The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 25

Sports THE TIMES SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 241994, 3C Tennessee not yeft ready to change (pacleirbadss Louisiana State and Vanderbilt have open dates. Tennessee (1-2 overall, 1-1 SEC) is a one-touchdown favorite to beat State (1-1. 0-1) for the fourth year in a row. The Vols lead the series 22-14-1.

Helton, who has been missing spring practice to play baseball, was thrust into the starting lineup early in the season opener at UCLA when Jer drafted by the San Diego Padres. After failing to score for the first time since 1981 in a 31-0 loss to top-ranked Florida last week, there was speculation that Fulmer might choose one of his freshmen quarterbacks, Payton Manning or Branndon Stewart, to start against the Bulldogs. The two young ones will continue to progress, ry Colquitt got hurt. Colquitt is out lor tne and I think they will both get there quicker than most freshmen could," Ful ISO! season. "I have to throw the ball with a pur 12 games since stopping Kentucky in 1991.

Ole Miss did beat Arkansas on the road in 1992, but that was in Little Rock, not on campus in Fayet-teville. Ole Miss head coach Joe Lee Dunn knows his pass defense, which had yielded only 210 yards in -j three games, will be tested by Georgia's Eric Zeier, who has thrown for 1.050 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The secondary is finally going to get a test this weekend," Dunn said. South Carolina is a slight favorite to beat Kentucky, avenging last year's 21-17 Wildcat comeback victory in Columbia. The Wildcats carry a 3-1-1 series lead into the 7 p.m.

game. Alabama and Auburn are heavily favored in their games and Arkansas is a slight favorite to win at Memphis, going into the game with an 0-2 record in the series. mer said. "I'm excited about their progress, Todd Helton will remain the Volunteers' starting quarterback for today's game against Mississippi State. By ED SHEARER The Associated Press Tennessee's coaches aren't ready to give up yet on their quarterback whose bright future is in baseball.

Todd Helton is our quarterback." head coach Phillip Fulmer said, naming his starter for the 23rd-ranked Vols' Southeastern Conference road test with Mississippi State today, a game that will be regionally televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports beginning at 11:30 a.m. CDT. Helton is more noted in the SEC as a star first baseman and relief pitcher, good enough to be pose, Helton saia. im going to jusi w. run vsctl and as we go along I think you'll see more and more of them." Dlay and not worry about a thing, just going to throw it at the receiver and if it's a bad decision it's a bad decision, but I'm going to throw it with a purpose and believe I'm throwing it to the right place." Ole Miss and Georgia both enter their 1 p.m.

game with 2-1 and records. The Rebels beat Vanderbilt 20-14 in Nashville last week, their first victory on an SEC foe's campus in The Tennessee-Mississippi State game is one of three conference game9 on Saturday's schedule, the other two sending Mississippi to Georgia and South Carolina to Kentucky. Three others take on outside opposition Arkansas at Memphis, East Tennessee State at No. 10 Auburn and No. 11 Alabama vs.

Tulane in Birmingham. Florida, Colorado coach back in Michigan to face star back t-, V. i. O-, i ''Vit AP Tide coach's knowledge of violation questioned NCAA wants to know how much Alabama's Gene Stallings knew about players' involvement with sports agent, and his role in handling the situation. By PAUL NEWBERRY The Associated Press MONTGOMERY.

Ala. Gene Stallings admittedly knew his star player had signed something for someone. Now the question is: Was the Alabama head coach diligent enough in getting to the bottom of the whole Antonio Langham affair? The NCAA apparently doesn't think so. Langham's eligibility was one of two potentially "major" violations cited Thursday by the NCAA in its official letter of inquiry, delivered to the school nearly two years after another former player, Gene Jelks, accused the Crimson Tide of wrongdoing. The school, which has won six national championships and is ranked 11th in the country this season, could be facing probation for the first time, a Langham and his uncle, Clyde Goode, both say Langham told Stallings about his dealings with a sports agent in a New Orleans bar just hours after Alabama won the national championship at the 1993 Sugar Bowl.

"I told him to call his coach and tell him what he had done," Goode said. "He said he did." Stallings, though, said he was never told by Langham that an agent was involved and put the matter aside when the player said he wanted to return for his senior year. However, the coach's comments in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution raised questions about his judgment in not pursuing the matter further. "(Langham) told me the guy (sports agent Darryl Dennis of Washington. D.C.) wouldn't leave him alone," Stallings said, "that he was trying to celebrate and so forth after the (Sugar Bowl) game, and he just sort of basically signed to get rid of the guy." Langham played the first 11 games for Alabama last season before his dealings with the agent came to light.

He was declared ineligible for the Southeastern Conference championship game and the Gator Bowl and now plays for the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Langham declined comment Friday. Stallings refused to discuss the matter further when questioned Friday by The Associated Press as he headed off the practice field in Tuscaloosa after the Tide's final preparation for today's game against Tulane. Michigan tailback Tyrone Wheatley will play first game of the season today against No. 8 Buffaloes.

The Associated Press Colorado head coach Bill McCartney's first visit to Michigan since 1982 has caused such a stir in Ann Arbor that even the Wolverines are caught up in it. So much so, they've added Tyrone Wheatley to the welcoming committee. The star tailback, one of the preseason Heisman Trophy favorites, will help mark McCartney's return to his roots Saturday by making his first appearance of the season in the key matchup of the day in college football. "This is a great challenge," said McCartney, who left an assistant's position under Bo Schembechler to begin a rebuilding job at Colorado. "Ever since I took this job, I've wanted to take a team back there and play.

I'm very excited about this." The seventh-ranked Buffaloes, coming off a 55-17 victory over No. 16 Wisconsin, will be the first team to see No. 4 Michigan at near full strength. The Wolverines were without Wheatley in victories over Boston College and No. 9 Notre Dame.

Now seemingly healed from the separated right shoulder sustained in an Aug. 23 scrimmage, the senior said he's ready to put the injury behind him. "I can't go out and think I have to be careful," Wheatley said. "My mentality is to practice like I'm playing in a game." In other matchups of ranked teams. No.

3 Florida State takes its 19-game Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak against visiting No. 13 North Carolina: No. 17 Washington is at No. 6 Miami; Wisconsin entertains No. 25 Indiana, and No.

18 UCLA tries to rebound from a 49-21 loss to Nebraska against No. 22 Washington State. Head coach Bill McCartney will try to lead his Colorado team to victory over a Big Ten school for the second straight week. In other Top 25 games, Pacific is at No. 2 Nebraska.

Rutgers at No. 5 Penn State, No. 8 Arizona at Stanford, Purdue at No. 9 Notre Dame, and East Tennessee State at No. 10 Auburn.

Also, Tulane is at No. 11 Alabama. Southern Mississippi at No. 12 Texas No. 15 Texas at Texas Christian, Baylor at N- 19 Southern California, Houston at No.

20 Ohio State, No. 23 Tennessee at Mississippi State, and Western Carolina at No. 24 North Carolina State. At Ann Arbor, Michigan head coach Gary Moeller said Tshi-manga Biakabatuka (228 yards, 2 TDs in two games) will start at tailback, but Ed Davis and Wheat-ley also will get work. With much of the pregame attention focused on Wheatley.

quarterbacks Tood Collins of Michigan and Kordell Stewart of Colorado have been overlooked. Neither should be. Stewart has passed for 456 yards and three touchdowns and run for 136 yards and three TDs. He had 301 yards total offense in the victory over Wisconsin. Alabama head coach Gene Stallings Is currently under fire from the NCAA.

be off-limits only if the NCAA finds the dreaded "lack of institutional control." However, enforcement director David Berst said in the inquiry letter, "We did not uncover systematic abuses." The other issue is Stallings. A coach can be fired, suspended or reassigned within the athletic department if he is "known to have engaged in or condoned a major violation," the NCAA rulebook says. Or, if a coach remains active with the program after breaking the rules, his school is subject to a ban on post-season play. Asked whether he was worried about his job security in light of the NCAA charges, Stallings said, "I think everybody is always concerned about that I'm going to do the best I can. I'm concerned about my job every week." The other allegation made by the NCAA involves sports agent and admitted Alabama fan Jerry Albano, who arranged loans totaling $10,000 for Jelks in January 1990.

shortly af- ter he had played his last game for the Tide. "I'm not going to talk about Antonio Langham," Stallings said. "I've said all I'm going to say. I told the NCAA all I know about it." Other Alabama officials also declined to comment on the case Friday, standing by a four-paragraph statement released the previous day by university president Roger Sayers. There was a sense that Alabama has escaped the investigation without serious damage to its reputation, which has been tarnished only by a public reprimand two decades ago.

Indeed, the Tide seems assured of escaping the most damaging sanctions: a ban on television and post-season play and a loss of Southeastern Conference revenues for one year. Under NCAA bylaws, Alabama is subject to two years probation, a reduction of scholarships and expense-paid recruiting visits by prospects, and a ban on off-campus recruiting by coaches. Loss of TV games was not a possible penalty listed by the NCAA. And bowl trips could HAIR TRANSPLANTS $iiiHe Hair Graft Technique Dow Stough, M.D. l-800-26M2t7 1HP B0LIL Arkansas hopeful it can finally get touchdowns against Memphis SPEEDWAY GATES OPEN 5 pm Race 7 pm SATURDAY GENERAL ADMISSION NIGHT RACES Children under 6 FREE (except special events) Senior Clbm (651 FREE Children 7-10 Securftj Guard PUrground for Children I-20 West Exit 3 Follow the signs HOO-OO 0 Hogs have not scored a touchdown in two previous meetings with Tigers.

By WOODY BAIRD The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. Both Arkansas and Memphis hope for a bit more offense tonight when they meet at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The 7 p.m. game is the third meet- HCA Highland Hospital PRESENTS ing between the two schools, and SHXIYIPORT SASKATCHEWAN PinMSvs.QURIDIR Arkansas has yet to score a touch-; down against the Tigers. bart.

"If we do that, well take a giant step in the right direction." The Tigers had 10 turnovers during their 20-3 loss to Southern Mississippi last week. They moved inside Southern Mississippi's 20-yard line four times but managed only a field goal. "We've got to be a little more precise when we get down there in the so-called red zone (inside the 20)," Stobart said. "We can't have a center-quarterback exchange fumble on the 3-yard tine." Memphis faced such a turn of events last week, and though the Tigers recovered the ball, the momentum of a 77-yard march was broken. The Memphis offense also came up short in a 17-6 season-opening loss to Mississippi State.

The Tigers' 42-18 victory over Tulsa Sept. 10 was largely due to an outstanding performance by receiver Ryan Roskelly, who had a 70-yard punt return and caught six passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Ten offensive starters are gone from the Tigers' 6-5 team last year, including the quarterback and two leading receivers. So far this year, quarterback Tony Scarpino has hit on 46 percent of his passes, with one touchdown and five interceptions. "We've got to start completing more passes," Stobart said.

"You're not going to scare anybody when you're throwing less than 50 percent." We need to score some points to get some added con- SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24th 7:30 P.M. fidence, but I would take a one- r7 rS I tr I mm point win, said Arkansas head coach Danny Ford. hJUl BALL FESTIVAL Honoring Youth Footbau Teams For Information Cau Pat, 222-3000 Enter the $HREVEPORT DODGE TRUCK GIVEAWAY" Ua Of Tiux in om iua. Memphis, a football indepen-; dent, beat Arkansas 22-6 in 1992 and last year. Both teams are 1-2, and Arkansas (0-2 in the SEC) has failed to score a touchdown in its past two out- ings, a 14-0 loss to South Carolina and a 13-6 loss to Alabama.

Memphis is having its offensive troubles, too. "The first thing we've got to do is stop the turnovers," said Memphis head coach Chuck Sto- i M.TA J.JJ IVAAX.