The Herald-Palladium from Benton Harbor, Michigan • 34

4D SUNDAY, October 28, 2001 The Herald-Palladium Benton Harbor-St. Joseph College football NBA PREVIEW Stackhouse looks for wins Nebraska takes out Oklahoma Pistons S. ML By LARRY LAGE Associated Press Writer AUBURN HILLS There's one thing separating Jerry Stackhouse from being mentioned among the NBAs best players. Winning. It that simple, according to Detroit Pistons forward Michael Curry.

"Jerry has done a lot of scoring in this league, he's made the All-Star teams, but it's about winning." Curry said. "Until you start winning and getting into the playoffs, you're not going to get the recognition you deserve. "It was the same way when I was in Milwaukee with Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson. Until Milwaukee started winning, almost everyone was considering (Robinson) a bust. Now they're thinking he's a pretty good, which-he is.

"The surrounding players are here and more importantly, the system is in place for Jerry to play well." The system to which Curry is referring has been implemented by Rick Carlisle, who ill be a head coach at any level for the first time this season. Carlisle didn't waste any time showing his team where he's coming from during training camp. He's already said that he intends to start Curry at small forward not Corliss Williamson, who signed a six-year, S33-million contract in July, or Rodney White, who the Pistons drafted with the No. 9 pick in the draft. "It's encouraging that coach's whole emphasis to the whole team, Nati Hamik AP OKLAHOMA'S TRENT SMITH (center) is stopped by Nebraska's Mark Vedral (right) and Jamie Burrow (left) during Nebraska's 20-10 victory Saturday.

Arkansas 42, No. 17 Auburn 17 IAY1 HI VII. i T. Ark. Zak Clark threw a l6-ard touchdown pass to Richard Smith, and backup quarterback Matt Jones made big plays throwing for Arkansas.

Smith's second touchdown of the first half the other came on Jones' first collegiate pass gave Arkansas 2-3 Southeastern Conference) a 21-10 lead late in the first half. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LINCOLN, Neb. Eric Crouch scored on a 63-yard trick play as third-ranked Nebraska beat No. 2 Oklahoma 20-10 Saturday to snap the Sooners' 20-game winning streak. On a first-and-10 from the Nebraska 37 with 6:10 left, wingback Thunder Collins took a handoff around the right end and pitched it to freshman Mike Stuntz, a quarterback who is playing receiver this fall.

Stuntz lofted a perfect pass to Crouch, who caught it around the 40 and ran untouched to put the Huskers up 20-10. The Sooners (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) had just stopped Nebraska (9-0, 5-0) on a third-and-2, but were called for an incidental facemask that kept the Nebraska drive going. Crouch finished with 184 total yards, completing 10 of 18 passes for 102 yards and rushing for 19 yards on 13 carries. Oklahoma's Nate Hybl was 17-for-36 for 1 84 yards in relief of starter Jason White, who was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter when he came down awkwardly on his left knee. No.

20 Stanford 38, No. 4 UCLA 28 STANFORD, Calif. Chris Lewis threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns, and Kerry Carter scored his second TD on a 27-yard run with 2 minutes left as Stanford scored 31 straight points before holding on to beat UCLA. UCLA (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10), its vaunted defense shredded all day by the Cardinal (5-1, 4-1), fell despite an impressive second half from backup quarterback Scott McEwan, who replaced injured starter Cory Paus after halftime and rallied the Bruins to 21 straight points while passing for 221 yards. But Lewis, a confident sophomore who replaced Randy Fasani and led Stanford to a 49-42 win at Oregon last week, got enough points to get Stanford off to its best start since 1992 Syracuse 22, No.

5 Virginia Tech 14 BLACKSBURG, Va. Jarhel Rid dle scored a 5 1 -yard punt return in the first quarter as Syracuse ended Virginia Techs 16-game home winning streak. Virginia Tech Big East), which had beaten Syracuse by a combined 124-10 in the last three meetings at Lane Stadium, fell behind 14-0 in the first 7:25. The Orangemen allowed Virginia Tech just 90 yards rushing. No.

6 Florida 24, No. 15 Georgia 10 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Rex Grossman passed for 407 yards and two touchdowns as Florida beat Georgia. The Gators (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) gained 584 yards, their most ever in the 78-game history of this storied rivalry, but had to sweat this game out because of four turnovers, 106 yards in penalties and a host of other errors. No.

7 Texas 35, Missouri 16 COLUMBIA, Mo. Chris Simms passed for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth as Texas beat Missouri. Cedric Benson had 1 57 yards on 3 1 carries, his third straight 100-yard game for the Longhorns (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). Simms was 24-for-30 for 229 yards, with scoring passes to B.J. Johnson, Brock Edwards, Roy Williams and Brett Robin, and scored on a 1-yard sneak.

No. 19 Florida St. 52, No. 10 Maryland 31 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Chris Rix threw five touchdown passes three in the fourth quarter to lead Florida State past previously unbeaten Maryland.

Florida State (5-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) climbed back into the thick of the ACC title race and kept its league home record a perfect 39-0 since joining in 1992. Maryland (7-1, 5-1) took a 14-0 lead and tied the game at 31 with 1:53 left in the third quarter on quarterback Shaun Hill's 1-yard sneak, but the Terps Bulls' youngsters won't always play were no match for the voumier, explo sive Seminoles in the final quarter. No. 9 Tennessee 17, No. 12 S.

Carolina 10 KNOXVILLE. Tenti. Travis Stephens ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns to help Tennessee remain in the hunt for a trip to the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Gamecocks (6-2, 5-2). who are 0-1 1 in Neyland Stadium and have lost nine straight to the Volunteers, never led but tied the score at 10 on Daniel Weaver's 24-yard field goal ith 13:21 left.

No. 11 Oregon 24, No. 14 Washington St. 17 PULLMAN, Wash. Ontcrrio Smith ran for a school-record 285 yards and scored three times as 1 1th-.

ranked Oregon beat No. 14 Washington State 24-1 7 on Saturday. Smith, who had 26 carries, broke the 1971 Oregon record of 249 yards set by Bobby Moore now known as Ahmad Rashad. Smith combined with Maurice Morris for 423 yards rushing and the Ducks had 446 overall. The Cougars threatened to tie the game in the final seconds, but Jason Gesser threw three consecutive incomplete passes from the Oregon 8 as time expired.

LAST SEASON: 32-50, missed playoffs. COACH: Rick Carlisle, 1st seasdn. ADDED: Jon Barry (trade with Kings), Cliff Robinson (trade with Suns), Zeljko Rebraca (trade with Raptors). LOST: Jud Buechler, John Wallace (traded to Phoenix), Mateen Cleaves (traded to Sacramento), Joe Smith (free agent, Minnesota), Billy Owens (free agent). every day, is just about winning." Curry said.

"That's what it should be about. Anytime you're doing anything else, as a player or a coach, you're not doing the right thing." Point guard Dana Barros. forward Cliff Robinson and center Ben Wallace are expected to join Stackhouse and Curry in the starting lineup when the season begins Tuesday at Dallas. White will come off the bench along with point guard C'hucky Atkins, shooting guard Jon Barry and center Zeljko Rebraca. Williamson may have to battle to get into the rotation because Carlisle doesn't intend to empty his bench every game.

"It would appear that Corliss would be the odd-guy out in the primary rotation," Carlisle said. "But I told him he's going to play a lot of minutes this vear." Bulls LAST SEASON: 15-67, missed playoffs. COACH: Tim Floyd, 4th season, 45-169. ADDED: Eddie Robinson (free agent, Hornet9), Charles Oakley (trade with Raptors), Tyson Chandler (draft, No. 2, Domlngue2 (Calif.) HS), Eddy (draft, No.

III.) HS), Greg Anthony (free agent, Trail Blazers), Kevin Ollie (free agent, 76ers), Trenton Hassell (draft, No. 30, Austin Peay) LOST. Elton Brand (traded to Clippers), Bryce Drew (free agent, Charlotte), Jamal Crawford (injured), Corey Benjamin free agent), Dragan Tarlac (free agent). model and counselor of sorts for Chandler and Curry. "It's up to management and the coaches what direction they want to take with the young guys," said the 37-year-old Oakley, in his second stint with the Bulls.

Chandler's draft rights cost the Bulls their'best player and leading scorer and rebounder of the last two seasons, Elton Brand, via a trade with the Clippers. Brand averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds in his two' seasons and the Bulls will struggle to replace those numbers. rejuvenated by these new rules because it gives him something else to teach and to study." Teams have had difficulty adjusting to the new rules, getting called for many illegal-defense technical fouls during the preseason. In the old days, teams would get a warning before a technical was called. Now, there's zero tolerance.

"Most teams are going to play man, but if you come up against a scorer like Allen Iverson, you may see some zone," Atlanta's Jason Terry said. In 1961-62, the NBA adopted a two-sentence rule forbidding zone defenses. Every team was supposed to play man-to-man, but over the years coaches devised ways to disguise zones within the confines of the rules. The league tinkered with the defensive guidelines over the years, coming up with paragraph upon paragraph of rules that even coaches and referees had difficulty interpreting. Illegal defense stoppages, the reasons for which were a mystery to the average fan, became common.

Western Michigan loses another MAC game By RICK GANO Associated Press Writer CHICAGO Tim Floyd insists he will coach the Chicago Bulls his way this season. It begs the question: Why not? What more does he have to lose? In the fourth year of a rebuilding process that never seems to end, Floyd finds himself with a new set of players, including some very seasoned veterans and a pair of teen-agers fresh out of high school. His dilemna: does he play prep-to-pro rookies Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler big minutes to speed up their transition and development or does he stick with his experienced players that give him a better chance granted a small one to win. more games? The Chandler-and-Curry topic and daily questions about it are already annoying Floyd, even before the season opener Wednesday against the Pacers When Curry and Chandler don't play, everyone wants to know why not? One reason seems to be obvious neither is ready to contribute significantly in the NBA. "It's going to be a process that takes some time.

They'll play sometimes and sometimes they won't. They're 18-year-olds," said Floyd, who enters the season with a 45-169 record. When a report before the Bulls' final preseason game suggested that he and general manager Jerry Krause differ on how to use the youngsters, Floyd did some venting. The Bulls acquired veteran Chares Oakley in a trade, so he can be a role Michigan pulls out win over Iowa No. 24 Purdue 32, Northwestern 27 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.

Brandon I lance ran and passed for a touchdown and Montrell Lowe ran for 101 yards and a score as Purdue beat Northwestern. Hance, who threw for 190 yards on 14-6f-31 passing and rushed for 49 yards on nine carries, has thrown for over 200 yards only twice this year, but he has Purdue (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) off to its best start since it was 6-1 in 1997. No. 25 Colorado 22, Oklahoma St. 19 STILLWATER, Okla.

Bobby Pesavento threw a 2 1 -yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and followed it with a 2-point conversion pass for the in. 24-20 on Saturday. Akina finished l6-of-25 for 155 yards with no interceptions for the Eagles (2-5, 1-2 Mid-American), who broke a five-game losing streak. Joe Frccdy completed 20 of 45 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulls (1-7, Alma 31, Kalamazoo 15 ALMA Steve Slowke completes 28 of 44 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns to lead Almatoa31-15win over Kalamazoo on Saturday. Kris Ernst caught 2 TD passes and four others for the Scots (4-4, 1-2 Michigan Intercollegiate), who converted all three of their fourth-down tries.

Kalamazoo's Bryan Gnyp was 1 9-of-43 passing for 3 1 4 yards and two TDs, both to Andy Graham. Grand Valley St. 44, Michigan Tech 34 HOUGHTON Curt Anes threw three touchdown passes to David Kircus and two others to Terrance Banks as Grand Valley State rallied to beat Michigan Tech 44-34 on Saturday. The Lakers (8-0, 7-0 Great Lakes) amassed 666 net yards but were held below their season average of 58 points per game. Anes finished 26-of-40 for 434 yards, and'Rcggie Spcarmon gained 127 yards on 25 carries.

Hope 33, Adrian 0 HOLLAND Phil Butler threw three touthdown passes and the Hope defense allowed just 194 yards in a 33-0 shutout of Adrian on Saturday. Butler completed 24 of 34 passes for 280 yards for the Dutchmen (6-1, 3-0 Michigan Intercollegiate). Brian Adloff caught 1 1 passes for 123 yards, including a 2 3 -yard TD in the second quarter. NBA teams adjust to new defensive rules By THE ASSOCIATED PESS OXFORD, Ohio Freshman Ben Roethlisberger passed for two touchdowns and Rod Clark returned an interception 15 yards for a score as Miami of Ohio beat Western Michigan 25-1 1 Saturday. Roethlisberger was 1 8-of-29 for 215 yards for Miami (6-2, 5-0 MidAmerican).

He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his eight collegiate games. Western Michigan (4-4, 3-2) was held to 168 total yards after averaging 384 yards in seven games. Western Michigan trailed 16-0 until Charles Woods scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter, and Robert Menchinger added a 30-yard-field goal to make it 16-11. Then Brett Jackson kicked a 22-yard field goal for Miami, and Roethlisberger threw a 14-yard pass to Jason Branch to end the scoring. N.

Illinois 33, Cent. Michigan 24 MOUNT PLEASANT Dar-rell Hill returned the second-half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, the first of 26 unanswered points in Northern Illinois' 33-24 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday. Central Michigan scored later in the quarter with TD passes from Derrick Vickers to Rob Turner that covered 6 and 98 yards the latter the longest pass play from scrimmage in Chippewas history. Paul Savich's 40-yard field goal and Terrence Jackson's 18-yard scoring run gave Central Michigan its 24-7 halftime margin. E.

Michigan 24, Buffalo 20 YPSILANTI Kainoa Akina threw two touchdown passes and C.R. Roberson gained 154 yards on 19 carries, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, as Eastern Michigan beat Buffalo the end zone on the previous play, was falling backward when he reached up with his right hand to snare Navarre's pass, pulled the ball to his body and held it as he hit the ground in the right corner to complete the 6-yard play. Navarre's 77-yard pass to Tyrece Butler set up Perry's touchdown. Butler beat redshirt freshman Chigozie Ejiasi on third-and-15 from the Michigan 20. Ejiasi was in the game because 'Starting cornerback Matt Stockdale had sprained a foot in the first half.

Michigan St. 42, Wisconsin 28 MADISON, Wis. T.J. Duckett, limited to 17 yards in the first half, scored on a 43-yard run and set up another touchdown with a 68-yard romp as Michigan State beat Wisconsin 42-28 Saturday. Duckett finished with 186 yards on 23 carries and Charles Rogers turned five catches into 206 yards against Wisconsin's shaky secondary.

Rogers capped his career day with an 87-yard touchdown catch against freshman cornerback Scott Starks, who was burned repeatedly by quarterback Jeff Smoker. The Spartans (4-2, 2-2 Big Ten) held Wisconsin without points on six drives into Michigan State territory, forcing four punts an intercepting Jim Sorgi twice in the end zone before knocking him out with a concussion in the third quarter. Converted tailback a sophomore, broke his right leg on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jim Sorgi to Lee Evans that gave Wisconsin a 14-7 lead with 7:03 left in the first half. Dortch, who moved to cornerback when the Spartans lost both starters DeMario Suggs and Jason Harmon to broken ankles in practice on successive days earlier this month, bit on a pump-fake by Sorgi but caught up to Evans in the end zone. Spartans beat Badgers, lose another cornerback By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IOWA CITY, Iowa Marquise Walker and Michigan's offense emerged just in time to keep the Wolverines unbeaten in the Big Ten.

Walker made a stunning one-handed catch of John Navarre's pass for a touchdown, and Navarre threw a 13-yard TD pass to Shawn Thompson in the fourth quarter for the winning score as No. 8 Michigan beat Iowa 32-26 Saturday. Michigan (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten), which managed only 1 1 1 yards in the first half, pulled it out with the help of its defense after Iowa took a 26-2 1 lead on Ladell Berts' 8-yard touchdown run with 12:56 left. The Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-3) got the ball back by forcing a punt, but Cato June's interception of Kyle McCann's pass and 30-yard return gave it to Michigan at midfield. A pass-interference penalty moved the ball to the 35 and Navarre hit Walker for 13 yards on third-and-9 from the 34.

Three plays later, Thompson caught a pass between two defenders, put his head down and bulled into the end zone with 8:34 remaining. Navarre followed with a 2-point conversion pass to a wide open Walker and Hayden Epstein added a 51-yard field goal with 3:57 remaining. Iowa drove to the Michigan 39 late but gave up the ball when McCann, under pressure, overthrew Chris Oliver on fourth-and-1 with 56 seconds left. Down 20-7, Michigan rallied to a 21-20 lead late in the third quarter on Chris Perry's 3-yard touchdown run and Walker's spectacular grab. Walker, who had dropped a pass in By CHRIS SHERIDAN Associated Press Writer The San Antonio Spurs played a 3-2 zone for the entire first half of an exhibition game and got beaten badly on the boards.

Other teams have barely played a minute of zone, a type of defense that would have been illegal until this season. The NBA overhauled its defensive rules over the summer in an effort to get teams to diversify their offenses. All the old illegal defense guidelines have been junked, replaced by one rule: No defensive player can stay in the lane for more than three seconds unless he's within an arm's length of an opponent; Teams will make changes throughout the season as they try to figure out what works and what doesn't. "It'll take some adjustments from players and teams around the league. But for the most part, it can have a positive effect," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said.

"I see Phil Jackson in practice every day, and he seems to be.