The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 28

D6 Missoulian, Monday, November 12, 2001 FROM PAGE D1 SPORTS QB a shoo in for Heisman, but which one? in wj ij ii mill njpm iHLIiimi rm ii i i mihiii mm.mh, 1 leisman is the nation's pass-efficiency leader, completing 199 of 302 for 3.244 yards and 30 TDs. He was 21 of 33 for 302 yards and three TDs -and ran for another in the Gators' 54-17 rout of South Carolina on Saturday. If he wins the Heisman, he may not attend because of a prior commitment the Southeastern Conference title game is the same day. Not to be forgotten is Harrington, the kid with the giant billboard in New York -touting him for the 1 leisman even before the season started. Harrington has lived up to the billing.

Joey Heisman, er, Harrington, has Oregon (9-1) a win over Oregon State away from taking the Pacific-10 Conference title and perhaps getting a shot at the national title. Harrington has completed 175 of 300 passes for 2,31 1 yards and 23 TDs. 1 Ie's also the master of late-game comebacks. 1 le did it for the ninth time in his career on Saturday, throwing a 1-yard scoring pass to Josh Line on -fourth-and-goal with 9:56 left and giving the Ducks a 21-20 win over UCLA. So take your pick, and don't be surprised if Crouch becomes the third Nebraska player to win the Heisman.

The others were flanker Johnny Rodgcrs in 1972 and running back Mike Rozier in 20-10 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 27. With the Huskers ahead 13-10, winghack Thunder Collins took a handoff from Crouch around right end and pitched it to freshman Mike Stuntz, a quarterback playing receiver this season. Stuntz threw a perfect pass to Crouch, who caught the nail at the 40 and sprinted into the end zone with 6:10 left. Of greater importance, Crouch's team is 1 1-0 and in the middle of the national championship chase.

On Saturday, Crouch was steady in a 31-21 win over Kansas State, running for 106 yards and a TD and passing for 60 yards with two interceptions. Dorsey was the leader before Saturday's 18-7 escape at Boston College, a game in which he threw four interceptions to give him eight for the season. In the worst game of his career, the Miami junior was 20 of 41 for 222 yards and did not throw a TD pass. For the season, he's passed for 2,004 yards and 15 touchdowns. To get back in the race, he needs to come up big in Miami's final three games against No.

14 Syracuse, No. 16 Washington and No. 18 Virginia Tech. Plus, the Hurricanes (8-0) must keeping winning. Grossman has been not only the model of efficiency, but he's piled up the biggest numbers of all in leading the Gators to an 8-1 record.

The sophomore no By RICHARD ROSENBLATT Associated Press For those trying to sort out the national championship puzzle, here's something else to ponder: Who's the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy? With three weeks to go before 1 leisman ballots are due at New York's Downtown Athletic Club, the race has Commentary turned into a mad scramble. All that seems certain is a quarterback will win college football's top individual prize the night of Dec. 8. Which quarterback is anyone's guess, especially after Saturday's games. So take your pick from this final four: Nebraska's Eric Crouch, Miami's Ken Dorsey, Florida's Rex Grossman and Oregon's Joey Harrington.

One of these guys will become just the third quarterback since 1993 and 21st overall to win the Heisman, first presented in 1935. Other quarterbacks, including Texas' Chris Simms, Mississippi's Eli Manning, Fresno State's David Carr and BYU's Brandon Doman, have received Heisman support, but none are likely to make the A list. The contending running backs, meanwhile, took themselves out of the race either by getting in trouble or just playing poorly. Playoffs Continued the semifinals. Seeds 3 and 4 will host for at least the first two rounds.

According to a memo issued by the NCAA: "Once the Division I-AA football committee has seeded the top four teams in the 16-team bracket, the top four teams will be placed in appropriate positions in the bracket and will be paired with teams that are in the closest proximity. "The remaining eight teams will be paired according to geographic proximity and the host institution will be determined by the championship site selection criteria, which is outlined in the NCAA bylaws. "The remaining eight teams will be placed in the bracket according to geographic proximity to other teams already placed in the bracket. There will bc.no adjustments to the bracket once the first-round pairings are determined." What does the change mean for Montana? If the Grizzlies are seeded as one of the top four teams, they could play Northern Iowa, which clinched the Gateway Conference's automatic bid via a 24-23 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday night. Cedar Falls, Iowa, the location of NIU, is 1,009 air miles from Missoula, second closest among teams in the hunt for the playoffs.

Northern Arizona is the closest, but can't play Montana in the first round because the Lumberjacks are members of the Big Sky Conference. Northern Iowa, however, could be in line for a top-four seed. Eastern Illinois, ranked No. 4 in last week's Sports Network, is another possibility. EIU, which lost to the Griz in last year's first round, are located in Charleston, 111., is 1,392 air miles from Missoula.

Stephen F. Austin, located in Nacogdoches, Texas is next on the list. A second-round matchup with NAU is a possibility because the Lumberjacks will be placed in the same bracket as Montana. NAU, if it receives one of the eight at-large bids, could wind up playing a team from the Southland Football League in the first round. If Montana were to fall out of the top four, there is still a good possibility ihe Grizzlies would host playoff games, If unseeded teams meet, the Division I-AA football committee will vote on where the games will be held, but the committee must follow the criteria listed in a specific NCAA bylaw.

The bylaw consists of four criteria: quality and availability of the facility and other nee accommodations; revenue potential; attendance history and potential; and geographic location. Teams will not be able to bid for home games, as was the case before 1995. Montana should have the edge over in several teams in each criterion. "It's going to help Montana," I logan said. "I know the mind-set of these people.

They sit around and do what the criteria says and Montana wins every time. So this could bode very well for us if it stays and down the road vft're not one of the top seeds." There is no question the system is imperfect for I-AA football. Any team that travels to Montana, including Northern Arizona, will have to fly. The possibility exists that Georgia Southern and Furman, whom many outside of Montana consider as favorites to meet in the national championship game, could tangle in the second round. "That's the flaw in the plan," Hogan said.

"You could have the No. 1 getting a 5 or 6 and in the mean time have a 15 getting a 13. But they've done away with all the seeding other than the top four. Everyone else is equal. It's all regional." Hypothctically, schools such as Hofstra and Eastern Illinois, who under the old system would receive home games based on seedings, may have to travel because they don't draw well at home.

Hofstra was ranked third in last week's Division I-AA poll, but lost to Villanova on Saturday night. The playoff committee uses a secret poll. The Division I-AA national championship game is Friday, Dec. 21, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The first round of the playoffs are Saturday, Dec.

1. Reporter Jon Kaspercan be reached at 523-5247 or by e-mail at jkaspermissoulian. com. Miami stays No. 1 in AP poll; AcQnrlntaH Praoo Tka A rmt Associated Press In The Associated Press Miami is still No.

1 in the AP media poll. A shaky No. 1. The Hurricanes (8-0) held off Boston College 18-7 on Saturday, then held off No. 2 Nebraska (11-0) in Sunday's balloting by the 72 sports writers and broadcasters on the AP panel.

Miami wasn't as lucky in the USA TodayESPN coaches poll, where Nebraska took over the No. 1 spot, with the Hurricanes second. sophomore has ever won the falls to No. 2 MtJ remained No. 3, followed by No.

4 Florida (8-1), No. 5 Texas (9-1), No. 6 Tennessee (7-1), No. 7 Oregon (9-1), No. 8 BYU (10-0), No.

9 Washington State (9-1) and No. 10 Maryland (9-1). Michigan was No. 11, followed by No. 12 Illinois, No.

13 Stanford, No. 14 Syracuse, No. 15 Colorado, No. 16 Washington, No. 17 Auburn, No.

18 Virginia Tech, No. 19 Louisville and No. 20 UCLA. Florida State tumbled 11 places to No. 21 after a 34-28 THE SERVICE LOU KRASKY Associated Press Florida quarterback Rex Grossman looks to throw as he leads his team to 54-1 7 victory over the University of South Carolina Satuday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

UCLA's DcShaun Foster and Boston College's William Green missed games on Saturday due to suspensions, and their playing status is uncertain; Northwestern's Damicn Anderson, recently injured, and Oregon State's Ken Simonton were eliminated early thanks to poor performances. For now, the leader is Crouch. He has run for 953 yards and 16 touchdowns, passed for 1,312 yards and seven touchdowns, and has his Heisman-defining moment a 63-yard TD catch off a trick play in the biggest game of the year, a Top 25, Miami received 44 first-place votes and 1,768 points, with Nebraska collecting the other 28 first-place votes and 1,756 points. Last week, Miami led Nebraska by 36 points. The Huskers are just 12 points behind now.

Nebraska beat -Kansas State 31-21 on Saturday after trailing by a point at halftime. Oklahoma (9-1), the defending national champions, Owned Operated by your neighbors Bruce Katby Buchman Repa BUMS I 1983. in coaches poll I I I' loss to unranked North Carolina State. South Carolina was No. 22, followed by No.

23 No. 24 Marshall and No. 25 Ohio State. Florida State (6-3) is in danger of dropping out of the AP poll for the first time since Sept. 17, 1989, a streak of 210 consecutive polls.

The Seminoles play at No. 4 Florida on Saturday. The last time Florida State lost three or more games in a season was 1986, when the 'Noles went 7-4-1. lUP MARK INKS 544 3101 THE service somen FLOORING CLEANING REPAIR REMODELING CONSTRUCTION LAWN CARE LANDSCAPING LAWN GARDEN HEATING AIR AUTO KITCHEN BATH HOME IMPROVEMENT WINDOW COVERINGS Contact your Missoulian Sales Representative directly, or call us at 523-5223 or 1-800-332-6212 to advertise on this page. If you want to be known, be in the source.

FLOORING CLEANING REPAIR REMODELING CONSTRUCTION LAWN CARE LANDSCAPING LAWN GARDEN HEATING AIR AUTO KITCHEN BATH HOME IMPROVEMENT WINDOW COVERINGS Contact your Missoulian Sales Representative directly, or call us at 523-5223 or 1-800-332-6212 to advertise on this page. If you want to be known, be in the source. CHECKMARK PAINTING PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME Broncos Continued fumble recovery for a touchdown, but Doug Flutie subsequently threw three interceptions. Griese completed 21 of 31 passes for 224 yards. Terrell Davis, playing in his second straight game after a siege of injuries for two seasons, rushed for 83 yards on 33 carries.

Jason Elam kicked four field goals for the Broncos, who took a 20-0 halftime lead on Griese's two TD throws in the final 1:07 of the first half. Both passes were to tight ends as Denver was short-handed at wide receiver when Eddie Kennison was declared inactive for the game after telling Shanahan he was retiring Saturday night. Receiver Scottie Montgomery was sidelined with a twisted left knee in the first half. San Diego lost Harrison in the first quarter. Kick returner Newspaper in mm Mr.vi Miniblind FREE MEASURING FREE ESTIMATES FREE INSTALLATION Verticals Wood Blinds Miniblinds Pleated Cellular Silhouette Skylights We Beat Stores Claiming 50-60-70 OFF! residential commercial SAVE AN EXTRA $20Qfl ON YOUR PURCHASE OF $200 OR MORE.

not tilid with my other offer ULTRASONIC CLEANING Ronney Jenkins (sprained neck) and backup running back Terrell Fletcher (left ankle) also went down with injuries. San Diego 0 0 3 13 16 Denver 3 17 6 0 26 First Quarter Den FG Elam 25, 5:35. Second Quarter Den FG Elam 29, 7:02, Den De.Clark 1 8 pass from Griese (Elam kick), 12:07. Den Carswell 3 pass from Griese (Elam kick), :32. Third Quarter Den FG Elam 26.

10.54. SD 42. Den FG Elam 33. 4 38 Fourth Quarter SD Conway 72 pass Irom Flute (Richey kick), 124:50. SD Johnson 45 fumble return (run failed).

9:57, A 74,951. SO Den 19 41-127 211 2-26 2-76 4-24 21-31-0 4-13 6-533 2-1 4-20 First downs Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost 17-96 147 3-5 6-160 0-0 12-31-4 1-18 5-558 2-1 Penalties-Yards Time of Possession 3-16 2006 39:54 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING San Diego. Tomlinson 14-75. Fletcher 1-16.

Flutie 2-5. Denver, T.Davis 33-83, Anderson 4-23, Griese 4-21 PASSING San Diego, Flutie 12-31-4-165, Denver Griese 21-31-0-224. RECEIVING San Diego, Conway 3-111, Tomlinson 3-21 R.Jones 3-11. Fletcher 2-15, Heiden 1-7, Denver, R.Smith 5-74. De Clark 5-47, Davis 5-36, Carter 2-28, Poole 2-13, Montgomery 1 -23, D.Carswell 1-3 MISSED FIELD GOALS None Education book, promoting literacy through reading skills, math concepts, geography and global awareness.

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