Alabama Journal from Montgomery, Alabama • 13

THE ALABAMA JOURNAL, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1990 Generals so for fifth straight over Vols By Tommy Sims Journal sports writer game of errors." The last time the two met, it was a game marred by mistakes. Lee committed four turnovers, while the Vols turned the ball over three times, the most critical coming when the Vols fumbled the opening kickoff at their own 5-yard line. Still, Lee said he has not spent any extra time working on eliminating turnovers this week. "I think it will be a low-scoring game unless either one of us makes a lot of mistakes like the first time," Lee said. "If that happens, the ballgame could get out of hand.

We don't preach to stay away from turnovers. We try to teach execution and if you have execution, you do that. We don't want to go in playing scared and thinking negatively." Lee said he was encouraged by the way the Vols executed in their 14-10 win over Opelika in the first round of the playoffs a week ago. Jeff Davis opened the second half with a ball-control offensive attack, grinding out 147 yards on the ground and limiting the Bulldogs to just 11 offensive snaps in the final half. But, while Lee liked what he saw, he said the?" Vols will be hard-pressed to produce similar results against the Generals.

"I was happy we were able to do what we did in the second half offensively," Lee said. "Other than one or two plays, I thought our defense played good the whole time. The great thing about the second half offensively was we kept the ball away from them. I can't see us doing the same thing against Lee because of their physical size and strength." While Jeff Davis tailback Monoleto Hosea was grinding out 107 yards rushing against Opelika, Lee saw a revival of its own ground game. In the Generals' 27-6 opening round win over Benjamin Russell, McCracken moved quarterback John Feagin to tailback.

The senior responded with 125 yards rushing on 24 carries to spark the Lee ground game. McCracken said the move came about in an effort to get the (Please see GENERALS Page 2B) The year was 1988. Ronald Reagan was still President, George Bush was pledging no new taxes and Jeff Davis beat Robert E. Lee in the regular season. Since that game the Generals have reeled off four straight wins over the Volunteers, two in playoff action and another 35-21 victory during the regular season this year as well as last year's regular-season win.

Tonight, the 5-6 Generals will be looking to extend that streak when they face the 6-4 Vols at Cramton Bowl in second-round action of the 6A state playoffs. Lee coach Spence McCracken said the streak may be a confidence factor for his team, but he expects nothing to come easy tonight. "Anybody can beat anybody on any given day," McCracken said. "When we start Friday night, it will be 0-0. Football is a game of emotions, especially when two rivals meet.

Jeff Davis is a very, very well-coached football team and they are not going to make a lot of mistakes. You can't play them unless you play very, very hard for 48 minutes. They take your weaknesses and work on them. "I could write an autobiography on Jeff Davis and how they feel about us. We know where we can hurt them and they know where they can hurt us.

Which ever one hurts the other the most will win. It's like when you're married to somebody for 20 years, you know everything about each other." Jeff Davis coach Charles Lee said while the streak isn't a plus, he sees no reason for it to weigh heavily on the minds of his players going into tonight's game. "You never know how something like that works," Lee said. "I don't think them beating us will make us play any harder or any less. I think we will both play as good as we possibly can because of the rivalry regardless of who won the first time.

I think our players felt confident last week, but how confident they are about this week, I'm not sure. When we played Lee the first time, it was a 1 I- 7 Suit photographer Mark Miller Robert E. Lee tight end Glen Pettus works on passing attack 1 1 1 i iff UF's Kruger optimistic about team Jr -j I Ninth in a series. a 1 f- By Tracy Estes Journal sports writer int. rc dpp LiK, plC 1 1 I 3 When Southeastern Conference basketball squads travel to Gainesville, during the upcoming college season, they can expect to see some rather fa i I JL I.

Of i miliar faces "1 five to be exact. The Florida Gators return all five starters from last sea-son's 7-21 squad, but de a spite the talent V-, ana experience returning for the Gators, i i 1 I a i i i) ii Li 7 1 1 i'i i Fsrl0'l i cn thtm Ji'ipv 1 1 onh out -l. 'in i 3 i ti-r 1 ie tl 1 i t- I i i ti i.rst pi Davis Florida is not A S1 cl '(' I t4 en. II' 7 t.ri i (. 1 (Pi of le tv 7 i I 1 1 1 A i Sou tf cm i i i' tho i Ui'U, A i s-' tnit i thi 1 1 Ti r.

i SOi't1- 'illi letic it- 1 entlt vti it nu llllli IS 1 i la ji I 1 1 1 1 ah v.hl 1 1 lo 1 i i' a. 1,0 1 I to 1 tLe If' 1 1 a1 so vim Id 1 r- 11 cmne a hot 1 ini n-t-er i i a i i 5 i I "i 1 i i ii i 1 'H I 1 I 1 II i I 1 1 liu 'i 1 i i i i 11' ii. 41 i i 1 i i- i' 1 a 1 't 1 1 1 1 1 iH 'i II 1 expected to finish in the upper division of the SEC this fall. During the recent Southeastern Conference's Basketball Media Days, sports writers from across the Southeast predicted Florida to finish ninth in the league this fall. With such low expectations from outsiders, one might think first-year head coach Lon Kruger would be less than optimistic about his team's chances.

"No, I think we could have a fine team," Kruger said. "I'm not saying we will win the league or anything. I just think we have some talented players, who want to play hard and win." Returning for the Gators will be forwards Dwayne Davis (6-foot-7), Hosie Grimsley (6-6) and Stacey Poole (6-6) along with guards Renaldo Garcia (6-2) and Scott Stewart (6-foot). Davis led the Gators in scoring a year ago with 12.3 points a game followed by Garcia with 11, (Please see KRUGER Page 2B) 5 A i i III 1 I I I 1 ti i i t. 4l i i It Iti I 1 1 1 it' tro i i u' i ti i i 11- 1 1 til? III I i 1 I Once-forgotten Baxter gives Hornets reason to be thankful I t.i..

iitn iho D.ia' uav mil. He ennlinucil to nnrl rinne the inh he did. Rodnev would take the easy way out. He continued to inmo rn once again right in the life of Baxter, the younger AfW Alabama State tied Samford 24-24 in its season-opener, Rodney Baxter was a disgruntled football player. Two days into preseason practice, he lost his have been out there.

It just came down to the fact that Rico was a better player." In fact, had White not suffered a severe injury to his left knee with 14:03 to go in the second quarter against Tuskegee, the Silas native might have cracked the milestone Thursday. However, the 75 yards he gained against the Tigers prior to his injury improved his season total to 936. However, when White left the lineup, there was no decrease in Alabama State's rushing power thanks to Baxter. Playing both fullback and tailback, he pounded the Tuskegee defense 17 times for his 100-yard day which was likely the final day of his football career. fcr) 1 work, hoping he would get his chance to run the football this year.

"Quitting wouldn't have solved anything." Baxter said. "I love football and I wanted to play more than anything. I would have been even more unhappy without football. So. I just decided to stick with it and see if anything good would happen.

Today, it did." His ASU teammates were certainly behind him. When he entered the game for the first time against Tuskegee, there was a chorus of cheers from the bench. And every time he scored, he was met on the sideline with congratulatory hugs. However, Baxter received his biggest ovation from his teammates after he was given his outstanding offensive player's trophy at midfiold following the game. He choked back tears as he accepted the award and held it high for his friends to see.

"It's great," an emotional Baxter said. "For us to beat Tuskegee in what could be the last game betw een us, and for me to have this kind of game, makes me feel wonderful." Indeed, for Rodney Baxter, the final game of the 1990 season as a far cry from his first. starting tailback's position to red-shirt freshman Rico White. To make matters worse, he carried the football just once for 1 yard against the Bulldogs. "I feel as though it was taken away from me." brother of New York Jets luimacK oraa naxier.

Admittedly, there might have been some lingering bitterness at what had happened to him in his senior season at Alabama State, but his four-touchdown, 105-yard performance in the Hornets' 49-7 demolition of Tuskegee in the Turkey Day Classic went a long way toward healing his feelings. "I'm just glad I got a chance to play; a chance to finally contribute," said Baxter, who was named the game's outstanding offensive player. "I'm not a coach, they use me the way they see fit. I'm just glad to get the opportunity to show what I could do." Baxter didn't get much of an chance to show his ability this season. Coming into Thursday's game, he had rushed for 120 yards on 29 carries only 15 more yards than he gained in the single game against Tuskegee.

But there as a good reason for Baxter's lack of playing time White, who was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference's newcomer of the year Thursday. "It wasn't a case of Rodney losing the job, it was a case of Rico winning it." Alabama State coach Houston Markham said. "If Rico had not We thought we could run on them. Baxter said. I.

"People had been scoring a lot on tnem ana figured we could, too. Our line has blocked I nrrmnsf Pvprvhnriv we've tllavpd this VCar Jim Johnston we well and we thoueht thev could do a good job against JounoJ drot Tuskegee. They did." After Baxter had been removed from the starting lineup and dropped as far as third-team tailback on the Alabama State depth chart, it would have been easy for him to leave the team and put football behind him forever. Yet. Baxter didn't said Baxter at the time he lost his job.

"When you are holding down a position and two days later nothing has changed and you are no longer the starter, something is wrong." Thursday at Cramton Bowl, everything was.