The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 35

NFL Page 41 The Salina Journal Sunday, September 25, 1994 35 Bethany holds off Wesleyan KW fails to capitalize in the fourth quarter By JOHN BATTLE Salina Journal LINDSBORG Kansas Wesleyan versus Little else needs to be said. The teams renewed their rivalry with few another close game. And again, Bethany was able to hold off Coyotes for a 19-13 victory Saturday Anight at Philip Anderson Field. "This was a big win for us," Bethany coach Ted Kessinger said. "Kansas Wesleyan has a good football team and gave us a good game." The Coyotes had their chances in the game, but just couldn't get over the hump in the final Brian Darden kicked a 19-yard field goal with 4:59 left to give the Swedes a 19-13 lead.

"Brian has been injured and has had some problems with his kickoffs," Bethany coach Ted Kessinger said. "It was a big confidence-builder for him." The teams then traded punts and Kansas Wesleyan got the ball back with 2:27 left. Kansas Wesleyan quarterback Ty Lohman hit Nick Pipkin with a 30-yard pass moving the ball down to the Bethany 29. Three plays later KW had a fourth down and 6 from the Bethany 25. Lohman went back to pass, but was sacked by Joe Greene and Scott Peterson Wesleyan 13 for a 17-yard loss that sealed the game.

"Our team played hard," Kansas Wesleyan coach Brad Jenkins said. "We just made a few mistakes that really changed the game." Kansas Wesleyan held a 7-3 lead at the half, but it was short-lived. Lehman's pass was intercepted by Greg Maxwell at the Kansas Wesleyan 31-yard line. Maxwell returned the ball all the way back but fumbled into the end zone. Teammate Remington DeGarmo recovered the ball for a touchdown.

"That was a very important play in the game," Jenkins said. "That play really gave them the momentum." Darden added the extra point for a 10-7 lead. Bethany later scored on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Dan Smith to Corey Fer- ralez. The extra point missed, but Bethany still led 16-7 with 3:42 left in the third quarter. Running back Michael White scored on a 4-yard run with 8:50 left.

The kick failed, leaving a 16-13 game. Darden's field goal and the defense sealed the win. "The defense did a great job," Kessinger said. "They have a good quarterback (Ty Lohman). He can put the ball right in there." Quarterback Dan Smith connected on 13 of 24 passes for 210 yards in the game to lead Bethany's offense.

Bethany got off to a quick start in the game. The Swedes got the opening kickoff and See BETHANY, 39 Jayhawks set UAB ablaze KU rolls up big numbers against overmatched foe By HAROLD BECHARD The Salina Journal LAWRENCE For the record, Alabama-Birmingham has two players on its football roster with full-ride scholarships. Forty other Blazers are on partial scholarships. Compare that to the 85 Kansas Jayhawks with full-rides and you could probably guess what was going to happen Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium. The Blazers traveled to Lawrence with upset on their minds and got absolutely torched by the Jayhawks.

When the game mercifully UAB 0 Kansas 72 Mason ended, the Scoreboard blinked, 720, as Kansas rolled up its most lopsided victory in 47 years. Saturday afternoon, the initials UAB could have easily stood for Ugly Awful Beating. "They didn't catch us in a real good mood," KU head coach Glen Mason said after his team had piled up the third highest point total in school history. No, they didn't. The Jayhawks were coming off a disappointing 10-point loss at Texas Christian and weren't about to take any prisoners.

If the Blazers had known ahead of time what was in store for them, they might have opted for Lincoln, instead. The Blazers earned a cool $100,000 for the right to get hammered by 72 points in front of a Band Day crowd of 35,000. The University of Pacific, meanwhile, got a $425,000 guarantee from Nebraska in its 70-21 blowout loss at the hands of the Cornhuskers three hours to the north. Someone certainly got shortchanged and it wasn't Pacific. But, despite the worst loss in the Blazers' short football history, UAB head coach Jim Hilyer said he'd do it all over again.

With a couple changes, of course. "Yeah, I'd do it again," Hilyer said, "but I'd probably bring a fifth of vodka, to the game. "Let's face it, we needed the money," he added. "Right now, I'm trying to figure out how much each point was worth. I'll spend it buying a lot of sleeping pills." It was Good Night Irene after the first quarter in this one.

The Jayhawks scored nine of their 10 touchdowns in the final three quarters to finish with the third highest point total in school history. Even Hilyer was a little amazed by the final score. "We didn't expect to get beat this bad," Hilyer said. "We figured 45 or 50 points." It was a 45-point game with See JAYHAWKS, Page 39 The Associated Press Alabama-Birmingham linebacker Dennis Harris tackles KU quarterback Mark Williams in the first half. Buffalo wing and a prayer CU beats Michigan on final play of game By Associated Press ANN ARBOR, Mich.

Move over, Doug Flutie and Gerard Phelan. Make way for Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook. In a miraculous play reminiscent of Flutie's famous Hail Mary pass in 1984, Westbrook made a diving 64-yard touchdown catch of a tipped toss from Stewart on the final play Saturday to give seventh-ranked Colorado a 27-26 victory over No. 4 Michigan. With six seconds remaining, Stewart dropped back and heaved a long pass toward the Michigan goal line, where a group of players from both sides leaped for the ball.

It was tipped into the air and caught in the end zone by Westbrook, who grabbed it over the shoulder of Michigan's Ty Law. "They all jumped up and I just waited because I knew it was going to come back," said Westbrook, a native of nearby Detroit whose parents and high school coach were among the crowd of 106,427 at Michigan Stadium. "All three receivers were there. I just happened to be the one in the back. It was tipped, and there was no one else around.

I was just me and the ball. All I had to do was catch it. I have never had a feeling like this in my life." Michigan safety Chuck Winters got his hand on the ball first, but it was knocked away by Colorado receiver Blake Anderson. The Associated Press Colorado's Michael Westbrook (81) leaps ever Michigan's Ty Law and CU teammate Rea Carruth to catch a 64-yard game-winning touchdown pass against Michigan Saturday. "I saw the ball the whole way," Winters said.

"I was coming down with it in my hands, but their guy tipped it up. I did all I could do. I tried to knock the ball down, but it just bounced up." After Westbrook made the catch, Colorado players and fans stormed the field as the Michigan crowd sat in stunned silence. The pass brought back memories of Flutie's last-play, See BUFFALOES, Page 37 Wildcats now 3-0, collar Minnesota By LARRY MORITZ Salina Journal MANHATTAN If the balanced Minnesota offensive attack was supposed to provide a huge test for the Kansas State defense, the Wildcats came up with a big zero on this test. That's a zero as in a no score, a shutout, a complete whitewashing as K-State breezed through what was supposed to be its most difficult non-conference test of the 1994 Minnesota season.

The Wildcats 35-0 victory over Minnesota in front of a near- capacity crowd MOV at KSU Stadium was near-perfect in every aspect. "It's great to win and to win the way we did," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "I think that's the most important thing, to get off the field and know that you played well. "I'd like to say the execution was perfect all night but it wasn't. But it was good enough to make it a 35-0 game." While the K-State defense made Gopher meat out of an ineffective Minnesota offense, the Wildcats (3-0) moved the ball efficiently through much of this contest.

Quarterback Chad May tossed three touchdown passes to three different receivers, throwing for 157 yards while spending the game's final 12 minutes protecting his valuable arm on the bench. And running back J.J. Smith was a one-man wrecking crew, tearing off a career-high 137 yards on 23 carries against Minnesota (2-2). Smith did everything in this game but score, while fullback Rod Schiller ended the game with only one carry but it was a game- clinching 1-yard touchdown dive early in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach at 28-0. The victory extended K-State's home unbeaten streak to 16 consecutive games, the third longest of its kind in the nation, and improved the Wildcats string of victories in Manhattan over unranked opponents to 23 straight.

"You've gotta know enough to get out of the rain. That's about all I know," said Minnesota coach Jim Wacker as he met with reporters in a light rain shortly after the contest. "Give K-State a lot of credit. Bill Snyder got his kids ready to play and boy did they See WILDCATS, Page 39 LA RAMS AT KANSAS CITY WHERE: Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Mo. WHEN: Noon today.

TELEVISION: Fox, cable 4, 7. RADIO: KINA, 910-AM. RECORDS: Los Angeles 1-2, Kansas City 3-0. LAST WEEK: Los Angeles lost to San Francisco, 34-19; Kansas City defeated Atlanta, 30-10. Schottenheimer Chiefs eye club's first 4-0 start Rams respect KCs take-away ability By DOUG TUCKER The Associated KANSAS CITY, Mo.

When something keeps happening, it isn't just luck. After leading the NFL in giveaway-takeaway ratio in 1990, the Kansas City Chiefs did it again in 1991. And in '92. Now, three games into this season and still unbeaten, they're right back on top with a plus-10, best in the league. It's a statistic an old coach like Chuck Knox can appreciate.

Knox is especially appreciative this week, because his Los Angeles Rams travel to Kansas City today. The Rams (1-2) are two-touchdown underdogs to the ball-hogging Chiefs, who are gunning for the club's first 4-0 start. The Rams also are minus-1 in giveaway-takeaway. "Most of the time you will average getting the ball about 12 times a game," Knox said. "When you're plus 10 in three games, that means you have had the ball almost an entire game more on offense." Don't take Knox's word for it.

Check the AFC standings. Seven teams are plus in giveaway-takeaway. Collectively, those teams have a 16-5 record. Seven teams are minus and have a 5-13 mark. It was even more impressive two weeks ago, when Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer pointed out in a team meeting six AFC teams on the plus wide were 11-1.

The minus teams were 2-12. "I rest my case," Schcttir heimer told his players. The Chiefs are far ahead in this particular statistic for the entire decade. Since 1990, the Chiefs are plus-75. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a distant second at plus-40.

Since turnovers are so important, why doesn't everybody do it like the Chiefs? "Everybody tries to do it," Knox said. "There are different degrees. It has something to do with the kind of players you have. No. 1, they're teaching ball security on offense.

They have a quarterback who knows where he's going with the ball. They protect the ball in a crowd. "No. 2, they have a mental attitude on defense. The other team may make some catches, but they're going to knock the ball out of there." Chiefs coach Marty Schotten- heimer frequently walks around during pregame warmups sneaking up on runners and receivers and knocking the ball out of their hands.

"As long as I've been coaching, as an assistant and as a head coach, it's been a point of emphasis for us," Schottenheimer said. "You do silly things from time to time, because they can be the easiest things to remember. I'm swatting at the ball, trying to create the thought in their mind that when they're in traffic, they have to take care of the ball." Since it's always been a point of emphasis on the Chiefs, Schotten- heimer believes a "protect-the- ball" mindset has taken root. "What happens is a player will make a comment about the way things need to be done, which is better than it coming from the coach. That's their peer, the guy they understand.

Now young players start thinking, 'I've got to hang onto the Derrick's defense Derrick Thomas leads the KC defense, Page 41.