Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 23

HATTIESBURG AMERICAN SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1992 PAGE 1C upset bid fa US hrt Big plays No. 14 Florida to 24-20 win By TIM DOHERTY AMERICAN Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. The University of Southern Mississippi lost a football game Saturday afternoon, but earned the respect of yet another nationally-ranked school. The Golden Eagles took the 14th-ranked University of Florida to the wall before falling 24-20 before 82,882 at Florida Field. "We were extremely fortunate to come out of this game with a win," UF coach Steve Spurrier said.

"Southern Miss outplayed us and outcoached us. They had a good game plan and they probably worked harder than we did, but I guess we made enough plays to pull out a win." Barely. Tommy Waters' 17-yard scoring pass to Mark Montgomery not only gave the Golden Eagles a 20-17 fourth-quarter lead, but momentum as well. But Shane Matthews, UF's senior quarterback from Pascagoula, drove the Gators' 77 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 9 minutes, 42 V-'-'A 1 I I I I ill 1 i4 1 I WHO: USM vs. Virginia Tech WHEN: Noon, Saturday WHERE: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg.

HUM ZZJ University of Southern Mississippi cornerback Labarion Rankins (5) grabs Florida wide receiver from quarterback Shane Matthews during Saturday's game in Gainesville. State defense hogs the show Bulldogs edge Razorbacks 10-3 iP3 SCOREBOARD High school football Magee 28, Mendenhall 0 Pearl 42, Brandon 13 College basketball Carey 77, Missouri Baptist 58 Faulkner 63, Belhaven 56 Women's basketball Carey 75, Talladega 36 NBA scores New York 89, Philadelphia 85 Orlando 103, Washington 98 Miami 1 06, New Jersey 94 Detroit 89, Indiana 87 Golden St. 121, Minnesota 119 Atlanta 100, Chicago 99 Utah 122, Dallas 106 Milwaukee 124, Boston 88 Phoenix 111, LA. Clippers 105 Roundup, 2C NHL scores Philadelphia 4, St. Louis 2 Chicago 7, Quebec 4 N.Y.

Rangers 2, Boston 2 Tampa Bay 6, N.Y. Islanders 5 Washington 6, Hartford 2 Montreal 5, Detroit 1 Toronto 4, Pittsburgh 2 Edmonton 2, Minnesota 2 Standings, 2C ON TV TODAY 10 a.m. College football Coaches Corner," featuring Michigan coach Gary Moeller and USA TODAYCNN Top 25 Coaches' Poll), CNN. 10:30 a.m. NFL football CNN.

10:30 a.m. Auto racing TNN. 11 a.m. NFL football ESPN. Noon NFL football (New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots), WHLT.

Noon NFL football (Cleveland Browns at Houston Oilers), WDAM. 1 p.m. Auto racing (NASCAR, Busch Grand National, Pantry 500), TNN. 3 p.m. NFL football (New York Jets at Denver Broncos), WDAM.

3:30 p.m. Golf (PGA, Amoco Centel Championship, final round, tape delayed), WHLT. 4 p.m. Tennis (Men, Paris Open Indoors, final), ESPN. 5 p.m.

NBA basketball Week in the CNN. 5:30 p.m. Auto racing (Slick 50 Spring Car World Series), TNN. 6 p.m. NFL football ESPN.

7 p.m. NFL football (Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears), ESPN. ON RADIO TODAY 10:40 a.m. NFL. football (New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots), WHSY-FM (104.5); WJDR-FM (98.3).

Noon NFL football (Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers), WHSY-AM (1230). 3 p.m. NFL football (Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills), WHSY-AM (1230). 6:45 p.m. NFL (Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears), WHSY-AM (1230).

SPORTS DIGEST Report: Mariners to hire Piniella SEATTLE (AP) Former Cincinnati Reds manager Lou Piniella has accepted a three-year contract as manager of the Seattle Mariners, a newspaper reported Saturday. A team official, however, would not confirm or deny the report. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer said an unidentified source close to Piniella told the newspaper he would be introduced as the Mariners' 10th manager at a Monday news conference. Philippine team faked information MANILA, Philippines (AP) Philippine Little League officials used overage players and even faked competitors' names in putting together the team that was eventually stripped of the world series title, it was reported Saturday. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, whose reports led to the team's disqualification in September, said the Zamboanga lineup consisted entirely of unqualified players.

WHO: Mississippi State vs. Alabama WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Saturday WHERE: Scott Field, Starkville tough but after the game I just went up and hugged those guys." The win moved State (7-2 overall, 4-2 SEC) into sole possession of second place and may have clinched a bowl berth for the Bulldogs. But it may be three weeks or more before any- bowl bid is confirmed. "It assures us of a bowl game," MSU athletic director Larry Templeton said. "How we put the mix together will be an interesting scenario to be played out." Peach Bowl executive director Robert Dale Morgan and Liberty Bowl- selection committee member Jan Gwin were the' only bowl representatives at the Arkansas game, but that doesn't rule out other bowl possibilities.

See STATE, page 3C By SCOTT WALTERS Special to the AMERICAN STARKVILLE The Mississippi State offensive unit may not have gotten a wake-up call Saturday morning. But for what the offense lacked on the afternoon, the Bulldog defense more than made up for. No. 19 Mississippi State held the visiting Arkansas Razorbacks to 199 total offensive yards and took a hard-fought 10-3 Southeastern Conference victory in front of 36,103 spectators on a blustery, winter-like afternoon at Scott Field. "Defensively, I thought our players played well," said MSU coach Jackie Sherrill.

"They had their backs against the wall too many times, and they came up with big plays to Jiee them out of the end zone." "I've been in barroom bfawls and all out fights in an alley that haven't been as tough as this game," said Arkansas nose guard Owen Kelly. "It was a war. They'd come off the ball and smash you in the mouth. It was Ole Miss By STEPHEN HAWKINS Associated Press Writer OXFORD Linebacker Cassius Ware set the tempo early Saturday for the Ole Miss defense. On the first three plays of the game, Ware sacked Memphis State quarterback Steve Matthews twice and knocked down a pass that Matthews caught for a 2-yard loss.

"We knew we had to come out strong and play hard," said Ware, who ended with nine tackles. "We had to put a lot of pressure on their quarterback and stop their strong passing game." Memphis State (5-4) was limited to only four field goals as its five-game winning streak AP photo Willie Jackson on a pass play f9 A AP photo drive at the Ole Miss 41 two minutes earlier. "Our defense had to stay on the field a lot in the second half. The interceptions and pass rushing made all of the difference there," Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer said. Ole Miss hasn't allowed a touchdown in the last eight quarters.

The Rebels shutout LSU 32-0 last week. The Rebels gained 224 yards in the first half to grab a 17-6 lead. But the Rebels were limited to just 47 yards in the second half by Memphis State, No. 3 in the nation in total defense (237 yards per game). Shows scored on a 3-yard option keeper early in the second quarter to give Ole Miss the lead for good at 10-6.

from No. Arizona (6-2-1), the team they barely beat 8-7 earlier in the season. McLaughlin missed a last-second field goal in that one, or the Wildcats would have two No. 1 heads on their mantle. "A couple of more feet, and we would have done it," defensive nose guard Rob Waldrop said.

For McLaughlin's redemption, Saturday wasn't bad. "I wasn't thinking about Miami. I was seconds left in the game. Running back Errict Rhett capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, his second of the day. "It was a strange situation because we'd never been behind at home before," said Matthews, who turned in his third consecutive 300-yard passing game.

"I thought we showed real character on that last drive." So did the Golden Eagles. Waters, who had a career day throwing the ball, completing 23 of 43 for 248 yards, drove USM from its 18 to the Florida 12 before being rebuffed. On fourth down from the UF 17, defensive back Ben Banks knocked down Waters' pass in a crowded corner of the end zone to seal the win with 2 minutes left in the game. "Certainly we're disappointed with the loss," USM coach Jeff Bower said. "You're always disappointed any time you lose, but I've always told our team that they can hold their heads high anytime they go out and play as hard as they can.

I thought they did that today. "Certainly, winning a game like this one would have been good for our program, but I also get a little tired of hearing and reading that our players are the big underdogs that go on the road and pull the upsets. We're a good football team and I wish people would give us the respect we deserve." USM (6-4) saw a three-game win streak snapped while the Gators (6-2) won their fifth in a row and extended their home win streak to 17. USM found itself in a hole from the start. On the first play, the Gators burned the Golden Eagles with a 70-yard flea-flicker from Matthews to wideout W'illie Jackson.

In a matter of 15 seconds, USM was down 7-0. But the Golden Eagles remained unfazed. Lance Nations' 35-yard field goal cut it to 7-3. Then, after the Gators upped their lead to 17-3 on Rhett's 2-yard run and Pat Edmiston's 27-yard field goal, USM's defense rallied the Eagles. With 11:26 left in the second quarter, Matthews was intercepted by Perry Carter, who returned the ball 52 yards for a touchdown.

For Carter, it was his fifth interception of the season and the third he had returned for a score to set a new school record. Nations added a 40-yard field goal to cut UF's lead to 17-13 at halftime. The Golden Eagles grabbed the lead on a 77-yard, 10-play drive. Waters and Reed teamed on two third-down plays for pickups of 15 and 22 yards. Waters hit Montgomery in the left corner of the end zone for the score.

1 perch thinking about Washington," he said. "But I tried to learn from that." For that matter, Arizona got redemption en masse. Washington had shellacked the Wildcats 108-10 the past two years. The goal posts came down with four seconds left. A tad early, but the joy is rising in Arizona, where the Wildcats have rallied from a 1-2-1 start to be, arguably, the nation's hottest team.

University of Arkansas flanker Ron Dickerson dives for a short gain against the Mississippi State defense Saturday. stuffs Memphis State 17-12 Shows, meanwhile, completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score as Ole Miss (6-3) secured a winning season and took a step closer to its third bowl bid in four seasons. Memphis State held the ball for all but three plays of the third quarter. But the Tigers could manage only field goals of 24 and 51 yards by Joe Allison.

"We were a little late getting started, but we came out in the second half and got right back in the game," Memphis State coach Chuck Stobart said. 'Ole Miss didn't give us anything." Michael Lowery's interception at the 31 with 1:56 left stopped a Memphis State drive. Ware's third sack had ended a Memphis State and 22-game winning streak. "We have not lost in so long," linebacker Dave Hoffmann said. "This loss hurts real, real bad." "Everything has to end sometime," Arizona coach Dick Tomey said.

"This was our day. It was time. I don't think it was an upset. We thought we would win. Belief is a powerful thing." And Miami certainly appreciates it.

The Hurricanes know all about WHO: Ole Miss vs. Louisiana Tech WHEN: 2 p.m., Saturday WHERE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford came to an end with a 17-12 loss at Ole Miss. Matthews completed 19 of 35 passes for 148 yards, but was sacked eight times. He was also intercepted twice in the final two minutes. "A lot of times the receivers and I weren't on the same page," Matthews said.

"Plus with all the rush they were bringing, you have to get rid of the ball quick." Ole Miss quarterback Russ Washington 16-3 with 13 fourth-quarter points. The victory carried roughly 2,300 miles away, to the Miami Hurricanes, who now will be No. 1 without argument. Bowled over by the Wildcats' Desert Swarm defense, immaculate special teams and three Steve McLaughlin field goals, the Huskies lost it all; their top ranking, national title hopes, Arizona knocks Washington By MIKE LOPRESTI Gannett News Service TUCSON, Ariz. So whom did this game make happier the good people of Arizona, or Miami? The road to the national championship hit another curve here Saturday when 12th-ranked Arizona, bursting into the college football picture in leaps and bounds, stuffed No.

1.