The Daily News Leader from Staunton, Virginia • 17

Sunday News Leader, November 26, 1995 C5 Due key Nittany Lions pull out 5 late win over Spartan a' rv jp -1, i 'Yu 1 7 'f FINDING THE END ZONE Perm State's Brian Garland (37) to score in the second quarter of Milne runs over Michigan State defender Tyrone their game Saturday. (AP Photo) Northwestern can smell the roses halftime lead on McElroy's touchdowns, and turned the game over to its "Wrecking Crew" defense, which leads the nation by allowing only 241 yards per game. Pullig, often criticized for his passing, was on target all day as he hit a career-high 24-of-36 passes for 253 yards. No. 5 Tennessee 12, Vandcrbilt 7 KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

AP) Jay Graham rushed for 211 yards and scored on a 1-yard run with three minutes left to rally No. 5 Tennessee past determined Vanderbilt 12-7 Saturday in a battle of in-state rivals. Tennessee Southeastern Conference) also scored on a 1-yard run by Chester Ford in the first half, but the extra point was blocked and Vanderbilt (2-9, 1-7) clung to a 7-6 lead until Graham bulled in on third down to cap a 69-yard drive. Peyton Manning began the winning drive with four pass completions for 50 yards to move Tennessee to the Vanderbilt 19. Five carries by Graham did the rest to thwart an excellent defensive effort by the Commodores.

Manning finished 26-of-42 for 265 yards to set school season records in all three categories. The sophomore finished the season 244-of-380 for 2,954 yards. Graham's 211 yards were a career high and helped him set a Tennessee season record of 1,438 yards, surpassing Johnnie Jones' 1984 mark. Tennessee beat the Commodores 65-0 and 62-14 the previous two years. No.

25 Miami 35, No. 22 Syracuse 24 MIAMI (AP) Danyell Ferguson rushed for 163 yards and the Miami Hurricanes scored the final 21 points Saturday night to beat Syracuse 35-24 and earn a share of the Big East championship. The victory may give Miami a chance to renew its rivalry with Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl on New Year's night. Miami trailed 24-14 at halftime before taking charge with three long touchdown drives. The Hurricanes' final score came on freshman Dyral McMillan's 25-yard halfback pass to freshman Omar Rolle.

Tremain Mack helped Miami shut out Syracuse in the second half by intercepting Donovan McNabb's passes twice and deflecting a 20-yard field goal attempt. With their seventh consecutive victory, the 25th-ranked Hurricanes (8-3 overall, 6-1 Big East) tied No. 13 Virginia Tech for the league title. EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) Bobby Engram caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds remaining to give No.

14 Penn State a 24-20 victory over Michigan State and a share of third place in the Big Ten. With 1:45 to play and Penn State out of timeouts, Wally Richardson worked the clock like a pro, completing 1 1 passes in a drive that started at the Nittany Lions 27. Up to that point, Penn State (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) had little to brag about. The Nittany Lions entered the game with the conference's second-best offense, but the Spartans (6-4-1, 4-3-1) intercepted two passes and held them to 359 yards, 67 below their average. Michigan State took a 20-17 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Chris Gardner with 5:13 remaining.

On the previous drive, Richardson, facing third and long, hit En-gram with a 53-yard touchdown pass to tie the score 17-17. Penn State's Brett Conway kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the score 10-10 after the first drive of the second half. Penn State scored on its second possession on a 1-yard run by Brian Milne. The Nittany Lions got the ball four more times in the first half but couldn't get past the 50. Scott Greene's 3-yard run gave Michigan State a 10-7 lead with 2:52 until halftime.

Gardner also contributed a 32-yard field goal. The Spartans gained 202 yards in the first half, compared to Penn State's 136, but two interceptions killed drives in Nittany Lions territory. No. 15 Texas 38, TCU 6 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Leeland McElroy scored twice and Corey Pullig put on a rare passing show Saturday as No. 15 Texas rolled to a 38-6 victory over Texas Christian in the final Southwest Conference game between the (8-2, 5-1 SWC) positioned itself for a showdown against No.

9 Texas on Saturday atin College Station, with the winner earning a bowl alliance spot to either the Orange or Sugar bowls. Texas is unbeaten in SWC play and has clinched at least a co-championship. The loser of the Texas game likely will play in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. TCU (6-5, 3-4) lost its 23rd consecutive game to the Aggies as the 92-year-old rivalry ended before 44,282 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in Amon Carter Stadium history. The Aggies rolled to a 14-3 entire team was said punter Paul Burton, noting that many team members went home for Thanksgiving.

"This is something that is going to be with us the rest of our lives." Punter Brian Musso, whose father Johnny was an All-American at Alabama, said he was still shaking minutes after Michigan's victory. "This hasn't sunk in yet, maybe tomorrow when I see it in the papers," Musso said. "This is harder than playing. I'm more drained right now than I am after a game. "We've been nervous about this game all week, looking forward to it.

It's just a great end to a fun year for us." Musso said he enjoyed what the season had done for so many former players, who wore the loser's label at the school for so many years. Until this year Northwestern hadn't had a winning season since 1971. And during the 1980s there was a 34-game losing streak. Barnett, a college teammate of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, didn't talk to the Wolverines coach to offer advice or encouragement. "Lloyd didn't need any help.

That team was ready to play for him," Barnett said. Barnett admitted the watching and waiting was almost as draining as coaching but said the Wildcats were in a "win-win" situation. Even had Ohio State won, the Wildcats would have played in the Citrus Bowl. defensive star who will miss the bowl with a broken leg. "We took a program that nobody said could win and we turned out Big Ten champions and we're going to the Rose Bowl.

The sweet thing is that we did everything right. We worked hard. We did everything honestly. "We set a new echelon for the rest of the country. You can have an outstanding academic institution and still play good football." The Wildcats accepted the Rose Bowl invitation immediately after the Michigan game and then the players were handed roses.

A boom box was brought into the auditorium and the school's fight son blared long and loudly. The TV screen was rolled up, showing the schedule and results, the only loss coming in the second week to Miami of Ohio. On the wall there was also a list of goals for the season, the final one the Rose Bowl. "There are no words to describe it," said Barnett, who stood up during a basketball game when he took the job nearly four years ago and promised he would "Take the Purple To Pasadena." His first three seasons the Wildcats won just eight games, two fewer than they won during this 10-1 season. "I feel like we delivered and that's fulfilling.

We needed a little help to do it but we got it," he said. "This is something else. I wish the EVANSTON, III. (AP) Gary Barnett kept his promise. He's taking the Purple to Pasadena.

Northwestern, one of the biggest losers in college football, is going to the Rose Bowl. For this season at least, athletics overshadows academics in Evanston. Shake your head and blink your eyes but the picture remains the same. The Wildcats are champions of the Big Ten and, for only the second time in school history and first since 1949, the football team is going to a bowl game. The Wildcats got all the help they needed Saturday from No.

18 Michigan, which shocked No. 2 Ohio State 31-23. For three ooh- and aah-filled hours, 16 Northwestern players squirmed in their seats or paced in a small auditorium about 100 yards from Dyche Stadium. Barnett, the youthful coach, moved around like the host at a party and was photographed about a zillion times in various poses as he reacted to plays on a large screen from the game at Ann Arbor. When a late interception finally secured the Wolverines' victory, the players exchanged hand slaps and hugs and enjoyed this latest chapter in an improbable, nearly unbelievable season.

"When we were 3-7-1 nobody was in there. It's incredible," said junior linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, the team's Continued from page CI "But this is the best, ever. Ohio State was No. 2 in the nation, and people thought Michigan wasn't Michigan anymore." George rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown dive in the third quarter. He also caught five passes for 50 yards.

Josh Jackson kicked field goals of 37, 21 and 37 yards for Ohio State in the first half. Griese's touchdown pass and Remy Hamilton's 38-yard field goal gave Michigan a 10-9 halftime lead. Williams scored on an 8-yard run early in the fourth quarter and Biak-abutuka's. 2-yard run gave Michigan a 31-15 lead with 7:55 remaining. Biakabutuka had 106 yards after his first six carries and 195 yards at halftime.

It was his 44-yard run early in the first quarter that helped set up the scoring pass to Williams. The surprising Wolverines, who went in as 9-point underdogs, might have had an even larger halftime lead except for some big mistakes. Michigan was already leading 7-3 when Griese hit Mercury Hayes with a 49-yard pass to the Ohio State 9 late in the first quarter. But the play was nullified by an illegal shift. Two snaps later, Michigan had to punt.

The Wolverines were driving again in the second quarter when Hayes tried to make a one-handed snag of a pass deep in Buckeyes territory. But Shawn Springs snatched the ball away as Hayes was gathering it in and returned the interception 14 yards. Rob Kelly picked off another pass by Griese and returned it 11 yards to the Ohio State 32 with 38 seconds left in the half. Four snaps later, Jackson kicked his third field goal, making it a 1-point game at halftime. The joyous players carried Michigan coach Lloyd Carr off the field on their shoulders.

"We overplayed some mistakes," Carr said, fighting back some tears. "We had a big play called back in the first quarter because of a penalty. "But I think, if anything, I don't think anyone in the country gave us an opportunity or much of a chance to win this game. And we talked about that all week. It didn't matter what other people thought.

The only thing that was important was what the men who were going to play this game on our sideline believed. And they believed." A victory would have made this the first Ohio State team to go 12-0. The 1975 and 1979 teams both posted 11-0 records, but lost their bowl games to finish at 11-1. Gators Continued from page CI ''We kept on reminding ourselves that we did it once and we can do it again." Spurrier said he didn't mention last year's game at halftime. "We don't really bring up negatives," he said.

"Everybody knows what happened last year. It's not going to do any good to talk about it again." Hilliard caught six passes for 192 yards, while Doering had seven receptions for 124 yards. Doering's touchdown gave him the school and SEC records for TD receptions in a season (16) and career (30). "We're a little more mature this year," Doering said. "We know what can happen when you let down." Florida State pulled to 35-24 on Scott Bentley's 27-yard field goal and Kanell's 8-yard TD pass to Andre Cooper with 53 seconds left in the third period.

Cooper's catch came one play after Florida punter Robby Stevenson couldn't handle a high snap and was tackled at the 8. The Seminoles had a chance to make it even closer after Reinard Wilson intercepted Wuerffel's pass and returned it to the Florida 41 with 7 minutes left in the game. But two plays later, Anthone Lott picked off Kanell's pass in the end zone and returned it 30 yards. Florida State's last two drives also were halted by interceptions, one by Harris and the other by Lawrence Wright on the last play of the game. Warrick Dunn's 3-yard TD run and a 2-point conversion with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter cut Florida's lead to 28-14.

But the Gators struck back on the next play when Wuerffel hit Hilliard in stride at the Florida State 40 and the receiver raced to the end zone to give the Gators a 21-point lead. Everyone expected a high-scoring shootout between the Gators and Seminoles, both ranked in the top four nationally in total offense, passing and scoring. But the first quarter was a defensive struggle that featured only 13 points, Wuerffel's pass to Green and two field goals by Bentley. Florida's offense got rolling in the second period while the Gators continued to shut down Florida State's offense, which lost star center Clay Shiver with a sprained right knee in the first quarter. Florida took a 28-6 halftime lead on Terry Jackson's 1-yard run and two TD passes by Wuerffel, the 42-yarder to Hilliard and the 20-yarder to Doering.

I i ate sis over JMU in l-AA playoffs Appy St Dukes finish at 8-4 "si "We tried to get up on them and force them into a throwing game, but that never materialized," Alex Wood, JMU coach aV LOOKING AHEAD Appy State quarterback against the JMU defense during Saturday's l-AA Scott Satterfield looks upfield as he scrambles playoff game. (AP Photo) BOONE, N.C. (AP) Appalachian State's game plan was simple, but James Madison found it difficult to defend. The Mountaineers played the type of smash-mouth football that helped them go through the regular season unbeaten. No one did it better than Damon Scott, who ran for 196 yards and three touchdowns, including the tie-breaker with 8:08 to play on Saturday, giving Appalachian State a 31-24 victory in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

"There's no doubt when we go into a game what we're going to do," Scott said. "We're going to run the ball. "I don't think that was our goal just today. That's our goal every week," he said. "They've got to beat us at what we do best, and that's running the ball." The Mountaineers (12-0) beat James Madison for the 10th time in 13 meetings, although the Dukes (8-4) had won the last two meetings in Boone.

Appalachian State, which has the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, will face Stephen F. Austin, winners over Eastern Illinois. James Madison, an at-large entry from the Yankee Conference, fell behind early but tied the score 17-17 by halftime. The Dukes converted a goal-line stand into an 82-yard scoring pass from Mike Cawley to Jay Jones to tie the score 24-24 with 11:09 left to play. Wasting no time and overcoming an illegal block penalty on the kick-off, Appalachian State marched 67 yards and snapped the tie on Scott's third score, a 3-yard run.

"I felt like for us to win, we were going to have to be like a wishbone football team run the ball, run the clock," said Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore, whose team collected 341 yards rushing on 68 carries. "I thought that was a big factor, us having that many snaps, running the clock." James Madison was hoping to make Appalachian State change its offensive strategy, first-year coach Alex Wood said. "We obviously knew they could i Santa's at Valley Mall run the football. We tried to get up on them and force them into a throwing game, but that never materialized," Wood said. "Our thought was stopping the running game was crucial.

We've been a little suspect there." James Madison's first play from scrimmage was Cawley's pass that was intercepted by Jamie Coleman, which the Mountaineers turned into Jay Sutton's 24-yard field goal at 9:09. Cawley atoned for the mistake nearly three minutes later and gave the Dukes a 7-3 lead on a 31-yard scoring pass to tight end Ed Perry. It took Appalachian State four minutes to retaliate and go up 10-7 on Scott's 31-yard dash on fourth-and-1 on which he broke four tackles. The Mountaineers increased the lead to 17-7 on Satterfield's 1-yard run to culminate a 62-yard march. The Dukes lost six yards on fourth-and-1 at the Appalachian State 9, but the Mountaineers couldn't move the ball and momentum switched.

Punter Allen Guinn couldn't handle the snap and downed the ball in the end zone for a safety. Quincy Waller intercepted Satterfield's pass at the Mountaineers 29 and James Madison cashed it in on Cawley's 17-yard pass to Mike Woolever with 58 seconds left in the half. Cawley then hit Macey Brooks for the 2-point conversion that tied the score. Scott's second touchdown was a 1-yard dive that gave Appalachian State a 24-17 edge with 36 seconds left in the third period. Breakfast with Santa Saturday, December 9 8:30 A.M.

at Country Cookin' Adults 4.50 Children 12 under 2.50 Tickets available at customer service Signing Santa Wednesday, December 6, 13, 20 433-1797 433-1875 Sun. Valley Mall Managed by General Growth..