Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 42

ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES SECTION College FootbaI3D 0utdoors9D For sports, call InfoPhone: 257-2900 1 7 National Update: Ext. 6765 Local Update: Ext. 2030 PORTS Sunday Sept. 11, 1994 Tsslto te Doug Mead Western Cats put a scare into Yellow Jackets SPORTS EDITOR Difficult beginning for Tigers V- -'W1 a By Keith Jarrett STAFF WRITER ATLANTA The old coaches' saying goes that the best thing about freshmen is that one day they will be sophomores. fhe honeymoon is over in Death Valley.

It was early in the fourth quarter and the orange-clad Clemson fans had already started streaming for the park TT mrr lnt ma mayed over what had transpired down on Frank Howard Field a 29-12 loss to North Caroli-. na State. First- -year Tiger Coach Tommy West had Nobody understands that message better than Western Carolina Coach Steve Hodgin, who watched Georgia Tech carve up his young secondary with four second-half touchdown passes to key a wild 45-26 win Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Quarterback Tommy Luginbill (19-of-37, 280 yards) picked apart a Catamount defense decimated by illness and 1 4 Mike O'Cain 1 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Western Carolina tailback Tim Johnson, left, Is tackled by Georgia Tech's Nathan Perryman. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Clemson's Airtwuan Wyatt, right, is leveled by N.C State's Kenny Harris during Saturday's game at Death Valley.

Walking The Walk N.C. State dominates No. 22 Clemson in 29-12 win injury, burning a pair of true freshmen on three of his four scoring tosses. That and the loss of Western's best offensive and defensive players helped saddle the Catamounts with their 17th straight loss against an Atlantic Coast Conference school. All-America receiver and kick returner Hayes injured a knee ligament in the third quarter.

The preliminary diagnosis indicated he would be lost for a week to a month or longer. Linebacker Tom Bodine, the preseason pick as the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, pulled a hamstring and missed the second half. His injury was not considered serious. Cornerback Donnell Brinson became ill with a virus and missed the game. He was replaced by true freshman Brett Chappell of Rosman.

Chappell played effectively for most of the game but got beat badly on two touchdown passes. True freshman Robb Harris was in at cornerback spelling starter Lance Sockwell when Tech receiver Derrick Stegall streaked by him for a 47-yard touch-, down pass. Redshirt freshman Ricky Welch also saw time at See WCU onpage 7D By Sean Coughlin 8TAFF WRITER CLEMSON, S.C. Ricky BeU didn't just walk off Frank Howard Field late Saturday afternoon. He strutted.

He had something to say to anyone who cared to listen. "It's a good day in Death Valley," said Bell, N.C. State's sophomore cor-nerback. That is if you're a Wolfpack fan. If there was a day to walk the walk and talk the talk for N.C.

State, this was it The Wolfpack, dominant on both sides of the ball, dealt the 22nd-ranked Tigers a humbling 29-12 loss in front of 68,000 sun-splashed spectators at Memorial Stadium. It was State's first win at Clemson since 1987. "I don't think there are many peo pie happier in the world than me right now," said Wolfpack Coach Mike O'Cain, choked up with emotion. No, "sweet" probably isn't a strong enough word to describe what the win meant to O'Cain, a former Tiger quarterback (1972-76). "(It may be) the greatest feeling I've ever had, other than getting married and having children," he said.

As much as O'Cain's wore an ear-to-ear grin, his counterpart, Tommy West, wore a furrowed brow. "I thought that N.C. State whipped us in every phase (of the game)," the Tiger coach said. "We got our tail whipped." j. Particularly at the line of scrimmage.

The Wolfpack (2-0) outgained the Tigers (1-1) 493 yards to 185. "We talked about getting out of the gates early, instead of scratching and clawing at the end," said Wolfpack quarterback Terry Harvey, who threw for two first-half touchdowns. "We did -that." State's offensive game plan was simple run right at the Tigers' heralded defense. "Our game plan was run. (Clemson) said we couldn't run at them, and we took it as a challenge," said State See State onpage 7D talked the entire preseason about a balanced offense.

That kind of talk had rarely been Beard at Clemson, which has traditionally relied on a strong running game and a rugged defense fo rule the rest of the Atlantic poast Conference. The Tigers were balanced all right they couldn't run, they Wouldn't pass, they couldn't defend the run and they couldn't defend the pass. It was a shockingly inept performance by plemson, which suffered its" worst home defeat since Duke look a 34-17 victory in 1980. The Wolfpack, on the other Jiand, turned in its best showing ever under second-year Coach Mike O'Cain, a former Clemson (quarterback. State rebounded from a lackluster performance against Bowling Green last week to- dominate the Tigers on both bides of the football The statistical numbers put up iy the Wolfpack were mind-boggling.

By intermission, State had outgained Clemson 312 yards to When the final gun sounded, Wolfpack had piled up 493 yards to 185 for the Tigers. It's too early to say this is a Jost season for Clemson. Maybe (State is just that good. Maybe it will be the Wolfpack, and not ftorth Carolina, which gives Florida State the most trouble in the ACC this season. On the other hand, no matter how good the Wolfpack turns out to be, Gemson appears to 4iave some major problems.

The Tigers are on the road four of Ihe next five games at Virginia, liome to Maryland, at Georgia, at Duke and at Florida State. If Jflemson is going to contend for a first-division finish in the ACC, the Tigers will have to make iome significant adjustments. State doesn't have any such problem. The Wolfpack has a week off to savor its impressive Jrtctory. Then come Western Carolina and Georgia Tech at home, Louisville on the road and Wake Forest at home.

State could conceivably take a 6-0 record and a Top 25 ranking into Its Oct. 29 matchup with arch-ri-al North Carolina. NASCAR laboiiuie geis vidosy Captures rain-delayed Richmond race I r- I Sfrike sttill a'E impasse No decision yet on resuming season THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK Baseball scrambled to reassure the nation Saturday that no decision has been made to cancel the season, despite widespread speculation that the end would come Monday. On a day when small, side meetings between owners and players accomplished little, the big buzz concerned a report in the Chicago Tribune that acting commissioner Bud Selig would call off the season on Monday. "Honestly, there hasn't been any decision made," Selig Insisted from Milwaukee on Saturday, Day 30 of the players' strike.

"Honest to God, I haven't talked to a soul since I left New York last night," "Nothing has changed," he said. "Let's be optimistic. When there's time, there's always a chance, so let's be optimistic." THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RICHMOND, Va. Not even the fastest pit crew in the business could stop Terry Labonte from winning Saturday night's Miller Genuine Draft 400. Labonte overwhelmed the field and overcame a superb late-race pit stop by Rusty Wallace to win the rain-delayed event at Richmond International Raceway.

Labonte was leading when both drivers had to pit under green for fuel and tires with less than 60 laps left. Wallace's pit crew, widely regarded as the top unit on the Winston Cup circuit, got him out in 16.6 seconds, compared to 21.1 seconds for Labonte. But Labonte chased down Wallace, shot past him on lap 373 and was unchallenged the rest of the way. He finished 1.79 seconds ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon. Winston Cup points leader Dale Earnhardt overtook Wallace with two laps left and wound up third.

Wallace, who was seeking his third consecutive victory under the lights on Richmond's layout, held on for fourth and Ricky Rudd was fifth. It was Labonte's second victory this year and the 12th of his career, but his first in 33 starts at Richmond. It also marked the fifth time in a seven-race span that Labonte, in his first year driving for Rick Hendrick, finished in the top 10. Earnhardt added five points to his lead in the season driver standings and now has a 232-point edge over Wallace with seven events left The race represented a setback for Hoosier tires, which had been making solid gains recently in the company's bid to challenge Goodyear's longtime dominance on stock car racing's top circuit. Blistering problems kept the seven drivers on Hoosiers from being competitive in long green-flag stretches, making the runs at the front of the pack Goodyear-only affairs.

Labonte, Wallace and Earnhardt kept the lead almost all to themselves over the last 200 laps, surrendering the top spot only during refueling stops. 11 1 li ASSOCIATED PRESS Boston Red Sox CEO John Harrington speaks to the press en route to an Informal meeting In New York Saturday. Last week, Selig set a Friday deadline for canceling the season unless a settlement was reached. But that date passed without a decision, and Selig said there would be no announcement until early next week. Still, the Tribune story set off a flurry of activity.

The report quickly spread across See Strike onpage 70 When the Wolfpack limped 'home with three losses in its last four games of the 1993 season including a iz-t cieieai ai me i hands of Michigan in the Hall of Fame Bowl there were some who questioned O'Cain's coach- ine ability. Hes no Dick Sheii ACC Regional SEC Southern dan," was the most frequently Vanderbilt7 Alabama 17. criticism. HNNmiNINNHi Alcorn St 54 Jena-Chattanooga 28 Citadel 31 3 Florida 73 Kentucky 7 NMMH Florida SL 52 Maryland 20 N.C. State 29 Clemson 12 Ga.

Tech 45 Carolina 26 Wake Forest 12. SL 10 Perhaps not, but two games into the $4 season, the Wolfpack Morehead St 0 E. Term. St 44 Mara Hill 21 Concord (W.Va.) 12 Tulane 15. 13 Richmond 14 13 Delaware 7 N.C.

AiT 53 7 Va. Tech 24 Southern Miss 14 S.C. State 21 Furman26 'faithful could hardly be more pleased with their football team. East Carolina 10 Duke 13. Tennessee 41 23 South Carolina 14 Arkansas 0 Auburn 44 NE Louisiana 12 Old Miss 59 Southern Illinois 3 LSU44 Mississippi State 24 iMHHNMnHHI West Georgia 15 Ga.

Southern 14 Marshal 24 Tennessee Tech 10 4 Same goes for the coach. 10 Virginia Tulsa 18 Memphis 42 i There are not too many people happier In the world than lMHMNttNrtlMNM me, said OCain. TCkIORROW: Week 2 in the NFL Colkge football poll released U.S. Open men's final is contested,.