minnesota 634) last Saturday and received 55 of 59 first-place votes and 1,175 of a possible 1,180 points from a nationwide panel of sports writers and sportscasters. Miami, 3-0, was idle. The Hurricanes received one first-place ballot and 1,104 points. Meanwhile, Alabama and Nebraska moved up to the 3-4 spots, while Michigan and Penn State slipped a few places despite victories. Southern California, Maryland and Iowa made the Top Twenty for the first time this season and Notre Dame dropped out, along with Brigham Young, Florida and Georgia, which was upset by Clemson.

Alabama defeated Florida 21-7 and moved up from fourth place to third with 1,020 points. Nebraska, a 59-14 winner over Illinois, jumped from sixth to fourth with one first-place vote and 954 points. Michigan, a 40-point favorite over Oregon State, slipped from third to fifth with 946 points. -i Others receiving votes: Florida 107. Brigham Young 98, Georgia 81.

Tennessee 72. Fresno State 71. North Carolina 55, Stanford 30. CLEMSON 19. Miami of Ohio 18.

Rutgers 5 Southern Methodist 5. Southern Mississippi 5 Virginia Tech S. Wyoming S. Pitt 4 Indiana 1. Mississippi State 1.

Orno State 1. Texas Christian 1 i.