Wisconsin State Journal from Madison, Wisconsin • 11

1B UW skaters learning2B Vikings tip Rams3B MONEY7-8B Sports editor: William K. Brophy, 252-6170 Wisconsin State Journal, Monday, November 6, 1989 SPORTS Majik victory replay 0 0 0 Pack back? As of now, you bet GREEN BAY The game wasn't one play old when Richard Dent of the Chicago Bears threw a vicious forearm into the facemask of the Green Bay Packers' Ken Ruettgers. Flag. Unnecessary roughness. Fifteen yards.

Packers and Bears, at it again. 0 0 0 Bears' Vestee Jackson (24), John Roper (55) and uv Sy W- 1 M4- i y- MM. 1r-; Majkowski TD pass tops Bears ByJohnAehl Sports reporter GREEN BAY Instant replay isn't all that bad now, is it? Certainly one of the most thrilling football games in the 138-game history of the intense rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears was decided by a videotape replay of a 14-yard touchdown pass Sunday afternoon in Lambeau Field. The result, the Packers' 14-13 National Football League victory over the Bears, was one of the most satisfying for Green Bay in the series and was made immeasurably more so by the tension surrounding a seemingly interminable review of the videotape. "If anybody doesn't like instant replay right now, you're crazy," said Packers Coach Lindy Infante in his press conference.

This was the situation: Trailing, 13-7, and frustrated on two long drives earlier in the fourth quarter, the Packers had come back with a third drive. But now they had run out of plays. Fourth-and-goal from the Bears' 14 with 41 seconds left. Packers quarterback Don Majkowski, who had aborted the first two drives with a lost fumble and an interception, was rushed up the middle. He sprinted toward the right Please turn to 4B, Col.

1 Mors Packers First downs Rushes-yards Passing yards Return yards Passes Sacked-yards lost Punts FumbleS'lost Penaltles-vords Time of possession 19 34-133 1U 35 16-30-0 2-15 6- 35 0-0 7- 60 34:26 1 15-4 270 11 23-40-1 5-29 2-1 S-4S 25:34 Chicago 0 10 0 ..7 0 0 7 II 14 Green Bay Green Bay Dldler, 24, pass from Maikowskl (Jocke, kick) Chicago FG, Butter, 25 Chicago FG, Butler, 37 'J Chicago Muster, 2, run (Butler, kick) Green Boy Sharpe, 14, pass from Maikowskl (Jocke, kick) Art. 56,556 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: Chlcooo Anderson 15-51, Harbaugh 3-29, Suhey 4-19, Muster 1-16, Sanders 2-1, Gentry 2-3. Green Boy Full wood 10-31, Maikowskl 1-14, Wood-side 2-11, Haddlx 1-3, Workman 1-3. Passing: Chlcooo Harbaugh 16-30-0 203. Green Bay Maikwoksl 23-40-1 299.

Receiving: Chicago Muster 6-64, Boso 3-1, Suhey 2-21, Gentry 1-46, Thornton 1-22, McKlnnon 1-19, Davis 1-17, Morris 1-9. Green Bay Kemp 4-55, Woodslde 4-41, West 3-31, Query 3-17, Full wood 2-76. Sharpe 2-19, Fontenot 2-15, Dldler 1-24, Matthews 1-11, Haddlx 1-10. Missed Held goals: None. Majkowski ready at finish413 Sharpe: 'Just catch it'4B How they scored 4B the line judge, said Majkowski released the pass over the 14-yard line, the line of scrimmage.

Parkinson saw it differently, though. "The ball must cross the line of scrimmage to be ruled an illegal pass, and the ball did not cross the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball," Parkinson said. Replays showed that Majkowski's foot was on the 15 when he released the ball. But Parkinson said "the quarterback's feet have nothing to do with it. Where the ball is when it's released (is the deciding factor)." If the replay was so conclusive, then why did it take Parkinson almost 5 agonizing minutes to make his decision? "This was a very important play," he said.

"The ballgame hinges on this play. We took our time and looked at both feeds." especially when it was needed. He continued to pick at the tape. It was coming off about as easily as this defeat was going to wear off. "I realize how much progress we have made this year," Crawford said.

"I think we all know how much better we are and that there are some positive things happening for us. We just have to make sure we take advantage of the breaks when they come our way." Some 45 minutes after the game had ended, the last piece of pesky tape was off his leg. His thoughts would turn to next Saturday and UW's home game against Indiana. "We have to bounce back," he said, slowly rising out of the chair. "Something good is going to happen to us.

Something good." Surprisingly, though, this one didn't turn out to be an instant replay of many recent Packers-Bears games. Unlike many of the dogfights in this unfriendly neighborhood rivalry, this one TOM OATES remained clean. And unlike all of them since 1984, the Packers won. Green Bay's dramatic, instant-replay-aided, 14-13 victory over Chicago Sunday meant many things to many people. But the flood of emotion that erupted from Packers players, coaches and fans after Don Majkowski's desperation, fourth-down touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe was ruled good by the instant-replay official was as genuine as anything seen at Lambeau Field since the 1960s.

Sure, it was an exciting finish. Sure, it was a victory over the despised Bears. And sure, it put the Packers in the unfamiliar position of being 5-4 and tied with the Bears, a game behind first-place Minnesota in the Central Division. But this one was something else, something special. Perhaps it was so because it was an affirmation that after more than 20 years of wandering in the National Football League wilderness, the Pack is finally back.

"This is a very sweet win," said linebacker John Anderson, in his 12th and possibly final season with the Packers. "Just walking off that field, you can't really describe it, you can't put it into words. But this is what keeps you coming back and makes up for all the agony and the losses and the injuries. It's just a great feeling." It was a feeling that overpowered the coaches and players once they escaped to the relative sanity of the locker room. "I'm at a loss for words," Coach Lindy Infante told reporters.

"19 my 25 years of "coaching, If, rnrrabeii being proud to be part of an organization. A That was truly a great victory for those guys." Linebacker Brian Noble, the emotional leader of the Packers defense and a player who has publicly agonized over never having beaten the Bears, had a difficult time trying to tell reporters what the locker-room scene was like. "It was just incredible," he said. "There's not proper words that you can use to describe the feeling that this football team has had, that I've had, that would realistically describe what the feeling was, what the emotion was. There were guys crying, screaming, yelling." And which of the above was Noble doing? "I was doing everything," he said.

"I was crying, I was screaming, I was yelling, I was hugging. I've been here a long time now and we've been through some games with these guys that come down to the wire like this one did and somehow we always find ourselves on the short end of the stick. To be able to sit back and talk to you guys (with a smile) now instead of that sad, sober look on my face and always saying, 'Next time we'll beat well, I guarantee you, there's a party in Green Bay tonight." In that case, the Bears have already picked up the tab. Not only are they a symbol of frustration for the Packers, they have, for the last five seasons, been the example of sustained excellence for most NFL teams. The Bears are also the type of elite team the Packers have rarely beaten, even in this season of rejuvenation.

Until Sunday, that is. "We're on the road to happiness," Noble said. For once, no one could argue with him. Like used By Vic Feuerherd Assistant sports editor I It was hard to tell which hurt Lionell Crawford more his bat- tered and bone-tired body or his bruised and bullied psyche. He sat on the chair in the Uni- versity of Wisconsin football team's locker room following Saturday's 24-22 loss to Minnesota, not able to mask the grimaces that followed the simplest of moves.

His left leg remained heavily bandaged, the final remnants of the protection he sought for his unstable knee injured two weeks ago. I But what seemed to hurt the I sophomore quarterback even more were the inevitable questions about how close the Badgers had come to victory, but how far they had -T- landed pass and a fourth version it even operation? this Yet, with just like the ran with Hunt "I'm sore State Journal photoSCOTT SEID Markus Paul (36) after catching a third-quarter pass. help from above replay official The Packers' Perry Kemp is surrounded by the Packers got By Tom Oates Assistant sports editor GREEN BAY Down the road, it most certainly will become a part of Green Bay Packers lore: Where were you when Bill Parkinson, the National Football League instant-replay official working the game, overruled a penalty called by the field officials and said Don Majkowski was not past the line of scrimmage on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe with 32 seconds left Sunday, a controversial play that gave the Packers a 14-13 victory over the Chicago Bears? Here's a sample of the participants' views of the play and the 5-minute delay until instant replay restored it: Majkowski: "I felt that I was (on the Packers side of the line of scrimmage). I couldn't believe the guy called it from the other side of the field, so I felt I was in." Sharpe: "I still don't like (instant re bandage, Bears defensive end Trace Armstrong, who was chasing Majkowski: "I couldn't tell. I was just watching him.

I worked upfield and he flushed (out of the pocket) and it seemed like I chased him for about 30 yards, all the way to the sideline. I thought he may even have been out of bounds." Bears Coach Mike Ditka: "I don't know what instant replay showed or anything else, so it would be very hard for me to make any comment. But it's part of the system. The system's there and it's been there a couple of years, so there's no use crying about that. I'm not going to cry about it." In the end, the only view of the play that really counted belonged to Parkinson and was provided by CBS.

Tom Dooley, the referee on the field, told pool reporter Bob McGinn of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that Jim Quirk. play) today I like it. But I still don't like it because I think it takes away from the overall game. I was so happy because it was conclusive and everybody was so happy and all the fans were going crazy." Packers guard Rich Moran, a blocker on the play: "I couldn't see the play. All I was thinking was: I hope it isn't a holding penalty." Packers linebacker John Anderson, who was standing on the sideline: "At first it was a touchdown and it was ecstasy.

Then you look up and see how much clock we have to defend going the other way. Then (came) the flag, of course, and I thought that was it. Then they reviewed it, and the longer they reviewed it, the better I started feeling because that's usually a pretty good sign that they're not real sure about it. I'm still not real crazy about that instant replay, but today I'll take it." defeat sticks with Crawford 'I think we all know how much better we are and that there are some positive things happening for us. We just have to make sure we take advantage of the breaks when they come our Lionell Crawford He handed off to Hunt on a dive play for 3 yards, a play that seemed to be as much a chance for him to catch his breath as it was to get UW closer to field goal territory.

He was tackled trying to make the pitch to Williams on the next play for a 4-yard loss. A desperation sideline pattern to Aaron Brown fell incomplete well out of bounds. A dump-off to tight end Craig Hudson fell 5 yards short of the first-down marker, and the Badgers again fell short of victory. "I think we can move it in the last 2 minutes," Crawford said. "It's just a matter of being patient.

You could see in other situations that we were able to get the big play out of it (the option offense)." But it didn't work well enough, from it. Or why he threw the that was intercepted and returned for a Minnesota touchdown 24-14 lead 6 minutes into the quarter. Or why the Badgers of the 2-minute offense if exists never goes into Questions he had heard too often season. Questions he had to answer again. Crawford bounced back an answer to each question, he had bounced up from Metrodome turf the 22 times he the ball or the other countless times he had pitched it to running backs Robert Williams or Leon in the UW option series.

fine," he said. "I'm just from being hit. But I'm fine. UW got an assist from the officials when a poor mark killed the Gophers' try for a first down and UW took over at its 40 with 2:27 left. There was Crawford scrambling for 21 yards and a first down to the Minnesota 49 three plays later.

But Crawford seemed exhausted. Now we just have to bounce back from another loss." He slowly worked on peeling the tape that didn't want to come off. "Even when we were behind 24-14, 1 still felt we had a chance to win," he said. "I still feel that way." The chance for victory existed..