News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 17

NEWS-PRESS SECTION NEWS-PRESS SCORELINE Call 332-5600 or 1-800-848-0515 Touch tone only I Scorecard 2B Baseball 6-7B Pro football 8-9B Golf, Mailbag 10B Outdoors 11B PORT EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR: MIKE KLOCKE, 335-0357 (Monday Friday, 1 9 p.m.) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19. 1993 7T 5 LEARN THE GAKE Registration for the Dunbar Little League's instructional league will be held from Sept. 24-27 at the STARS Complex. Sessions twice per week. Cost: $15.

Info: Pete Brady, 332-4952 Cubs 6, Marlins 5 Giants 6, Reds 1 Mets3, Braves 2 (10) Phillies 5, Expos 4 Cardinals 8, Pirates 1 Astros 4, Padres 2 Dodgers at Rockies Blue Jays 5, Twins 1 Tigers 7, Indians 6 Yankees 4, Red Sox 3 Athletics 3, White Sox 2 Orioles at Brewers Royals at Mariners Rangers at Angels I Roundup 6-7B INSIDE i GLENN MILLER atoirs outlast VDs i Si QB Wuerffel stars in 41-34 victory By PETER KERASOTIS Florida Today GAINESVILLE It took Florida coach Steve Spurrier until Friday before he announced Danny Wuerffel was the man. One day later, Wuerffel announced it himself. Loud and clear. A 19-of-38 passing performance for 231 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception in a monumental 41-34 win against No. 5 Tennessee secured the quarterback job for Florida's redshirt freshman.

For Saturday. For the next game. Maybe for the next four years. "Solid? I'd say he played spectacularly," said senior offensive guard Jim Watson. Spurrier, though, wasn't ready to make a long-term commitment Nofyet "Danny's our quarterback until something else happens," the Gator coach said.

"There are some things Terry Dean does well that we can use him in games for." Dean, a Barron Collier High School graduate, was Shane Matthews' backup for the past two seasons and Spurrier's starting quarterback in Florida's first two games this year. But a four-interception performance against Kentucky last week landed him on the sidelines. Spurrier said the benching wasn't permanent. He said both quarterbacks would play against Tennessee. But then he couldn't find a reason to get Dean in the game Saturday.

With Wuerffel at the helm. No. 9 Florida raced to a 21-0 lead with 5:42 left in the first half. The Gators scored touchdowns on Wuerffel's 8-yard pass to Aubrey Hill, his 17-yard pass to Chris Doering and a 1-yard Errict Rhett run. But the Gators should have known it wasn't going to be quite that easy.

Not even at home, where Flor- See GATORS 5B How they scored 5B xtsra The Associated Press HIGH STEPPIN': Florida's Errict Rhett cruises to a touchdown Saturday. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA'S FINEST FSU IT- jT X. tors 9nl Seminoles trail briefly before cruising 33-7 'if Mr Tte. 9 tJi I tl Local stars play different game bn same field If IAMI They stood at midfield of I VI the Orange Bowl Saturday as the last light of day faded from Miami. Three television cameramen manuevered around Jammi German and Dwayne Thomas like bugs around a porch light.

Dusk edged into night as the last two Southwest Florida high school football players of the year exchanged quick greetings. While their teammates jogged Into their locker rooms, the buddies from the Fort Myers Wildcat Pop Warner program remained on the field. German, wearing Miami Hurricane orange, and Thomas, wearing the white and maroon of Virginia Tech, chatted, shook hands and were quickly interviewed. Well, sort of interviewed. I The No.3-ranked Hurricanes had just 'defeated Tech 21-2.

German, a 1993 graduate of Fort Myers High and second-team flanker, made his collegiate debut Saturday. He had three catches for 43 yards. Thomas, a 1990 graduate of Bishop Verot and Tech's leading rusher, had 14 carries for 41 yards. Before the GermanThomas press conference cranked into first gear, a University of Miami official rushed to midfield and scolded the television crews. "Hey, you guys know better," John Hahn, the school's football sports Information director, told the WBBH, WINK and WEVU crews.

With that German was escorted off the field and his first day at the Orange Bowl ended. It began, officially, at 4:19 p.m. Mark it in your files. It was at 4:19 p.m. on Sept.

18, 1993, that German made his first collegiate catch. On a second-and-20 from the Miami 46, Hurricane quarterback Frank Costa connected with German for 21 yards and a first down. That was the first completion of what will likely be an extraordinary collegiate career. In nigh school German won Florida's Mr. Football award, the Florida-Georgia All-Star Game MVP trophy and recognition by USA TODAY as one of the nation's top two prep players of 1992.

He also was Southwest Florida Player of the Year each of the past two seasons. "We got (German) in a couple of situations," Miami coach Dennis Erickson said. "Obviously he has some talent." Drawing double coverage Indeed. By the second half the Hokies were so concerned about German they double covered him on one play, leaving fellow receiver Jonathan Harris open for a 17-yard reception. Early in the third quarter German made his second collegiate reception, picking up 8 yards on a pass from Costa.

He was a step away from breaking it for a big gain. German's final reception was a 1 4-yard pass from backup quarterback Ryan Collins late in the fourth quarter. "I felt pretty comfortable," German said in the locker room. "I was very anxious to get out there." German's anxiety was well-founded. He pulled his right hamstring on Aug.

1 4, the first day the Hurricanes' full squad practiced. He didn't report back to practice until Sept. 10. German, who lined up at wide receiver and flanker Saturday, was pleased with his first collegiate game. "I think I played pretty well," said German, who was frequently sent on crossing patterns.

"I'm not worried about my hamstring." While German talked in the Hurricanes' locker room, Thomas, stepped out of the Hokies' locker room down the hall. He was subdued. Understandably so. Thomas came into the game as the leading rusher in the Big East Conference with 257 yards in Tech's first two games. He had three touchdowns and averaged 6.8 yards a carry in the first two games.

But those statistics weren't compiled against the Hurricanes' defense. Thomas averaged less than 3 yards a carry against Miami. 1 "Dwayne is a good back," Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "Miami's speed and defense You got to give Dwayne, or any good back, a seam." There were no seams for Thomas on Saturday. Just Hurricane defenders.

It wasn't like that last week when the Hokies defeated Pitt 63-2 1 Thomas rushed for 1 70 rushing on 1 4 carries against the Panthers. But those weren't the Pitt Panthers wearing Hurricane orange Saturday. "It was a different game," said Thomas, the 1 990 Southwest Florida Player of the Year. "The game was up-tempo. They might be the best in the nation." And Thomas' old Pop Warner pal, Jammi German, is no part of that program.

The next four seasons should be great fun. For German. And for Hurricane fans. Glenn Miller is a News-Press staff writer. MARC BEAUOINNews-Press photos HARD WORK: Bishop Verot High School graduate Dwayne Thomas gained 41 yards for Virginia Tech against Miami.

1 By MIKELOPRESTI Gannett News Service CHAPEL HILL, N.C. The first half Saturday night kept the ESPN audience interested. The second half was business as usual for Florida State. Tested for the first time this season for 30 minutes, anyway the top-ranked Seminoles strangled North Carolina with defense in the second half to whip the No. 13 Tar Heels 33-7 and roll on down the road toward Miami.

Charlie Ward's passing (27-for-41, 303 yards, two touchdowns) and linebacker Derrick Brooks' third return for a touchdown this season led the charge as the Seminoles marched to 4-0, by a combined score of 177-14. Next comes an open week, then Georgia Tech, and then Miami in Tallahassee on Oct. 9, when things get truly serious. Saturday was supposed to be the Seminoles' first stiff challenge. It was for a while.

Trailing 7-0 in the first period, clinging to a 10-7 lead at halftime, the Seminoles had been introduced to a close game. The composite halftime score of their first three joyrides had been 73-0. One half was apparently enough fun, however. Eleven minutes into the third period it was 27-7 Florida State. The Tar Heels' first three plays of the second half all lost yardage.

Their first five possessions of the second half netted 16 total yards. Yep, same old Florida State. When it was over the Seminoles had little to regret, save maybe committing four turnovers and Scott Bentley's sixth missed PAT kick of the year. But Florida State's third-period explosion was decisive and deadly. First it was Ward passing 33 yards to Kevin Knox for a touchdown and 1 7-7 lead.

Then it was Bentley's 21 -yard field goal making it 20-7. Finally it was Brooks stepping in front of a hurried Mike Thomas pass and taking it back 49 yards for a touchdown and a 27-7 gap. In one of the nation's more novel scoring races, linebacker Brooks has scored three touchdowns this year, Florida State's four opponents have scored two. William Floyd's 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth period padded the lead. NOTRE DAME ROLLS I Kevin McDougal threw two touchdown passes and freshman Randy Kinder rushed for 94 yards as No.

4-ranked Notre Dame whipped Michigan State 36-14 at South Bend, Ind. McDougal completed 17 of 23 passes for 185 yards. The Irish haven't lost to Michigan State since 1986. I Story 4B MIAMI STIFLES VA. TECH I Frank Costa threw for 265 yards and the Miami Hurricanes forced five turnovers Saturday In a 21-2 victory over Virginia Tech at the Orange Bowl.

Costa threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to A.C. Tellison, and Larry Jones and Derrick Harris scored on 1-yard plunges. I Story 3B SATURDAY'S SCORES (1) Florida State 33, (13) N. Carolina 7 (14) Penn state 31, Iowa 0 (2) Alabama 43, Arkansas 3 Arizona 16, Illinois 14 (3) Miami 21, Virginia Tech 2 (16) Texas 73, Missouri 0 (4) Notre Dame 36, Michigan State 14 19) BYU 27, Colorado State 22 (9) Florida 41, (5) Tennessee 34 (2 1) California 58, Temple 0 (6) Syracuse 21, Texas 21 Northwestern 22, (22) Boston Coll.21 (7) Colorado at (20) Stanford Louisville 35, (23) Arizona State 17 (8) Nebraska 14, UCLA 13 (24) Wisconsin 28, Iowa State 7 7 DEBUT: Fort Myers High School graduate Jammi German caught three passes for 43 yards for Miami In his first collegiate game. I Roundup 3-5B 1(11) Ohio State 63, Pittsburgh 28 Giants pull within three of Braves Gannett News Service PENNANT RACES AL East NL East TEAM GB TEAM GB Toronto 85 63 Philadelphia 90 58 New York 83 67 3 Montreal 85 63 5 Baltimore 80 67 4V4 HL West AL WeSt TEAM GB TEAM GB Atlanta 94 55 Chicago 83 64 San Fran 91 56 3 Texas 79 68 4 Standings 6B A look at the other pennant races: In the National League East, John Kruk drove in two runs as Philadelphia held off Montreal 5-4 to push its lead over the second-place Expos back to five games.

In the American League East, Toronto and New York to keep the Blue Jays' lead at three games. Toronto downed Minnesota 5-1, while the Yankees rallied past Boston 4-3. In the American League West, Chicago lost to Oakland 3-2 to give Texas a chance to pull within 3Vi games. The Rangers played at California late Saturday night Todd Benzinger hit two home runs and drove in four runs for the Giants. "We need to win 1 2 or 1 3 of the 1 5, apparently," Benzinger said.

"Our job's far from finished. If we don't take care of business on the field, it doesn't matter what the Braves do." The Mets rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the ninth inning to beat the Braves. Pinch hitter Tito Navarro got his first major league hit and RBI off Steve Bedrosian in the 1 0th. "In a nutshell, we need to pick it up bit," Atlanta shortstop Jeff Blauser said. "It's a crime how we lost that game and shouldn't have." The San Francisco Giants finally regained some ground on the streaking Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Atlanta, which had won 30 of its last 36 games, including the last three in its final at-bat, lost 3-2 to the New York Mets in 10 Innings. The Giants cruised past Cincinnati 6-1 for their 10th win in 12 meetings with the Reds this year. Saturday's games left the Giants three games back in the National League West. Atlanta has 13 games remaining; San Francisco 1 5. i.