The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 19

ro) 1 03 Sunday, November 10, 1991 Aloatibria Dailg Zmn talk Demons lose, B-3 NFL report, B-8 su 'Bama holds on to beat Bob fCJJt Tompkins uiKVfP The Town Talk XtL- No. 8 Tide hands Tigers 'hurting' loss By Glenn Guilbeau Staff reporter BATON ROUGE All these pretty losses are getting very hard to look at for the LSU football team. This one might even be a double bagger, in case the first one explodes. LSU blew two scoring opportunities inside the 12-yard line in the fourth quarter and lost to No. 8 Alabama, 20-17, Saturday afternoon before 78,838 in Tiger Stadium.

"Tough, tough, tough ass loss against a good football team," said an extremely testy LSU coach Curley Hallman, who watched his team come back from a 20-7 halftime deficit. "It hurts. It's supposed to hurt when you lose. And sometimes it's a little bit deeper when you're playing an outstanding football team and you put yourself in a position to win. And you know it." The loss puts LSU 4-5 on the season, 3-3 in the SEC, and it knows it can't go to a bowl now since it can't win six Division I-A games this season.

Alabama, 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, is the second consecutive top 10 team to win a game against the Tigers it could've easily lost. Tough losses LSU, which felt good about a 16-0 loss to Florida in week four, led No. 1 Florida State two weeks ago going into the fourth quarter but lost. "This was not a moral victory by any means," said LSU linebacker Reggie Walker. "I don't care if they were ranked number one, two, three, four, five or six.

This was not a moral victory. We should've won the game. It was there for us." The Tigers, trailing by the final score, were on the Alabama 11 with a fourth-and-two with 2:49 to play when Hallman elected to let Pedro Suarez attempt a 28-yard field goal. "I considered going for it," explained Hallman, "but with the way our defense was playing we can kick it. We tie it.

Play defense, use the two timeouts, bang bang, get the ball back and kick another field goal to win it." But, enter the monkey 'Ragged' Wildcats post Stephen Reed Staff photographer Kevin Turner after a short gain in the first quarter. Turner gained 144 yards to lead the Tide. Field goal choice was not unwise BATON ROUGE Although the result was unfortunate for LSU, Coach Curley Hallman did OK with his decision to go for the field goal on fourth-and-two at the Alabama 11. Remember, there was 2:39 remaining and his LSU Tigers were trailing eighth-ranked Alabama 20-17. Pedro Suarez had a 28-yard attempt.

He normally gets the ball up high and quick on his placekicks. There was still enough time to get the ball back and score again. Considering the way LSU's defense had been playing until that point in the second half, Hallman was justified in believing his Tigers could stop 'Bama again and get the ball back for another shot. Granted, the Tigers' running game in the second half, led by James Jacquet and Odell Beckham, had been more impressive and against a team that has been one of the nation's better rushing defenses than it had all season. But, still, the chances of making a 28-yard field goal are greater than converting a fourth and two at the 11 against such a team.

As you know, Suarez's kick got blocked by Antonio London, and the Crimson Tide converted a key fourth down of their own moments later to clinch the win. 'Bama scoundrels Two fellows named Antonio, in fact, were the scoundrels for Alabama who put poison in LSU's broth. Cornerback Antonio Langham killed a potential scoring drive with an interception in the Tide's end zone. But for a team that claimed moral victories in losses earlier this season to two other nationally ranked teams, Florida and top-ranked Florida State, this may have been the most some "moral" victory of them all. Coming back from a 13-point halftime deficit and pushing this Alabama team to the brink was something this LSU team shouldn't feel too shabby about.

A break here or there, and this game would've had a different outcome. That may be the case, too, in a lot of college football games, but it speaks volumes for the Tigers to be in the thick of things against the nation's No. 8 team. Few would've considered this possible eight weeks ago, and the few that could've might have been scorned and mocked as being about as perceptive as mayonnaise. The incredible thing to me was to hear LSU senior split end Todd Kinchen comment after the game that the team was "too relaxed, possibly a little too confident" before the game, that they weren't "mentally ready to play." See TOMPKINS, B-7 Saints Rustling LSU linebacker Corey White takes an elbow to the face as he teams up with Clayton Mouton (left) to stop Alabama fullback wrench 6-foot-3 outside linebacker Antonio London.

London blocked the low rising boot and Alabama took over on its 34. It was London's third field goal block in the last three games and Alabama's fourth in the last four games. The Tigers, who had a third-and goal on the Alabama 7 early in the fourth quarter spoiled by a Crimson Tide interception of LSU quarterback Jesse Daigle in the end zone, never ours," Hallman said. "Because our field goal kicker gets the ball up extremely well. We try to block his in practice, but we can't get close.

But he didn't get it up on that one." "The snap and hold were there," said LSU tackle and deep snapper Kevin Mawae. "Basically you just try to time it just right," said London, whose bandaged right hand from an injury in the game hit the ball. "We don't practice it. season couldn't hit the broad side of a got the ball back after the blocked kick. "I jumped up and luckily it hit me in the hand," said London.

"Then everybody started going crazy. Everybody was hugging me." London lined up behind the down linemen and leaped. It was the first blocked field goal of Suarez' career. "You can't get into his (London's) body, but that never was much of a concern of to open 1991-92 Wildcats shot 40.2 per "We LC blitzes Ambassador lopsided 98-50 win For the game, the By Jeffrey Nixon Staff reporter Louisiana College looked ragged in its season opener Saturday night against Ambassador College at H.O. West Field-house.

But, then again, so did Ambassador. When the dust finally settled, the Wildcats had notched a sloppy 98-50 win in the ledger. But it's a win. "We were ragged on both ends of the court," said LC coach Gene Rushing after the game. "We weren't crisp at all, especially in the first half." Both teams were overanxious early.

The Wildcats were four-for-11 from the floor to start the game. barn," said Ambassador coach R. Michael Carter. "We shot something like 39 percent in the first half and it wasn't any better in the second half." After Neal Travis hit a pair of free throws to put LC ahead 20-13 with 11:03 remaining in the first half, the Wildcats went to a stifling full court press. That stymied the Royals, while, at the same time, sparked the Wildcat offense.

LC went on a 31-16 run to end the first half and put the game out of reach. "Our guards never adapted to the full court press," said Carter. "They kept trying to bring the ball upcourt by themselves See LC, B-7 cent, but it was enough to win. LC took the lead for good on Fred Williams' 3-pointer from the corner to give the Wildcats a 10-8 lead. Williams led all scorers with 28 points, including three 3-pointers.

Neal Travis had 15. The Wildcats had problems pulling away from Ambassador. Turnovers and rushed shots plagued LC and Ambassador was able to stay close. "We didn't have any patience at all," said Rushing. "We like to break, but we've got to have the savvy when to know when the break's not there." Fortunately for LC, the Royals, 0-2 on the season, couldn't convert offensively either.

It was thrilling to me." LSU wasn't done yet, however. Alabama, trying to run out the clock, faced a fourth-and-less-than-a-foot on its 43 with 1:43 to play. Tide coach Gene Stallings called his second timeout to talk it over. LSU also had one timeout to go by now. After fullback Kevin Turner See LSU, B-7 Scoreboard State No.

8 Alabama 20, LSU 17 Sam Houston 13, NSU 3 Tulane 34, Navy 7 Florida 24, Southern 20 Auburn 50, USL 7 Alabama St. 60, Grambling 14 La. Tech 49, S. Illinois 16 McNeese St. 7, S.F.

Austin 7 N. Texas 24, Nicholls St. 19 SEC No. 13 Tennessee 35, No. 5 Notre Dame 34 No.

6 Florida 45, No. 23 Georgia 13 Vanderbilt 17, Kentucky 7 Top 25 No. 1 Florida St. 38, S. Carolina 10 No.

2 Washington 14, Southern Cal 3 No. 2 Miami 27, W. Virginia 3 No. 4 Michigan 59, Northwestern 14 No. 7 California 27, Oregon St.

14 No. 9 Penn State 47, Maryland 7 No. 10 Iowa 38, No. 25 Indiana 21 No. 11 Nebraska 59, Kansas 23 No.

14 Colorado 16, Oklahoma St. 12 No. 15 Clemson 21, N. Carolina 6 No. 16 E.

Carolina 48, Southern Miss 20 No. 24 Virginia 42, No. 18 N.C. State 10 No. 19 Ohio St.

35, Minnesota 6 No. 20 Oklahoma 56, Missouri 16 Stanford 27, No. 22 UCLA 10 Power play Syndicated columnist Mark Shields: "There are only two places left to go and see white guys fight a hockey game and the Senate Judiciary Committee." Tom FitzGerald San Francisco Chronicle 49ers invade Superdome today First day of important month Seattle Kansas LA Rams Minnesota Atlanta Philadelphia Tampa Chicago LA Rams City Bay 27-24 24-7 26-0 27-6 13-6 17-20 24-17- 17-10 27-7 200 ry; i5o 100 zv 50 Vjsi Q43 John D'Aquila Staff reporter NEW ORLEANS Today marks the first day of an important month for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are 8-1 and lead the NFC West Division by three games over the Atlanta Falcons. Three of their next four games will be against division foes.

How they fair will say volumes for the chances at a divisions championship. But first things first. The San Francisco 49ers invade the Superdome today at noon for the first of those three division games. The 49ers have not taken full advantage of their talent, injuries to quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young notwithstanding. Winners of the NFC West title five straight years, the 49ers are 4-5 and ostensibly playing for a wild card playoff berth.

"We have a team that has not been consistent," said 49ers coach George Seifert. "The attitude here is still good enough to win games. What I don't like is that we've put ourselves in this position." Even so, Seifert admits, to Please see D'AQUILA, a related story, B-8 some rumblings among players and fans, but "it's not to the point where it isn't manageable. It's not in disarray. We are still capable of winning football games." Even with third-team quarterback Steve Bono running the offense.

"He's part of our fabric," said Seifert. "He doesn't have a lot of experience, but he's a good Easser. I guess you can say we ave confidence in him." Last week Bono completed 9-of-16 passes for 111 yards and a 30-yard scoring strike to John Taylor in the last minute to give the 49ers a 14-10 lead. But the Falcons won the game in the final seconds on a 44-yard "Hail Mary" pass. "I thought he did well," said Seifert.

"He got us in a position to win. He did his job." Bono will likely have to do his job much better against a Saints defense that is arguably See SAINTS, B-7 The New Orleans Saints, because of injuries to the offensive line and running the ball this season. They are averaging about 102 yards per Weeks 3, 4, and 5: 116 carries; 519 yards; 4.5 yards per carry. Other six games: 106 carries; 399 yards; 2.4 yards per carry. Last four games: 1 15 carries; 284 yards; 2.5 yards per carry.

to running backs, have had problems game (918 total yards)..