The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 12

B4 THE PANTAGRAPH, Monday. Dec. 30. 1985 lllini defense says it's ready for Army wishbone many big plays." With the wishbone, Tagart said Army will take advantage of any lllini defender who is out of position. He said the first priority will be to stop the fullback, then keep the quarterback from turning up field and force him to pitch the ball.

"Hopefully, there will be enough people around to make the tackle for no gain," said Tagart. Teafatiller said the Cadets "don't fumble that often," so the Illinois defense will have to limit them to short runs and force them to punt. Army offensive guard Don Smith said Illinois has the edge in size and talent, and has the strongest defense the Cadets have seen this season. He said the lllini "tackle well and get to the ball quickly." "We're not going to overpower anybody," said Smith. "But, you never know where we're going to attack.

The defense has to defend a strip 50 yards wide and 100 yards long." Army fullback Doug Black, the leading rusher, said his team has faced opponents with superior size and talent before. "We play well as a team," said Black. 'That's what it takes. That's how we beat them." Swoope said the lllini are "not cocky or big-headed. We're not taking Army lightly." And, he said the social events surrounding the Peach Bowl have not distracted Illinois players.

The lllini left yesterday afternoon for a tour of Stone Mountain, a recreational park located at the site of a historic exposed-granite mountain. "There's activity but you know what you're here for it's the game," said Swoope. "All the activity is fun and rewarding but the game is the important thing." ATLANTA (API Three I'niversity of Illinois football players returned from practice yesterday and said the defense is as ready as it can be to stop Army's wishbone attack in the Peach Bovll. who led the lllini in interceptions ith three last season and two this year. "We're prepared.

Now, it's just up to the players," said linebacker Mark Tagart, the leading tackier. "It's a mental game now. Get our minds ready to play a physical game. Get the emotions ready let them build, build, build to the kickoff." Illinois, 64-1, meets Army, 8-3, in the Peach Bowl on Tuesday. The lllini have had little experience with the option, but the scout team has been running it against the defense at practice in Atlanta.

PEACH BOWL "But, I'm sure the prep team doesn't run the wishbone as well as Army," said defensive tackle Guy Teafatiller. "They do what they do well." He said the Cadets' offense can have one of three players run the ball after the snap and "the problem is covering all three of these people." "We hope we can come out stopping them force them to pass," said Swoope. "The main thing is to stop the run and don't give up too Tagart "You just prepare as well as you can, then play," said defensive back Craig Swoope, 4 Heisman motivates Thomas' Gator Bowl performance GATOR BOWL "This guy is as good as any of them," Bowden said of Thomas. Thomas' name first popped into Heisman consideration when he ran for 237 yards in the 1985 season opener against Washington. He also was the only running back to rush for more than 100 yards against the tough Oklahoma defense.

"Although I did think about (the Heisman) a little bit, I was just thinking about winning for the team," said Thomas, who ran for 15 of the Cowboys' 30 touchdowns this year, passed for another one and returned a punt for a score. In his two years, Thomas has thrown four tailback passes, three of them for touchdowns. Thomas rushed for 155 yards on 32 carries in last year's Gator Bowl, running for one touchdown and passing for another in Oklahoma State's 21-14 victory over South Carolina. "I'm just going to go out and do my job and maybe next year or the year after I can bring a Heisman Trophy to Stillwater," Thomas said. If 4 iv- mrggZj was just another goal I added to my list," he said.

"It was a great compliment that you are up there with Bo Jackson and Chuck Long." When Jones was asked at a news conference Friday the importance of the sophomore running back to his team, he replied, "About 1,600 yards." Thomas finished the regular season with 1,553 yards on 301 carries, a 5.1 yard average per carry. "If he can stay healthy, he's liable to take everything next year," said Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, whose 18th-ranked Seminoles will try to stop Thomas and the 19th-ranked Cowboys in the 7 p.m. CST contest. Both teams enter the game with 8-3 records. Bowden said Thomas is comparable with Jackson, this year's Heisman winner from Auburn who rushed for 176 yards earlier this year in his team's 59-27 victory over Florida State.

glad for bowl bid Bowl bathing Frank Case (68), a Texas offensive lineman, basked in the Texas sun with teammate Jerry Fontenot during the Aggies' workout yesterday in the Cotton Bowl at Dallas. is preparing for its Cotton Bowl game Wednesday against Auburn. Miami profits without Kosar JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Oklahoma State tailback Thurman Thomas, who was voted the most valuable player in last year's Gator Bowl as a freshman, hopes a similar performance tonight, will help him land an even more important award. Thomas admits he has thought about the importance of an impressive game against Florida State in the Gator Bowl in his personal quest for next year's Heisman Trophy, awarded to the player regarded as the best in college foot-hall.

"Coach (Pat) Jones has mentioned that to me. If I have a good game against Florida State it could probably help me next year in the Heisman Trophy balloting," said Thomas, who was a consensus All-Big Eight player, the Associated Press Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and a third team All-American. He tied for 10th in the Heisman Trophy race, a respectable finish for a sophomore. "I've thought about it at times. It Colorado ANAHEIM, Calif.

(AP) Don't downplay the importance of the Freedom Bowl to the University of Colorado football team. Having packed up after losing seasons the three seasons prior to this one, the Buffalos are excited just to be in shoulder pads at this time of the year. They'll get to add game uniforms to their attire tonight when they meet the I'niversity of Washington Huskies in the second annual Freedom Bowl 'at Anaheim Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. "I'm really excited and so is everyone else," said Colorado punter Barry Helton.

"We were happy to go to any bowl game whatsoever, but the Freedom Bowl is perfect it's in the sunshine. "I talked to some of the players from Iowa this year and they said they really enjoyed the Freedom Bowl. We wouldn't trade this for Christmas at home." Colorado finished its first regular season since adopting a wishbone offense with a 74 overall record and wound up-tied for third with 'Oklahoma State at 4-3 in the Big Eight Conference. It was the school's first winning football sea- Rivermen edge Toledo TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) Brian Shaw scored five goals and Doug Evans tallied the game-winner with 33 seconds to play as the Peoria Rivermen edged the Toledo Goal- BRIEFS Miami player sent home Maurice Maddox, a reserve offensive guard who started three games for the Miami Hurricanes this season, was sent home from the Sugar Bowl yesterday for disciplinary reasons, Coach Jimmy Johnson said. "His conduct was not conducive to getting ready for a ball game," said Johnson, who is preparing the second-ranked Hurricanes for Wednesday night's Sugar Bowl showdown with No.

8 Tennessee. Johnson declined to elaborate after the team completed SEE "FREE SINK CABINET" COUPON IN TOMORROW'S PANTAGRAPH smart," Irvin said. "That was basically his whole game. He had a pretty strong arm, but his arm couldn't match Vinny's in strength, and in mobility there is no comparison. Bernie didn't really have a fireball, but he had a real nice touch.

Vinny has a fireball." So impressive was Testaverde, he came out of nowhere to finish fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and looms as a favorite next year. All from a player who was about to transfer. He was tired of having to live with the day former Coach Howard Schnellenberger told him Kosar would start. "Coach said he was going to go with Bernie for the first game, and if we were losing he would change quarterbacks, and if we were winning he was going to stick with Bernie," Testaverde said. "We lost the first game, then beat Houston.

Bernie was playing good all along. I guess it was around the third game, he told me they were going to redshirt me." derwende and Kosar, but his Miami teammates and coaches saw a future star. How right they were. In his 11-game debut, Testaverde has carried Miami to within striking distance of another national championship. The Hurricanes will meet Tennessee (8-1-2) in the Sugar Bow Wednesday night.

A Miami victory, coupled with a Penn State loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, will give the Hurricanes a legitimate claim to No. 1. Miami defeated Oklahoma, 27-14, at Norman during the regular season). "I thought he'd have a good year," said Irvin, a redshirt freshman who leads Miami with 840 yards on 46 catches, "but not as good as he's having, not 10-1." Testaverde and the Hurricanes have been perfect since a season-opening 35-23 loss to Florida. Testaverde passed for 3,238 yards, completed 216 of 352 attempts (61.4 percent), threw 21 touchdown passes and tied George Mira's school record by completing 116 without an interception.

Although Kosar and Testaverde stand 6-5 and weigh about 200, there the similarities end. "Smartness does make up for a lot of things, and Bernie really was 181 on the ground and 145 through the air. Defensively, the Huskies held their opponents to less than 19 points per game and shut out Stanford. The Freedom Bowl could prove a valuable showcase, one with long-lasting effects, for Colorado Coach Bill McCartney. "A bowl game is a nice reward for any season, but we're particularly excited to be playing in Anaheim," McCartney said.

"We've identified that area as critical to the future development of this program. We've gotten a lot of our best players out of there and we have four coaches that recruit Southern California full time." The Freedom Bowl will be the first bowl appearance for the Buffalos since 1977, when Colorado was a 37-10 loser to Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. Colorado and Washington have met five times since 1915 with each school winning twice and one game ending in a tie. The last meeting was in 1976, a game won 21-3 by Colorado. The University of Iowa won the inaugural Freedom Bowl, 55-17, over the University of Texas.

four shots of the second period as Guy Benoit, Lee Blossom and Chris McSorley got goals in a 52-second span. But the Rivermen came back to tie the score at 6-6 after two periods. Evans had one other goal and Mark Cupolo rounded out the scoring for Peoria. Hass said he would re-examine Johnson today to determine whether surgery was needed. This is the third time Johnson has cracked the fourth metatarsal of his left foot, according to team officials.

Froese gets NHL honor Philadelphia goaltender Bob Froese was named the National Hockey League player of the week after he backstopped the Flyers to three consecutive wins in the period ending Saturday. Froese, who 1106 E. BeN Hlanminntnn (In the Strode Building) FREEDOM BOWL son since 1978. In 1984, the Buffalos won once in 11 tries. The Huskies, installed as a four-point favorite by oddsmakers, were 6-5 overall and finished tied for fourth in a tight Pacific 10 Conference race and are geared up for the game as well.

"Personally, the Freedom Bowl will be just like the Orange Bowl for me," said sophomore Chris Chandler, who is expected to share quarterbacking duties with senior Hugh Millen. "I don't mind spending 10 days in Anaheim." Colorado, with its newly installed wishbone, finished 10th in the nation in rushing. Fullback Anthony Witherspoon led the Buffalos with 569 yards on 140 carries, with quarterback Mark Hatcher second with 539 yards on 125 rushes. The Buffalos have a formidable defense as well. They held their opponents to 17 points or less every game except two this season.

Washington boasts a diversified offense. The Huskies averaged 326 yards per game in total offense diggers 8-7 yesterday in an International Hockey League game. Peoria goaltender Don Einwechter had 55 saves as the Goaldiggers fell despite a 62-32 edge in shots on goal. Trailing 3-1 after one period, Toledo scored on three of its first a workout in the Louisiana Super-dome. Bullets' Johnson out Washington Bullets' guard Frank Johnson, who was injured in the final seconds of play against the New Jersey Nets Saturday night, has been diagnosed as having a fractured left foot, team officials said yesterday.

Dr. Steve Hass, the Bullets' team doctor, said Johnson had fractured the fourth metatarsal bone of his left foot. airily KhAr By Scripps-Howard NEW ORLEANS Wide receiver Mike Irvin heard the talk last spring. Heard it every day. All he had to do was walk downtown.

Bernie Kosar was gone. The quarterback who led Miami to its first national title had traded his final two seasons of college eligibility for the riches of professional football, distributed by the Cleveland Browns. The powerful Hurricanes had been downgraded to a tropical storm. "You would walk into town," Irvin recalled, "and someone would say, 'You lost your quarterback. You're going to be hurtin' next But we knew different.

We weren't worried. We told a lot of people, 'You thought Bernie was good? Wait until you see this guy would come the somewhat skeptical reply, "Vinny Testaverde?" Yeah, Vinny. Vinny Testaverde. Vinny from Long Island, N.Y. Learn how to spell it.

Learn how to pronounce it. You'll be hearing his name a lot. Testaverde attempted only 36 passes as a backup to Kyle Van- has compiled a 14-5-0 record this' season, edged out Minnesota North Stars' center Scott Bjugstad for the $500 prize. Froese's performance brought the Flyers' current winning streak to five games and allowed his team to maintain the top spot in the Patrick Division. During his three games last week, Froese stopped 79 of 87 shots to help defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime on Dec.

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