The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 9

Sports The Salina Journal Friday, January 2,1987 Page 9 Collegiate Super Bowl: No. 1 Miami vs. By HERSCHEL N1SSENSON AP Football Writer TEMPE, Ariz. The nearest thing to a college football playoff takes place Friday night when No. 1 Miami and No.

2 Penn State battle for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl. This is only the seventh time in the 51-year history of The Associated Press' poll that the top two teams at the end of the regular season have met in a bowl game and just the second time that both have perfect records. Top-ranked Nebraska, 12-0, trounced runnerup Alabama, in the Orange-Bowl to win the 1971 national championship. "This is probably the closest we've been to a national playoff game," said Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, one of those in favor of a playoff after the bowl games. "I've thought about it and I'm kind of watching it.

"Maybe it is too much pressure, but two teams having a chance to play for a championship I'd think would be a fun situation, a once-in-a- lifetime situation, something they'll never forget, win or lose." The 16th Fiesta Bowl has turned into something of a collegiate Super Bowl and Paterno, one of the deans of the coaching profession, is concerned about all the hype and hoopla. "I have some misgivings at times whether any college game should be this important," he said. "Then I remember I've been shooting my mouth off all these years about a playoff. In the long run, it's a plus. But all this fanfare to go out and watch a bunch of kids knock each other around for 60 minutes is almost Miami coach Jimmy Johnson (far left) and Penn State coach Joe Paterno (far right) hope Vinny Testaverde and D.

J. Dozier lead each to a national championship in today's Fiesta Bowl. ludicrous. "In 1982 (when Penn State defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship) and last year (when the No. 1-ranked Nittany Lions lost to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl), we were ready for the hoopla.

Whether we're ready for this much (more than 900 media credentials have been issued, including 300 to NBC, which will televise the game at 7p.m., CST)Idon't know." The game has been billed as: Miami's pro-style passing attack, fueled by quarterback Vinny Testaverde, the Heisman Trophy winner, against Penn State's bend- but-don't-break defense, led by Ail- American linebacker Shane Conlan, perhaps the best ever at Linebacker U. The sun, the beach and the bright lights of Miami, the guys in the glitzy orange and green uniforms, vs. the blue-collar work ethic of State College, where "generic" blue and white no-nonsense uniforms are the order of the day. The black hats from Country Club U. (Miami), a number of whose players arrived wearing combat fatigues, vs.

the white hats from Penn State, where Paterno's constant harping on academics has given him a holier-than-thou image in some quarters. "Saint Joe," Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson called him, adding not sarcastically, he insisted "Everyone respects Joe's image. No one would dare say anything bad about it." Even Paterno joked about his untarnished image. "I left my halo home," he quipped at the start of one news conference. "I've got a set of combat fatigues in my room I was going to wear over here." Turning serious, he added, "Most guys around me know I'm not that good, and I've never claimed to be that good.

As far as my role of the good guy, I don't get caught up in all that nonsense." Both teams have spent almost a week in the Valley of the Sun, a week enlivened by the Miami team's early exit from a Sunday night steak fry after what they interpreted as a racial slur by Penn State punter John Bruno and a publicity-seeking local radio station which sent complimentary room-service breakfasts first to Testaverde and then to Penn State tailback D.J. Dozier before their wake-up calls and then berated the players for being annoyed. "It seems like the football game will never come," Paterno said. "This really hasn't been a bowl game for us," Johnson said. "It's been a game, a very important game, but in no way could we enjoy the festivities of this game like we could a regular bowl.

The pressure on our players and coaches makes this a completely different situation than we've been in before. "I'd much prefer to come in the night before a game and play the game. We appreciate all the Fiesta Bowl hospitality, but at the same time we'd rather practice, watch films, eat, sleep and get ready for the game." Privately, Johnson has said that "I've prepared as well as I ever have, the team has practiced as well as it can, the coaches are as intense as I've ever seen them. I don't know what more we could do to get ready for this game." Oh, yes, the game. It pairs the same teams that were ranked No.

1 (Penn State) and No. 2 (Miami) a year ago, only to have their national championship hopes dashed when Penn State lost to Oklahoma 25-10 in the Orange Bowl and Tennessee (See Fiesta, Page 12) Jim Murray LOS ANGRES TIMES As usual, Cornhuskers bowl over LSU despite slow start ByRONHIGGINS Scrlpps Howard News Service NEW ORLEANS When it comes to the bowl history of LSU and Nebraska, nothing changes. LSU starts fast, finishes last. Nebraska stretches its legs for the first quarter, then stretches LSU's offense and defense the last three periods. The same scenario was played out Thursday in the 53rd Sugar Bowl, a 30-15 Nebraska football victory over the homestate Tigers before a Louisiana Superdome crowd of 76,234.

In losing a fourth New Year's Day bowl to the Cornhuskers and third in the past five years LSU was simply overpowered after taking a 7-0 lead on its opening possession. In the third quarter, when Nebraska extended its 10-7 halftime lead to 17-7, LSU's offense was limited to no first downs and lost 6 yards total offense. The final statistics didn't lie. Nebraska held substantial edges in total offense (352-191), first downs (22-10) and possession time The bitter ending to the final game of resigning LSU coach Bill Arnsparger's career was written by Nebraska sophomore quarterback Steve Taylor, who was voted the game's Most Outstanding Player by the media. Taylor scored Nebraska's go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter on a 2-yard run and capped the game with a 3-yard scoring pass to tight end Todd Millikan with six minutes left to play.

"The Most Outstanding Player means a a lot to me because I never have received an MVP award in college," said Taylor, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 110 yards and also ran for 63 yards on 20 carries. "And it means a lot since I wasn't picked to the Big Eight All-Conference team." The Cornhuskers, ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press, ended the season 10-2 with losses to Colorado and Big Eight champion Oklahoma. "In the 25 years I've been associated with Nebraska, I've never had a team that had to overcome so many things off the field," said Nebraska coach Tom Osborne. ISU, ranked No.

6, fell to 9-3 and had a four- game victory string snapped. It left Tennessee, a 21-14 victor over Minnesota in the Liberty SV. Swzar Bowl SUGAR BOWL NEBRASKA 30, LOUISIANA STATE 15 GAME IN STATS Neb First downs 22 Rushes-yards 60-242 Passing 110 Return Yards 48 Comp-Att-Int 11-20-0 ISU 10 29-32 159 11 14-30-2 6-42 6-1 12-130 20:47 Punts 4-30 Fumbles-Lost 5-2 Penalties-Yards 5-78 Time of Possession 39:13 Individual Statlitkt Knox 16-84, Taylor 20-63, Kaolin 632, Heibel 3-25, K. Jones 6-20, Dalton 2-7, Brinson 5-4, Clayton 1-4, Rodgers 1-3. Louisiana Williams 12-48, Martin 7-4, Fuller 1-1, Harris 1-0, Hodson 7-(minus 7), DeFrank 1 -(minus 14).

Taylor 11-19-0-110, Blakeman 0-10-0. Louisiana 14-30-2-159. Banderas 4-42, R. Smith 2-24. Millikan 2-23, Schnitiler 1-10.

Kaolin 1-7, Brinson 1-4. Louisiana Davis 3-63, Martin 3-19, Magee 2-29, Williams 2-12, Lee 2-4, Moss 1 -24, Fuller 1-8. Scoring Summary Nebraska 0 10 7 Louisiana St. 700 1 run (Browndykekick) Klein 42 2 run (Klein kick) 1 run (Klein kick) Neb- Millikan 3 pass Irom Taylor (Klein kick) 1 run (kick lailed) 24 pass from Hodson (Lee pass from Hodson) Bowl, with the SEC's longest current winning streak at five games. "I thought our preparation for the game was good," said Arnsparger, "but we were physically whipped." The key to the game for the Cornhuskers was defensive dominance.

Some examples: LSU freshman quarterback Tommy Hodson, rated sixth in the nation in passing efficiency, was 14 of 30 for 159 yards, threw two interceptions, was sacked three times and spent the afternoon on the run. "If we would have let him (Hodson) sit back there," said Nebraska defensive tackle Lee LSU's Nicky Hazard (48) meets Nebraska's Tyreese Knox at the goal-line Jones, "he would have eaten us alive. We had 1-SU wide receiver Wendell Davis, nation's him running around back there like he was third leading receiver, caught a 43-yard pass on crazy." the first play of the game. He didn't catch "It was the toughest pass rush I've faced this another ball. season," said Hodson, who only managed to Tney Nt braska ust made it difficult to throw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tony Moss with 2:01 left in the game.

(See Sugar, Page I'D Oklahoma hands Arkansas 42-8 pasting MIAMI (AP) Spencer Tillman ran 77 and 21 yards for touchdowns and Oklahoma's defense came up with five turnovers as the third- ranked Sooners drilled No. 9 Arkansas, in the 53rd Orange Bowl football game. TiUrnan, a 203-pound senior halfback who ran for 109 yards, scored twice in the second quarter, and quarterback Jamelle Holieway added TD runs of 2 and 4 yards in the third period as the Sooners built a commanding 28-0 lead. Oklahoma, settling a nine-year-old score for Coach Barry Switzer, completed the rout before a crowd of 57,291 with two fourth-period scores Anthony Stafford's 13-yard touchdown run with six minutes left to play, and tight end Duncan Parham's 49-yard run on a reverse with 1:22 left. Arkansas, J-3, which came within 19 seconds of suffering the worst shutout defeat in Orange Bowl history, got its only score of Derrick Thomas' 1-yard run.

The triumph was the ninth straight for Oklahoma, 11-1, which won the national championship a year ago with a 25-10 Orange Bowl victory over Penn State. The thumping of Arkansas avenged an embarrassing 31-6 Oklahoma loss to the Razorbacks in the 1978 Orange Bowl, a loss that cost the Sooners a national title. Switzer, a native of Arkansas and a former Razorback player and assistant coach, had asked his players to win Thursday night's game for him. They did so, with a smashing performance. The Oklahoma defense, which had five shutouts, led the nation in four TMt OR4SGC BOWL CLASSIC categories rushing, passing, scoring and total defense.

The unit intercepted Arkansas quarterback Greg Thomas four times and reserve Jay Cleveland once despite the absence of All-AmericaJi linebacker Brian Bosworth. Bosworth and two teammates were declared ineligible for the game after an NCAA drug test showed they had used steroids. Bosworth, a junior ORANGE BOWL OKLAHOMA 42. ARKANSAS 8 GAME IN STATS Ark First downs 1 Rushes yards 45 46 Passing 192 Return Yards 16 Comp Alt Int 16 33 'j Punts "1 41 Fumbles lost '1 Penalties Yards 3 'i'i Time ol Possession 35 Individual StQtiitici RUSHING Arkansas Thomas 22 16 Johnson 5 15 foru foung 12 Van Dyke 30 Blond 4 Cleveland I (minus 10; Oklahoma 109 Corr 577 Parham 149 MiKhfal 27 SloHord 3 54 ii 3 10. Jockion 1 9 Anderson I 3 Col Okla I 48 366 47 58 'I 5 0 5 47 'i 2 Moln 7 'rrmiy, fj I 'I 'Hi 4 i 7 I Oklahoma Moliuway 'J 'JO 47 5 0 0 KICHVIUG Aikunsov Shibuil 4 U3.

John son 4 H5 Van Dyke 4 23 Conlors 2 38 Thomas 'J Ti Oklahoma Shepard I 36 Jackson I I I SCOTIny Summury Arkansas 0006 8 Oklahoma 0 14 14 14 42 24 31 7 70 inrjf, 'J 7 Ifllri'JS 't Tillm'jfi 7 hfcl 4 36 OHo Iillma Ok Id (illniu OKIu Gklu Okiu Statfo Ok la Porh-j Ark Iho rur ur a i 'i 4 ru 1'Jru rid', 1 aushar kirkj kick) i aoshut kuk aoshar Lushar u.k 'loshar if.k, un 'ShibfcSI pass Irorn from Irving, Texas, stood on the sideline with teammates and walked to the center of the field for the coin- flip before the game. Tillman look a pitch from Holieway on the third play of Die second quarter, broke a tackle and raced up the right sideline to give Oklahoma a 7-0 lead with 14:07 remaining in the half. The Sooners extended the lead to 14-0 with 2:53 left in the half on TULman's 21-yard scoring run. An (See Orange. Page lid) Rides, replays dehumanizing gridiron game The trouble with football is, it's not a sport, it's a debating society.

It's also like that famous dromedary, which, we are told, is a horse designed by a committee. It's got so many whereases and rules and injunctions and caveats piled on top of it that it looks in poor light like the hunchback of Notre Dame. It's a wonder it isn't paralyzed altogether, that it can navigate at all. They change the game every half hour. It was not so long ago it was illegal to re-substitute a player if he had gone out of the game that half.

that was changed so that a player replaced could not go back into the game that quarter. This meant that if you took a player out in the fourth quarter, he was through for the day. When they changed that, they went whole hog. Today, unlimited substitution is permitted. The football field usually looks like a cattle pen in a thunderstorm.

It used to be that, if you threw two incomplete passes in a row, you got penalized five yards. If you threw an incompletion into the end zone, it was a touchback and the ball went over to the other team on its 20-yard line. You had to be five yards behind the line of scrimmage just to throw the ball at all. They used to let defensive linemen slap the ears off offensive linemen in the pass rush. They used to forbid offensive linemen from holding their arms out from their body in blocking.

Now, they can do everything but pull your nose off. They used to let everybody run dowrifield under a punt or a pass. Now, there are myriad illegally- downfield penalties. Hurdling a prostrate player or the line of scrimmage used to be illegal. Now, airborne touchdowns are commonplace.

They tinker with the game endlessly. The penal code governing it is as thick as Napoleon's. It used to be a simple game to officiate. You had 11 guys on a side, a coach, a football and a referee. Now, in pro ball at least, they have seven judges on the field and a replay official armed with a replay camera in the press box.

This latter is a particularly revolting development, a further step in dehumanizing the game. They're turning it into an arcade game. You would think seven guys would be enough to monitor the activities of 22. You would think, at worst, that any bad calls would even out, given the seven guys were men of probity and dignity, which they are. But you see, the Anglo-Saxon mind loves rules and law.

You see it in everyday life. The love of the law transcends the love of justice. The Magna Charta was brought into effect not so much to redress wrongs as to give the lords of the realm something to argue about on the long winter nights. I think it was Jefferson who said that he who governs best, governs least. But that's no fun at all.

The only thing the Anglo-Saxon loves better than his nit-picking law is his machines. Whenever there is an opportunity to bring the two together, he is ecstatic. Football has now given him, and us, that Nirvana. He gets controversy and electronics in the same package. Rube Goldberg would have loved it.

Ball (A) is fumbled by player (H) or not fumbled and recovered by player fC), which triggers official (D) to signal play dead, which triggers crowd (E) into paroxysm of booing and activates screen (F) in press box which is then reviewed by a judge (G). You saw the ultimate idiocy of this line of officiating Sunday at Washington's KFK Stadium when it took nearly five minutes to "decide" whether a key fumble had been committed or not. Actually, it is the notion in this court of law that a fumble occurs on a football field whenever a ballcarrier does not hang onto the ball. Just as I think that in baseball a strike has occurred whenever a batter crosses any part of the plate with a bat on a pitch he is obviously badly fooled on. but, here again, we have our society's love of subheading to section 12, paragraph 20, of the federal code governing the playing of games.

It's not the game that's important, it's the legalities. The guy's knee didn't touch the ground or it did touch the ground or both. Whatever. We need a trial, evidence, expert witnesses, a (See Murray, Page 12).