Lexington Herald-Leader from Lexington, Kentucky • 31

Lexington Herald-Leader SPORTS Section Sunday September 22 1985 Scoreboard C2 Farm Cl 7 Spinks deals Holmes 1st loss takes title from ever trapping him impressed the three judges landed more said Lederman who favored Spinks 143-142 never double-jabbed he threw very few threw more punches he threw more effective said Moretti who also favored the new champion 143-142 Judge Larry Wallace who favored Spinks 145-142 declined to The AP card favored Holmes 144- 141 "Once I had him hypnotized even mesmerized he watched my head instead of my said Spinks who weighed 200 pounds 25 over the light-heavyweight limit But he had no problem handling the extra weight that Holmes 22114 said he had a very awkward style I just get my (Turn to SPINKS C9) awkwardness and his own age had my said Holmes who when he left the ring blew kisses to his wife Diane who was weeping at ringside Should this be last fight his career will read 48-1 with 38 knockouts and 21 victories in 22 world title fights stand there alone right at the exulted Spinks who was a 6-1 underdog shocking victory rivals that of his older brother Leon who By Ed Schuyler Jr Associated Press LAS VEGAS Nev Michael Spinks made boxing history last night while denying Larry Holmes a chance to do it In one of boxing biggest upsets the 29-year-old Spinks scored a close but unamimous 15-round decision that made him the first light-heavyWeight champion to win a heavyweight title The loss in the International Boxing Federation title bout kept the 35- upset Muhammad Ali on a 15-round decision to become heavyweight champion Feb 15 1978 In a sense it also avenged third-round knockout loss to Holmes on June 12 1981 The Spinks brothers are the first brothers to win the heavyweight championship Max and Buddy Baer also fought for the heavyweight title but Buddy never won it Spinks to some ringsiders seemed to waste too much time in several rounds but his fighting in flurries and his ability to keep Holmes year-old Holmes from tying Rocky 49-0 record It came on the 30th anniversary of last fight a ninth-round knockout over light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore gonna Holmes said need no more Holmes could have matched the record if he had won the last round Judges Dave Moretti and Harold Le-derman both had the fight even going into the 15th and both gave it to Spinks Holmes was a victim of Cats fight back to topple Tulane TD by Higgs at 2:1 7 gives UK 16-11 victory John McGill Herald-Leader sports columnist flank was stopped for only a yard gain After a 15-yard pass to tight end Mark Wheeler over the middle Ransdell went back to Derry for a screen pass on the left side Proving he can use a block as well as deliver one the senior fullback carefully stepped 35 yards to the Tulane 20-yard-line On the next play Higgs cut off back-up fullback Tom block and zipped around right end for the winning touchdown Wheary blocked the end inside I went outside and knew I had a Higgs said knew because nobody was out The suspicion in the Tulane locker room was that the Green Wave had only 10 men on the field Strong safety Jonathan Hulbert winded and cramping after chasing Derry went to the sideline In the confusion of playing a for the first time this season the Tulane players were unsure if Hulbert was replaced know what Brown said missed too many tackles I know Derry too was on the sidelines catching his breath when Higgs scored Besides setting up the winning (Turn to WILDCATS C7) By Jerry Tipton Herald-Leader staff writer Jerry Claiborne was several strides toward midfield as the final horn sounded an exclamation point on 16-11 come-from-behind victory over winless Tulane yesterday Only the most cynical would suggest the UK football coach was in a hurry to conclude this emotional seesaw of a game while the concluding was good What Claiborne really wanted after the obligatory pat on the back for his coaching counterpart Mack Brown was to seek out the Tulane quarterback All the gallant Ken Karcher did was forget a forgettable first half and throw for 173 yards and a go-ahead touchdown after intermission Karcher? Claiborne said as he scanned the Commonwealth Stadium turf As if by command Karcher appeared carrying a blank expression toward the Tulane locker room your head said Claiborne as he reached an arm around the shoulder went through this same thing three years Three years ago? How about last week? As Wildcat players and fans know too well UK lost a lead in the final three minutes of its opener last week and fell 30-26 to Bowling Green Yesterday it was turn to pull one out Mark Higgs who miraculously (his term) salvaged a career in six months did the honors The little tailback with the repaired right knee scored the second of his two touchdowns with 2:17 remaining to allow Kentucky to even its record at 1-1 Less than 90 seconds 1 26 to be exact before Higgs darted 20 yards for the winning score Tulane had taken its first lead of the game (11-10) thanks to a touchdown and two-point conversion pass Did memories of last embarrassing opener flash through the minds? You bet they did little allowed Tony Mayes with a sheepish grin Instead of folding however the Wildcats flew 71 yards in just four plays riding the arm of quarterback Bill Ransdell and the feet of Higgs The first play a screen pass to fullback Chris Derry on the right Kentucky did what it had to do The Ace bandage was taut across his chest It held a large bag of ice in place on his back But with every breath as he tried to talk and put his gear in a satchel a stream of grunts unh unh unh dribbled across Bill lips me he said trying to lift his shoulder pads all of 10 inches off the floor breathe deep on taken a shot remember how it happened Sometime in the third quarter But he was obviously sore obviously in pain and now hunched over in the locker room with the hump of ice and taut wrapping compounding things he looked more Quasimodo than quarterback So he been able to keep playing? he accumulated 302 yards passing? do a lot of Bill Ransdell said you have Amen If one comment could sum up the University of performance against Tulane yesterday that is it With less than four minutes left in the game UK was 71 yards from the goal line inches from disaster Trailing 11-10 the Wildcats faced the very real possibility of waking up today with an 0-2 record Which is a long way from Birmingham not to mention New Orleans ALL THAT PRE-SEASON BOWL TALK was in imminent danger of being relegated to a different sort of bowl The kind you flush Then it happened Actually two things happened First in as sudden and explosive a reversal as a college football game can produce UK roared those 71 yards in just four plays 70 of them on the final three snaps And second Mark Higgs sheer excellence in a blue blur was bom again Bom again as in waterbug quick and goal-line greedy bom again as in no longer bothered by a once-shattered knee bom again as in hearing a TD request from Ransdell in the huddle and treating the challenge like it was duck soup it home Ransdell said Higgs chortled back Later Higgs grinned in retelling the conversation After all following the request he cut just outside right end slashed straight downfield and like done in last season covered 20 yards and scored so quickly it was over before it began When those short strong legs start dancing Higgs rolls across the tundra like a turbocharged bowling ball it home there AND UNDER THOSE ROARS of joy that briefly transformed Commonwealth Stadium into a real football crowd you could detect a sigh of relief When cold settles in and if season does find success you need binoculars to focus on this llth-hour drive as a turning point It was a Drive to Stay Alive it Bill Ransdell? it the sort of drive that can turn a season around? any drive Ransdell answered one He stared away silent Thinking to himself absorbing the significance of those final three minutes (Turn to HIGGS C7) Inside COLLEGE FOOTBALL Two interceptions in 4th quarter spur Georgia past Clemson 20-13 Page C3 Baylor upsets No 3 USC 20-13 Page C4 Union College rolls over Lambuth Page C5 BASEBALL Dodgers increase lead over Reds to games Mets and Cardinals win Page CIO HORSE RACING Creme Fraiche captures Super Derby by 2'2 lengths 55-1 shot wins Turf Classic at Belmont Page Cl 2 PRO FOOTBALL Bill Walsh sees day for defenses in 49ers-Raiders game Page Cl 6 Herald-Leader Jim Jennings Brian Williams right and Jon Dumbauld sack Ken Karcher Marshall outshines lackluster Eastern Swift Prakas well deserves his star status By Gene McLean Herald-Leader stall writer As his stall door swung open noisily Prakas slowly raised his head from a midmoming nap and took a gander in the direction of the disturbance He blinked the sleep from his eyes swirled his tail and perked up his ears as if to pose for a picture he does that most of the said Tina Hansen groom as she sat on his tack box in front of the stall and knitted looks a lot like any other horse he stands a lot like any other horse but 1)6 really thinks something spe- fourth time in the last 45 games at home is now 1-1 A disappointing 1-1 disappointed Damn Eastern coach Roy Kidd said as he dropped his hat to his side and rubbed his graying hair after the game Two games and two touchdowns? That stinks And we have even scored today That really stinks can tell you that been a long long time since worked so hard trying to help our offense There were a bunch of mental errors I think a lot of guys thought How can they beat Well we found out today They just kicked our For years Marshall has suffered through football seasons stuck with a less-than adequate team But yesterday was a different story "Hey hey Marshall coach Stan Pamsh yelled as he sprinted off the field "Is this great guys? Is this (Turn to MARSHALL CS) By Gene McLean Herald-Leader stall writer RICHMOND Eastern Kentucky quarterback Mike Whitaker sat in front of his locker For minutes he speak He stared straight ahead game made me he finally said mean really If someone had been selling an upset-stomach remedy instead of soft drinks at Hanger Field yesterday he or she could have made some big money where Marshall University upset highly touted Eastern Kentucky 13-7 before an estimated crowd of 14200 and where Eastern Kentucky upset a few stomachs with its unsightly uninspired and unsuccessful play The Thundering Herd is now 44) and off to its best start smee 1965 when the team won its first four and ended the treat at 5-5 Fauern which lost for only the ry right to act that tai horse with a faster than any Faster than am abtl Record-settinq (Turn to SPEEDY CIS) 1.