Longview News-Journal from Longview, Texas • Page 26

College football 4B Sunday, October 12, 1997, Longview News-Journal SFA rolls past Jacksonville State in SFL opener, 41-15 r. IS i i i S- 1 jl il. a 1 1 'i 1 1 XT il 1 I JV 1 TIT 3 1 KUn 4-U4- i-i-v Uwnnlr like that to break "We needed a game first down until the 4:45 mark in the sec By Kevin Gore something to build on as it plays tougher Near the end of the game, players were loose," SFA coach John Pearce said. "I thought our tailbacks are the best, depth-wise, that we've had here. I think they proved that today." The defense continued to prove it can bodyslam an opponent and control the tempo of the game.

It held a team that was averaging 381 yards a game to 246 yards. SFA was relentless in pressuring Gamecock quarterback Montressa Kirby with a variety of blitz packages. Early in the game, Kirby was forced from the pocket and threw on the run, most of them lob passes to the flat. When the receivers caught the passes, they were quickly tackled by SFA's pursuit. running 40-yard dashes virtually untouched through the Gamecocks' beleaguered defense.

"It was great," said SFA quarterback Peyton Jones. "It opened up everything else. We were able to throw the ball. "We moved the ball well overall. All we needed was confidence.

Our offensive line manhandled them today." SFA linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was happy to see the offense ninning up and down the field against a team. SFA gained 271 yards rushing in the second half. "They looked good, real good," he said. "They made some adjustments at half-time, and really picked it up in the second half." ond quarter. SFA's offense added to Jacksonville's frustration.

The Lumberjacks struck for a 55-yard pass play in the first quarter and two second-quarter field goals to take a 13-0 lead, then wore down the Gamecocks with a potent running attack. The Lumberjacks, averaging 124 yards rushing through four games, gouged the Gamecocks for 434 yards of SFA's 602 total yards. Jacksonville will never be confused with being a great or even a good defense it was ranked seventh in the SFL entering the game. But the way the Lumberjacks manhandled the Gamecocks was impressive and gives the running game Cox East Texas NACOGDOCHES The No. 13 Stephen F.

Austin Lumberjacks didn't have to rely on old reliable to win its Southland Football League opener Saturday. The defense got some welcome help from the offense, specifically the running game, in the Lumberjacks' 41-15 domination of Jacksonville State at Homer Bryce Stadium. SFA set the tone early on defense by blitzing the Gamecocks and creating havoc for Jacksonville's highly touted passing attack. Jacksonville managed 12 yards on its first three possessions and didn't make a defenses the weeks to come. SFA plays at Troy State and hosts McNeese State in the next two weekends.

Both teams allow under 100 yards rushing per game. SFA's rushing game was one by committee. Six different players had more than 30 yards rushing, led by junior Pat House's 115 yards on 19 carries. Freshman Deer Blaylock added 81 yards on five carries, including a 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Sophomore KaRon Coleman gained 78 yards on 11 carries and scored on a 2-yard run.

Isiah Stoker gained 59 yards on just three carries and scored on runs of 20 and 39 yards in SFA's 22-point fourth quarter. Blocked PAT gives SMU win over Utah Texas overwhelms Iowa State fir J- 9' SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Luke Johnson blocked Tommy Truhe's point-after attempt early in the fourth quarter to save Southern Methodist's 20-19 victory over Utah on Saturday. Juan Johnson's 12-yard touchdown run with 11:05 left in the game had drawn Utah within a single point, but SMU's Johnson burst through the middle of the line to knock down the kick. Kicker Roy Rios had given SMU (24, 1-2 Western Athletic Conference) a 20-13 lead with a 30-yard field goal with 14:05 remaining in the game. Utah (3-3, 2-2) responded with a seven-play, 80-yard march to close to set up the Truhe's critical kick.

Neither team was able to generate much offense thereafter. Ramon Flanigan, who passed for 59 yards and rushed for 71 more, became Southern Methodist's all-time total offense leader. He now has 6,943 yards, surpassing Chuck Hixson, who compiled 6,884 from 1968-1970. Flanigan scored one of SMU's touchdowns on a one-yard run. Kelsey Adams rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown for SMU.

Juan Johnson had 112 yards and two scores for Utah. The first half of the game was played in rain and snow. The skies cleared at halftime and the sun peaked out of the clouds briefly. Southern Methodist dominated most of the first half, both offensively and defensively. The SMU offense accounted for 172 total yards and got touchdown runs of 28 yards from Adams and Flanigan's one-yard plunge with 9:49 left in the second quarter for a 17-0 SMU lead.

The Mustangs finished with 289 yards. COLLEGE STATION (AP) Sirr Parker scored on an 80-yard run and a 78-yard kickoff return as 15th-ranked Texas overwhelmed winless Iowa State 56-17 Saturday. Texas (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and added three more in the second, building a 42-10 lead and amassing 386 yards in the first half alone. Branndon Stewart combined twice with tight end Derrick Spiller on scoring passes as the Aggies finished with 494 total yards. The Cyclones (0-6, 0-3) got a pair of touchdown passes from Todd Bandhauer in losing their 13th straight game, the longest current losing streak in Division I-A.

After Bandhauer threw a 7-yard TD pass to Tyrone Watley, struck right back when Parker returned the kickoff all the way with 1:42 left in the third period for a 49-17 lead. Parker broke several tackles, then raced down the right sideline for the second kickoff return TD of his career. The Aggies scored on their opening drive when Stewart rolled to his right and threw back across the field to Spiller, who shed one tackier, picked up a block and ran into the end zone from 7 yards out to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead. Parker's first touchdown came after a 45-yard field goal by Iowa State's Jamie Kohl had trimmed lead to 7-3. From his own 20, he burst through a hole on the left side, cut back to his right, got a block from Spiller and raced down the sideline 80 yards to put the Aggies ahead 14-3.

AP photo yard touchdown run during the second Texas Dante Hall prepares to dive over the goal line to finish a 43-quarter of Saturday's game against Iowa State. Notre Dame losing streak ends against Pitt, 45-21 TCU rally falls short toUNLV 9 1 'i Jr '''JL KS, From wire reports PITTSBURGH Allen Rossura scored on a 93-yard kickoff return to start the game and Autry Den-son had two touchdown runs as Notre Dame snapped its longest losing streak in 34 years, beating Pittsburgh 45-21. Denson scored on a 50-yard run only 6V2 minutes after Rossum's touchdown to give Notre Dame (2-4) a 14-0 lead by far, its biggest of the season and jumpstart the Irish's first victory since beating Georgia Tech 17-13 in their opener. EH added 60 yards toward the Miners' rushing total of 305 yards. Tulsa stumbled on the run: just 117 yards.

Kevin Isham came off the bench to lead the team in rushing with 42 yards on six carries. John Fitzgerald threw for 131 yards, completing 11 of 28 attempts for the Golden Hurricane. He left with an injured ankle in the fourth quarter. UTEP scored on its first possession, an 80-yard drive capped by Joseph Polk's 2-yard scramble into the end zone. Arizona State 35, Southern California 7 TEMPE, Ariz.

Arizona State's Ryan Kealy won the battle of young quarterbacks hands down. Kealy, a redshirt freshman who finally looked comfortable as Jake Plummer's successor, threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns as the Sun Devils routed Southern California 35-7. Meanwhile, Trojans sophomore John Fox completed 8-of-23 for 70 yards and one TD with one interception before coach John Robinson replaced him with Mike Van Raaphorst with 1:50 left in the third quarter. Van Raaphorst was 2-of-3 before he was yanked midway through the last quarter and Quincy Woods got his turn. But no one solved Arizona State's defense, which held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter for the fifth time in six games and limited the Trojans (2-3, 1-2 Pac-10) to 11 yards in the third period and 214 for the game.

Arizona State (4-2), at 8-6 the only Pac-10 team with a winning record against the Trojans, ran its conference mark to 2-1. Marlon Farlow had 98 yards in nine carries, 63 on a sprint along the sideline to the USC 16 late in the game, but Arizona State ran out the clock after getting a first down on the 3. Kealy threw for two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion, J.R. Redmond ran 2 yards for a score and Robert Nycz kicked two 34-yard field goals as the Sun Devils built a 28-7 lead 7:36 in the third quarter. Carolina's sleeping offense in a 38-24 victory over Kentucky.

The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) came in with the league's fourth-worst offense, far below the No. 1 Wildcats and star quarterback Tim Couch But Couch, despite throwing two touchdowns, was held to lowest total of the year with 294 yards and couldn't finish off drives the way he did a week ago as the Wildcats (3-3, 1-3) upset Alabama. With Kentucky trailing 24-21, Couch drove the Wildcats to South Carolina's 5 but threw two incom-pletions before Seth Hanson's field goal. After Wright found Jermale Kelly on a 26-yard touchdown the first of two for the pair Couch again got a first down at the 3. However, two more bad throws left it to Hanson, whose 20-yard field goal was blocked by Lee Wiggins, his eighth career block.

Wright, poised and confident, converted three third downs on the killing drive, which ended with another 26-yard score to Kelly. Texas-El Paso 33, Tulsa 18 TULSA, Okla. Texas-El Paso snapped an 11-game losing streak in the Western Athletic Conference by tripping up winless Tulsa 33-18. The Miners (2-4, 1-2) stifled the Tulsa ninning game while amassing 492 total yards of their own. The Miners, who had been averaging 11.4 points per game, scored their most points of the season in the victory.

Tulsa (0-5, 0-2) fell to its worst start since 1957. The Golden Hurricane has not won since playing UTEP last year. UTEP's John Rayborn completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown fling to Jimmy Carpenter with 14:37 left in the game. That quick scoring drive crushed the momentum Tulsa had built 19 seconds earlier on a 1-yard TD run by John Mosley that pulled the Golden Hurricane to a 26-18 deficit. Running backs Joseph Polk and Elzie Johnson led UTEP with 125 and 108 yards apiece.

Paul Smith i LAS VEGAS (AP) Jon Denton threw two first-half touchdown passes and UNLV held off a Texas Christian rally for a 21-19 victory Saturday. TCU (0-5, 0-2 Western Athletic Conference) drove to the Rebels 17 with 37 sec- onds renudning in the game, but Michael Reader's 34-yard field goal attempt' missed to the left. Denton threw TD passes of 1 and 28 yards to Todd Floyd and 17-of-36 for 246 yards. Jeff Dover, who led the Horned Frogs on their final drive, was 17-of-30 passes for 188 yards. LaDainian Tomlinson also rushed for two touchdowns.

The Horned Frogs closed within two points of (3-3, 2-1) on an 8-yard run by Tomlinson with 3:41 left in the third quarter. The Rebels struck first in the game, with Denton hitting Floyd with the 1-yard scoring pass with 2:06 left in the opening quarter. A minute later, the Rebels scored again after TCU mishandled the ensuing kickoff was pinned back to its 2. Defensive back Amar. Brisco's 5-yard interception return gave UNLV a 14-0 lead.

TCU cut its deficit to 14-6 on Basil Mitchell's 2-yard run with 13:21 left in the first half. Reeder missed the extra point, his first after 79 consecutive conversions. The Rebels took advantage of a fumble recovery by James Wofford to score on the next play from scrimmage on Denton's 28-yard pass to Floyd to lead 21-6 with 4:13 left in the half. AP photo UTEP running back Joseph Polk dives over a Tulsa defender during Saturday's Western Athletic Conference game. The four-game losing streak under new coach Bob Davie was the school's longest since a season-ending five-game streak under interim coach Hugh Devore in 1963.

By winning, Notre Dame avoided its first 1-5 start since 1960. Pittsburgh (3-3) owns more victories against the Irish than all but three opponents, but the Panthers (3-3) have lost eight in a row in the series since last winning in 1987. The Panthers have been outscored 243-55 over the last five meetings. Davie, who had retooled Notre Dame's offense to feature the passing of senior Ron Powlus, virtually abandoned the pass early in the game to re-establish a running game that averaged 269.5 yards last season. Before Saturday, the Irish were averaging only 129.8 rushing yards, but they started one series by running on nine of the first 10 plays.

The strategy couldn't have worked much better as Denson (19 carries for 128 yards) and senior Clement Stokes (15 for 109), who had gained only one yard all season, helped the Fighting Irish out-rush Pittsburgh 317-133. Wisconsin 31, Illinois 7 MADISON, Wis. Even on a bum ankle, Ron Dayne bullied his way over winless Illinois for 207 yards and two touchdowns as Wisconsin extended its winning streak to six games with a 31-7 rout. Dayne, who needed a walking boot for his swollen left ankle last week, scored on a 1-yard run and a 66-yard scamper at rain-drenched Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who needed last-second kicks the last two weeks to escape with one-point victories over Indiana and Northwestern, put this one away After the Dlini (0-6, 0-3) pulled to score that made it 28-7 and deflated Illinois' hopes that this week would be different from the previous three, when the Dlini lost to Washington State, Iowa and Penn State, all ranked teams.

Illinois, under first-year coach Ron Turner, has lost 12 straight overall, the second-longest skid in school history. The mini's last victory was a 46-43 double overtime win against Indiana on Oct. 5, 1996. The longest losing streak in school history is 15 games from 1960-62. South Carolina 38, Kentucky 24 S.C.

Anthony Wright threw for three touchdowns and woke up South 14-7 on sophomore Steve Havard's 17-yard run 2:12 before halftime, the Badgers quickly retaliated. Mike Samuel drove Wisconsin 80 yards in 11 plays, the payoff coming on a 10-yard fade pass to Donald Hayes for a 21-7 halftime lead. On the fourth play of the second half, Dayne, who carried 28 times, raced untouched 66 yards for the i.