News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 13

NEWS-PRESS SECTION NEWS-PRESS SCORELINE Call 332-5600 or 1-800-848-0515 and press 8018 Touch tone only SPORTS EDITOR: TOM HAYDEN, 335-0357 (Monday Friday, 10-8 p.m.) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1996 -i iifcjnf iwniminni iniiii mn tifiH SUPER SUNDAY INSIDE Scorecard 2B College football 3-58 Motorsports 6B Sports from North 6B Youth sports 7B Outdoors 10B Sports FS i i i I V-f- w. Women's tingle final (Not before 2 p.m.) -Steffi Grafts. Monica Seles Men' single final (Not before 4 p.m.) Pete Sampras vs. Michael Chang TV: CBS 1 I i I I I 7 4 -i. Special teams, defense key win ByBfLLVILONA News-Press sports bureau TALLAHASSEE On a commemorative day for Florida State's football program, the Seminoles didn't wear their original uniforms, but still produced a throwback victory; While their offense sputtered to an amazing low, the Seminoles re-1 lied on a dominant defense and kicking game Saturday to overwhelm Duke 44-7 at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The game marked Florida State's 50th season, and this was definitely an old-fashioned victory. The Seminoles had just 132 yards total offense at halftime, yet were on cruise control with a 27-0 lead. Their longest scoring drive in the game was 42 yards. "It was a little different that's for sure," said quarterback Thad Busby, making his first start. "Usually when we have 40 or so points, we've got 300 or 400 yards total offense.

i "We're not going to complain- with a win. Our defense was great. They gave us field position the whole game." Busby and backup Dan Kendra combined to pass for just 92 yards, the lowest team total in 12 years. Busby, who left in the third quarter, completed 9-of-17 attempts for 75 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Seminoles managed only 221 yards total offense, their lowest since a loss at Miami in 1 994.

But their defense held Duke to just 91 yards total offense. It was the best effort from a Florida State defense since a 1980 game against Louisville. "Right now, our defense has to carry us," said Warrick Dunn, who led the Seminoles with 70 yards on 14 carries. "But I'm not worried about it I'd rather start at the bottom and work our way up. "Last year we started off hot and went downhill at the end of the season.

This doesn't bother me. Championship teams need great defenses." The kicking game was equally superb. Scott Bentley made all three field-goal attempts and extra points. Punter Sean Liss had 47.8-yard average on six kicks. Dee Feaster returned the first punt for a touchdown in four years with his 59-yard score in the second quarter.

See SEMINOLES 3B How they scored 3B GETTING THE JOB DUNN: Florida State tailback Warrick Dunn (28) upends Duke's Letavious Wilks after Wilks intercepted a pass In the second quarter of the Seminoles' 44-7 victory Saturday. Gators cruise 62-14 i -i. i i 1 I.I I- llX: ft The Associated Press I Brian Kuklick throws a 30-yard pass to Desmond Clark with 51 seconds left in the game to lift Wake Forest over No. 18 Northwestern 28-27. SCORES Tennessee 35, UCLA 20 Penn State 24, Louisville 7 N.

Carolina 27, Syracuse 10 Ohio State 70, Rice 7 Alabama 20, S. Miss 10 Louisiana St. 35, Houston 34 Iowa 21, Arizona 20 S. Carolina 33, Central Fla. 14 Coverage 3-5B The Associated Press Chad Little (29) get sideways as the inside during the Miller 400.

THE FIRST "Cr Last call: 1-2 finish for Open Top seeds make final for both men, women By STEVE WILSTEIN The Associated Press NEW YORK Pete Sampras choked. He knew it. The crowd saw it Goran Ivanisevic celebrated it. The moment passed in embarrassment for Sampras, and he played an extra set he didn't need just two days after throwing up and nearly fainting on court. Yet when he walked of after the third semifinal on Saturday, he held up his arms in triumph, a U.S.

Open finalist again in defense of his title. who rwill -go for his fourth championship today against Michael Chang, wound up with 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (11-9), 6-3 victory against Ivanisevic. To absolutely no one's surprise, defending champion Steffi Graf plays Monica Seles for the women's title in a rematch of last year final duel. The Sampras-Ivanisevic match lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes about 40 minutes longer than it would have if Sampras hadn't done the unthinkable. Sampras wanted this match over as fast as possible.

He just couldn't quite do it when he first had the chance with four match points in the third set Leading 6-3 in the tiebreaker, with two serves to put the match away, Sampras watched one backhand go by him for 6-4, then double-faulted to 6-5, both serves clipping the net cord and popping out "I choked on the second serve," Sampras said. "Then I was waiting for him to miss, and you can't do that" Sampras isn't worried about playing again today, though he'll be facing a much different opponent in the baseline-bashing, tireless Chang. Chang's 16th ace, as emphatic as an exclamation point, knocked out Andre Agassi on a half-cloudy, half-sunny day of three semifinals. "Everything clicked," Chang said of his surprisingly quick 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 rout against Agassi. "Even though Andre's dropped in the rankings, today I was the underdog." Graf kicked off the day, coming back from a night of rain and dismissing talented and tempestuous Martina Hingis 7-5, 6-3.

Irvin wins ByHANKKURZJr. The Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. Ernie Irvan added to his remarkable comeback, sneaking inside Johnny Benson on the first turn with 19 laps to go Saturday and going on to win the Miller 400. Irvan, nearly killed In a crash at Michigan in 1994, won for the second time this season. He won the Jiffy Lube 300 at Loudon, N.H., on July 1 4.

Since he was fifth in the first Miller 400, at Brooklyn, on June 23, Irvan has finished in the top five eight times in 11 races. His streak includes a second in the prestigious Brickyard 400 on Aug. 3. Defending Winston Cup cham Baseball American I Blue Jays 3, i Gators senior quarterback Danny Wuerffel had a mind-bog- gling performance, completing the first 11 passes he threw, leading Florida to a 35-7 halftime lead. lj Wuerffel left the game early in the third quarter and finished 15 of 16 for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

His 275.18 quarterback rating was the third-best in school history. He also tied the school record of 11 straight completions set by Barron Collier High School graduate Terry Dean against Arkansas State in 1993. And Wuerffel's 93.8 completion percentage was the best effort in school history. See GATORS 3B How they scored 3B CRASH: John Andrettl (98) and Wally Dallenbach tries to pass on BOTTOM OF Football i iff The Associated Press MAIN 'CANE: Miami's Magic Benton Is hoisted by teammate Jermaine Chambers after scoring against The Citadel. 'Canes blow pasf Citadel By STEVEN WINE The Associated Press MIAMI Ryan Clement threw four touchdown passes in the first half and Dyral McMillan ran for 156 yards Saturday to lead No.

12 Miami past The Citadel 52-6. Clement completed 13of-14 attempts for 196 yards. All five possessions he led resulted in TDs on drives of 80, 80, 6, McMILLAN 80 and 26 yards. "Today was about playing mistake-free football and feeling good about that," Clement said. "I think we accomplished that." McMillan, a sophomore, car- ried 19 times and scored on second- half runs ofl and 3 yards.

"He ran instinctively," Miami coach Butch Davis said. "He ran where the holes were. And our offensive line mashed them at the -point of Explosive sophomore Magic Benton scored twice for the second consecutive game, this time on re- ceptions of 34 and 1 7 yards. Clement hit Chris Jones for a 1 0-yard score and was credited with his fourth touchdown pass when Mondriel Fulcher scored. Story 5B Again Seldon struggled up, but his legs were rubbery and Steele stopped the fight Although the left hook that scored the second knockdown was a solid one to the chin, the estimated crowd of 9,000 booed lustily when both knockdowns were rerun on the big screens the arena.

They also booed when the official time was announced. Although Tyson holds the WBC title, It was not at stake because of an agreement by Tyson to make his first WBC defense against Lennox Lewis. Tyson is expected to relinquish the WBC title and defend the WBA title against Evander Holyfield on Nov. 9 at the MGM Grand. It simply was a mismatch.

Outdoors A GUIDE TO OUT BASS BETS: CaptWalt Reynolds credits his bass-catching success on Lake Okeechobee to the Carolina rig. Reynolds' foolproof technique also is called "the Idiot rig" for its simplicity. Story 10B iv Tyson KOs Seldon By DAVID JONES News-Press sports bureau GAINESVILLE Fldrida tuned up for the start of its Southeastern Conference season Saturday by bombing Division I-AA Georgia Southern 62-14, before 84,963 admirers at Florida Field. "Now we can get ready for the conference schedule and we have a week to try to get better and a week to get prepared for Tennessee," Gators coach Steve Spurrier said. The 62 points were the most allowed in Eagles history, surpassing the 56 scored by Miami in 1 994.

"Florida can strike so fast it will make your head spin," Georgia Southern coach Frank Ell wood said. Millar 400 pion Jeff Gordon was second on the three-quarter-mile oval of Rich- mond International Raceway. Gordon, who gained the first of his series-best seven victories here in March, was bidding to become only the second driver to sweep Richmond since the track was reconfigured in 1988.RustyWallacediditinl989. Gordon did pick up 20 points in his attempt to overtake teammate and points leader Terry Labonte for this season's title. He has gained 110 points the past two weeks and trails Labonte by only four points with seven races left.

Jeff Burton finished third, Dale Jarrett fourth and Labonte was fifth. Motorsports coverage 6B League National League Reds 7, Giants 5 Yankees 2 By ED SCHUYLER Jr. The Associated Press LAS VEGAS Mike Tyson needed 109 seconds to win the WBA heavyweight championship from Bruce Seldon on Saturday night in the MGM Grand Garden. Seldon is known as the Atlantic City Express and his journey with Tyson certainly was a fast one. Tyson knocked down Seldon with a glancing right hand to the top of the head.

At first referee Richard Steele thought it was a slip, then realized it was a punch and began to count. After Seldon took the mandatory 8-count on his feet Tyson dropped Seldon face down with a left hook. Local -r FAMILIAR FACE: Fort Myers resident Lewis Elliot, 1 6, is featured in Sports Illustrated's Faces In The Crowd feature in the Sept 9 issue of the magazine. Earlier this summer he became the first cyclist to sweep the road events in the boys' 1 5-1 6 age group at the U.S. Junior National Championships.

He won the 65-K road race, the 20-K time trial and the 25-Kcriterium. IV Orioles 6, Tigers 0 Expos 2, Marlins 1 Rangers 2, Brewers 1 Phillies 4, Cubs 2 White Sox 4, Red Sox 3 Braves 6, Mets 1 Athletics 13, Royals 6 Cardinals 8, Padres 3 Mariners at Indians, ppd. Astros 5, Rockies 4 Angels at Twins Pirates at Dodgers Roundup 8B Roundup 8B Dolphins at Cardinals TV: 8 p.m.. TNT. RADIO: WINK-AM 4 (1240) Fort Myers; WNOG-AM (1270) Naples.

LINE: Miami by 6. Buccaneers at Lions TV: 1 p.m., Fox. RADIO: WENG- AM (1530) Englewood; WTCQ-FM (92.1) Venice. LINE: Lions by 12. Oilers at Jaguars GAME TIME: 1 p.m.

TV: None. RADIO: WNZE-AM (820) Tampa. LINE: Jaguars by 2Vi, Injury report 2B Week 2 capsules 9-10B State previews 10B HE'S BACK: Boomer Esiason, the wily veteran who turned down lucrative network TV offers, is enjoying life with the Arizona Cardinals. Story 10B K.P. DUTY: A sellout crowd of 51,01 1 the largest since Minnesota's 1 993 season opener filled the Metrodome to say farewell to the Twins' Klrby Puckett, who retired this season because of glaucoma that has left him totally blind in his right eye.

Twins owner Carl Pohlad's announced that Puckett's No. 34 will be retired next season. a.