The Macon News from Macon, Georgia • 21

Section fQarmt ulrlrgraplf is Nrlna EJOrlwmor fn4tl Jmmi SmiIi Editor EiMitanMoortt Editor 744-411S W-ttll SUNDAY MORNING OCTOBER 111981 Tennessee Rebounds To Beat Jackets 10-7 By llarlcy Bowen EmcuNvo Idorto Editor KNOXVILLE Tenn It often that a quarterback accounts for all the touchdowns scored by both teams but Steve Alatorre did here Saturday The only problem for Georgia Tech was that the Tennessee signal caller put the last one on the board for his own club and It was enough to give the Vols a 10-7 victory over the Jackets in a battle that kept 94478 fans scratching their heads as they tried to figure out just what was going on With his team leading 34) Alatorre handed Tech a free seven with 5:38 left in the third stanza when he scrambled on a second and twelve situation from his 12 into the end zone and then seemingly placed the ball on the artificial turf for Tech linebacker Robert Horton to pick up Alatorre atoned for his miserable mistake when he connected with speedster Anthony Hancock for 42 yards and the winning marker with 7:46 remaining in the game HI WAS TRYING to escape the blitz on the end zone fumble" Alatorre recalled "I was about to fall and put my arm down to balance myself When I did the ball just popped out of my grasp" Horton was as surprised as everybody else when the ball suddenly appeared Jaracz was chasing Alatorre" Horton explained I was coming on him up the middle I didn't see him drop the ball All of a sudden it was just there so I just picked it The play was unusual enough but it would have been even more of a conversation piece had it cost Tennessee the ball game Instead Alatorre had the time to turn things back in his own team's favor with the long pass to Hancock was an example" coach Bill Curry said their speed getting behind us However I believe we had a chance to sack Alatorre on the play I'll have to study the film but I am pretty certain we had a man in position to get him only to pull up when he thought the ball had been handed If this was the case it would add to the number of big mistakes Tech made that kept them from scoring a mild upset over the home club TWO OF TH biggest errors came in the fourth session one just before the Alatonre-to-Hancock pass the other a bit further on Tech had taken over the ball on the first play of the final stanza when Horton who played a brilliant game intercepted a pass by Alatorre after the quarterback had been hit by Jaracz causing the ball to flop into the air at about the line of scrimmage The interception gave the ball to the Jackets at the Tech 27 and killed a threat that had materialized suddenly when Alatorre completed an aenal to Darryl Wilson for 46 yards on the final play of the third quarer The Atlantans then hiked off on their best drive of the day running the ball seven straight times for 33 yards and then connecting on a Mike Kel-ley-to-Gary Wilkins pass for 18 to the Tennessee 22 After a running play failed to gain Kelley went back to pass made a poor decision to try to get the ball to Robert Lavette when he was well-covered in the end zone and watched as it was intercepted by Bill Bates with 10 minutes remaining in the game (See VOLS Page 4B) Harley Bowers Mistakes Defeat KNOXVILLE Tenn Georgia Tech coach Bill Curry understandably is tired of going through the old bit of returning to the drawing board after each Saturday game But faced with that dismal chore at least one more time His team lost for the fourth straight week here Saturday falling to Tennes- Ole Miss Mashed alker Geor la Rip Rebels By Freddy Jones Assistant Starts Editor OXFORD Miss Saturday's Southeastern Conference battle with Ole Miss was anything but what Georgia Coach Vince Dooley expected It just wasn't supposed to be this easy But easy it was both for the Bulldog offense and defense as Herschel Walker ran for 265 yards to lead Georgia to a 37-7 victory before 41125 in a soidout Hemingway Stadium And for the first time this season there was no questions about Georgia's offensive line That unit allowed quarterback Buck Belue to direct the Bulldogs to 493 yards of total offense But at the same time the defense had yet another stingy day limiting Ole Miss to 69 yards on the ground and 168 in the air The passing total may have been higher but the Rebels lost All-American quarterback John Four cade early in the second quarter with a rib injury Fourcade did not return The real story of the day though was Walker His 265 yards came on 41 carries His longest run of the day was 32 yards WALKER RAN LEFT ran right and ran up the middle with more power than he had shown in Georgia's previous games But the sophomore from Herschel Walker Big Day for Wrightsville said afterwards there were better days still to come felt I had improved in the South Carolina game but I wanted to do even better today" Walker said satisfied with my day and now I want to work harder next week and improve for the Vanderbilt Walker scored his lone touchdown of the afternoon on a spectacular leap over the Ole Miss defense What made (See GEORGIA Page 7B) see 10-7 His one consolation is that the Jackets came closer than they have since the opener against Alabama In the end though the same sort of mistakes that have been taking their toll cropped up to haunt the Atlantans again TWO WERE especially crucial the interception thrown early in the fourth period by quarterback Mike Kelley when it appeared the Jackets might score a touchdown of their own making after having a free one handed them by Tennessee quarterback Steve Alatorre and the fumble a little later on by sub quarterback Jim Bob Taylor at the Tennessee 22 Despite the loss Curry felt some encouragement played a little he explained "I think we're making It is agonizing to the young coach though that the progress comes so slowly that it show up in the victory column The game here Saturday was a strange one IN MANY WAYS it was a throwback to games played many years ago between these two schools when Robert Neyland was coaching Tennessee and Bobby Dodd was directing Georgia Tech Back then people thought they had seen a great contest when there was strong defense and outstanding punting If any of the old-timers who watched then happened to be on hand Saturday they might have thought that they were in heaven especially in the first half There was almost nothing but defense And punting Sensational punting Jeff Pierce put his foot into the ball on seven occasions during the first 30 minutes for a 443-yard average Only two of the five kicks were returned for a mere 17 yards Meanwhile Tennessee was booting five times for a 47-yard mark two kickers combining for this impressive statistic So the yardage went to the kickers and it was largely the superb way they did their job that kept the offenses from accomplishing anything There was just one decent drive in the entire half resulting in a field goal for Tennessee THINGS BROKE DOWN a bit in the second half with fumbles and interceptions interrupting the flow and reducing the number of kicks from 12 before intermission to four in the second half When the battle had ended and the shadows had covered Neyland Stadium there remained many doubts about the two teams that had fought so hard during the long afternoon Tennessee does have a winning mark easing to some degree the pressure on Johnny Major who was under fire after one-sided opening lasses to Georgia and Southern Cal But the three wins have come over weak teams and the Vols could easily have lost to both Auburn and Tech Their margins over both were 10-7 with fumbles late in the game insuring victory The Vote have big problems at quarterback as they have had for several seasons Steve Alatorre elevated to a starter because of injuries is an erratic passer He didn't complete a single aerial in the first half He has some ability as a scrambler But until passing game improves the Vote are not going to beat good clubs The rap on Majors is that he hasn't been successful in recruiting He have enough quality players There had been criticism in the past of the quality of his coaching staff but he seems to have strengthened that WITH TECH the answer is the same as it has been Bill Curry needs time He needs two or three good recruiting years in a row before he can hope to compete with the type of teams he is playing Tech barely holds its own against mediocre outfits like Tennessee The Alabama victory was a tayth You turn you back on such decisions but this stunning upset may have hurt the Jackets more than it helped Fans may not understand this sort of reasoning but coaches do Curry is undoubtedly tired of looking back at defeats and seeing how they might have been victories but for this or that mistake The time he reasons has come for the mistakes to end But is Tech far enough along to play without such critical errors? Auburn this foe in Atlanta is another team the Jackets are capable of beating But have to be at a peak to do it And that at this time appear likely Photo by DANNY GILLELAND Atlanta Falcon Fan Want To See Their Team Back in Win Column Today Feverish Fmtemis Desperate Atlanta Team Faces Rams Today By Bob Stratton Staff Wrttor Once an epidemic 1981 Falcon fever is beginning to take the route of all those previous years Atlanta hasn't measured up to expectations Consecutive losses to Cleveland and Philadelphia have put a serious dent in the high-flying season After a SB start the Falcons are 3-2 and tied with Los Angeles and San Francisco for the Western Division lead' in the National Football Conference A victory over the Rams today will give Falcon fans a relapse of winning fever and help keep Atlanta on a steady road to the playoffs as the favored division champion A loss will severely handicap Atlanta's chances of defending its first-ever NFC title and put the Falcons in a scramble for the NFC wild-card berth The Rams face the same verdict win or lose It's only October and the sixth week of a 16-game season but today's game is pivotal for both teams IS the NFC West championship game" said Wallace Francis Falcon receiver team that wins this one will get the division lead and by the time we meet again (15th week of the season) it won't make any difference This one is for all the marbles" One only needs to remember last year's first Atlanta-Los Angeles game to see the significance of today's game come-from-behind 13-10 victory tied the Falcons with Los Angeles at mid-season and set the tone for the rest of the season Quarterback Steve Bartkowski threw a 54-yard bomb to Alfred Jackson in the final 1:15 of the game to give Atlanta the victoiy and propel the Falcons to their finest season ever For the first time in seven years the NFC West title went somewhere other than Los Angeles in 1980 And the Rams are still grumbling about it we have some revenge in mind You remember how Atlanta won it last year It should have been said Kent Hill Ram All-Pro offensive guard who has been demoted to second-string won in the last minute and it changed their whole season around (See FALCONS Page8B) Photo by RANDY PILAND Robert Moss of Macon Tags Eugene Lundy Balkcom Captures Toughman 9 Title Sports AM waukee at 7 pm on ABC Sports Sunday at 7 pm on CNN Sports Center News at 7 pm on ESPN CNN Sports at 7:30 pm on CNN Sports Probe at 7:30 pm on USA College Football: Michigan vs Michigan St at 8 pm on ESPN CNN Sports at 11 pm on CNN Sports Center at 11 pm on ESPN Georgia Football at 11:30 pm on Ch 13 Radio tun He won a split decision over Eddie Lee Johnson The 23-year-old 160 pound Alliston took home $750 as his share of the prize money Balkcom admitted that his toughest match was the one in which he won a decision over Willie Judon Balkcom also took a split decision over Daniel Neal in his second match IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP bout Balkcom and Moss slugged it out for two rounds but in the third Balkcom caught Moss with a straight right hand that flattened him for the count The crowd of more than 2000 at the Coliseum were treated to some real slugfest as 10 of the 15 bouts ended in knockouts The fastest match of the night ended in just nine seconds as Ricky Slrmons of Hawkinsville landed one punch to the face of Mike Horae and Horae couldn't continue By David Horwltz Sports CorrtspoMtof What Gregory Balkcom set out to do last year he accomplished this year He was ninner-up in the competition last year but Saturday night at the Macon Coliseum he took the top prize in the heavyweight division with a third-round knockout of Bobby Moss The victoiy earned the 26-year-old 189-pound Balkcom $1000 and a spot in the World contest in the Pontiac Silverdome next February Moss picked up $250 as the 1981 runner-up FELT LIKE I could take it all" said Balkcom after the contest trained hard and if I had to go three or more matches I think I could have still won he added The light-heavyweight title went to John Jay Alliston of Eaton- Pittsburgh at 1 pm on NBC Greatest Sports Legends at 1 pm on USA College Football: Ohio St vs Wisconsin at 1:30 pm on ESPN Sports Center at 2:30 pm on ESPN Fishing at 4 pm on Ch 11 NFL Football: Dallas vs San Francisco at 4 pm on CBS Baseball: Philadelphia vs Montreal at 4 pm on NBC Sports Center at 4:30 pm on ESPN Remember When: Go Team Go at 5 pm on HBO College Football: Arizona vs USC at 5 pm on USA Wrestling at 5:35 pm on Ch 17 Bill Curry Show at 6:30 pm on Ch 11 Baseball: New York vs Mil On the Air Television College Football: Boston College vs Penn St at 9 am on ESPN Notre Dame Football at 11 am (xi USA Vince Dooley Show at noon on Ch 11 Bill Curry Show at noon on Ch 11 Sports Center at noon on ESPN Vince Dooley Show at 12:30 pm onCh2 NFL Today at 12:30 pm on CBS NFL 81 at 12:30 pm on NBC NFL Football: Los Angeles vs Atlanta at 1 pm on CBS NFL Football: Cleveland vs Pro Football (Los Angeles Rams vs Atlanta Falcons) at 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