The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 33

1 Do you have a comment? Try our call-in line. Category 9159 1972 Dolphins players remember perfect seasonC-14 Patriots vs. Bucs 1 p.m. WESH-Ch. 2 Jaguars vs.

Oilers 1 p.m. (197) 072-75C9 The Orlando Sentinel SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1997 Sports Cross country, C-21 Winter Park High School girls run away with Class 6A regional championship. Scoreboard, C-22. METRO 1 gVttaiiMfe i LET IT yj fi. Orlando V21P -gr cVoi Central Florida 27, Eastern Michigan ,10 1 ASSOCIATED PRESS Topsy-turvy.

Germaine Stringer hauls in an acrobatic reception in front of Terrence Suber to set up Florida State's final touchdown. Seminoles faint Demon Deacons By Alan Schmadtke OF THE SENTINEL STAFF i If i wn-Mi The Knights' defense jammed the Eagles, and their offense was in tune in their homecoming win. By Jerry Greene OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Sing no blues for the University of Central Florida. The postgame concert might have featured Blues Traveler, but it was the Golden Knights football team that excited a homecoming crowd of 39,433 by working in harmony to shut down Eastern Michigan, 27-10, Saturday in the rocking Florida Citrus Bowl. The size of the crowd was second only to UCF's record turnout of 41,827 earlier this season.

The importance of the victory was second to none this year for the Knights (4-6), who had lost their previous two games. "We needed this win for so many reasons," UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper said, "and we got the job done." The game was billed as a showdown between two potent offenses against struggling defenses. However, UCF's defense rose up for one of its best efforts of the year, while the offense proved that "less is more" by scaling down its usual wide-open passing style. Not too much scaling down, however. Culpepper completed 17 of 23 passes for 243 yards with 1 touchdown throw of 7 yards Please see UCF, C-6 wipeout in a home finale at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Swear to Sebastian JanikowskiJ it was every bit as ugly as a 51-point difference suggests, and the victory extended FSlTs NCAA record for 10-win seasons to 11. On a crisp, sun-splashed day before 70,026, the Seminoles pro-': duced exactly the passage they desired between last week's 20-3 win at North Carolina and this week's season-ending rivalry at No. 12 Florida. "We remembered N.C. State," said linebacker Lamont Green, alluding to a lackluster, 48-35 win here two" weeks ago that raised questions about FSlTs killer instinct Please see FSU, C-8 TALLAHASSEE Florida State saw North Carolina State, worked through the complacency, and endured the aftermath.

Determined not to taint another weekend of raised expectations with high-level underachieve ment, the Seminoles simply refueled their national championship chase on Saturday. It was Wake Forest's misfortune to be in the way. The Seminoles, ranked No. 1 in the USA TodayESPN poll and No. 2 in The Associated Press poll, hit Wake Forest with their highest point total of the year in a 58-7 Gators' Taylor delivers,) Gamecocks fall, 48-21 TOM SPITZTHE OHLANUO SENTINEL Camaraderie.

UCF linebacker Emory Green (45) congratulates teammate defensive tackle Scott Dedelow on the sideline as the Knights wrap up their homecoming victory on Saturday. By Chris Harry OF THE SENTINEL STAFF Knights look to Burley in 'must-win' warm-up in front of 80,072 at Williams-Brice Stadium. Junior Jacquez Green had an 86-yard punt return for a score and senior defensive tackle Mike. Moten, out of Daytona Beach Mainland, scooped up a fumble and rumbled 23 yards for another in the Southeastern Conference finale for the Gators (8-2, 6-2). The win was a welcome one for UF, but had to leave Gators every-, where wondering how in the.

name of Danny Wuerffel this team" had to be. We needed it for some of the fans and media to get their heads up again about this program." Indeed, with a loss to Northeast Louisiana in their last start to erase any chance of a winning season, ebbing was some of the momentum gained from all those earlier moral victories against certified big shots. Another huge for UCF crowd COLUMBIA, S.C. University of Florida quarterbacks might be struggling with their passing right now, but at least they haven't forgotten how to hand off. Senior tailback Fred Taylor motored for a career-high 170 yards and three touchdowns and was the ideal complement to a stubborn and opportunistic UF defense, as the 12th-ranked Gators ran away from the South Carolina Gamecocks behind 27 fourth-quarter points en route to 48-21 victory in the event of a loss.

Disbandment? Extra study hall? Another road game to Nebraska? Whatever the punishment became moct after the formerly porous Knights' defense held Eastern far below its 32-points-per-game average and the Daunte Cul-pepper-to-Si Burley battery continued to wow the customers and critics for enough offense to make it a happy homecoming. "Must win?" coach Gene McDowell repeated the question; "It The Central Florida Knights proved to be a worthy warm-up act for something called Blues Traveler on a delightful Saturday in the Citrus Bowl. For their part on the program in the UCF homecoming-football game-fireworks spectacular-rock concert, the Knights earned two thumbs up for a solid 27-10 conquest over high-octane Eastern Michigan. Everyone connected with the team was calling it a "must win," though no one mentioned the consequences this one-dimensional, running Florida football team has any THE SPORTS COLUMN Please see GATORS, C-10 Please see GUEST, C-6 Hustling Magic dazzle Wizards Back-in-pack Gordon still 'ahead' of Jarrett, Martin 1 By LC Johnson OF THE SENTINEL STAFF 1,5. Sr; LANDOVER, Md.

The Magic and Wizards are developing quite a rivalry. It started to take shape last season when they battled for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots and carried over to Saturday night's meeting at USAir Arena. It didn't matter that the season was more than 70 games away Next opponent: Los Angeles Clippers at Orlando Arena 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Sunshine 1995, he became the second-youngest Winston Cup champion at 24. This year, he won 10 races and has finished in the top 10 in 23 of his 32 starts.

But all those wins and strong finishes may not help Gordon today because he has to make up at least 19 places in order to win the title. If he fails to move up to 18th position, Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin will have a chance at the championship. Jarrett is just 77 points behind Gordon, who leads the points race for the championship with 4,598 points, while Martin is just 87 points back. Jarrett and Martin have an advantage now that Gordon will start at the back of the 43-car pack. Jarrett qualified third by going 195.115 mph and Martin finished ninth at 194.077 mph.

They still, however, are wary of what Gordon can do. "I don't feel better about my chances just because Jeff had a bad day in qualifying," said Martin, who lives in Daytona Beach. "Just because he had one bad day doesn't mean the next day won't be golden for him." No one really knows who will have a golden day today when the finale of the Winston Cup racing series begins at 12:30 p.m. Rainy weather cut practice short Saturday afternoon and most drivers fit in less than Please see NASCAR, C-22 Jeff Gordon only needs to finish 18th in today's Winston Cup finale to take the points championship. By Juliet Macur OF THE SENTINEL STAFF HAMPTON, Ga.

Roaring down pit road Saturday morning, Jeff Gordon made a mistake that may have cost him the NASCAR Winston Cup championship. While scuffing his tires during practice for today's NAPA 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gordon lost control of his Chevrolet Monte Carlo and slammed into Bobby Hamilton's stopped car on pit road. He exchanged his mangled car for a backup, but finished 37th in qualifying later on in the day. It was the second-worst qualifying performance in his career, "Things couldn't have gone worse for us, but hopefully we can get all of the bad luck out of the way before the race," said Gordon, 26. "But I still feel that we are capable of pulling this thing off.

If anything, when we get down, we get stronger, so maybe this is a wake-up call for us." All Gordon has to do today is finish 18th or better in order to clinch the Winston Cup championship and the $1.5 million prize that goes with it. He's been there before. In Utt-H I WHAT: NASCAR NAPA 500. I WHEN: 12:40 p.m. from reaching the playoffs.

Nor did it matter that four marquee players were absent because of injuries Penny Hardaway (knee), Rony Seikaly (neck), Chris Webber (back spasms) and Juwan Howard (back spasms). All that mattered for Chuck Daly is that he had a handful of players who were determined to do whatever was necessary to beat the Wizards, which the Magic did, 102-91. "I've been around a long time," Daly said, "But that was one of most courageous efforts that I've seen with guys coming off Friday night's win over Denver and guys hanging in there. We didn't shoot it real well 42.5 percent, but we played excellent defense, battled the boards and pretty much led all the way." Bo Outlaw hit all nine of his shots from the field while scoring a team-high 24 points and added a Please see MAGIC, C-17 Not fit. Crew members check out Jeff Gordon's car Saturday in the garage area of Atlanta Motor Speedway after he spun out on pit row and hit another car in practice.

I WHERE: Atlanta Motor Speedway. I BROADCAST: TV ESPN; Radio 102.7 FM (WHKR), 990 AM (WHOP). I POLESITTER: Geoff Bodine. 1 I CHAMPION: Bobby Laborrte. I WINSTON CUP POINTS LEADERS: Jeff Gordon 4,598, Dale Jarrett 4,521, Mark Martin 4,511, 4.

Jeff Burton 4,224, Dale Earnhardt 4,096..