The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 31

TlIIC COMMKKCIAL AllKAL SECTION MEMPHIS WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 30 1987 Kasay strikes win for Dawgs By Steve Jones Sub kicker sinks Hogs on last play AL DUNNING Sports Editor By Ron Higgins Staff Reporter Arkansas gave fans passing f' After two ties and a loss in their last three bowl appearances there was no way the Georgia Bulldogs were going to settle for anything short of a victory They managed to avoid another disappointment last night in the 29th Liberty Bowl A crowd of 53249 watched freshman reserve placekicker John Kasay's 39-field goal sail through the uprights as time expired to give the No 15 Bulldogs a 20-17 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks Kasay who kicked 2-of-4 field goals (both in the fourth quarter) was thrust into the starting role when starter Steve Crumley was suspended by Georgia coach Vince Dooley for disciplinary reasons Georgia called timeout with seven seconds to set up Kasay's kick He remained cool when Arkansas responded with a timeout to mentally ice him on an already-chilling night "More than anything I was mad" Kasay said describing his feelings during his wait "I'd been mad since I missed that field goal in the second quarter I had a feeling we'd get the ball back one last time My teammates kept me mentally going I wanted to give something back to them" He gave something back to the Georgia seniors who endured ties in the 19K4 Citrus Bowl and 1985 Sun Bowl before losing last year to Boston College in the final 32 seconds at the Hall of Fame Bowl lost last-second games recently so it's good to win one the same said Dooley who earned his first bowl victory over Arkansas in three tries Arkansas still winless in three Liberty Bowl appearances had its chance to win the game with 1:42 left But the Razorbacks were hit with a holding penalty at the Georgia 5 and placekicker Kendall Trainor missed a 35-yard field goal After Georgia failed to move and punted Arkansas quarterback Greg Thomas the game's Most Valuable Player had a first-down pass intercepted by Geor- Throw the ball Arkansas football fans I howled Put it in the air for a change Go deep for crying out loud Razorback coach Ken Hatfield tried to give them what they'd been yammering for He tried to deliver But like a Christmas shirt that didn't fit or a new toy with a busted spring Hatfield's holiday package for grumbling Hog fans was a bust last night in the Liberty Bowl Arkansas lost to Georgia 20-17 mainly because the ground-loving Hogs went to the air once too often Georgia's Carver Russaw intercepted Arkansas' last pass of the year at the Hogs' 43 with 56 seconds to play As the last second melted off the clock Georgia placekicker John Kasay nailed the 36-yard field goal that won it Nobody in the shivery crowd of 53249 felt the pain of that last-second kick more than Hatfield was a sorry way to end the season losing the game on the last play like that" he said IT WAS ESPECIALLY SORRY because Hatfield had heard the hisses spilling out of the Arkansas stands Second-guessers guessed that Hatfield's team ran too much threw too little Some of them even guessed he might be gone at the end of this season and it took an official announcement from school brass to make it clear that Hatfield's job is secure for another year All this heat on a guy whose football team finished 9-4? Nine victories? Bowl games are full of coaches who didn't win nine games But fastlane coaches sometimes have to do more than just win They have to beat the right people By the right number of points So when the wolves howl throw coaches throw So Arkansas threw the ball 17 times last night in the Liberty Bowl Granted that's not exactly Air Hatfield but for Arkansas 17 passes in a game is a lot For Arkansas 17 passes in a month sometimes is a lot Hatfield said the new emphasis on passing was pre-planned "It was by design" he said felt with the amount of time we had to prepare (for the Liberty Bowl) and with the weather conditions being ideal for it we could throw more And I thought we threw the ball better than we had all year" Results: Arkansas threw 17 passes completed seven for 86 1 1 A I Lars Tate clears the last line ol Arkansas' defense to score a second-quarter touchdown Trying to make the stop were Kerry Owens (54) and Chad Rolen (51) Please see GEORGIA Page D3 Winning kick may cast long shadow confidence receives a boost the heart of the uprights as time expired Kasay son of Bulldog strength and conditioning coach John Sr had kicked one goal" Dooley said Dooley appeared headed heartbreaking defeat in the By Phil Stukenhorg Staff Reporter toward a final minutes but Arkansas kicker Kendall Trainor pulled his 36-yard attempt to the left with 1:42 to go The Bulldogs took over but the Razor-backs held Arkansas however didn't take advantage of its defensive stand With 46 seconds to go Razorbuck quarterback Greg Thomas had his first-down pass tipped by Bulldog linebacker Terrie Webster and intercepted by cornerback Carver Russaw at the Arkansas 43 Please see KASAY Page D3 field goal in two attempts during the regular season just had to throw those other two out of my mind" Kasay said "After the (third) quarter I thought you might be reading about me in the obituary column But now maybe I'll get in the sports section" Kasay shouldn't have been too hard on himself His misses one in the second and another in the third quarter were from 47 and 48 yards "I'm very proud of John Kasay for coming back and kicking the winning field kick right there will change his whole Osborn said a dream come true for him That's the kind of situation a kicker loves to be in" Kasay shouldn't have gotten the opportunity But first-team kicker Steve Crumley punter Joey Hester and three walk-ons were suspended for disciplinary reasons The five Bulldog players were caught in a lounge of The Peabody the team's hotel which had been declared off-limits by Georgia coach Vince Dooley Kasay after missing two field goals nailed the game-winning kick through John Kasay's life will never be the same No that's not what Kasay said after his 39-yard field goal at the final horn lifted Georgia past Arkansas 20-17 to provide a dramatic ending to last night's 29th Liberty Bowl Classic His teammate flanker Cassius Osborn made the psy-choanalysis minutes after Kasay a freshman gave the Bulldogs a dramatic come-from-behind triumph Please see HOGS Page D3 coach seeking cure for an inconsistent offense Alabama officials to regulate agents State hoping to curb abuses our attorney general prosecuting that fellow at this time" Alabama Attorney General Don Siegelman however By Bobby Ilall Stan Report sr said yesterday that his office was looking into the Porter-Aber-nethy case under existing law "I feel like the players are victims and are preyed upon by people like Abernethy" Siegelman said "We're looking at this case and if we find anything we'll announce it later" The law creates the 15-member Alabama Athlete Agents Regulatory Commission composed of representatives from the state's universities its high school athletic association and one member each appointed by the governor lieutenant governor and House speaker The law requires sports agents who wish to contact players at Alabama schools to register with the commission and pay a license fee that has yet to be set by the panel An investigation of from the field and scored one point "People are saying Kansas played bad but I think our defense had a lot to do with that" Finch said just didn't shoot well and you've got to shoot well to beat a good basketball The Jayhawks will play St a 66-59 winner over Marist in the first round at 8 for the title "I don't think the type team that can play rock-em sock-em basketball and grind it out with teams with good inside people" Finch said "We just cant do it We don't have the depth on the inside Whatever the Tigers must shoot better For the season they are hitting 470 percent from the field They've shot 522 in victories and 296 in losses "We never got into our offensive scheme against Kansas we didnt have any rhythm" Finch said lot of it is youth not having one person to take over and settle us down But they're learning and they don't quit" Yesterday they learned a little about Manhattan MSU played host to a luncheon for about 60 including several officials of the ECAC at elegant Taveron On The Green in snow-covered Central Park Please see TIGERS Page D5 NEW YORK Will dining on crepes under chandeliers at a posh restaurant in Central Park help Memphis State's ability to shorn a basketball? It probably can't make it any worse than it was Monday night So what the 19th-ranked Tigers did yesterday along with some whirlwind touring while awaiting tonight's consolation game with Marisl College in the 36th ECAC Holiday Festival Tipoff will be at 6 in Madison Square Garden WMKW-TV (Channel 30) will air the game "This is a different type of Memphis State team' Tiger coach Larry Finch said going to take some crazy shots The night they're hitting them we'll look good The night we're not we've got problems" Monday night MSU (6-2) shot 286 percent and lost to 17th-ranked Kansas 64-62 The Tigers who were a 3Vi-point underdog held All-American forward Danny Manning to 19 points But MSU was burned by forward Archie Marshall's 16 points and Manning's 16 rebounds Freshman guard Elliot Perry had 23 points for the Tigers MSU captain Dwight Boyd was 0-of-8 MONTGOMERY Ala (AP) new law regulating sports agents takes effect on Friday too late to prosecute an agent whose dealings with Auburn's Kevin Porter made the Tiger football star ineligible to play in the Sugar Bowl The state senator who sponsored the legislation said yesterday that Atlanta-based agent Jim Abernethy could have been prosecuted under the new law only if his contract with Porter had been signed in 1988 instead of last August Abernethy also signed Memphis State basketball players Sylvester Gray and Marvin Alexander to contracts in August If the law had been on the books said Sen Gerald Dial of Lineville "we'd be looking at Kavin Porter: ineligible player the agent's background would precede issuance of a license Rep Ralph Burke D-Fort Payne who sponsored the legislation in the House said after Jan 1 it will be a Class felony for an agent to do business in Alabama without registering with the commission Violators could face up to 10 years in pris-on and a maximum $5000 fine Please see AGENT Page D2.