Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois • Page 17

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1983 a 5) ykis cirysh fr3 w. arolmna By Scott Monserud Of The Southern lllinoisan CHARLESTON, S.C. -about No. 1 anymore. There can be no argument Southern Illinois University saved its best until last, unleashing an arsenal of football weapons rarely, if ever, seen at the Division I-AA level.

The Salukis thrashed Western Carolina, 43-7, here Saturday and won the national championship. SIU stalked the Catamounts with relentless fervor, intercepting a playoff-record seven passes. A 23-point third quarter explosion had Western Caro-iina fans retreating from The Citadel's Johnson Hagood Stadium. "We played as close to a perfect game as we could possibly piay," said Saluki Coach Rev Dempsey. "Our kids did a great job.

"It's the greatest" season I've ever been associated with. What we've done is going to help spark interest in all of Southern Illinois athletics." "It's a great, great feeling to be champions," said SIU safety Greg Shipp, who intercepted a school- and playoff- record four passes. a 5- A Is I ISfife- me baiukis were every bit as dominant as the final score indicated. "Southern Illinois is an excellent football team, deserving of all the credit heaped on them," said Western Carolina Coach Bob Waters. Though SIU forced eight turnovers, it wasn't just a defensive show.

The offense clicked behind the pinpoint passing of quarterback Rick Johnson, and the special teams kept the Catamounts deep in their territory. Johnson completed 19 of 25 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns in his finest performance this season. Ron Miller's kicking, Drew Morrison's punting, and Tony Adams' 69-yard, kickoff return high r-v Comnzrcr, vvvV? ra vr -x XX- hi Xv jk'vS 9- is Southern lllinoisan photo by JERRY LOWER Salukis gather around the spoils of their victory: The NCAA Division l-AA National Championship trophy Ddscdle bows Sin Bay oy Classic Salukis burn the nets Friday Page 23 lighted the special teams play. "The score fooled me more than anything else about the game," said Dempsey. "They're a great team with great skilled people, but they were unable to handle our defensive secondary and our threat of blitzes." "We lost our poise with all their shifting around defensively," Waters said.

The Salukis throughly confused Catamounts' quarterback Jeff Gilbert, who threw as many interceptions as he had in the previous 11 games. "He certainly didn't have a good day," said Waters. "He's an excellent quarterback but today was not his day. They didn't blitz as much as Jeff thought they would. He checked off when he didn't have to." Even without the blitz, SIU was able to put pressure on Gilbert because of their superiority along the line.

Dempsey said the combination of the rush, and the secondary, did Gilbert in. "He" (Gilbert) had so much to learn in one week. It's a pro tvpe defense we're playing, and we've (SIU) got it down." "We tried to do a lot of bluffs," said SIU defensive coordinator Carl Angelo. "We'd give them one look and shift out of it. We show one-half of a bluff, and play zone and some man-to-man with it." The Salukis took a 10-0 halftime lead, then blew the game wide open in the third quarter.

Johi.on connected with running back Derrick Taylor on a 10-yard pass for SIU's first score early in the second quarter. Taylor caught the ball at the four and scampered in untouched. Shipp's first interception, which he returned nine yards to the 20 yard line, set up the score. Donnell Daniel tipped a pass directed at Eric Rasheed. Shipp grabbed the carom.

Miller's 36-yard field goal with two minutes left in the half put SIU up 10-0. The 44-yard drive was the Salukis longest of the game. The Salukis' touchdown drives covered 37, 30, 26, 20, and 13 yards. The Salukis assumed defensive control late in the first quarter and didn't let up until the fourth period, when the issue had long been decided. Dempsey used his second string defense throughout the final period.

The Salukis scored 33 points in the second and third periods. They held Western Carolina to 34 -yards during the same span. The Catamounts had the first serious threat of the game, advancing to the Saluki four yard line late in the first quarter. On first down, safety B.T. Thomas tackled Leonard Williams for a six-yard loss.

Ed Norman sacked Gilbert on the next play, knocking the ball loose. SIU end Mike Brascia recovered. "If there was a turning point, that was it," Waters said. "At that stage of the game, a lot can happen physically and emotionally." On the Catamounts' first series of the third quarter, Thomas intercepted a badly underthrown pass near the left sideline. The Salukis marched 37 yards in nine plays, with the big gain a 20 yard pass to James Stevenson on third and 11.

Johnson scampered 13 yards to the one yard line on third and six, then went in for the touchdown a play later. At that point, Waters said, he knew his team was in deep trouble. He found out how deep shortly afterward. SIU intercepted Gilbert three more times in the third quarter Shipp returned his third swipe of the game seven vards to the Western Carolina 26. Daniel again belted Rasheed just as the ball Shipp getl.ng the deflection.

On first down. Johnson found Stevenson wide open in Please turn to Page 18 SW Louisiana S3, SIU 73 -Yogi Berra replaces Billy Martin in Yankees' revolving door Page 22 Southwtm Louisiana FT FG 9 12 7 16 3 5 9 14 6 10 3 5 0 0 11 12 0 1 Reb 8 8 3 5 7 0 1 1 2 1 Pts 20 16 12 20 15 8 0 2 5 1 2 3 2 2 6 6 2 4 3 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 4 12 Brown Almones O. Allen A. Allen Warner Hill Peoples Blue Hodge Coffell Team Totals 4 40 39 66 21-27 Redskins Thsismann to vfcicry 18 99 Southern Illinois FG Pago 22 By Greg Sharko For The Southern lllinoisan LAFAYETTE, La. The University of Southwestern Louisiana out-scored Southern Illinois University, 15-4, to start the second half Saturday night, and went on to post a 99-73 victory in the championship game of the 21st annual Bayou Classic.

The Ragin' Cajuns, 6-0, captured their eighth consecutive tournament title. SIU dropped to 7-2. Ahead 44-39 early in the second half, the Cajuns took advantage of a double technical foul on Saluki Coach Allen Van Winkle, who argued too vigorously that Nate Buf-ford was fouled going up on a jump shot. "I don't think that the technicals were the game's turning points," said Van Winkle, whose squad shot under 50 percent (43.7) from the floor for the first time in the last seven. games.

"Over the last 11 minutes we got outrebounded by 15, we gave up easy layups, we quit playing defense, and we did not have patience he said. "When you do those things, then the margin we lost by is what happens to you." USL Coach Bobby Paschal agreed that the technicals weren't the reason for the outcome. "There were a lot of points scored and I don't want to say that FT Reb Pts 5 7 5 4 9 11 6 3 19 12 12 1 0 0 3 3 22 3 4 3 2 11 0 0 6 1 6 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 2 2 1 00 10 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 7 9 18 0 3 11 19 4 11 3 8 11 0 0 11 0 0 0 3 was the difference of the game, but it was a crucial situation for them," Paschal said. The Salukis, who hit on 54.8 percent on their shots from the field in the opening half, took the lead 31-30 with 2:45 left on a rebound basket by Pie Walker. But the Cajuns regained the advantage on Dion Brown's basket inside on USL's next trip down the floor and the Cajuns took a 36-35 lead into the intermission.

Brown and teammate Alonza Allen paced USL with 20 points each. Allen, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, also grabbed eight rebounds. But in the second half, USL's pressure defense allowed SIU to hit only 35 percent of its shots. USL, which is rated No. 16 in this week's The Sporting News, out-rebounded SIU 40-31 for the game and held a 26-13 edge in the second, half.

Saluki forward Bernard Campbell took game scoring honors with 22 points. He and Hoy Birch were named to the all-tournament team. USL's Brown, Warner and Allen were selected to the all-tournament squad while Almones earned the "Mr. Hustle" award. Northern wins California Bowl Walker Birch Perry Campbell Bufford Bibbens George Hunter Weiss Novsek Hubbard Team Totals Halftime 4 31 71 11-18 31 19 73 Score Southwestern Vv.

v.v: iV Bantam cHamp Jeff Chandler f'S gets revenge over Muniz Page 22 Louisiana 36, SIU 35. FG Pet: South western Louisiana 59.1, SIU 43.7. FT Pet: Southwestern Louisiana 77.8, SIU 61.1. Total fouls Southwestern Louisiana 18, SIU 19. Fouled out none.

Technical fouls SIU bench (2). Rebounds Southwestern Louisiana 40, SIU 31. Rebound leaders Almones 8, Brown 8, Birch 6, Bibbens 6. Assists Southwestern Louisiana 25, SIU 10. Assist leaders Almones 7, Birch 2, Hubbard 2, Campbell 2, Bibbens 2.

Turnovers: Southwestern Louisiana 16, SIU 13. Attendance: 7,465..