El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 5

El Paso Times Sunday Dec. 25, 1988 Section 2C Printout 1 5C Football 9C Basketball 11C Recreation Sports editor: Ray Hagar, 546-6170 tv, Scores College football Sun Bowl Alabama 29, Army 28 National Football League AFC Wild Card Houston 24, Cleveland 23 CZZPtfr 22SIi2ii2iS3 V'. 4 ft iff! 01 A' wr'rM 1 Sheridan turns down Georgia RALEIGH, N.C. -North Carolina State's Dick Sheridan turned down the head football coaching job at Georgia Saturday despite say-ing he found no negatives with the Bulldog Erogram. Sheridan, 47, t.

ecame the second candidate to reject gia. Erk Russell of Georgia Southern said last week he couldn't make a long-term commitment after reportedly being offered the post soon to be vacated by Vince Dooley. "I think anybody in my profession would listen to what a program like Georgia has to say," Sheridan said at a news conference. Alabama tailback David Casteal leaped over the Army linebacker Pat Davie (66) with four minutes and one second remaining score the winning touchdown in Saturday's John Hancock Sun Bowl. Casteal's score capped a five play 54-yard drive.

Opinion ifr. vry 5v JteSLf-. Bama's star almost ruins his day in Sun By Ray Hagar El Paso Times The day ended well for Alabama's Derrick Thomas. The player considered the best linebacker in college football wa3 named the most valuable lineman of the Sun Bowl. But he easily could have been the bowl's bum.

He contributed two blocked field goal attempts, a batted pass and six tackles, but in the words of 'Bama Coach Bill Curry, "He also screwed up two times." Curry was referring to a pair of bonehead plays that helped make the game close. Alabama's Crimson Tide ended up beating Army, 29-28. First, Thomas was called for unnecessary roughness when he pushed an Army player who hit him after the whistle late in the first half. Curry pulled his star out of the game for that and was visibly angry 'i "He and I discussed that. It was a one-way discussion," Curry said.

But the words didn't sink in. Next, Thomas was called for clipping on a punt return in the third quarter. It wiped out a 87-yard run for a touchdown by Murry Hill. Hill's return would have been a Sun Bowl record and given the Tide a 19-14 lead. "I felt like hidin" Thomas said.

Please see Hagar 8C Alabama's Derrick Thomas made a great tackle on Army McWilliams in the third quarter, but Thomas had less than a Oklahoma: Break the rules, get fired NORMAN, Okla. While the long-term effect of Oklahoma's three-year football probation is difficult to gauge, tne way in wnicn athletic department matters will be handled in the fu-, ture seems clear. "If you break the rules, you're fired," Athletic Director Donnie Duncan said. In addressing the NCAA's sanctions against the Soon-; ers last week, Duncan said coaches who fail to learn the handbook will have only themselves to blame. Starr interested in running Packers Former Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr, who guided the Packers to two Super Bowl championships, says he would be honored to have an opportunity to become the team's president.

"Anyone would consider it -an honor to be approached by the Packer organization, Starr said Friday night from his home in Nashville. Robert Parins announced Thursday he would retire as Packers president June 5. Starr was the Packers quarterback from 1956-1971. I Junior college star to sign with Lobos ALBUQUERQUE Curtis Crews, a standout defensive back from Contra Costa Junior College in Cal-! ifornia, has agreed to sign a national letter of intent with the University of New 1 Mexico. Crews (5-9, 170) had 13 interceptions this past season, tops among junior college players in California.

"They told me I'd get a chance to play and that's all 4 I asked," Crews said this week about his decision to sign with the Lobos. i Former track star and coach dies LOS ANGELES For-C mer UCLA track star, coach and university booster Elvin C. Drake has died of a heart attack. He was 85. Drake suffered chest pains Friday night as he and his wife 1 Rose prepared to attend a UCLA basketball game, uni versity spokesman Marc Dellins said Saturday.

While in the emergency room, Drake suffered a heart attack. Soviets grab 1st in basketball meet MADRID, Spain The Soviet Union moved into first place in the standings of the three-day 24th international Christmas basket- ball tournament after winning its second-round game Saturday. The Soviets de-. feated Monte Libano of Bra-' zil 94-65, while Yugoslavia beat Real Madrid 100-93. The unbeaten Soviet Union have a 2-0 record for four points, followed by Real Ma-! drid and Yugoslavia with three points each and Monte Libano with two.

Times wire reports Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times in the game to David Smith sets Sun Bowl passing record By Rick Cantu El Paso Times Alabama quarterback David Smith, completing his college football career Saturday in the Sun Bowl, went out in record-breaking style. Smith, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior, passed for 412 yards and two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide defeated Army, 29-28, before 48,719 sun-drenched fans. Smith set three Sun Bowl passing records: 412 yards, 33 completions and 52 passing attempts. For his effort, the senior captain received the game's Most Valuable Player trophy. Smith, a left-hander, was the game's dominant player.

Throwing mostly short passes to speedy wide receivers Marco Battle and Greg Payne, he frustrated the Cadets' defense with uncanny precision. In short, the Sun Bowl was his finest hour. "It was one of those games," Smith said. "Sometimes I didn't feel like I could miss anything. And other times, I felt like I didn't know where it was going." That last statement may surprise Army's defense, which watched helplessly as Smith lofted his accurate spirals.

Payne caught nine of Smith's passes for 107 yards and one touchdown. Battle, who also caught nine passes, was credited with 99 yards and a touchdown. Despite Smith's heroics, Alabama still needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat the stubborn Cadets. The Tide, which trailed for most of the game, took the lead for good when David Cas- 'Please see Sun Bowl 6C Inside the NFL Cowboys: Things were different in 1960 but maybe it was a lot like it was this season when Dallas made its NFL debut 3C Running game: Allen Pinkett and Lorenzo White were there when the Houston Oilers needed them to put away Cleveland Saturday 4C The NFC: As Monday's playoff game approaches, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jim Everett suggests the Minnesota Vikings are making a mistake whenever they yank their top quarterback, Wade Wilson 4C "i i -ft-" Joel Salcido El Paso Times quarterback Bryan perfect game. painfully aware that one more field goal could have given his team a victory.

So is Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas, who blocked two Walker kicks 7C Associated Press Webster Slaughter scored twice in defeat. Tmiimi iniiimiiiBiiiil SUN BOWL jjj Far from home, Oilers stay in playoffs by outmuscling Browns Bad to the 'Bone: Don't blame the wishbone offense for Army's defeat 8C Eastwood's Cadet: A former Eastwood High school star enjoyed Christmas homecoming in a reserve role 8C No satisfaction: Losing by 1 isn't any comfort to Army, a team that entered the Sun Bowl as a heavy underdog 6C Put the blame on me: Army kicker Keith Walker is attack with 82 yards on 14 carries in place of the injured Mike Rozier. Cleveland suffered another in its season-long series of quarterback injures. Don Strock, the 38-year-old veteran backup who joined the team in midseason, was knocked out early in the second quarter with a sprained right wrist. Strock was hurt trying to recover the ball after a fumbled center snap.

Mike Pagel, Who hadn't played since separating a shoulder Oct. 9 and was activated off the injured list only Saturday morning, finished up for the Browns. Pinkett's two touchdowns came 15 seconds apart in the first minute of the second quarter. He caught a 14-yard pass Please see Oilers 4C Inside: 1988 Sun Bowl Record day for receivers: Alabama's Greg Payne and Marco Battle caught nine passes each, tying a Sun Bowl record that was set long before either was born 6C Back and forth: For more than three quarters in the Sun Bowl, the momentum seemed to shift from Army to Alabama and back again with each possession 7C Oilers, nine on the Browns and numerous skirmishes often made it look more like a World Wrestling Federation tag-team bout or a hockey fight than a pro football game. "It was a game like I expected," said Marty Schotten-neimer, the Browns' disappointed coach.

"It was a very Shysical and tough game. I on't think it was unusual when two physical teams play." The Oilers seemed intent on intimidating the Browns, which didn't surprise Schotten-heimer. "By the same token, we weren't going to stand around and let them try to intimidate us," Schottenheimer said. Tiny Allen Pinkett made the difference for the Oilers, scoring two first-half touchdowns ana leading the Oilers' running Houston nails down AFC wild card 24-23 By Mike O'Hara Gannett News Service CLEVELAND It didn't matter to the Houston Oilers that they missed a chance a week earlier to beat the Cleveland Browns and take their playoff game home to their self-described House of Pain. At Cleveland Stadium's House of Rain Saturday, the Oilers wrung out a 24-23 National Football League victory over Cleveland in the AFC's wild card playoff before a crowd of 74,977.

The game didn't represent one of the NFL's brightest moments. It was filled with penalties 13 against the L..