The Daily News-Journal from Murfreesboro, Tennessee • 9

Scoreboard Page B4 -VV Til College nn football forces tyt JDaiTp ilctojf Journal Sunday, Oct. 31, 1993 Ha Mm 1 sW i -TmT ltd, 39 'Ray Charles can throw it and Stcvio Wonder can catch it against our secondary.1 Boots Donnelly MTSU football coach DNJ Phcjto by Jacqueline Schklw Tough, but not tough enough MTSU quarterback Kelly Holcomb and the rest of the Blue Raiders had a good day offensively but it wasn't enough as Tulsa won 38-1 7 at home. Hayless good day not enough By M0HTE HALE JR. Sports Editor TULSA, Okla. MTSU got itself in a game of catch-up that it had no business being in against Tulsa Saturday afternoon." It wasn't that the Blue Raider offense wasn't clicking, but Tulsa's was rolling at will, and the Golden Hurricane walked away with a.

38-17 win before 17,345 at Skelly Stadium. Tulsa, MTSlPs second Division I-A foe of the season, improved to 3-4, while MTSU slipped to 4-4. We had a shot to win here today," said, MTSU coach Boots Donnelly, "but we were behind too manyrpointsf to be playing catch-up football. "Ill take my hat off to Tulsa, though; they can flat throw it." And throw it Tulsa did. Golden Hurricane quarterback Gus Frerotte shredding the Blue Raider secondary for 354 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-33 passing.

"Ray Charles can throw it and Stevie Wonder can catch against our secondary," Donnelly said. "We knew coming in they would throw jt, but our youth defensively just killed us it killed US." MTSU's defense actually turned in a tremendous performance at times in the first half, stopping Tulsa twice inside the two yard line. However, the Blue Raider offense also squandered two chances in the "Red Zone" in the first half. MTSU took its opening possession and drove to the Tulsa 3, only to come away with no points after" Garth Petrilli missed a 22-yard field goal. On the Blue Raiders second possession, Petrilli nailed a 29-yarder to cut Tulsa lead to 7-3.

"Our first three possessions, we move it at will, but can't knock it down," Donnelly said. "We are going to have to find some way to pull the trigger and get it in the end zone." MTSU trailed 17-3 at the half, but took the second half kickoff and'' drove 80 yards on 11 plays pull within 17-10. Kippy Bayless, who led all more important" Winning hasn't come easy for the -Blue Raiders this season, as they are now 4-4 on the year. However, Bayless is certainly not to blame. "Kippy played another solid football game, said MTSU coach Boots Donnelly.

The young man can run, but he also catches the ball and blocks well, Bayless, 10th in the nation in rushing, also had 56 yards and he threw, a nine yard pass' for a total of 188 all-purpose yards. "I think Kippy is playing solid football," Donnelly said. "I just" wish our whole football team was right now." MTSU NOTES Danny Lawrence had a team-high 13 tackles and recovered a fumble and returned it 41 "It doesn't really mean too much," Bayless said. "We had a chance to do something big today. I may have had a good game, but the team didn't, so I really didn't either." Bayless longest run was 25 yards, and the bulk of his success came with tough yardage between the tackles.

"We thought if we came in and executed our game plan, we could run' and throw," Bayless said. "We just couldtv'l eliminate all the mental mistakes. "We got some bad breaks on offense, and their offense was able to make some big plays." Bayless now has 964 yards rushing this season and can become just the seventh back in Blue Raider history to rush for more than 1,000 when MTSU faces Austin Peay Saturday. "If I have a good game, it's because the. line, fullbacks and receivers have a good game," Bayless said.

"Goals are set before the season, but they're team goals. "You want to rush for over 1,000 yards, but winning is much By MONTE HALE JR. Sports Editor TULSA, Okla, Kippy Bayless sat with obvious disappointment in the MTSU locker room Saturday following the Blue Raiders 38-17 loss to Tulsa. Disappointed in the defeat, disappointed in missed opportunities and disappointed he couldn't enjoy an outstanding -individual performance. Bayless eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the sixth times this season as he worked and weaved his way for 123 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.

Bayless' effort was especially admirable as he was a marked man coming into the contest. "Kippy Bayless is a heck of a running back," said Tulsa coach Dave Rader. Ve knew we had to contain him today, but we couldn't stop him. "Fortunately, we were able to create turnovers, and that kind of evened things out" Although it was another solid day for the Blue Raider junior, he enjov the individual success. rushers with 123 yards, scored from the 1.

However, the Golden Hurricane reclaimed a 14-point cushion two minutes later when Frerotte hit Gary Brown on a 16-yard TD strike. It all came down to who made plays," said MTSU linebacker Anthony Hicks. They made the big plays and we didn't. Tm not going to take anything away from them, but we just didn't tackle and wrap people up today." Tulsa took a 31-10 lead on Solomon White's 21-yard run late in the third quarter, but the Blue Raiders still got themselves back in the game on their next possession. MTSU drove 80 yards again on nine plays, with Robbie Roberts going over from the 9 with 14:57 left in the game, making the score 31-17.

"Right there, we had the momentum and I thought were were going to come back," said MTSU quarterback Kelly Holcomb. "We're still making too many bonehead mistakes, though, and I'm talking about myself. "We got it close in the first half and didn't Bcore, and I thought that was the whole turning point." Another turning point came after MTSU cut the lead to 31-17 when they stopped the Golden Hurricane and made them punt for the first time with 14:03 left. Holcomb was intercepted by Garrick Jackson for the second time in the game after the Blue (See Raiders, page 4B) IT 1 V. 1 "SJ Photo 0 Fast starting Vols romp yards when Tulsa was threatening to score as time ran out? Tulsa receivers Chris 'Penn and Gary Brown each had over 100 yards receiving, the first time since 1987 two Golden Hurricane receivers have gone over 100 (See Bayless, page 3B) USC iU.

1 4 1 trying jonlay Dale Harrison Outdoors writer Lucky 'Penny' brings years of fortune Those of you who are not superstitious may not want to read beyond this line it will shatter all you skepticism. After finding a lucky "Penny" nine years ago, my life was changed, and I became the luckiest angler IVe ever known. I found the valuable "coin" in the middle of the street near Los Angeles inrush hour traffic. It was copper-colored, a little weathered, but the most beautiful Penny I had ever seen. I risked my life to get through the traffic and to the Penny.

But is was worth it. After I picked up that Penny off the street, the next nine years of my life were magically filled with love, laughter, peace, companionship, hope and great fishing all things of which true happiness is made. Once I took possession of the Penny, I caught fish like I never had before. The Penny was with me when I caught my large largemouth, the most and biggest crappie you name it But all that has come to an end. I woke up the morning of Oct 20 to find my lucky Penny was gone and along with it, all the love and laughter of the last nine years.

As suddenly has my Penny had brought me so much luck, it was all stripped away. I searched fervently for my Penny but it was gone. I called out to my Penny, but it did not answer. What followed were the most horrible hours of my life. The night before, I was so worried about losing it that I had slept with it under my pillow.

It was 5 a.m. when I discovered my Penny was gone. I woke up suddenly. Saw her head slump over and started calling out her name in panic But it was over. Penny, a 16-year-old "best friend-was gone.

Yes, the "lucky Penny" I discovered wandering around in rush-hour traffic was a stray dog, though I hesitate to use the -word "dog." Penny was a friend, but more than that to a life-long bachelor like me with a soft spot for canine breeds, one had become "my little girl," "my little angle from heaven," "my domestic partner," "my lucky Penny." The depth of our relationship passed on to ouier iamiiy members. My parents Boon referred to Penny as their granddaughter. We did everything together. Our fishing excursions were often fiascoes, with Penny adding her antics. I would be making my way slowly and surreptitiously along the bank, quietly tossing a plastic worm into to the calm waters when splash! eiuijr wuuiu uivc wui uib i water and toward the bank after a squirrel, or whatever moved, for that matter.

Then there was the double hook-up my fishing partner and I had a while we were trying to down sandwiches for lunch. We both set our sandwiches down to fight our fish. Penny, being the opportunist she was, started gobbling down our tunch all along trying to see if she could get the sandwiches ingested while either one of us landed our fish. She succeeded. Her favorite part of fishing, of course, was standing on the bow and "flying her ears," as bo many fishing dogs love to do.

Penny went through every- uung wiur me. one made tne long trek with me from California to the Southeast. She saw me graduate from college and graduate school. We journeyed to North Carolina where I taught college journalism for almost two years. Then it was on to Huntsville, to spend some time with the grandparents.

And while in Huntsville, here age began to show. Penny was a "dach-huahua," a cross between a dachshund and a Chihuahua. Her short little legs began to five out Her appetite started slipping. Then I accepted a position is managing editor of the The (See Harrison, page 3B) By TOM SHARP AP Sports Writer KNOXVILLE Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer stressed to his team all week the importance of a fast start against South Carolina. Evidence suggests the message got through.

Charlie Garner set the pace by going 60 yards for a touchdown on the Vols' second play, and Tennessee went on to build a 38-3 halftdme lead on the way to a 55-3 Southeastern" Conference victory Saturday. It was Tennessee's largest margin of make it 7-3. But Sduth Carolina turned it over its next two possessions and Tennessee Bcored each time for a 21-3 lead one play into the second Quarter. victory ever in a conference nth it 21-3 we were 4 -1 Give him six! catch-up and haven't been very productive on offense to play catch-up," Woods said. "Defensively every time we make a mistake it turns into points right now." A 1-yard run by James "Little Man Stewart capped a 39-yard drive set up by Ingram's recovery of Brandon Bennett's fumble midway through the first quarter for a 14-3 lead.

On the Gamecocks' ensuing possession, Steve Taneyhill's pass was intercepted by DeRon Jenkins at the Tennessee 41. Mose Phillips scored eight plays later from the 9. Midway through the second quarter, Heath Shuler hit wide-open Cory Fleming sfor a 43-yard touchdownto make it 28-3, and Stewart's 52-yard burst with. 3:39 left made it 38-3 at the break. The Vols had touchdown drives of one, two and three plays in the first half.

Garner had 101 yards in the half and finished with 105. Stewart had 93 in the half and finished with 114. It was the first time Tennessee had two backs over. 100 yards in a game since the finale of the 1991 The line just came out with a mission to move them off the ball, and that's what they did," Garner said. Fleming's touchdown was his ninth of the season, breaking the school mark held by Alvin Harper.

Shuler was ll-of-15 for 151 yards in the half and finished 13-of-22 for 171 yards and a touchdown. ing a 47-0 victory over Mississippi in 1938. The fast start certainly helped us to go out and establish something early," Fulmer said. "Of course they came right back with a big play of their, own. But Fm really pleased with every aspect of our play." Brandon Bennett went 47 yards on South Carolina's first offensive play to set up a 40-yard field goal, but it was all downhill from there for the Gamecocks The eighth-ranked Vols (6-1-1, 4-1-1) piled up 569 yards of offense, 335 on the ground, in handing South Carolina its worst defeat since a.

59-0 loss to Florida State in 1988. "I thought it was very possible this team could explode on people. They're averaging 47 points a game at home, bo I thought that was possible," said South Carolina coach Sparky Woods. Tm disappointed they did. I thought we would have played better." The Vols converted two South Carolina turnovers into touchdowns for a 21-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter, and the Gamecocks couldn't come back.

"We played on our end of the field all day, and when we turned it over they didn't have far to go, and it didn't take them long to get there," Woods said. The Gamecocks committed five turnovers, and the first two were criticalT-4. After Garner's run on the opening possession, South-Carolina drove to a 40-yard field goal by Travis Harrison to Tennessee tailback James little Man" Stewart goes, over for a first-quarter touchdown- in tfie Volunteers 55-3 rout of South Carolina at home on Saturday. Stewart and fellow TB Charlie Gamer were virtually unstoppable an day. Tin- Tictian Today's NFL -Schedule Chicago at Green Bay '-ChartieGarneri- senior running backT- I for the University of Tennessee, had a good game against South Carolina on Saturday in the Vols' I 55-3 whipping Gamer gained 105 -yards'on nine carries and scored a I touchdown in the Win.

Charlie Garner A year ago Georgia Southern back Chris Wright scores torn 1 yard out with 35 seconds' left Fn the game to defeat MTSU 13-10 in Statesboro, costing the Blue Raiders a No. 1 ranking. South Caroiina stuns Tennessee 24-23. City at Miami New England at Indianapolis Tampa Bay at Atlanta -NY Jets and NY Giants -Dallas at Philadelphia New Orleans at Phoenix San Diego at LA Raiders LA Rams at San Francisco Seattle at Denver Detroit at Minnesota Today's Trivia: Who is the 'only California Angel to win the American League batting title? Answer Monday. Saturday's Answer Tennessee lest 25-0 to USC in the 1945 Rose Bowl..