The Montgomery Advertiser from Montgomery, Alabama • 49

Tag Please call 261-1522 or 1-800-488-3579 to report the results of a high school football or basketball game CD) TIL THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Jim Johnston Advertiser Sports Editor M. DO "5 GSrDr Vi '-K Vi' vVr Ml 1 1' 1 I 11 Antonio Langham's 61 -yard interception return for a touchdown sparks Alabama to a 17-0 victory By RAGAN INGRAM Executive Sports Editor BIRMINGHAM An interception, a penalty and a shanked punt. I That combination of three elements gave Alabama its third straight victory over Auburn 17-0 here at Legion Field on Thursday afternoon. Alabama, ranked second nationally, won its 21st straight game to improve to 10-0 for the season. The Crimson Tide, which motored through the Southeastern Conference with an 8-0 record, returns here Dec.

5 to face Florida, 8-2, in the inaugural SEC championship game. The Tide remains alive in the hunt for a national championship. Florida was the last team to beat Alabama. The Gators bombed Alabama 35-0 at Gainesville on Sept. 14, 1991.

A win over the Gators would likely put the Tide in a championship show-: down with Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Auburn ended its season at 5-5-1, the second straight non-winning season in a row. The Tigers also said goodbye to Coach Pat Dye, who resigned Wednesday night after 12 years on the job. A sellout crowd of 83,091 watched Alabama's defense steal the show again. The nation's top-ranked defense surrendered just eight first downs and just 139 yards of offense.

Auburn's only scoring threat on the day resulted in a missed field goal attempt. The first shutout loss in Dye's Auburn coaching career came in his final game. "Obviously, it was another outstanding performance for us, especially in the second half," Alabama coach Gene Stal-lings said. "Defensively, we did an outstanding job keeping them in tow. I thought our line put a lot of pressure on them and we did a good job on coverage.

Offensively, we struggled a little bit." For the game, Auburn had just 20 yards rushing on 28 carries. The Tigers were sacked six times twice by defensive end Eric Curry and once each by defensive ends John Copeland and Will Brown and nose guard Shannon Neither team threw the ball well. Alabama's Jay Barker was 5-of-13 for 63 yards and two interceptions. Auburn's Stan White was 14-of-23 for 119 yards and two interceptions. A scoreless tie in the first half turned into a comfortable Alabama win in the second half.

On Auburn's sixth play of the half, White tried to hit wide receiver Orlando Parker on an down-and-out pattern in, front of the Tigers' bench. But Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham cut in front of Parker, tipping the ball into the air and hauling it in. He returned it 61 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Michael Proctor made it 7-0 with 11:41 left in the third quarter. "I don't have an adjective to describe it," Stallings said.

"It was the biggest 1. tin- Tigers fail to give coach finish BIRMINGHAM Bill Curry was talking about the plight of Tennessee's Johnny Majors, but he also could have been speaking about Pat Dye's final day as Auburn's head coach. "There aren't many happy endings in this business," said Curry, who saw his Alabama coaching career effectively put to an end in Dye's own backyard a.k.a. Jordan-Hare Stadium on Dec. 2, 1989 when the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 30-20.

-The biggest day in Auburn football history seemed centuries removed on Thursday at Legion Field. This time, Dye was caught inside Alabama's picket fence with no friendly, unlocked gates beckoning to him. There was no happy escape and no happy ending for the man who transformed crumbling Auburn into the Southeastern Conference's finest football program in the 1980s. "Serenaded by crowd Moments after taking the field Thursday morning, Dye was serenaded to the chorus of the 1960s hit "Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye" by the partisan Alabama crowd. Then, a horde of photographers and reporters we do bear a striking resemblance to vultures at times surrounded him as he attempted to watch his players warm up for the final time.

Then, Dye's day improved, before it got worse. Unranked and unappreciated Auburn battled second-ranked Alabama to a scoreless tie at halftime, largely on guts and the motivation provided by Dye's resignation announcement Wednesday night. After intermission, the last fumes of the Tigers' emotional fuel evaporated and Auburn was left with the same empty performance it had displayed through most of its frustrating 5-5-1 season. Quarterback Stan White's two interceptions including the pivotal theft and 61-yard return for a touchdown by Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham. Eight penalties for 74 yards.

Dropped passes. Missed opportunities. An exhausted defense. Another galling loss. Dye had seen it all before, and he received no reprieve on his final day on the job.

He and his team absorbed a 17-0 loss to the Crimson Tide, the first shutout experienced by a Dye-coached team in his 12 years at Auburn. "The worst thing was not winning the game for Coach Dye," sophomore wide receiver Thomas Bailey said. "We wanted to get it for him and we couldn't do it. That's hard." It was heartbreaking for Dye, too, but probably not as painful as the experience of prodigal son Eric Ramsey turning on him and refusing to turn back. Nearly continuous smile Yet, Dye put it all behind in his post-game press conference.

He didn't mention Ramsey by name and talked sparingly about the NCAA. He must have been recalling the good times at Auburn the four SEC championships, the 99 wins, the lasting friendships and the players who became success stories because he wore a nearly continuous smile as he faced the media for the final time as a head coach. With sons Pat Jr. and Brett, daughters Missy and Wanda and his wife Sue looking on with tears in their eyes, he didn't dwell on the negative. When asked if he would be happy off the football field, he answered with a typically combative, "Damn right." He also chose to praise Auburn and the way the school handled his exit, from his resignation announcement to his lucrative settlement, which adds up to about $2 million over seven years.

"Auburn University did it right," Dye said. "They gave me security." But the school could not give him what he wanted most a John Wayne like-ride into the fading November sunshine. A man who made himself a sizable part of Auburn football history with his ability to win left Legion Field a loser late Thursday afternoon. A happy ending was nowhere in sight for Pat Dye. 0' fi By MICKEY WELSHStaff Please see TIDE, 8D Related stories, 4-7D Alabama coach Gene Stal lings is given a victory bath by Tide players at game's conclusion Unbeaten Anniston, Generals battle for berth in semis Lee defeated the Bulldogs 41-0 in the opening round of the 6A playoffs last season 1 I i i a i i i i i- i i SurrftaiEm rraBBies i Alabama Stiate Fayetteville State coach Jerome Harper was incensed by the officiating By KELVIN SIMS I Staff Writer The pupil came close to the master but not quite close enough.

Fayetteville State head coach Jerome Harper, who was an assistant coach at Alabama State for 13 years before taking the Bronco job early this year, brought his team here intent on showing Hornets head coach Houston Markham that he, Please see SURTAIN, 80 By TIM GAYLE Staff Writer While the Robert E. Lee Generals consider themselves fortunate to still be in the championship hunt, the unbeaten Anniston Bulldogs return to Cramton Bowl trying to forget a 41-0 embarrassment at the hands of the Generals in the first round of the 1991 state playoffs. Lee, 10-1, plays host to Anniston, 12-0, in the 6A quarterfinals tonight at Cramton Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7:30. While Anniston has posted shutouts over Sidney Lanier and By MARK MILLERStatt Alabama State's Horace Brooks (4) is unable to make catch in traffic Please see GENERALS, 80 itM -da 1 1 -1 i hi il iiVi'linr 4 tl I J' Nebraska will try to move one step closer to an Orange Bowl berth when It visits Oklahoma today at 12:30 p.m.

on ABC. Nebraska enters the game 7-2 overall and 4-1 In the Big Eight, while Oklahoma Is 5-3-2 and 3-1-2. The New York Giants found out you can slop Emmlfl Smith early but you can't hold him down tor 60 minutes. Smith, smothered by an eight-man front in the lirst hall, scored two touchdowns in a span ol 2:50 in the third quarter on Thursday and Dallas rolled to a 30-3 victory over the Giants. Story, 3D.

AHSAA Quarterfinals Continued CLASS 4A Pike County (6-5) at Dalevllle (12-0) Dadeville (10-2) at Handley (10-2) Munlord (11-1) at Fayette County (10-2) Hokes Bluff (10-1) at Sheffield (9-3) CLASS 5A Blount (10-1) at Williamson (10-1) Smiths Station (6-5) at Valley (7-5) Gadsden (8-2) at Etowah (10-1) Athens (11-1) at Russellville (11-0) CLASS 6A Vigor (9-2) at Enterprise (9-3) Anniston (12-0) at Robert E. Lee (10-1) Centrai-Tuscaloosa (8-2-1) at Jess Lanier (10-2) Hewltt-Trussvllle (10-2) at Decatur (10-2) Marshall Faulk participated in 8-IO-10 plays In practice Thursday, and San Diego State coach Al Luglnbill said he'd wait until warmups Saturday to decide whether the running back would play against Miami. Luginblll said Faulk must be at 100 percent in order to play against the top-ranked Hurricanes. The Aztecs (5-4-1) won't practice today, but trainer Brian Barry will run Faulk through a workout. "He was at about 75 to 80 percent," San Diego State spokesman John Rosenthel said.

"We're encouraged by the fact that after he ran Wednesday for the first time, there wasn't a regression. He seemed to leel better today than yesterday." Faulk sprained his right knee in a 45-41 loss to Fresno State last Saturday. AHSAA Quarterfinals CLASS A Frisco City (12-0) at CoHeevllle (11-1) Marbury (8-4) at Billingsley (12-0) Brilliant (11-1) at Parrish (10-2) Cedar Bluff (9-3) at Courtland (7-1) CLASS 2A Leroy (9-3) at Geneva County (11-1) Trinity (9-3) at Reeltown (10-2) Clay Co. (9-3) at Randolph County (10-0) Lexington (10-2) at Hazlewood (10-2) CLASS 3A Southern Choctaw (10-1) at Elba (10-1) West Blocton (12-0) at Ashvllle (11-1) Allcevllle (9-3) at Lamar County (11-0) Central-Florence (7-5) at Colbert County (6-6) i 7. IS Louisiana State visits Arkansas In an SEC batlls at 3 p.m.

on ESPN. Listings, 2D. Lorenzo White's 8-yard touchdown run with 1:17 remaining lifted the Oilers to a 24-21 victory over the Lions. Story, 3D..