Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 27

Sunday Journal-Star SEPTEMBER 27,1987 Religion, 13 0 T1 Tfl mKeF almost he led 4 4 1 ZA II By Mike Babcock TEMPE, Ariz The scoreboard read: Nebraska 35, Arizona State 28. tey You'd be hard-pressed to find seven points difference in those football teams Saturday afternoon at sold-out Sun Devil Stadium. But there it was, as plain as the Arizona sun, which beat down on 71,264 fans and, no doubt, heightened the ten-. sion. Nebraska fans in the audience didn't breath a sigh of relief until 2:38 remained in the game.

That's when senior linebacker Steve Forch, starting for the first time in his college career, got the first interception of his career. They couldn't relax completely, though, until Cornhusker strong safety Brian Washington intercepted a fourth-down, desperation pass by Arizona State's Daniel Ford at the Nebraska 41-yard line with one second left Whew. It was close. Osborne happy to survive Afterward, Coach Tom Osborne probably expressed best the way the Comhuskers felt "We're just glad to get out of here alive," he said. Nebraska had to overcome a hostile crowd, 90-degree desert heat, and its Own mistakes to escape with its third consecutive victory.

Seven points? Arizona State's Gene Huey, a former Nebraska assistant, defined it another way. "The big difference was Steve Taylor," he said. The junior quarterback scored two touchdowns, passed for another and rushed for 122 yards. Taylor's performance led Osborne to remark: "He's a heck of a player." That's strong praise, coming from Osborne. Taylor's play'in the 70-yard drive that put Nebraska ahead 28-21 with 11:22 remaining in the game was typical.

He had a 24-yard run and two 12-yard pass com pletions, the second to split end Rod Smith for a touchdown. "Steve's a great player," said Cornhusker I-back Keith Jones, who displayed greatness himself by rushing for a game-high 145 yards nd scoring a touchdown Saturday. But Jones' most significant contribution came after Arizona State had tied the score at 28 with 4:55 remaining in the game. On a irst-and-10 from his own 30-yard line, the Omaha senior took a pitch from Taylor and raced 62 yards to set up the winning touchdown, scored by Taylor two plays later on a 3-yard run with 3:37 remaining. Jones' run typified the game.

After the Sun Devils scored, "we told ourselves, if they were going to score a touchdown, we were going to have to come back and score a touchdown," said Jones. "If it came down to exchanging touchdowns, we were definitely ready." Huskers responded Nebraska responded to each of Arizona State's three second-half touchdowns with touchdowns of its own, and in two instances, the Comhuskers responded on their next possession. The first time, they had to reach into Osborne's bag of tricks to do so. After Ford's 2-yard touchdown pass to Chris Garrett capped Arizona State's 80-yard drive to start the second half and led to a tie at 14, Nebraska drove to the Sun Devil 27, where it seemed willing to settle for a 44-yard, Chris Drennan field goal attempt on fourth-and-11. Instead, holder Clete Blakeman, the second-team quarterback, got to his feet and passed to tight end Todd Millikan, open to the left Millikan carried to the Arizona State 1-yard line.

Jones scored on the next play. The fake field goal, which Nebraska See HUSKERS on page 70 T-' 'XVw 7 Ml RANOY HAMPTONSUNOAY JOURNAL-STAR Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor gains 19 yards behind the block of Keven Lightner in the first quarter. Taylor rushed for 122 yards. Once is plenty for Sun Devils; Huskers 9 No. 1 drive still alive Forch could read it in quarterback's eyes Virgil Parker Quote of the game NU tackle Bob Sledge: "We're 2-0 in the Pac-10.

I wouldn't mind going to the Rose Bowl." Scoring, team stats Arizona 0 6 IS 728 Nebraska 0 14 7 1435 NU Taylor 1 run (Drannan kick) ASU FQ Zandejas 36 NU HeibeM run (Drarman kick) ASU FQZanoaJaa28 ASU Ford 2 paaa to Oarratt (Ford pass to Williams) NU Jonaal run (Drarman kick) A8U Harris 4 run (Zandajas kick) NU Taylor 12 pass to R. Smith (Drennan kick) ASU Harris 1 run (Zendejaa kick) Columnist By Ken Hambleton TEMPE, Ariz. The eyes had it Rather, they gave it all away. "We were in man coverage and I had the halfback (Darryl Harris) right in front of me," Nebraska linebacker Steve Forch said. "He broke outside and then slowed up and waved at the quarterback (Daniel Ford).

"I went with him and when I saw his eyes light up, I turned around and the ball was right there," said Forch, who intercepted the Arizona State pass at the Nebraska 30-yard line with 2:38 left in the game. Forch's interception, coupled with three straight plays by Nebraska defensive tackle Neil Smith, saved Nebraska's 35-28 victory over ASU Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium. "We had trouble getting to them the way we wanted, and we needed one big play, or two or three, to get the job done," said Forch, the Lincoln senior who started for the first time in his career. "We got stacked up at the line. They found the hole in our pass coverage a number of times, and they were the best club we've seen." breaks from the officiating.

The most damaging call went into the record book as a five-yard penalty. Actually, it nullified a 56-yard touchdown on a flea-flicker pass play from quarterback Steve Taylor to wingback Dana Brinson. The officials said Nebraska's left tackle was too far past the line of scrimmage on the play, becoming an ineligible receiver downfield. Another came when ASU quarterback Danny Ford was in the process of being sacked Although his knee didn't touch the ground, the ball did as he leaned over to regain his balance. The Husker defenders then let up, but Ford was allowed to scramble for a big gain.

NU Coach Tom Osborne was very vocal in his objection when a pass interference was called against cornerback Lorenzo Hicks. That put the ball at the Nebraska two-yard line and led to ASU's first tie at 14-14. Heat wasn't a factor The one thing that didn't enter into the outcome was the heat The Nebraska players were expected to wilt by the fourth quarter. Instead it was the Huskers who came on strong at the end. See PARKER on page 6D Nebraska had 14 quarterback sacks coming into the game, but managed just two sacks of Ford one by Lee Jones and one by Smith in Saturday's game.

"We were exhausted. I was really out of it when I got the interception," Forch said. "I really didnt know I had it or what happened right away. "I went to the bench and everyone was crowding around me and I couldn't get any air. Then it hit me.

I had the balL" The start of the game was enough to get Forch fired up. "I wasn't sure who was starting and Coach (John) Melton pointed at me, and I was ready to play," he said. "I've been here a long time without playing as much as I did today," Forch said. "That made me mad, but it made me a better player." Forch said the toughest part of the game was the final 1:08 when Nebraska had punted and the Sun Devils were mounting a last-ditch drive. "We had been out there a long time and we were out there one last time.

It was sure good to see Neil (Smith) knocking those passes down and even See DEFENSE on page 6D TEMPE, Ariz. The Nebraska Comhuskers gave the Arizona State football program national credibility in 1975 when they lost a Fiesta Bowl game to the Sun Devils. But once was enough. The Huskers, with a last-minute drive Saturday, broke a 28-28 tie to keep the same thing from happening again. As defending Pac-10 Conference and Rose Bowl champions, Arizona State has enough credibility already.

The Sun Devils didn't need to gain any more by sidetracking the national championship dreams of the current Comhuskers. But such hopes at this stage of the season are very premature. A tough South Carolina team lies just ahead, followed by six upset-minded Big Eight foes and then No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Phoenix was frenetic entire Phoenix area was sky-high for this game. Friday night and Saturday morning, every TV station was showing film clips of the 75 Fiesta Bowl game.

No attempt at impartial "news" coverage was made. One anchor person 'after another said, "We've just got to beat them again." And, until the closing A 71,264. ASU NU First downs 23 22 Rushes-yards 44-177 54-364 Passing yards 200 95 Total yards 377 459 Return yards 28 11 Passing 15-34-3 7-17-1 Punts FumNes-toet 2-0 3-2 Penalties-yards 5-40 9-66 Time of possession 30:38 29:22 Third-down conversions 8-16 9-16 minutes, it looked like "they" might just' do that Do you believe in jinxes? When an athlete has his picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated, is that a sure sign of dire things for the future? For a while Saturday, it seemed as though Sun Devil Stadium would continue to be a jinx for Nebraska. The Huskers were 0-2 here. And when underdog Arizona State kept fighting back, finally tying the score for the third time at 28-aH, things looked bleak for the Huskers.

But that's when Keith Jones broke loose for the game's longest run to settle the issue. No breaks from refs Nebraska certainly didn't get any On the inside Keith Jones' legs gave out on 62-yard run. Page 7D. Georgia defense stymies S. Carolina This week APUPI From News Wires Georgia's Lars Tate ran for 118 yards and a 7-yard touchdown, but it was the 20th-ranked Bulldogs' defense that Coach Vince Dooley wanted to talk about after a 13-6 college football victory over South Carolina Saturday at Athens, Ga.

The Georgia defenders, despite allow-ing 306' passing yards to South Carolina quarterback Todd Ellis, stopped two fourth-quarter scoring threats with a fumble recovery and an interception. "The Bulldogs also intercepted Ellis on South Carolina's final possession with 1:17 left when the offense doesn't have a good day, the defense has to rise to' the occasion and that's what happened today," Dooley said. Georgia managed only 241 yards While allowing 374. defense was able to keep South Carolina out of the end zone, and that's a great achievement" he said. "We certainly had our opportunities to put more points on the board, especally in the first half South Carolina Coach Joe Morrison said.

His offense settled for two short field goals and missed two others. "We just didn't take advantage of those opportunities. We couldn't stick the ball in the end zone," he said. Tate, the Southeastern Conference's leading rusher and scorer, scored from 7 yards out at 11:49 of the opening quarter. Steve Crumley added a 49-yard field goal early in the third period and a 36-yarder with 1:53 left to play for Georgia.

The Gamecocks, who will play Nebraska oh Saturday in Lincoln, managed first-quarter field goals of 21 and 22 yards from Collin Mackie, who also missed from 27 and 46 yards in the second quarter. South Carolina had a chance to go ahead with 9:46 left to play, but running back Harold Green fumbled at the 2-yard line after Ellis passed for 67 yards to get the Gamecocks to the 2. South Carolina then got the ball back after Georgia failed to gain a first down, and on a fourth-and-4 situation at the Bulldogs' 37, Bill Goldberg intercepted a pass and returned it 13 yards, setting up through the fourth quarter to draw the Vols within seven points. Alabama 30, Vanderbilt 23 Bobby Humphrey took charge in the final minutes, returning a kickoff 56 yards to set up his own 1-yard scoring plunge with 42 seconds left at Nashville, Term. Humphrey, who gained 162 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns, was unstoppable on Alabama's final drive, gaining all but 13 yards of the decisive 46-yard march.

Vanderbilt had pulled into a 23-23 tie with 3:32 left in the contest on a 28-yard field goal by Johnny Clark. Florida 38, Mississippi St. 3 Florida's Emmitt Smith rushed for 173 yards and scored three touchdowns Saturday at Gainesville, Fla. Smith topped the 100-yard mark for the third straight game. He carried the ball 20 times and scored on runs of 4, 42 and 20 yards.

Meanwhile, Florida quarterback Ker- See SEC on page 4D Crumley's 36-yard field goal Ellis was intercepted again with 1:17 left when Will Jones picked off his pass, deflected by Richard Tardus, on the Gamecocks' 36-yard line. Tennessee 20, Auburn 20 Tennessee freshman Reggie Cobb raced 7 yards for his second touchdown with 1:20 to play Saturday, and Auburn ran out of time on its final drive, forcing the No. 3 Tigers to settle for a tie with the llth-ranked Volunteers at Knoxville, Term. Cobb culminated Tennessee's final possession, with his 7-yard TD run. Vols Coach Johnny Majors decided to go for the tie instead of the two-point conversion, and Phil Reich converted the extra point Auburn, starting on its 20, advanced to the Tennessee 33.

But the Tigers had no timeouts remaining, and quarterback Jeff Burger tried to stop the clock by throwing out of bounds. But time ran out Reich, who missed two field goals in the first half, hit a 24-yarder midway 1 1 Oklahoma (3-0) def. Tulsa 65-0 at Iowa St. 27 2. Nebraska (3-0) def.

Arizona St. 35-28 South Carolina 37 3. Auburn (2-0-1) tied Tennessee 20-20 at North Carolina 47 4. Louisiana St. (3-0-1 tied Ohio St.

1 3-1 3 Florida 57 7. Miami, Fla. (2-0) def. Arkansas 51-7 at Florida St. 67 8.

Florida State (4-0) def. Michigan St. 31-3 Miami, Fla. 77 5. Ohio State (2-0-1) tied LSU 13-1 3 at Illinois 87 6.

Notre Dame (3-0) def. Purdue 44-20 Idle 97 9. Clemson (4-0) def. Georgia Tech 33-1 2 Idle 10710. Arkansas (2-1) lost to Miami, Fla.

51-7 atTCU 11711. Tennessee (3-0-1 tied Auburn 20-20 California 12712. Arizona St (2-1 lost to Nebraska 35-28 Texas-El Paso 13713. UCLA (3-1 def. Arizona 34-24 at Stanford 1 47 1 6.

Michigan (2-1 def. Long Beach St. 49-0 Wisconsin 15714. Penn State (3-1) def. Boston College 27-17 Temple 16717.

Texas (2-1) def. Southern Mississippi 27-14 Houston 177 Alabama (3-1) def. Vanderbilt 30-23 SW Louisiana 18.20. Washington (3-1) def. Pacific 31-3 at Oregon 1 97 Iowa (3-1 def.

Kansas St. 38-1 3 Michigan St. 20719. Georgia (3-1) def. South Carolina 13-6 at Mississippi 1 5.

Florida (3-1 def. Mississippi St. 38-3 at LSU 1 8. Syracuse (4-0) def. Virginia Tech 35-21 at Missouri Toronto comes back again to edge Detroit Eaks leads by two strokes in Neb.

Open Page11D 1' Beniquez took three balls and then lined a 3-2 pitch just over Trammell The ban shot through the gap and went to the wall Royals 7, Twins 4 Danny Tartabull's three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning boosted Kansas City at Minneapolis. Tartabull hit his 31st homer into the left-field seats off Twins reliever Jeff Reardon, scoring Kevin Seitzer and George Brett Seitzer had reached base on an infield single with one out, and Brett followed with a double down the right-field line. The victory enabled Kansas City to move into second place in the American League West, five games behind the Twins. Minnesota's magic number is three. From Nawa Wiraa Even before Detroit shortstop Alan Trammel jumped be knew he could not go high enough nor far enough to bring the Toronto Blue Jays back to earth.

Pinch-hitter Juan Beniquez lined a three-run triple over short into the gap in left-center with none out to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 10-9 victory Saturday and their second straight ninth-inning comeback against the Tigers in Toronto. Toronto's seventh straight victory pushed Detroit 3 games behind the first-place Blue Jays in the American League East "I was just throwing my glove up," Trammell said. "As soon as he hit it 1 knew I wasnt going to catch it A lot of times you have a feel for something like that This time I didnt have a eeL" Jesse BarfieM led off with a bloop double against re-lieverMike Henneman. Willie Upshaw moved Barfield to third with an infield single that third baseman Tom Brookens fielded. Brookens threw to Trammell racing to cover third, but the ball popped out of Trammell's glove.

Rick Leach was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dickie Noles then replaced Henneman to face Beniquez, who was batting for Manny Lee. "It's a big game, Beniquez has been in there," Toronto Manager Jimy Williams said in explaining his choice to let the right-handed hitting Beniquez face the right-handed reliever. "He's been in situations like that It's not a knock on the others, it's a pat on the back for Beniquez." Beniquez said, "They know I Gin hit in that situation. That's what they got me over here for.

It's exciting when you've been on the bench for 3 hours and you can come into that situation It's the type of thing you prepare for." Nebraska Wesleyan, Concordia win Page 2D Colorado stops Washington State Page 3D vSee BASEBALL on page 80.