Banner Graphic, Volume 13, Number 99, Greencastle, Putnam County, 3 January 1983 — Page 6

1 he Putnam County Banner-Graphic, January 3,1983

Defending champs out, likes of New England in

By KEN RAPPOPORT VP Sports Writer After finishing in a tie for the worst record in the National Football League last year, New England didn’t stand pat. The Patriots kicked out Ron Erhardt and brought in Ron Meyer from Southern Methodist University as the head coach. It was a savvy move, as it turned out. Despite season-long turmoil because of Meyer’s college-style discipline and what some players consider the coach's aloofness, the Patriots have made a dramatic turnaround. On Sunday, the revitalized New England team joined the NFL’s playoff ranks with a 30-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills that gave the Pats a 5-4 record in this strike-shortened season. Last year, they were 2-14. “I think it’s always tough to come out of a situation like that,” said New England’s Mike Haynes, who made a key interception in Sunday’s game. “It also takes a tremendous effort on everyone’s part to get rid of the negative things that come out of that kind of season.” The Patriots were one of the last four teams to make the 16team playoffs. The Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions filled the remaining berths. Along with New England, Cleveland qualified as one of the eight teams from the American Conference despite a 37-21 loss

MINNEAPOLIS METRODOME: Snow clearing efforts punctured roof Thursday, but it'll be ready for Monday night

If Cowboys win, they'll play Vikes again

MINNEAPOLIS <AP> - A victory by Dallas over Minnesota in tonight’s National Football League regular-season finale would have no bearing on the Cowboys’ playoff intinerary, but it would give them a good look at their first-round opponent the V ikings. “It never hurts to beat a team in this league.” Cowboy Coach Tom Landry said Sunday night. .“But it’s difficult to beat the ■same team twice in one season, much less twice in one week.”

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Indeed, but the Vikings could make that a moot point by winning the nationally televised game. A victory would make them 5-4 and give them a home game against Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs. A tie or a loss would leave the Vikings as the seventh seed in the National Conference and send them to Dallas on Sunday. The Cowboys, 6-2, would host Tampa Bay should they lose to the Vikings. “It’d be kind of strange if we

to playoff-bound Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay beat Chicago 26-23 in overtime and Detroit edged Green Bay 27-24 to gain the last two National Conference spots. The day’s results set up the alignment for next weekend's opening round of the playoffs. In the AFC, it will be Cleveland at the Los Angeles Raiders, New England at Miami, the New York Jets at Cincinnati and San Diego at Pitt. The NFC alignment depends on who wins tonight’s Dallas and Minnesota game. If Dallas wins or ties, it will be Detroit at Washington, Minnesota at Dallas, Tampa Bay at Green Bay and St. Louis at Atlanta. If Minnesota wins, it will be Detroit at Washington, Tampa Bay at Dallas, St. Louis at Green Bay and Atlanta at Minnesota. Defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco, meanwhile, was bounced out of playoff contention by a 21-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In other NFL action Sunday, Kansas City 37, New York Jets 13; New York Giants 26, Philadelphia 24; Washington 28, St. Louis 0; Cincinnati 35, Houston 27;Miami 34, Baltimore 7; New Orleans 35, Atlanta 6; Los Angeles Raiders 41, San Diego 34 and Seattle 13, Denver 11. Terry Bradshaw threw two touchdown passes. Franco Harris ran for 120 yards and Johnny Rodgers blocked a punt for a touchdown as the Steelers held off the Browns.

had to play Dallas again,” ad mitted Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer. Regardless, Viking Coach Bud Grant is taking "his usual business-as-usual approach. “We’re pretty well prepared for everything Dallas does over the years and it's the same for them,” he said. “Both coaching staffs have gone against one another for about 16 years. “But the question is not what but when. You don’t know when. You don’t know exactly what

they will run, even if the games area week apart.” Tonight’s home-field advantage nearly went out the window. But the roof at the Metrodome, punctured Thursday during a snow-clearing operation, was repaired. An alternate plan had been made to play the game in New Orleans. Injuries may play a factor. Minnesota lost retiring wide receiver Ahmad Rashad with some cracked bones in his back and wide receiver Sammy

Penn State earns No. 1 glory

By WILLIAM R. BARNARD AP Sports Writer How sweet it was for Penn State. The Sugar Bowl lived up to its billing as the battle for the national collegiate football championship, and Coach Joe Paterno's Eastern powerhouse, by winning the game, won the title. The Nittany Lions handed top-ranked Georgia its first loss after an unbeaten season Saturday night, downing the Bulldogs 27-23 and limiting the damage of Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker in New Orleans' Superdome. On Sunday, Penn State became the national champion when it was voted No. 1 in the postseason Associated Press poll. The victory left Penn State with an 11-1 record, an ironic twist considering its three previous perfect seasons, the latest in 1973 when the Nittany Lions finished No. 5, did not bring any national titles. It sweetened some bitter memories for Paterno whose teams have won 82 percent of its games for 17 seasons, appeared in postseason bowls for 12 straight years and posted three unbeaten records and still had yet to win the national title. “I think our fans were frustrated and to a certain extent our players were frustrated,” Paterno said. “These guys were determined to change that. It’s their national championship, not mine. They did it.” The two other serious claimants to the No. 1 honors, Southern Methodist and Nebraska, won their bowl games to finish 11-0-1 and 12-1, respectively, and they finished 2-3 in the poll. SMU defeated Pittsburgh 7-3 in the Cotton Bowl and Nebraska rallied to edge LSU 21-20 in the Orange

Bill Capece booted a 33-yard field goal 3:14 into overtime to lift Tampa Bay over Chicago. Capece, who kicked a 40-yarder to force the extra period with 26 seconds left in regulation, kicked his fourth field goal of the game two plays after James Wilder bolted 47 yards to the Chicago 13-yard line. Rookie tight end Rob Rubick scored his first NFL touchdown on a 2-yard reverse with 5:47 left to play as Detroit edged Green Bay to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1970. Ivory Sully blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt by San Francisco’s Ray Wersching with 1:53 remaining to give the Los Angeles Rams a 21-20 victory over the 49ers. The defending Super Bowl champs finished the season with a 3-6 record. Bill Kenney’s three touchdown passes triggered Kansas City’s upset of the playoff-bound New York Jets before the secondsmallest crowd in modern NFL history. Only 11,902 fans showed up to see the Chiefs end the season at home with their finest game of the year. Joe Danelo kicked his fourth field goal with two seconds left to lift the New York Giants over Philadelphia. The game marked the last NFL contest for New York head Coach Ray Perkins, who will replace Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama next season. Washington combined three touchdown passes by Joe Theismann and an aggressive defense to beat St. Louis. With the

White, who has missed two games, is questionable with a knee injury. Linebacker Scott Studwell hurt his knee last week and will be replaced by Jeff Siemon. The Vikings also placed tight end Bob Bruer on injured reserve and picked up 36-year-old wide receiver Harold Jackson. Dallas may go without its regular starting offensive guards. Howard Richards, who sprained his ankle, will be replaced by Herb Scott

College Football Poll By The Associated Press The Final AP Top Twenty The Top Twenty teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with firstplace votes in parentheses, season records and total points Points based on 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1: I. Penn State (44) 11-1-0 1,089 2.50 Methodist (9) 11-o-l 1,023 3.Nebraska (2) 12-1-0 978 4 Georgia 11-1-0 953 S.UCLA 10-1-1 894 6 Arizona State 10-2-0 729 7.Washington 10-2-0 679 8 Clemson 9-1-1 656 9. 9-2-1 611 10. 9-3-0 593 11. LSU 8-3-1 473 12 Ohio State 9-3-0 429 13. Florida State 9-3-0 380 14. Auburn 9-3-0 360 15. Southern Cal 8-3-0 337 16. Oklahoma 8-4-0 250 17. 9-3-0 240 18. North Carolina 8-4-0 172 19. West Virginia 9-3-0 154 20. 8-4-0 147 Others receiving votes, listed alphabetically: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, Brigham Young, Florida, Fresno State, Illinois, lowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Tulsa. Bowl. SMU Coach Bobby Collins still campaigned for votes after the Mustangs’ victory left them as the only undefeated team. Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne, however, conceded the Cornhuskers couldn't outpoll Penn State, the only team to beat them during the season. "Of course, it’s quite an honor to finish No. 2, but we were the only unbeaten team. Doesn’t that mean anything?” Collins said when the results were tabulated. “Penn State beat us and they beat the No. l-rated team (Georgia),” Osborne said. He added that he might have considered Nebraska No. 1 “if we had played an error-free game.” In other games Saturday, fif-th-ranked UCLA ran its record to 10-1-1 by beating Michigan 2414 in the Rose Bowl and Arizona State defeated Oklahoma 32-21 in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State also was named winner of the MacArthur Bowl by the National Football Foun-

Bears blow 17-point lead, stay in IMFL hibernation

(c) 1983 Chicago Sun Times TAMPA. Fla.—The Chicago Bears got burned Sunday because they played with a lead the way a 3-year-old plays with matches. When the smoke cleared, Tampa Bay placekicker Bill Capece had torched the Bears’ playoff hopes and trashed their season with a 33-yard field goal that beat them 26-23 three minutes and 14 seconds into sudden-death overtime. It was Capece’s fourth three-pointer of the afternoon. and it capped a comeback that had looked impossible when Bob Thomas’ 40-vard field goal provided the Bears with a 23-6 lead midway through the third period. “I know one thing," said Bear defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan when it was over, “I got too conservative in the second half. I should have gone after (Tampa Bay quarterback) Doug Williams more.” Ryan called the blitz-spliced defenses that caused turnovers on the Buccaneers’ first three possessions. And he ordered the conventional defenses in the final two periods that allowed Williams to finish with 25 completions in 49 attempts for 367 yards and two touchdowns. Then in overtime, Ryan reverted and commanded the weakside blitz that went up in flames when Tampa Bay's James Wilder burst through a gaping hole on the strong side and raced 47 yards to the Bear 10. It was the longest gain of Wilder’s career and only his second carry of the day. “It was a perfect call.’’ said Bear defensive tackle Dan Hampton. “When I saw how big the hole was," said Wilder, “my eyes got W-I-D-E.” Two plays later Capece kicked the winner and the Bears were 3-6 and the only NFC Central team without a playoff invitation. The 5-4

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TODD BLACKLEDGE: State

dation and Hall of Fame and was voted national champion by the Football Writers Association. “We’re the No.l team in the country,” said Penn State running back Curt Warner, who outgained Walker of Georgia 117 yards to 103 in the Sugar Bowl, despite sitting out a good portion of the game with leg cramps. “Penn State had this coming for a long time. Coach Paterno deserves the national championship. I’m just glad I could be a part of it.” The Nittany Lions jumped to a 20-3 lead, then Georgia quarterback John Lastinger engineered long scoring drives at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, cutting the Bulldogs' deficit to 2017. After safety Mark Robinson

victory, the Redskins finished the regular season atop the NFC with an 8-1 record and their best record since a 10-1 finish in 1942. Cincinnati quarterback Ken Anderson hit an NFL-record 20 straight passes, including touchdowns to Dan Ross and Isaac Curtis, as the Bengals rolled into the playoffs with a victory over Houston. David Woodley tossed three touchdowm passes, one more than he had in eight previous games, as Miami swamped Baltimore and completed the first winless season in the history of the Colts. The Colts finished the season at 0-7-1. Ken Stabler passed for 271 yards and Wayne Wilson ran for three touchdowns to lead New Orleans. It was the first victory over Atlanta for New Orleans since Bum Philips took over as Saints coach tw'o years ago and the first since 1979. Rookie Marcus Allen scored two touchdowns in the last six minutes and cornerback James Davis returned a pass interception 52 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:41 remaining to boost the Los Angeles Raiders over the Chargers. Dave Krieg drilled a 19-yard pass to veteran Roger Carr w'ith 47 seconds left to give Seattle a come-from-behind victory over Denver. Krieg, who replaced starting quarterback Jim Zorn in the second half, found Carr on the 2-yard line behind Broncos’ free safety Aaron Kyle and Carr went into the end zone standing up.

Buccaneers have won five of their last six and will travel to either Green Bay or Dallas next weekend. “I don't know what went wrong,” said running back Walter Payton. Or at least if he did. he wasn’t saying. Payton gained 109 yards in 26 carries and was instrumental in the first-period drive that followed a Gary Fencik interception and produced the first of Thomas’ three field goals. Williams marched Tampa Bay 74 yards to the Bear 7 on the Bucs' next possession. But the drive ended when Jim Osborne sacked Williams on third-and-goal. Williams fumbled and watched in horror as reserve tackle Steve McMichael scooped up the loose ball and began lumbering in the general direction of Sarasota. Williams eventually tracked down McMichael’s elephant dance 64 yards later at the Buccaneer 8. Thomas' 19-yarder made it 6-0. Four plays later, it was 13-0 when a Williams pass intended for Wilder bounced off defensive end A 1 Harris. Linebacker Otis Wilson made a shoestring interception and outran Wilder 39 yards for a touchdown. Second-period Capece field goals of 27 and 31 yards shaved the Bears' lead to 13-6. But quarterback Jim McMahon responded by moving the Bears 74 yards in eight plays. The touchdown came on an exquisitely thrown 19-yarder to Brian Baschnagel between defensive backs Neal Colzie and John Holt. It was a rare moment for McMahon. Tampa Bay’s defense, ranked first in the NFC, continually flushed him from the pocket, forcing him to throw one pass sideways and another left-handed. He wound up with 12 completions in 30 attempts and one quick kick for 59 yards. The Buccaneers sacked him four times.

intercepted two passes in the third quarter for Penn State, quarterback Todd Blackledge hit Gregg Garrity with a 47yard bomb early in the fourth quarter, making it 27-17. Georgia scored with 3:53 left after recovering a fumbled punt, but Penn State was able to hold on to the ball until the final six seconds. “You felt it was going to happen for them. They just seemed to have that chemistry,” Paterno said. “I think this is the best football team I’ve ever had.” After Pitt and SMU stumbled their way through a scoreless first half, Eric Schubert’s 43yard field goal gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead midway through the third quarter. But SMU quarterback Lance Mcllhenny led the Mustangs on an 80-yard drive on the ensuing kickoff and scored the only

touchdown of the game from the 9 on an option play. Pitt tried to rally, but on third and goal from the SMU 6, Mustangs defender Wes Hopkins tipped Dan Marino’s pass in the end zone and Blane Smith intercepted. Later, a fourth-down pass from Marino went through Dwight Collins' hands at the SMU 25. Nebraska, a 10-point favorite, was plagued by six turnovers and had to rally from a 17-7 deficit in the final 16 minutes to beat LSU. Turner Gill scored the winning touchdown on a 1yard run after an LSU mistake punter Clay Parker, trying to run on a fourth and 19 situation, was swarmed under on his 47. UCLA jumped to an early lead in the Rose Bowl, but Michigan, which lost quarterback Steve Smith in the second quarter with a shoulder separation, rallied to make it 10-7. The Bruins came back with an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by Danny Andrews’ 9yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the period. Then Blanchard Montgomery returned an interception 11 yards for a touchdown, making it 24-7 and sealing the victory. Arizona State’s victory in the Fiesta Bowl overshadowed a brilliant performance by Oklahoma freshman Marcus Dupree. Despite missing half the game with leg and hip injuries, Dupree ran for 239 yards on 17 carries. Arizona State’s Max Zendejas kicked three field goals, one a 54varder. In bowl games Friday, Arkansas beat Florida 28-24 in the Bluebonnet Bowl, lowa held off Tennessee 28-22 in the Peach Bowl, and Air Force beat Vanderbilt 36-28 in the Hall of Fame Bowl.