Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 47

SECTION INSIDE Major-league baseball, D4-5, D11 College football, D2, D6-7 NFL, D9 Scoreboard, D10 Sunday, September 1, 1991 Austin American-Statesman First step to destiny: All eyes on December 15 Cowboys records 1980-90 Oilers records 1980-90 Houston views strong start as crucial for better finish Dallas has healthy optimism, but tough schedule is obstacle if Ws ft 9 10 9 9 7,123 5 5 9 5 11 5M a MM PI By Mark Wangrin American-Statesman Staff In Dallas the talk goes two ways: The Cowboys will be disappointed with anything less than a playoff appearance, and they will be improved but it might not show because of a tougher schedule. Coach Jimmy Johnson has pitched both lines, but the bottom line he's stressing is that the success will come. "Personally, I feel more confident about the success we can have," Johnson said. "A year ago, like everybody else, we knew we eventually would have success. We By Randy Riggs American-Statesman Staff The Houston Oilers sound like 100-meter sprinters when they talk about getting past the divisional level of the playoffs, which they haven't done the previous four years.

Start fast, they keep stressing. A fast start could help a lot when they get near the finish line. "It's awfully important," Coach Jack Pardee said. "The whole goal of this off-season has been that if we're going to be a good team, we have to get a better start. That's something the Oilers 8 HI -I TV: L.A.

Raiders at Houston, 3 p.m., KXAN (Channel 36 Cable 4) haven't had in recent years. This year it will be a challenge because their first three opponents the Los Angeles Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs all made the playoffs last year with a combined record of 32-16. Cincinnati, at 9-7, had the worst mark of the three, but the game is at Riverfront Stadium, where Houston has defeated its AFC Central rival only once in the past 10 games and has lost its last four visits there 41-See Strong, D8 TV: Dallas at Cleveland, noon, KTBC (Channel 7 Cable 2) knew we'd eventually win. But we didn't know when it would happen. "Now we know we're going to be winning sooner." Indeed, the Cowboys have reasons to be optimistic, once they get past the fact that they will play more games (nine) against 1990 NFL playoff teams than any other team.

Five reasons for optimism at Valley Ranch: Not only is Troy Aikman See Dallas, D8 1 Made playoffs Strike-shortened season Made playoffs til Strike-shortened season Year 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 Year 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 Staff graphics Staff graphics i UH, 73-3; Klingler has 9 IDs Cougars rip La. Tech; Heisman drive begins Powerful arm isn't only reason Moon is complete quarterback By Randy Riggs American-Statesman Staff OUSTON In just one year as Houston Oilers coach, Jack Pardee watched Warren Moon rifle more By Kirk Bohls American-Statesman Staff HOUSTON Overcoming his own "poor footwork" and playing behind a line with four new starters, a rusty David Klingler still threw an NCAA record six touchdown passes. And that was just in the second quarter. Not that he was all that bad in the other two quarters he played. The Houston quarterback many consider the front-runner in this year's Heisman Trophy race dissected Louisiana Tech for nine touchdown passes overall in a 73-3 victory before 30,082 in Saturday's season-opener.

When is that Heisman ballot due again? For the record, Klingler's scoring passes went for 15. 60, 16, 6, 5, 6, 13, 4 and 2 yards. The first six broke the record of five TD passes in a quarter in 1989 by former See Klingler, Back page trying to perfect. The strong arm is a given "a gift from God," said strength and rehabilitation coach Steve Watterson but the plant and the touch came only after years of practice. "When I watch other quarterbacks, I look at the mechanics," Moon said.

"I look at their feet more than anything else." Moon studies the drop, as well as the quarterback's ability to move laterally and still get off a catchable pass. "Any quarterback can just drop back, plant and throw," he said. "But what happens when the rush comes around? Can you shuffle your feet to the left or right and reset and throw? Can you throw well off-balance? Those are the things that you need to do." Then there is the touch. It's a skill that usually comes with the realization that not even the strongest arm and strongest throw can muscle the ball through a defender. "Sometimes you fall in love with your arm and think you can get the ball through anything," Moon said.

"I was always conscious of that. That was one of the knocks on black quarterbacks that we did have strong arms but not a lot of touch. So I always made it a point to work hard on that." Former Oilers assistant June Jones See Moon, D8 memorable passes than he can, well, remember. But there's one Pardee says he will never forget. "Kansas City," he said.

"The pass to Haywood." Eighty-seven of Moon's 527 passing yards that day, the second-highest total in NFL history, came on that touchdown bomb to Haywood Jeffires. But the distance didn't impress Pardee as much as the throw itself. Moon rolled out and managed to avoid a blitz from linebacker Derrick Thomas. He planted his feet and then threw back across the field, against the grain. It's a dangerous pass because the margin for error is so slim.

Unless the throw is perfect, all the best angles for reaching the ball belong to the defensive players. "The worst thing you can do is un-derthrow one like that, because it's almost always intercepted and run back a long way," Pardee said. "But he laid it up with a touch and let Haywood run under it. "That took a special throw." That one play in Arrowhead Stadium neatly capsuled most of the elements Moon has spent his career John Maher vr Xa ARMED AND DANGEROUS Sealed with a 'D': Cougars display total package HOUSTON I think I still have questions about the Houston Cougars. I just can't remember what they are.

Saturday, the team I thought was no better than a second-place pretender in the SWC put on a mind-numbing display of scoring while burying Louisiana Tech 73-3 in a slow motion avalanche of points. No team in the history of football has ever taken so long to score so many "quick" points. The pass-happy Cougars can put together scoring drives that last less than a minute on the game clock but seem to drag on for an hour in real time. See Sealed, D6 if "-jtM 1 The incredible strength of quarterback David Klingler makes him Houston's king of zing and a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy this season. College football special section, G1 Huntsville High's Chuck Clements has greatness in his genes.

The top high school quarterback in Texas is just the latest Clements to have relative athletic success. High school football special section, G9 With wondrous natural abilities, Troy Aikman was born to throw bullets. It's no tossup whom the Cowboys will rely on to get them into the NFL playoffs. NFL special section, G17 staff photo by Ralph Barrera celvers with tight spirals that are easy to catch In a crowd. Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon uses perfect touch to reach his re- 4 ft 4 Fans cry, 'Booooo' Trading Buechele is unpopular move for Rangers Defying odds: Connors advances; Becker ousted jF r'i a free agent after this season, has been rumored for weeks since he probably would have demanded more than the Rangers would be willing to pay next season.

"I think it'll take time for me to realize the gist of what happened, but I heard if I was going anywhere it would be Pittsburgh," Buechele said. "My initial reaction is that I'm not surprised. The way the season has gone by, I couldn't see that I was going to be here next year." Third base also has been a crowded position for Texas since rookie sensation Dean Palmer was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Palmer has struggled in a switch to left field. Fans say they're surprised and miffed at Buechele's departure.

"I'm disappointed and sick. I feel like See Rangers, Back page Associated Press DALLAS Texas Rangers fans used to yell, "Booooo!" in support of their third baseman as he stepped to the plate. Now they're booing the trade of Steve Buechele, who spent the past seven seasons making dazzling plays and endearing himself to the fans at Arlington Stadium. Just after he went two for four in a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, Buechele was told about a trade that sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor-league pitcher Kurt Miller, 19, and a player to be named later. Buechele, 29, has made only three errors this season, fewest among major-league third basemen.

He's hit a career-high 18 home runs and is batting .267. A trade involving Buechele, who will be By Steve Wilstein Associated Press NEW YORK Jimmy Connors, defying age and the odds, stormed into the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday and has a seedless path to the semifinals after the shocking upset of No. 1 Boris Becker. Connors, a wild card ranked No.

174, beat lOth-seeded Karel Novacek 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 two days before turning 39. Unlike his crowd-rousing displays in his two earlier victories, Connors, a five-time champion, was all business in this match. "I'm getting to the point of being a total force in the game," said Connors, who is returning to form after missing 14 months with a wrist injury. "That's what I want to be next year, a force in the game. i "It's time for someone else to take my place, but if they don't want it, I'm not going to give it to them.

I'm 39 on the outside. I'm beat up on the inside. And one day this (body) is going to close down on me. He knocked off the only seeded player left in his quarter of the draw, staying back on the baseline and waiting for Novacek to make mistakes. Novacek obliged by hitting 65 unforced errors, compared to only 22 by Connors, and blamed a cold, 100-de-gree fever and a touch of stage fright.

"I didn't feel good at all, and I was very nervous when I had to make a first step on the center court and play against Jimmy Connors for the first time," the 25-year-See Haarhuis, Back page 1 Hi AP Unseeded Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands celebrates after upsetting top seed Boris Becker on Saturday at the U.S. Open..