The Montgomery Advertiser du lieu suivant : Montgomery, Alabama • 31

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER INDIANA STUNS KENTUCKY 4C NFL PREVIEW IOC OUTDOORS 13C Tr SKCTION SUNDAY Dec. 5, 1993 11 MJU Li JLL 6 1TC rn (7 Co? f9 (9. A I Jim Johnston 1 Sports Editor 4t i Alabama runs out of heroes 'if- a 1 1 4 JP IRMINGHAM Alabama needed a hero Saturday. The Crimson Tide 1 I By Tommy Sims ADVERTISER STAFF WRITER TJ i BIRMINGHAM Sometime the best things in life come out 6 the blue. Such was the case for the FIom ida in its 28-13 victory over Ala-j bama in the SEiC Championship Game at Legion Field on Satur-j day.

1 After seeing Alabama come back late in the third quarter to trim their lead to 14-13 on a 26-' yard field goal by Michael Proc-I tor, the Gators could feel the mv mentum shifting in the Crimson Tide's favor. But after Florida picked up a pair of first downs or( its next possession, the Alabama defense had Florida right where it wanted the Gators. An all-out assault on Florida! quarterback Terry Dean resulted in an incomplete pass and the Gators were faced with a fourth-i and-8 from their own 37-yard line. What happened next, none of the 76,345 in attendance saw coming. Florida's Shayne Edge went back to punt, but the kick never came to the waiting David Palmer.

Instead a high snap, along with a strong rush up the middle, convinced Edge that he would never get the kick off. Instead, Edge rambled around right end for 20 yards to give the Gators a first down at the Tide 43. "The fake punt was the biggest thing that turned the game around," Tide linebacker Lemanski Hall said. "We had gotten a big rush on the quarterback and we felt we had the momentum going our way." But Edge's run changed all of that and Florida coach Steve Spurrier figured while he had the Tide defense reeling, the Gators should go for the jugular. On the next play.

Dean dropped back' 1 1f needed a player who could not only break the gloom of the rain and fog at Legion Field, but also one who could break the misery of a season that had begun to mildew and decay. The Tide needed cornerback Antonio Langham, who beat Florida on the same field a year ago with the kind of electrifying interception and return for a touchdown that only he could provide. Instead, Alabama's all-time interception leader was reduced to the role of a cheerleader a day after the NCAA drowned his last hope of regaining his eligibility for his last two college games. The Tide needed Jay Barker, the junior quarterback who came of age this season to provide Alabama an offensive leader. Instead, he was glued to his television at home, resting a rebuilt knee that had been ripped anart against Auburn.

i 1 MARK MILLERSTAFF Florida coach Steve Spurrier Is carried off the field following the Gators' 28-13 victory over Alabama at Legion Field on Saturday. Please turn to GATORS, 8C Auburn celebrates while SEC holds 'consolation game' arch-rival Alabama and bask in the glory of an 11-0 regular season. As tradition dictates, they threw rolls of toilet paper into the trees and toasted their improbable dream season. Any other year, they would also be preparing for the SEC Championship Game, a bowl appearance and a run at the national title. But this, in more ways than one, is not like any other year.

Terry Bowden's Tigers are unbeaten, untied but unable to appear in the post-season because of NCAA probation. So on Saturday, when the SEC brought Alabama and Florida two teams Auburn had defeated in the regular season to Birmingham to decide the "official" conference championship and Sugar Bowl representative, the Tigers stayed home. "It's weird," said placekicker Scott Etheridge. "We feel like we're the champions. We did it on the field.

I'm calling that game the consolation game. "I had about four chances to get tickets and go. I'd rather watch it on TV. I don't need to sit in the rain and watch two teams we beat with two sets of fans that don't like me." Etheridge spoke with no trace of bitter-; ness or anger. It's amazing how much heal-; ing power an 11-0 record contains.

So while the South focused on Birming-! ham. Auburn turned its attention to the annual Christmas parade, complete with Please turn to AUBURN, 11C By Thomas O'Toole SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS WRITER AUBURN The toilet paper still hangs from the trees in downtown Auburn, just across the street from Toomer's Drugs, home of the south's best lemonade and site of every post-game celebration for Auburn University football fans. Two weeks ago, a few thousand people gathered to savor a 22-14 victory over NAVAL NIGHTMARE Washington State, Hendrickson turn back Bama, 76-70 .3 I 1 1 1 1 1 i Needed Stevenson The Tide needed Jon Steven- son, the right guard who had the key to Alabama's running game before his knee huckled and his season ended under a pile of bodies in the Mississippi State game. Instead, he stood helpless on the sidelines supported by crutches and shielded by a huge poncho. Alabama did have David Palmer, the master of all football trades who looks most like a I leisman Trophy winner when he's somehow turning a 10-yard loss into a 2-yard gain.

But Palmer wasn't enough to keep Alabama from losing a 28-13 decision to Florida at Legion Field on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game, Palmer gained 277 yards of all-purpose yardage, but he didn't score a touchdown. Florida didn't allow him to become a hero. Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Oliver also could have been the man of the afternoon as well. He crafted a brilliant scheme to suffocate Florida's passing game. It worked for a half before Alabama's youthful secondary was finally caught and passed by the Gators' corps of speedy, talented receivers.

Alabama needed help from an unexpected source to get to the Sugar Bowl for the second straight season. It needed a hero. He never arrived. Instead, when the final second ticked off the clock, the field was full of Florida heroes exulting in a victory over the defending national champions at their home away from home. Dean filled description Quarterback Terry Dean, the game's most valuable player, filled the description for surviving a disappointing senior season and throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns to help defeat the Tide.

Receiver Willie Jackson could have qualified for coming back after a suspension and burning Alabama for nine catches for 1 14 yards. And even coach Steve Spurrier measured up after finally winning a game on artificial turf and leaving a game at Legion Field victorious after three failed attempts. While the Florida team displayed its SEC championship banner to its fans, Alabama plodded to its locker room. There would be no celebration for the Tide. It was all jut of heroes.

Walter Pitts had II. Both teams suffered from poor outside shooting, with Alabama scoring on six of 26 3-point attempts and Washington State hitting five of 21 attempts. The Crimson Tide picked up six more fouls than the Cougars and gained 14 points at the free-throw line compared to Washington State's 23. In addition, Alabama shot just 38 percent from the field compared to Washington State's 43 percent. The game was played at the Spokane Coliseum rather than at Washington State's Pullman campus.

A capacity crowd of filled the Coliseum, and some 2,000 would-be spectators were turned away. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SPOKANE, Wash. Mark Hendrickson scored 18 points as undefeated Washington State pulled ahead of Alabama early in the second half for a 76-70 victory on Saturday. The teams traded the lead before the Crimson Tide (0-2) took a 33-31 lead at the half. The Cougars (5-0) came back with a 17-3 scoring run to begin the second half that put the game out of reach.

Eddie Hill scored 17 points for Washington State and Fred Ferguson and Isaac Fontaine each added nine. Hendrickson led all players with 1 1 rebounds. Alabama's Marvin Orange led all scorers with 23 points, while Shon Peck-Love scored 16 and frit. "TV ASSOCIATED PRESS Navy's Zach McMechan tries to collect himself after his team missed an 18-yard field goal attempt In the game's final seconds, allowing Army to escape with a 16-14 victory. Story, 6C.

Troy State, Simmons survive shootout with Cowboys outside Woodley Downs Apartments, the senior quarterback was truly the trigger man in leading the Trojans to a 35-28 win over the Cowboys in the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs. The senior quarterback came out on fire and never let up as he completed his first 10 passes of the game. He passed for three touchdowns in the first half and ran for another as the Trojans built a 28-7 lead. His third quarter touchdown run proved to be the difference. He finished the game completing 22 of 32 passes for a career-high 372 yards.

He had 393 yards of total offense. Receivers Orlando Parker and Robert Kilow also had big games for Troy State. Parker caught seven passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns while Kilow had six receptions for 117 yards. Parker, Kilow and Eric Polite all caught key third down conversion passes from Simmons as the Trojans ran out the final 7:19 of the game to secure the victory. "In the second half, we controlled the clock, our defense controlled their offense and we came out on top." Simmons said.

"Give McNeese credit. They came back and fought like champions." Please turn oTROY, 11C By Hunt Archbold ADVERTISER STAFF WRITER LAKE CHARLES, La. Troy State quarterback Kelvin Simmons said he wasn't going to be distracted against McNeese State by his early week arrest in Montgomery and he proved it. Four days after being charged with a misdemtanor for firing a gun into the air;.