Arizona Daily Sun from Flagstaff, Arizona • 11

The SUN, Flagstaff, Arizona, Thursday, September 3, 198711 NAU to remember lsf-game embarrassments BY PHILHAGEN Sun Sports Editor Last years season-opening loss to Division II Southern Utah State at Skydome was not only em- barrassing for Northern Arizona University, it cost the Lumberjacks 'a playoff berth. Funny, it seems that another little Division II school named Northern Colorado did the same thing to the Jacks in 1978. When it I came time for the 8-2 Lumberjacks to go to the playoffs, pollsters said, Wait a minute. Whos this Division II school that whipped you fellas 33-6 in the first game of the sea-son? The 1987 Lumberjacks will take along memories of those two pieces of history in their carry-on baggage when they fly to Greeley, Colo. Friday for Saturdays season-opener against Northern Colorado.

And if they happen to forget, NAU Head Coach Larry Kentera will enough reminders to go around. I dont want to be embarrassed quarterback (Greg Wyatt) and a great tight end (Shawn Collins). They also have a good defense that has some speed." We dont know much about them and they know about the same thing about us. Kentera said. "Its that kind of a game.

NOTES: Simonson is hoping for a good crowd Saturday, but doesnt sound too confident that it will happen as UNC students dont arrive until later in the month. "Therell probably be four to five people at the most," he quipped. Although a couple of Division II teams have left a black mark on what were otherwise bright NAU seasons, the Lumberjacks have .727 winning percentage against schools on that level since 1978. Good and bad news for the Lumberjacks at the linebacker position. Kelly Sandell, a 6-3, 225-pound junior, who was projected to start Saturdays game, left the team after last Saturdays scrimmage.

He agitated a bad shoulder and decided it would be best to rest it. The good news is that Brian Liebrock. a 6-1, 231-pound junior, will be back with the Jacks in a couple of weeks. He missed fall camp and planned on missing the entire season because of a bad shoulder, but he had minor surgery done and is recovering quickly. Two other injured Jacks have returned to practice this week and should start Saturday.

All-Big Sky center Rodney Leota returned to practice Monday after sitting out over a week with a bad back. Also back is freshman defensive end Mike Sanfratello. Who will start in the Lumberjack backfield? Kentera sounded committed to senior Allan Rouse at tailback and senior James Chambers at fullback. The first play from scrimmage is always exciting, especially if you're a statistician. NAUs opening play in the last 12 seasons has been a again, said Kentera, whose 7-4 team gave up their 1986 playoff seat to 7-4 Idaho, which they beat 24-0 on the road.

"Hopefully, we learned from it. Whatever the outcome is Saturday, we're going to play well. If we get beat and play well, its a lot better than getting beat and playing awful. To Northern Colorado Head Coach Ron Simonson, the Lumberjacks woeful moments in football history don't mean much. I dont care, to be honest, Simonson said.

Last year was last year. I think NAU proved they were a good team and theyll be good again this year, even though they won't have the same defense. Against the NAU defense, which returns only one starter this season, Simonsons plan seems simple. Were just going to show up, jested the third-year coach, whose Bears were 2-9 his first year and 3-8 last season. NAU is so above us well just have to play good to keep up with them.

Against the NAU offense, Simonson is simpler. We re gonna pray, he said. However, Kentera believes simple Simonson's Bears are a lot better than their coach gives them credit for though the press picked UNC for dead last in the North Central Conference. We're not playing a Southern Utah State this time, Kentera said. This team (UNC) is a lot better football team with a lot better people.

They have a kid (tight end Greg Finkbonner) who caught 48 passes last year and a couple good runners. They have a balanced attack and we re gonna have our hands full. Actually, neither coach really knows a whole lot about the other team. The only thing they've seen of each other is a scrimmage film from last spring. "That makes it difficult to say anything, Simonson said.

I saw on their film that they have a great RON SIMONSON run nine times and a pass three times. Only once did NAU score on the first play. In 1977, running back Carl Golden took a handoff and raced 76 yards for a TD against Augustana College, S.D. Cash falls in the Open's 1st round Argentina 6-0, 6-3. Third-seeded Chris Evert downed Susan Sloane 6-1, 6-0.

Jimmy Connors, who has celebrated his birthday at the Open for each of the past 18 years, turned 35 Wednesday. He looked in his prime with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Joey Rive. Graf had a night match scheduled today against Petra Huber of Austria. Connors was matched with Wayne Hearn in the afternoon. Martina Navratilova, the second-seeded woman, took on Robin White; No.

4 Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia played Jo Durie of Britain, and No. 8 Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina met Sara Gomer of Britain. Among the men, top-seeded Ivan Lendl met Jean Fleurian of France and No. 4 Boris Becker of West Germany played Jonathan Canter. The only other seeded loser Wednesday was No.

15 Martin Jaite of Argentina, who fell to Tomas Smid of Czechoslovakia 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. Among the winning men seeds were No. 2 Stefan Edberg, No. 3 Mats Wilander and No. 10 Joakim Nystrom, all of Sweden; No.

5 Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia; ninth-rated Andres Gomez of Ecuador, and No. 12 Tim Mayotte. BY BARRY WILNER AP Sports Writer NEW YORK Wimbledon was wonderful. The rest of the summer has been a bummer for Pat Cash. All of 1987 has been strange for Cash.

He lost in the final at the Australian Open, was beaten in the first round at the French Open, then won Wimbledon. On Wednesday night, the No. 7 seed was beaten in the first round of the U.S. Open by Swedens Peter Lundgren 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Lundgren, who won his first Nabisco Grand Prix tournament last weekend in Rye, N.Y., also beat Cash at the Canadian Open three weeks ago.

Ranked 47th in the world, Lundgren has the quickness to deal with Cashs serve-and-volley style. But Cash, who has not gotten past the third round of a tournament since Wimbledon, felt he was to blame for the loss more than Lundgren deserved credit. I played all right, but I lost concentration and lost the points that counted, said Cash, who won 116 points, just four fewer than Lundgren. I think I had more chances than he did, but I ended up losing the games. Steffi Graf, the top-seeded woman, blitzed Bettina Fulco of Jacks in USA Today Top 25 Northern Arizona University foot-ball made its second consecutive ap-Jpearance in the USA Today Top 25 football ratings Tuesday, as JNAU was tagged in the number 23rd Slot with 60.57 rating points.

At the 'end of last season, the Lumberjacks vere rated No. 4 in the ratings. Also, taking up where it had left Off from last season, the Big Sky maintained its pace by having five of the top 25 teams in the ratings. Montana, rated 15th last season, fell out of the top 25, while new Big Sky member Eastern "Washington University made an appearance in the No. 8 slot, up from "No.

12 as an independent last season. Other Big Sky teams in the Top 25 include: No. 1 rated Nevada-Reno (76.51 pts. No. 7 Idaho (67.25), and No.

12 Boise State (64.30). In the race for top dog, UNR barely edged pindependent Arkansas State as the 'Indians racked up 75.30 points. BSC steams missing from the top 25 include: Weber State (59.23), Montana (58.17), Idaho State (54.30) and Montana State (52.57). As conferences go, the Big Sky has the most teams in the top 25 with Jfive. Computer ratings for the 191 Division I-A and I-AA football teams were devised by Jeff Sagarin, a 1970 Massachusetts Institute of Technology math graduate.

I Although, Sagarin rates the I-A and I-AA teams in his poll, the I-A iteams were taken out to reflect how NAU stacks up against the remaining I-AA teams. The rating is a numerical measure qf the teams strength. A "hypothetical victory margin is determined by comparing the rating of the two teams after adding three points to the home team. Schedule strength is based on games against division I-A and I-AA teams only. "No games against Division II teams re included in the schedule strength.

A diminishing returns principle exists to prevent teams jrom building up large ratings by running up scores against weak tteams. Instead, it rewards teams That do well against good opponents. AP Laserphoto University of Pittsburgh running back Craig night's game against Brigham Young in Heyward takes the ball up the middle behind Provo, Utah, a host of teammates during Wednesday ASU picks quarterback Heyward helps Pitt down BYU today, Cooper said. Ford, who played sparingly last season as a backup, won out in a four-player battle for the quarterback job over redshirt junior John Walker and redshirt freshmen Paul Justin and Kent Kiefer. In the final scrimmage, Ford completed 14 of 19 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown.

Ford is the guy, Cooper said when asked to name the starter. Justin hit on 11 of 13 passes for 100 yards with one interception before suffering a slight concussion. Cooper said Justin will be the No. 2 quarterback. TEMPE (AP) Reshirt junior quarterback Danny Ford has won the starting job for Arizona States season-opener Sept.

12 at Illinois, Sun Devil football Coach John Cooper said Wednesday. However, the 14th-ranked Sun Devils have lost the services of sophomore nose guard Richard Davis for six to eight weeks with a fractured left elbow. Davis, a transfer from Oklahoma who had won the starting job, was hurt in Wednesday afternoons final preseason scrimmage and will undergo surgery PROVO, Utah (AP) Pittsburghs Craig Heyward usually wears defenders down by plowing his 260-pound frame into the line. Wednesday night, Heyward unleashed a 17-yard scoring pass to Bill Osborn to help the Panthers run past Brigham Young 27-17 in nonconference college football. "We kept running the ball, pounding away, and the defender kept looking in the backfield, said Heyward, whose scoring pass gave independent Pittsburgh a 21-7 halftime lead and control over BYU.

Pittsburgh spotted Brigham Young of the Western Athletic Conference seven points when quarterback Bob Jensen teamed with Rich Zayus for a 73-yard scoring pass on the games first play from scrimmage. The Panthers took over at that point, getting scoring passes of 47 and 30 yards from quarterback Sal Genilla to Hosea Heard and Reggie Williams before Heyward put the game out of reach with his pass. Jeff VanHorne added field goals of 27 and 38 yards in the second half as Pitt, 5-5-1 last year, evened the series at 1-1. The only regret for Heyward, who gained 136 yards rushing and 66 yards receiving, was that he didnt make it into the end zone. On BYUs offense, Jensen was crisp at times, completing 26 of 48 passes for 317 yards, but the junior quarterback spent most of the evening evading Panther defenders.

The offensive line, riddled with injuries this fall, allowed seven sacks for a loss of 76 yards. Minor leaguer pulls potato caper 17 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants. But Dave Bresnahans potato wont follow his great-uncles shinguards to Cooperstown. He doesnt have it.

They picked it up in the outfield, he said. I remember Joe Lefebvre (Reading's third-base coach) had it. After that, I don't know what happened to it. I sure hope I get it back. Ill give whoever has it two autographed potatos.

He spent Wednesday night, Williamsports final game of the season, autographing potatos at Bowman Field. The Bills, who charge $2.75 for admission, allowed all fans with potatoes to get in for $1. Just over 100 of the 1,518 in attendance came with vegetables in hand. Bresnahan sat in the stands and signed the potatoes: This spud's for you. Ive pitched some spuds, recalled Andrus, who last month started a new advertising campaign for the Idaho Potato Commission.

"When I was young, we pitched potatos like we were major leaguers, throwing them to one another. But you have to be able to toss a potato better than I do. Once a bat meets a potato with a solid thud, thats it, the games over. Bresnahan began the trip home to Arizona Wednesday night in the true minor-league tradition, driving along with teammate Riley Polk in Polks automobile. In the year of scuffed ball and corked bat, Dave Bresnahan came up with a new twist.

His batting average may have dipped below his weight, but Dave Bresnahan's hopes for fame havent been mashed. him out with the baseball. Or so he thought. Potter called the runner safe, the official scorer gave Bresnahan an error, Reading led 2-0 and Williamsport Manager Orlando Gomez came out to argue in vain. Theres nothing in the rules that says you cant use a potato, Bresnahan said.

But the umpire said he was safe. He said you cant get another ball and I said, That wasnt a ball, that was a potato. Then he was even more upset. Gomez fined Bresnahan $50. My teammates said they would pay it for me, said Bresnahan, a fourth-year professional with a .150 average this season in 147 at-bats.

Instead, he left 50 potatos on his managers desk Wednesday and one in each players locker. But Tuesday morning, Jeff Scott, Clevelands director of player development and scouting, gave Bresnahan his unconditional release. "You cant fool around with the integrity of the game, said Scott, who also released Bresnahan two seasons ago when both were with the Seattle Mariners organization. The integrity is too important to the game. You cant have a group of players pulling stunts like that.

Bresnahan, an 18th-round draft pick in 1984 after he graduated from Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, with a business degree, said he read in a book that someone pulled a potato caper in the low minor leagues just after the turn of the century. I wondered what would happen if I did it. Well, I found out, didn't His great-uncle Roger also was a catcher, the first to wear shinguards. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945 with a .279 career average in By The Associated Press Dave Bresnahan is going home. Hes pulled his last potato out of his glove as a ballplayer, but he may have opened a career in politics.

I could run for governor of Idaho, Bresnahan said, referring to Americas top potato-producing itate. Cecil Andrus, the former Interior Secretary who was elected to a third term as Idaho governor Jast November, thinks Bresnahans stunt was just chipper. I The skin of a potato is better than a baseball, Andrus said by telephone Wednesday evening. 1You dont need a resin bag or anything. You can Jnake those little hummers curve on a moment's jnotice.

I Why all this fuss about an oblong, brown Vegetable? Williamsport, Clevelands Class AA affiliate, eliminated from playoff contention two weeks ago. With the Bills trailing Reading 1-0 in Ihe first game of an Eastern League doubleheader "Monday night, Bresnahan had an opportunity to try an idea he had thought about for several days. Rick Lundblade of Reading was on third and catcher Bresnahan called time. He told plate umpire Scott Potter that he had broken his mitt and he went to the bench and got a glove with a peeled potato in it. His teammates knew of his half-baked scheme and they struggled to keep straight faces.

I gave a sign for a slider away, Bresnahan said Wednesday from Williamsport, site of tiie caper. I caught the ball and threw the potato into left field. Lundblade trotted home and Bresnahan tagged AP Laserphoto Dave Bresnahan poses with his accomplice. rv.