The Montgomery Advertiser from Montgomery, Alabama • 19

KF rnTTJSr Mil iw re Have a suggestion or a story idea? Call sports editor Jim Johnston at 261-1522 SUNDAY MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA UQ'u'K Jim -r rx i Johnston Advertiser Scott Etheridge boots five field goals for the Tigers bports Editor By KATHY LUMPKIN Stall Writer Tigers deliver for their coach AUBURN Louisiana State and Auburn haven't played football against i each other very often. The two South- eastern Conference powers have battled only 26 times since the schools began I playing the game. But when the Tigers get together, two AUBURN Lightning isn't supposed to strike twice. But it came ever so close Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium. For the second straight week, the Louisiana State Tigers staged a fourth-quarter rally.

While the late 24-point surge was enough a week ago against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, their 21-point effort fell a bit short the second time around, thanks to some late heroics by the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers proved they possessed some fourth-quarter magic of their own, using a 43-yard Scott Etheridge field goal with eight seconds left to snatch a 30-28 victory from LSU. "What more can you ask for," said fullback Reid McMilion. "This is what you play for, a game like that when you things are almost guaranteed: The game will be decided in the fourth quarter come back and win. However, few of the 76,637 fans in --wtv I i I rj iyj- V.

attendance ever would have guessed the Tigers would need that last-second field goal to wrap up their first Southeastern Conference victory of the season. Auburn improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the league. But LSU's fourth-quarter surge took care of that. "LSU did what they had to to get back in the ballgame," said Auburn head coach Pat Dye. "We were fairly conservative and they came back quickly." Quickly might be the best word to describe the LSU turnaround as the Bengal Tigers, 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC, put 21 points on the scoreboard in a little more than nine minutes to take a 28-27 lead.

"It was a great comeback," said LSU head coach Curley Hallman. "We did not anticipate falling that far behind that early in the game. The loss was the most disappointing. All losses are tough, but I thought we had it. I thought we could win it." And the Bengal Tigers almost did win it, thanks to freshman quarterback Jamie Howard, who directed all three fourth-quarter touchdown drives.

Howard, the third of the three quarterbacks used by LSU, completed 8-of-18 passes for 151 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. "I've never seen Howard before in my life," Dye said. "But I think he throws it where he wants to throw it, and that's to ana the stakes will be enormous. I A botched extra-point doomed LAuburn to a 21-20 loss in 1969 and knocked the Tigers out of the SEC title i chase. In 1988, Tom Hodson and Eddie Fuller hooked up on a fourth-quarter 'touchdown pass to beat Auburn and deny Pat Dye's best team a national championship.

On Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, $iere were no national titles or conference championships at risk. It still may Jiave been the most important game ever played between the two teams. When Auburn placekicker Scott Etheridge stepped up to decide the day's winner with his 43-yard field goal, -jthe future of the Dye Era may have hung in the balance. A miss with eight seconds left would jrase all of the progress Auburn had jnade since an embarrassing 45-21 loss Ole Miss two weeks ago. It would have made the 76,637 fans gathered at Jordan-Hare Stadium forget they had just witnessed Auburn's best football performance since a 33-10 whipping of Georgia on Nov.

17, 1990. A miss would have hidden Dye's four SEC championships in a steamy 'afternoon of disappointment. Then, Etheridge, who would easily jjass for a junior high placekicker, planted his right foot into the ball. And when it split the uprights, giving Auburn a 30-28 win, you could hear new life being breathed into Tiger football. Big, big win' "It was a big, big win," acknowledged a sweat-drenched Dye.

"It was as well as we've played around here in a long, long time." He was right. Forget about LSU's determined fourth-quarter charge. Forget about what might have happened if Etheridge hadn't nailed the field goal like he was kicking by himself on the practice field. Curley Hallman's team didn't win oni Saturday. Auburn did and the Tigers did it with substance.

For most of the game, Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage, running for 158 yards on LSU and holding the Bengals to 92 on the ground. The Auburn By JAY SAILORSStaff Please see KICK, 14B Auburn placekicker Etheridge celebrates 49-yard third-quarter field goal with holder Clay Helton, left 6T fiP cNair ends JISU streak at 20 games Hornets struggle with quarterback dilemma By BRIAN BOURKE Stall Writer -i rui offensive line didn't allow a single sack and were at their best on the game-winning drive. Quarterback Stan White's statistics weren't eye-popping, but his poise and confidence on the field were. If you look at the statistics, you observe he completed 15 of 31 passes for 133 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. If you watched the game's key plays, you saw something different.

Just before halftime, on first down and 10 from the LSU 28, White found himself staring into the facemask "of blitzing linebacker David Walkup. Last season, White might have taken a sack or thrown an interception. On Saturday, he waited for his intended receiver, Fred Baxter, to clear a defender before i' A l. I s. he released the football.

White took a vicious hit from Walkup, but drilled Baxter with a 15-yard completion to set up an Etheridge field goal. New confidence It was a perfect example of new confidence and improvement in the Tieers. There were many others, which LORMAN, Miss. There was too much Steve McNair and not enough Alabama State here Saturday as Alcorn State blasted the Hornets 32-7 in a key Southwestern Athletic Conference game. McNair, Alcorn State's outstanding sophomore quarterback, demolished the Alabama State defense, hitting 23 of 33 passes for 341 yards and two touch-, downs as the Braves ended the Hornets' 20-game unbeaten streak before a crowd of 17,560 in the first game ever at Jack Spinks Stadium.

It was the Hornets' first loss since falling 23-22 to Texas Southern on Sept. 22; 1990 at Cramton Bowl. The Hornets were 19-0-1 in their last 20 games going into Saturday's showdown. Alabama State dropped to 1-1, with both its games in SWAC play, while Alcorn State improved to 2-0. In addition to his passing, McNair rushed nine times for 30 yards as the defending SWAC champion Hornets hit the deck hard.

"It was the same defense we faced last year," said McNair, referring to an 18-13 Hornet win over the Braves last season. "We just had a good game plan. We worked real hard to prepare for this game. I didn't think it would be that Please see STREAK, 14B Jay Barker's ankle injury is not believed to be serious By RAGAN INGRAM Executive Sports Editor LITTLE ROCK, Ark. This game was supposed to be a measuring stick for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

They wanted to see how they stacked up against one of the Southeastern Conference's best. Alabama took the stick and bludgeoned the Hogs 38-11 before a record crowd of 55,912 here Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium. It was Alabama's 13th straight victory and its eighth straight in the league. With the win, Alabama asserted itself in the SEC's Western Division race. The ninth-ranked Crimson Tide improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.

Arkansas fell to 1-2 overall, 1-1 in the league. Alabama is the lone unbeaten team in the division. There is a four-way tie for second at 1-1 between Arkansas, Auburn, Louisiana State and Ole Miss. Mississippi State is 0-1. For two games, Alabama won with de- fense.

But it was the total package that did in Arkansas, in its second game un- Please see 'BAMA, 14B is why Auburn earned a victory in al game it easily could have lost. The tim Wl ing couldn have Deen oeuer lor uye. "I still had confidence I could turn this around, communicate with young people and teach them the things they needed to learn," Dye said. Not everyone shared his confidence. '4 y.

His critics needed concrete evidence of Auburn's ability to win under the man who had made the Tigers the SEC's team of the 1980s. They got it from a skinny, cherub-faced placekicker and his determined teammates on Saturday. By PAIHICIA MIKLIKSUIt Jeff Torrance, top, Sam Shade celebrate an Alabama touchdown 1 1 1 AP Top 29 Scores Continued) (24) Mississippi State 20 Memphis State 16 Vanderbllt 31 (25) Mississippi 9 Other Scores of Interest Auburn 30 Alcorn State 32 Troy State 20 State 28 Alabama State 7 Florida 16 Florida coach Steve Spurrier and his Gators, the defending league champions, were dealt a convincing 31-14 loss by Tennessee at Knoxvllle's Neyland Stadium. The Tennessee win Saturday lilted the Vols Into first In the SEC's Eastern Division. Story! BB.

Jerry Glanvllle'S freewheeling Atlanta Falcons do battle with their NFC West adversaries the New Orleans Saints today at noon on WAKA. Both teams are 1-1 and seeking a victory to get them rolling In the right direction. Lane 6 A high school football official died after an apparent heart attack during a game. Deve McCormick of Fallon, died late Friday night at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center. A hospital spokeswomen said McCormick arrived In the emergency room In critical condition.

His age was not Immediately available. McCormick collapsed shortly after covering an 80-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of the Erko-McQueen game at McQueen. He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation by trainers on the IteM and electric shock by paramedics when Miey arrived. "You think that football's the most Important thing In your life until a tragedy like this occurs, McQueen coach Ken Dalton said. "Reality sets In In a hurry.

26 Livingston State 42 AP Top 25 Score (1) Miaml38 (2) Washington 29 (3) Florida State 34 (14) Tennessee 31 (5) Texas ASM 26 (6) Michigan 35 (7) Notre Dame 52 (8) Syracuse 35 (9) Alabama 38 (10) Penn State 52 (11) Colorado 21 Southern Cal 20 (15) UCLA 17 (18) Stanlord 35 (19) Georgia 58 (20) Virginia 55 Florida 0 (12) Nebraska 14 State 13 (4) Florida 14 Missouri 13 Oklahoma State 3 Michigan State 31 Ohio State 12 Arkansas 11 Eastern Michigan 7 Minnesota 20 (13) Oklahoma 10 Brigham Young 10 Northwestern 24 Fullerton 0 (22) Georgia Tech 24 Albany State 36 Louisiana Tech 13 Brown 20 Carolina 18 13 7 25 Tennessee Tech 13 Southern Miss. 16 Tuskegee 25 Eaat Carolina 20 Houston 31 North Alabama 1 5. Kentucky 37 LL. Samford 37 The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros play at 1:05 p.m. today on TBS.

Uotinga, SB. Southern California sent nationally ranked Oklahoma to a stunning defeat that gives the Trojans new hope Story, 10B. i. 1.