The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 40

College Football 4 Scoreboard 7 Outdoors 8 High Schools 9 Mountaineers eaMly scale RU season. It's nice to have that" More importantly, the victory probably locked up a Fiesta Bowl bid for the Mountaineers opposite top-ranked Notre Dame. "That's all you guys talk about," Nehlen said in conceding the bowl talk may have been distracting to his team. "I'm just the coach," he replied when asked if the any bowl decision had been made regarding his team. Major Harris, the mercurial sophomore quarterback who guided the Mountaineers to victory, said, "It (bowl talk) affected us, but the bottom line is we got the job done.

We took it to them in the second hall We knew Rutgers was going to be up, but once we took it to them, we knew it was our game." Harris completed half of his 14 pases for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 71 yards on 11 carries. "I base my performance on winning, and we won," he said. "I just want to play for the national championship." "He's a great player," Rutgers linebacker Pat Udovich said. "He made things out of nothing.

His versatility is his strong point He can run and throw on the run and he's intelligent He's the best quarterback we played against so far." "He can do anything," echoed Doug Kokoskie, Rutgers' other inside linebacker. Rutgers coach Dick Anderson felt Harris "was a big factor in the game. He made a lot of plays as he usually does. Particularly when he was in trouble a couple of times, he made some big first downs." About his own team, Anderson felt the Knights played "solid defense," but "gave them a big one on the pass (in the second period). You certainly can't afford to do that against this football team.

They're a big play football team. If you make them go the hard By JOHN BRUNS Home News sports writer EAST RUTHERFORD Supposing Rutgers had played welL Though Rutgers, a 1914-point underdog, did not play particularly sharp football, the Scarlet- Knights W. Virginia 35 made fourth-ranked Rutgers 25 West Virginia battle all the way to claim a 35-25 victory before 32,517 fans in Giants Stadium yesterday. It wasn't until fullback Craig Taylor of Linden scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth period to give the 10-0 Mountaineers a 35-13 lead, that coach Don Nehlen's team could feel comfortable. "I'm just awfully happy to get a victory today," Nehlen said.

"This is the first West Virginia team to win 10 games in the regular way you've got a chance." On offense, Anderson noted the Knights turned the ball over on three interceptions and a fumble. "It's very difficult to win against a good football team if you do those things," he said Rutgers, now 4-6 with four straight losses, had only 87 yards rushing, 75 by fullback Mike Botfj, and 197 yards through the air. Quarterback Scott Emey completed only six of 19 passes for 66 yards and threw all three interceptions. He was relieved in the fourth period by red-shirt freshman Tom Tarver, who completed nine of 12 passes for 131 yards, including a three-yarder to reserve tailback Vince Hall for the final touchdown of the game. "I wasn't pleased with my performance.

I dont know why I didn't play better," Emey said. See RUTGERS, Page E6 Syracuse and Georgetown universities, to no one's surprise, are the overwhelming choices of conference coaches to be the top contenders for the Big East basketball crown. How will Seton Hall fare? John Bruns previews the Big East on Page 2. Members of the Chicago Bears can't decide among themselves whether the absence of Mike Ditka from the sidelines will be a factor as they take on the Washington Redskins. For a complete look at today's NFL matchups, see Page 3.

With top-ranked Notre Dame idle, all eyes turn to big regional matchups, including Syracuse and Boston College and USC meeting Arizona State. For details on the teams in the AP Top 20 and the entire college football scene, see Pages 4-5. New Brunswick High School, undefeated and ranked No. 3 on the Home News list, knocks South River from playoff contention with a quartet of fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 28-1 4 triumph. For details and results from all of yesterday's high school action, plus our exclusive Sideline Slants and College Notes, see Pages The Home NewsAndrea Kane nujyinww.iiiiuiuiiiii,! li.iiniiiimiuj'MUMii.iniiiii.mHi ....111.11 wmm myiamniii t.

i. tp- i iiiwuwui i mi 3 fc) i Fair Game 0 Brian VanderBeek Quick death to RU's season end jinx to. of Yale EAST RUTHERFORD The entire 1988 season flashed before the eyes of the Rutgers University football team. The Scarlet was watching the ultimate death of its season in a span of one minute, four seconds. That's how long it took for the fourth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers to send a message to the disappointingly small crowd at Giants Stadium that this was not going to be another upset victory for the Scarlet Knights.

It only was the first of many scores for West Virginia, but it was the frightening quickness of the score, the decisiveness of the Mountaineers' first-minute play that decided this game. And even after Ron Allen returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, the message of West Virginia's superiority remained See FAIR, Page E6 The ball Is loose after Damlan McGuIre (on ground) collides with Jim Cann (32) on a klckoff return, but Ron Allen, far left, recovers for RU. Giants head westward for East showdown By KEN O'BRIEN Home News sports writer It did not look this way for the Giants when the National Football League opened its 1988 season but today's game against the Cardinals (CBS-TV, 4 p.m.) in Phoenix, now looms as their biggest game since Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos. The Giants are in first place in the NFC East division with a 7-3 record but only ahead of the 6-4 Cards and Washington Red the hunt for a playoff spot "If we can get another win or two pretty quick now, that puts us in it until the last week (of the regular season) And that's what I'm trying to do now. Of course, I don't know what's going to happen." What Parcells doesn't want to happen, of course, is a loss or two pretty quick now.

And he also carries a very high regard for these upstart Cardinals, who have been a surprising treat for their new fans in the Ari-See GIANTS, Page E6 are on the road the next three weeks (at Houston, Philadelphia and East Rutherford against the Giants again). "This is a big game for us, too. A win could do a lot for us." Indeed, a victory against the Cards today would lift the Giants' first-place margin to two games over Phoenix and also over the Redskins should they lose to the Bears in Washington today. "I think this is an important time for every team," Parcells said of those clubs still in skins by one game. So today, the Giants can either strengthen or weaken their position in this first meeting of the season against the Cards.

Conceivably, in fact, the Giants could actually fall to fourth place with losses today and next week against the Eagles. "This is another division game and we've only got three of them left now," Giants' Coach Bill Parcells noted. "So this is a big game for both of us and a real big game for Phoenix, particularly since (the Cards) By BOB KNOBELMAN Home News sports writer NEW HAVEN, Conn. Steve Tosches was nine years old and playing midget football in nearby Stamford, the last time Princeton Princeton 24 beat Yale Yale 7 at the Yale Bowl. The year was 1966, the score was 13-7, and most of this season's crop of Tigers hadn't been born.

But the jinx ended yesterday when Jason Garrett completed 21 of 26 passes for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns that gave Princeton a 24-7 victory. Carm Cozza, Yale's head coach for 24 years, remembers 1966 and the happier seasons that followed for his Bulldogs. "I don't know why Princeton hasn't won here," said Cozza afterward. But he saw for himself what happened yesterday. His Bulldogs drew first blood when Buddy Zachery sprinted 31 yards for a touchdown that put Yale in front, 7-0.

But those same Bulldogs who fell to 2-6-1 overall and 2-3-1 in the Ivy League took the rest of the afternoon off. Meanwhile, the Tigers 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Ivy were just getting started. Jason Garrett found split end Dave Wix with a four-yard touchdown pass with 13:21 left in the second quarter. Then, with only four seconds remaining in the first half, Princeton capitalized on Frank Leal's first interception of the day when Chris Lutz booted a 26-yard field goal to make it 10-7. Leal hauled in two more to tie a school record for interceptions in a game.

"We didn't play well in the first half but getting three points before halftime helped carry us into the second half," said Tosches. Which is when Judd Garrett, The Home NewsD. Clayton Hulshizer Jets, Pats begin drive to playoffs at Meadowlands Mi i -t i a Devils impeach Capitals LANDOVER, Md. John Ma-cLean snapped a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal late in the second period and Jim Korn added two goals last night Devils 6 as New Capitals 3 Jersey de- feated the Washington Capitals 6-3, giving the Devils only their second regular-season victory in 23 games at the Capital Centre. MacLean's goal came after de-fensman Bruce Driver intercepted a clearing pass at the Washington blue line and fed Patrik Sundstrom alone to the right of goaltender Clint Malarchuk.

Sundstrom deked Malarchuk to the ice and fed Ma-cLean, who lifted a wrist shot into the upper right corner. Korn scored 2:06 later, then made it 5-2 at 1:25 of the third period before Sundstrom, who scored the Devils' opening goal in the second period, added another into an empty net with 33 seconds left The Devils have won two of their last three regular-season games in the Capital Centre and captured three of four playoff games. younger brother of Jason, checked into the office. Judd Garrett grabbed a pass from his brother and sprinted 49 i vards with a touchdown that in creased the Tigers' margin to 17-7 They haven't put it up for grabs much, either. The Patriots have gone from a quick-striking aerial attack featuring Steve Grogan throwing to Stanley Morgan and Irving Fryar to a ground-oriented attack, with Doug Flutie handing off to rookie John Stephens.

"They're doing an excellent job blocking and Stephens looks like the best rookie in the league," Jets cornerback Bobby Humphery said "But we can't be lulled by that and not expect Flutie to throw." Humphery should know. He was victimized by Fryar for two TDs in a 28-3 opening loss at New England. Stephens has rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight the first Patriot to do so in 12 years. "There's no secret about it," said Stephens, the team's top draftee from Northwestern (La.) State. "The line is blocking really well, there's been a lot of room and holes for me.

They've set their minds to See JETS, Page E6j( near the end of the third period. "I got a step and turned By BARRY WILNER AP sports writer EAST RUTHERFORD The New England Patriots are on the road again. Their playoff hopes depend on how they fare. The Patriots, winners of their last four home games and 5-1 at home this season, are 0-4 on the road. Today, they face the 5-4-1 Jets in the first of three straight AFC East road outings.

"We turned the ball over too much," Coach Raymond Berry said. "We're in a must-win situation every week now. We have to assume there is no margin for error now." Turnovers have been disastrous for the Patriots when they travel. In losses at Minnesota, Houston and Green Bay, they had five, six and five giveaways. Overall, the Patriots are minus-7 on the road and plus-7 at home.

"It's been a problem we have to overcome," Berry said. "But we didn't lose the ball at Buffalo (in their last rod game)." said the younger Garrett of his race down the right sideline. Yale had another chance and it appeared that they might close the .1 eaD when Mark Brubaker who replaced Darin Kehler at quarter back connected with Pete Carav-ella for a 50-yard scoring throw with 10:17 left in the game. But it was called back because of a holding penalty and minutes later Leal sealed the Bulldogs fate with Bobby Humphery and his Jets' defensive teammates must come up with a op-notch effort today against Doug Fliie and New See TIGERS, Page E6.