The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 23

Scoreboard, B-2 Outdoors, B-10 aitrantaa Bail a Ecton Calk o)r Sunday November 20. 1994 i I Bob VX Tompkins The Town LSU ops Maples Tuilame Alabama's Sam Shade (31 gathers in Stephen Davis' (48) fumble in the first quarter. Tide rolls to victory as Auburn streak ends i Vl Associated Press claim for the national title. "I feel like we've got a said quarterback Jay Barker, who improved his record as a starter to 34-1-1. "We've just got to keep winning games.

We've been talking about it ever since September. That's our goal." Barker threw two long touchdown passes and Sherman Williams ran for 164 yards and one score for Alabama (11-0, 8-0 SEC). Barker was only 8-of-17 for 177 yards, but he set Alabama career records for attempts and completions. "This game means so much," he said. "There has been a lot of talk, but we were able to go out and do it on the field." It was the last game of the season for Auburn (9-1-1, 6-1-1), which can't go to a bowl because of NCAA probation.

Please see TIDE, B-6 BIRMINGHAM. Ala. (AP) Alabama's comeback kids showed they could stop a comeback, too. Known for their fourth-quarter rallies, the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide held off a furious one by No. 6 Auburn on Saturday and came away with a thrilling 21-14 victory in a battle of unbeaten arch-rivals.

Alabama remained in the hunt for the national championship by snapping Auburn's 21-game unbeaten streak and handing Terry Bowden his first loss in two seasons as coach. "We got our halves said Alabama coach Gene Stallings, whose team has come from behind five times in the final period this season. "We didn't know what to do when we were ahead." Trailing 21-0 at halftime, 142 yards, including a nifty 64-yard score in the second quarter, his longest run of the year. LSU's 149 yards rushing in the first half was more than the Tigers had gained on the ground in seven of their previous nine games. And the final total of 290 yards was a season high by 51 yards.

Quarterback Jamie Howard went most of the way and completed 14 of 19 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Brett Been hauled in six passes for 65 yards while Eddie Kennison caught two touchdown passes covering 67 yards. The Tigers played a boatload of people, even walk-on Jeff Robert booting a late PAT. He is a senior from New Orleans. All wasn't a complete disaster for Tulane.

Jeff Liggon set an NCAA record for kickoff return yardage for a season. After four returns, he had 91 yards, giving him 1,018 yards and the record. He's tied the mark for total returns with 44 in one year. When Cedric Thomas returned Kevin Franklin's third quarter fumble 87 yards for a touchdown, it was the longest such play in five years for the Wave. It was the eighth touchdown scored by the opposing defense against LSU this year.

And the Wave helped LSU break the interception thrown record. Thomas did the honors when he swiped Jamie Howard's attempt late in the first half was the 20th interception LSU has thrown this year, 16 by Howard, who threw one more in the game. The previous mark of 19 had been done five times. "We didn't help ourselves by Please see LSU, B-6 Demons fall to 5-6 on season By Jeffrey Nixon Staff reporter NACOGDOCHES, Texas Turnovers were the pastry of choice at Homer Bryce Stadium Saturday and Northwestern State seemed more than willing to help Stephen F. Austin get fat off of them.

Five Demon turnovers led to four Lumberjack touchdowns three in the fourth quarter as SFA kept its playoff hopes alive with a 34-13 win over the visiting Demons in Southland Conference football play. SFA, ranked 21st in Division I-AA, improves to 6-3-2 and 4-1-1 in SLC play. NSU ends its season at 5 for the second year in a row. The loss wasted a fantastic rushing performance from sophomore Clarence Matthews. Matthews rushed for 189 yards on 25 attempts, the seventh-highest single-game total in NSU history.

It's only the second time this season a running back has gained more than 100 yards against SFA, the second-best rushing defense in I-AA. Matthews finished the season Please see DEMONS, B-6 McCartney quits as Colorado boss Pitiful Wave not around when needed NEW ORLEANS Where was Tulane when LSU needed a team to kick around earlier in the season? Curley Hallman, in his First game since being fired as LSU's head football coach, probably wonders as much. As bad as his Tigers played, they still managed to whip Tulane 49-25 Saturday night in a game at the Superdome that was sloppy and yet entertaining in a bizarre sort of way. LSU had a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a record 21 intercepted passes for the season. Howard, with one game left, has the LSU season record of 17 interceptions.

The Tigers had a punt blocked in the end zone and recovered for a touchdown by Tulane. That's the second time this season LSU has been so victimized. It was not surprising the game drew its smallest crowd in several decades, pitting two teams among the worst in each school's history. Officials reported 32,067 tickets were distributed, but the 18,000 or less who bothered to come saw each team score a touchdown less than two min-, utes into the game. And maybe all of them didn't see those scores because they hadn't arrived yet.

There was almost always something to catch your eye. LSU, which improved to 3-7, actually scored on its first play from scrimmage on a 43-yard bomb from Jamie Howard to Eddie Kennison. This was two plays after Tulane's gameopen- ing possession, which resulted in a lost fumble. You got the idea then that this might resemble a SWAC game, one of those 53-49 shootouts that Alcorn and Jacksonville State always seem to be involved in. Kennison, who fumbled punts twice, neither of which was lost, ended up being on the receiving end of two scoring passes from Howard, including one for 24 yards in the second quarter.

He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for giving the ball afterwards to the man who had been covering him. Howard scored the first and possibly last rushing touchdown of his career at LSU, keeping for a 4-yard score in the fourth quarter. Tulane safety Jimmie Parker pushed him into a wall after the score, and Howard answered by throwing the ball at the back of his helmet. Both received offsetting penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. One of the more intriguing stories of the night was not Jermaine Sharp's season-high rushing performance for LSU (142 yards on 15 carries) or the Tigers' highest scoring output of the season, but the NCAA record set by Tulane kick returner Jeff Liggon.

So often did the Green Wave get scored upon this season (358 points), they got more returns than the IRS. Liggon had five kickff returns for 111 yards, pushing his season total to a record-breaking 1,038. He tied the the NCAA record of 44 returns, choosing not to break the record by downing his last kickoff in the end zone. Tulane, which closed the season at 1-10, had five turnovers (three passes intercepted and two fumbles lost), and LSU had three passes swiped and a fumble returned for a score. LSU and Tulane, mirrors of futility, to some extent, have allowed their opponents to score nine defensive touchdowns this season.

Tulane strong safety Cedric Thomas scored two Saturday on the fumble return and the blocked punt. When LSU wasn't giving it away, Tulane was. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jonathan Quinn had three passes intercepted, including one Rodney Young returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Derrick Beavers, a redshirt freshman running back for LSU, scored his first touchdown on a 9-yard run, but some things remained the same. LSU junior defensive end Gabe Northern got his 10th sack of the season, tying the LSU season record set 13 years ago by Rydell Melancon.

The Tulane-LSU series won't be renewed until 1996. Maybe by then the two will be better suited for a contest other than the Woes Bowl. Bob Tompkins is a sports columnist for The Town Talk. He may be reached at 487-6349. By Michael A.

Lough Staff reporter NEW ORLEANS The head coach had been fired a few days earlier. Plans for a winning season had long ago been smashed. A chance to play spoiler in somebody else's bowl plans didn't exist Nonetheless, LSU seniors did have something to play for Saturday, and they made sure at least their record against Tulane was perfect as the Tigers whipped the Wave 49-25 at the Superdome. Tulane ends its year at 1-10. LSU enters next week's finale in Little Rock with a 3-7 record.

Not all of the 32,067 who bought tickets made it to the game. "Lotta big plays," said LSU head coach Curley Hallman after his second-to-last Saturday night as the Tigers' boss. "I could go on and on." There was plenty of good news outside of avoiding an embarrassing loss for LSU, which has beaten Tulane 12 straight times. It was LSU's highest point total in 38 games, since the Tigers' 70-14 win over Arkansas State in Curley Hallman's first year. Junior defensive end Gabe Northern tied the school's sack record and mark for tackles for loss.

He's now dumped the quarterback 10 times this year. Senior cornerback Rodney Young returned an interception for a touchdown, the second for LSU this year. Tory James did it in the opener against Texas LSU's nine sacks were the most since 1986. Sophomore tailback Jermaine Sharp rushed for a career-high Associated Press the direction it is taking her. Life couldn't have been much better for Williams in high school.

She attended Morningside High School in Inglewood where she was part of a two-time California state championship team and constantly vying for a mythical prep national championship. But it wasn't Williams who was leading the team. One of her teammates was Lisa Leslie the same Lisa Leslie who scored 100 points in a prep game before half-time and went on to Southern Cal where she was the Associated Press Player of the Year last season. Yet Williams was an integral Auburn cut the margin to seven points on two 1-yard sneaks by quarterback Patrick Nix. The Tigers were driving for a possible winning touchdown and 2-point conversion in the final minute, but Frank Sanders came up inches short on a fourth-down reception at the Alabama 40.

"They were pretty close, but I knew when I hit him he didn't have the first down," said safety Sam Shade, who made the stop along with cornerback Tommy Johson. Auburn receiver Thomas Bailey disagreed. "Of course I'm going to say he made it. I feel like it was a bad spot," he said. If Alabama beats No.

3 Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 3 and wins the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, the Tide can make a strong We love this place a lot. I don't want to put a damper on what we accomplished here today, but it's time." McCartney refused to rule out any future coaching ventures. "I don't know," he said.

"I don't anticipate coaching soon, but I don't rule it out." He did deny speculation that he might be interested in the vacant Michigan State coaching position. "I would put to rest any rumors about going to Michigan State," he said. McCartney is the founder of Promise Keepers, a Christian men's organization that emphasizes family values and which attracted more than 50,000 participants to a conference at Folsom Field last summer. It has been speculated that he might devote more time to that cause, but he didn't address it on Saturday. "I just want to celebrate the 13 years of friendships we've had," he said.

"I'll coach through the bowl game, but then I want to get out of the way. We'll need a new coach prior to next year's recruiting." He signed a "lifetime contract" in 1990. "It's true I had a 15-year arrangement, but I had a five-year contract, and it will expire Jan. 1, 1995," he said. Judith Meeks Staff photographe against Cynthia Brown (24).

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Colorado football coach Bill McCartney, who turned around a moribund program and produced a national championship in 1990, resigned on Saturday, moments after Colorado's 41-20 season-ending victory over Iowa State. McCartney, 54, will coach the Buffaloes through whichever bowl game they appear in, but he urged the administration to quickly appoint a successor so as not to disrupt recruiting. "I've been thinking about this for some time now," McCartney said at a post-game press conference, with his wife Lyndi at his side and his family in attendance. "I've been here 13 years.

It's time. There are things I want to do as a family. "This chapter has ended. I don't know quite what's around the corner." McCartney, the winningest coach in Colorado history with a 92-55-5 record, guided the Buffs to a 10-1 record this season, with a lone loss to No. 1 Nebraska.

"There are no negatives here," he said. "Everybody from (athletic director) Bill Marolt to the administration has been tremendous. This has strictly been a very positive situation. (14) goes up Bridgete Williams s-f Mike McCartney surprised everyone with decision to quit. Bridgete 's journey NSU player has come a long way from home part of the team.

A defensive stopper at guard, she helped Morningside go 92-7 her first three years and was the team MVP her sophomore season. But Leslie drew the attention. When recruiters came along, it was Leslie they wanted to see. Williams was overlooked. Sure, she played good defense and was a decent offensive player, but Leslie was the next Cheryl Miller.

"When Bridgete came out of high school, nobody knew about her," said NSU assistant coach Wendy Leubbers. "She was an academic qualifier. She had her eraaes ana uie a v. i so sne couia 1 have gone to a Division 1. She Please see JOURNEY B-6 By Jeffrey Nixon Staff reporter NATCHITOCHES It's roughly 2,000 miles from Bridgete Williams' home in Inglewood, to Natchitoches.

The journey Williams has made in life is longer than that. From two state high school championships to motherhood to averaging 39 points a game in junior college to barely shooting above 30 percent for Northwestern State, Williams trip hasn't always been easy but it's certainly been diverse. Williams, a 5-foot-6 senior guard on NSU's women's basketball team, has seemingly come a million miles in the journey of life, and she's beginning to like hop lim..