The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 39

WINTER LEAGUE BASEBALL NFL TODAYCOVERAGE, C-12, C-13 ICE HOCKEY Puerto Rico's Winter League baseball history is rich in cliff-hangers and characters such as Santurce Crabbers founder Pedrin Zorrilla and a bright, Orlando Solar Bears flex home-ice muscle in 3-2 victory over De- trnit Vinorc is young prospect named Roberto Clemente (right). Story, C-1 6. Jags-Bengals Bucs-Bears Saints-Dolphins 1:01 p.m. CBS (WKMG-Ch. 6) 1:01 p.m.

Fox (WOFL-Ch. 35) 4:15 p.m. Fox (WOFL-Ch. 35) The Orlando Sentinel SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1998 Golf, C-3 Defending Skins Game champion Tom Lehman goes on birdie binge, wins 5 skins and $1 50,000. College basketball, C-10, C-1 1 METRO o) lit II I SJJ IU1 UUL i i Micron may call this week Speedy wide receiver 4 Peter Warrick may not stop until the Seminoles reach New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl.

Kruczek has high hopes Rookie Head Coach Mike Kruczek won yet another game Saturday. In his den. Wearing an old pair of sweats and hacking with a cold. Kruczek "coached" Penn State to a convincing triumph over Michigan State. Made it look easy, in fact.

You know, of course, that Mike doesn't By Jerry Greene 1 A OF THE SENTINEL STAFF i 4 VV. I I WW' 1 Central Florida and breakaway threat really coach at Penn State, but a victory by the Nittany Lions was the singular best thing that could happen Saturday to postseason bowl chanc Siaha Burley are thinking big about the Micron PC Bowl in Miami. A- THE SPORTS COLUMN look at the bowls picture 1' v' If the University of Central Florida Golden Knights do go to the Micron PC Bowl on Dec. 29, expenses for the trip went up slightly Saturday. UCF Athletic Director Steve Sloan can't forget a nice gift for Penn State Coach Joe Paterno.

Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions did an enormous favor for the Knights by beating Michigan State, 51-28. If the Spartans (6-6) had won, they might have re- ceived an automatic berth in the Micron PC Bowl as a Big Ten representative. But the loss makes Michigan State ineligible for any bowl and means the Big Ten cannot provide a team to the Micron toi face North Carolina State (7-4). The Knights are waiting by the phone for the bowl's at-large berth, But it appears no call will come before Monday, if then. "Certainly Central Florida is very high on our list, and our list is a great deal shorter," said the Micron's Mike Cochran, "but I think we're probably still a few days away from inviting a team." UCF's chances are excellent with the Micron, formerly the Car-quest Bowl, which is played at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, the home of the Dolphins.

And that might not be UCF's only chance. I "I think we're in the Aloha Hawaii bowls picture as well," Sloan said. "We're going to have to see how it all plays out." The situation in Honolulu is complex. On Dec. 25, the Aloha Bowl starts at 3:30 p.m.

(Orlando time), followed by the O'ahu Bowl on the same field at 8:30. The two bowls have three of their four teams Colorado, Washington and Air Force but are still looking for a fourth. Miami, after its 66-13 loss to Syracuse, is out of the Bowl Championship Series picture and could go to Hawaii or could slide to the Micron PC Bowl. Does the Micron wait until after Miami ends its season against UCLA next Saturday before Please see BOWLS, C-4 CENTRAL FLORIDA FLORIDA MIAMI BETHUNE-COOKMAN It's a done deal. Coach Alvin Wyatt's Wildcats will play Southern in the Heritage Bowl, which is being billed as the Super Bowl of Black College Football.

es for his UCF Golden Knights. A Penn State win would render Michigan State ineligible for the Micron PC Bowl down at The Stadium Formerly Known As Joe Robbie. Or any bowl, fof that matter, thus eliminating another team in competition with UCF for one of the few remaining rungs down among what some consider the dregs of holiday games. To the Knights, any one of them would be Nirvana. I had dropped by expecting to see Mike pacing the floor or whispering secret plays to Joe Paterno to help dispose of the Spartans.

Might even snigger to see Mike throw a pillow at the TV set if the refs made a call in Michigan State's favor. Alas, Kruczek was a model of poise there in the pleasant, but unpretentious, home where he has lived ever since coming to UCF in 1985. In fact, by the time I arrived, Penn State held a comfortable, 48-14 lead and any possibility of drama had evaporated. "Heck, even I could coach 'em home with a 34-point lead," I declared. Mike was polite enough not to suggest otherwise.

Krooze had personal history on his side. He knows all too well just how tough Paterno's Nitta-nys can be late in the season. As a sophomore at Boston College, Please see GUEST, C-9 FLORIDA STATE The Seminoles can reach the Fiesta Bowl, but only if 2 of 3 teams (Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas State) lose this week. More likely is the Sugar Bowl or Orange Bowl. With the Big East title lost and Notre Dame going to the Gator Bowl, the Hurricanes will go to the lnsight.com Bowl in Tucson, or the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii.

It's still a waiting game for the Golden Knights. Their best chance is Miami's Micron PC Bowl, which gained an at-large berth after Michigan State lost Also, don't rule out a trip to Hawaii for a bowl there. Miami's loss on Saturday hurt UF's chances at an Orange Bowl bid, but never underestimate the Gators' drawing power or the Orange Bowl's interest in them. Otherwise, the Gators are Citrus Bowl-bound. CITRUS BOWL FIESTA BOWL Orlando's New Year's Day game will wait until the Bowl Championship Series Until further notice, the title game for the Bowl Championship Series remains Ten bowls (Rose, Orange and Sugar) make their picks on Dec.

6 specifically, whether Florida and Ohio State are left on the board. Florida- nessee vs. UCLA, the top 2 teams in the BCS standings. The Volunteers (vs. Mississippi State in the SEC Championship Game) and Bruins (at Miami) seemingly can clinch matters with victories this week.

Ohio State is 1 possibility. Georgia and Michigan are still viable options. TEXT BY ALAN SCHMADTKE OF THE SENTINEL STAFFCOMPLETE BOWL GLANCE, C-4 If Ouch! 'Canes lose strength in 66-13 loss Syracuse put away the game early, costing Miami the Big East title, a shot at a major bowl game and a chance to prove itself. By Chris Perkins FAMU posts 1st playoff win in 20 seasons The high-scoring Florida offense wasn't, but the defense was equal to the task, leading the Rattlers to a 27-17 victory over Troy State. By Paul Rothman SPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL MIAMI BUREAU SYRACUSE, N.Y.

To say Syracuse's 66-13 beating of the University of Miami was the Hurricanes' worst loss since 1944 doesn't do justice to the magnitude of the defeat. Saturday was supposed to be a day when the 19th-ranked Hurricanes (7-3, 5-2 Big East) were go-in tn mnlrp thpir statpmpnt. in the rnllppp fnnthall ASSOCIATED PRESS Getting after him. FAMU defenders cause Troy State quarterback Brock Nutter to fumble. tion in the end zone, which might have set the defensive tone for the game.

Bonner, who came in with 38 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions, threw two picks on the day one stopping the initial drive and one that was run back for a touchdown by Troy State defen- sive back Julius Terrell. He threw for only 223 yards after averaging 325 ASSOCIATED PBESS Seeing orange. Miami QB Scott Covington can't watch anymore after leaving in 3rd quarter. With all that riding on the game, UM put on possibly its worst performance ever. "We just got taken behind the woodshed and slapped around real well," UM quarterback Scott Covington said.

i Said UM defensive end Quincy Hipps: "We didn't come to play. There's no way in the world we could have come to play to get beat that bad. I know we're Please see 'CANES, C-6 TALLAHASSEE Florida came into its first-round playoff game against Troy State with the best offense in Division I-AA, averaging 49 points and 535 yards per game. Saturday's contest belonged to the Rattlers' defense, however, as FAMU advanced to the second round of the playoffs with its first playoff victory since 1978 a 27-17 win over the Trojans in front of 16,509 fans at Bragg Stadium. From the onset, it looked as though FAMtTs offense would rule the day.

Senior quarterback Pat Bonner led the Rattlers on a six-play drive to the Trojans' 7-yard line, but Bonner threw an intercep- world. I The conference title was on the line. jj A berth in a Bowl Championship Series game, probably the Orange or Sugar bowls, was on the line. The miracle turnaround from last year disappointing 5-6 season was on the line. Please see FAMU, C-8.