Banner Graphic, Volume 19, Number 117, Greencastle, Putnam County, 23 January 1989 — Page 7
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49ers’ Jerry Rice 11 catches for 215 yards
Rice shows class as MVP without boast, or without dance
MIAMI, Fla. (AP) Jerry Rice held his little girl in his arms as gently as he cradled a floating football moments earlier. So tough, so tender. Jerry Rice can play with pain, kill with kindness and answer trashy talk by opponents with sweet compliments and sweeter catches. HE’S THE FLASHIEST dresser on the San Francisco 49ers and the fastest receiver, but he speaks softly, doesn’t brag and doesn’t dance after touchdowns. He does, however, have a thousand moves on the field and hands that seem like magnets. “I was real lucky today,” he said after winning the Most Valuable Player trophy in the Super Bowl on Sunday as San Francisco beat Cincinnati 20-16. Sure he was lucky just as he was lucky on all six of his touchdowns in the playoffs. JAQUI, 19 MONTHS OLD with pretty red ribbons in her hair, must have been mystified by the hundreds of people asking her daddy questions. She could not have been more perplexed, though, than the boastful Bengals, who thought they’d fry Rice this time around. “The ‘swat team’ has talked and we’ve decided we’re not going to let him be a factor in the game,” Bengals comerback Lewis Billups said earlier in the week. They might as well have decided not to let the sun shine or the breeze blow. RICE WAS MORE than a factor. He made a mockery of Cincinnati’s man-to-man defense and was the difference between victory and defeat in this jewel of a game, catching 11 passes from Joe Montana for 215 yards. Cincinnati, as a team, caught 11 passes for only 144 yards, while the 49ers finished
Illini playing like No. 1
, By The Associated Press Illinois coach Lou Henson knows the pitfalls of being No. 1, a ranking the Illini are expected to assume when this week’s Associated Press college basketball poll is tabulated. All he has to do is look at Duke. “I think being No. 1 will make it harder for us to win the Big Ten,” Henson said. “Everyone will be shooting at us. We have a long way to go.” THE ILLINI NEEDED two overtimes to outlast Georgia Tech 103-92 Sunday and improve their record to 17-0 the best in the country. “It’s nice because I think it’s a reward for all the work we’ve put in this year,” Illini junior Steve Bardo said of the anticipated No. 1 ranking. Against Georgia Tech, Illinois played its worst first half of the season, trailing by 14 points at halftime. But led by Kenny Battle’s
with 23 for 357. Rice’s finest moment was the one he shared with the rest of his team when John Taylor caught the final touchdown with 34 seconds left. There were other moments, though, that were almost as thrilling his 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, his 44-yard catch on the next series, and his three catches for 51 yards on the last drive. THE 44-YARDER, a Baryshnikov-like leap over Billups, was particularly satisfying to him and his teammates, and just as aggravating to the Bengals “swat team” leader. “Today is a day I will never forget, it was just stupendous,” Rice said as he held Jaqui tightly, more important than any trophy, at the jammed post-game news conference. This had been a tough season for Rice, who set so many records in 1987 while winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. SHOWING THE SMOOTH stride of a top thoroughbred and the sure hands of surgeon, Rice last year scored a record 22 receiving touchdowns and also set an NFL mark by catching TD passes in 13 consecutive games. He didn’t gain as many yards in the shortened season as he did when he racked up a leagueleading 1,570 yards in 1986, but 1,078 yards in 12 games wasn’t bad. His gait was slowed this season, however, by a sprained ankle suffered in mid-October, Rice still produced some big numbers: 1,306 yards and nine touchdowns. RICE THEN ENDED his scoreless playoff record with three touchdowns against Minnesota and two more against Chicago.
25 points and a strong defense, the Illini rallied in the second half, then crushed Georgia Tech 21-10 in the second overtime. “We knew we came out the first half and didn’t play like we should,” guard Steve Bardo said. “We never thought we were out of the game.” IN OTHER TOP Twenty games Sunday, it was No. 4 Louisville 92, No. 10 Nevada-Las Vegas 72 and No. 12 Seton Hall 108, New Hampshire College 67. In Top Twenty games Saturday, Wake Forest tripped up Duke 7575, No. 6 Michigan fell to Wisconsin 71-68, and Kentucky downed No. 18 Tennessee 66-65. In other games Saturday, it was No. 5 Oklahoma 109, lowa State 100 in overtime; No. 7 lowa 67, Purdue 66; No. 8 Missouri 105, Oklahoma State 83; and No. 9 Arizona 75, Villanova 67. Also, No. 11 Syracuse 99, Notre
49ers champion of decade
MIAMI (AP) Ten years of dealing with deadlines, pushing aside pressure and certifying their greatness had prepared the San Francisco 49ers for this. In the best of all Super Bowl finishes, they claimed the 1980 s as their decade. They had Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, the usual stars, and John Taylor, an unexpected hero. They had the poise, resourcefulness and guts to stare down defeat, drive 92 yards in less than three minutes and snatch Sunday’s NFL championship from the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16. ULTIMATELY, THEY HAD earned the label “Team of the Decade,” with their third Super Bowl crown of the ’Bos. “We battled through great odds tonight to win the game,” said Bill Walsh, who hedged after the game on whether he would retire as 49ers coach. “It’s a culmination of years of hard work and a quarterback who is one of the greatest of all time.” Montana and Rice, who was named Most Valuable Player with 11 catches for a record 215 yards, engineered the magnificent march. Taylor culminated it with his only reception, a 10-yarder for the winning touchdown with 34 seconds left. MONTANA COMPLETED eight of nine passes on the drive through a Bengals defense that had not folded down the stretch of any game this season. “It’s got to be one of our best,” said Montana, who added yet another jewel to his sparkling 10year career. In that span, Montana has led the 49ers to three Super Bowl victories in as many tries. “In the situation in this type of game, being down by a field goal and to come back and win it, that way has got to rank right up there.” It does. In 22 previous Super Bowls, no team had staged such a reversal in the dying moments. The 49ers’ turnaround Sunday was as dramatic as they come. AND IT PROVIDED a crushing ending to Cincinnati’s own turnaround, in which the Bengals went from 4-11 and racked by dissension
Cincinnati’s offense just plain ‘lckey’
MIAMI (AP) great shakes. Boomer was no MVP. And the most explosive offense in the NFL was mostly a dud. In the end, the Bengals’ failure to live up to their high-scoring reputation again Sunday and the defense’s failure to take up the slack cost them Super Bowl rings. Joe Montana directed a game-winning 92-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes to give the San Francisco 49ers a 20-16 victory that left the Bengals’ offense feeling it hadn’t measured up to its billing. “WE JUST DIDN’T do it good enough,” Pro Bowl lineman Max Montoya said. “We didn’t get into the end zone and Ickey (Woods) didn’t get his dance. Things just didn’t work out for us offensively.” The Bengals got through the playoffs by running often, passing when necessary and scoring just enough points to get comfortably ahead, then turning matters over to their big-play defense. It was a winning combination until Montana and John Taylor came along as a better combination Sunday. Montana threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Taylor with 34 seconds to play, teaching the Begnals that an erratic offense leaves the door open for last-minute heartbreak.
Dame 87; No. 13 North Carolina 84, North Carolina State 81; No. 14 Florida State 95, Cincinnati 80; No. 17 Kansas 89, Colorado 74; No. 19 Indiana 75, Michigan State 60; and No. 20 Stanford 84, UCLA 75. BARDO PUT ILLINOIS ahead 70-69 with a 3-pointer with 3:22 left in regulation, but Georgia Tech’s Tom Hammonds tied it 7474 with 30 seconds left Bardo kept Illinois in the game, hitting four consecutive free throws to tie it 8282 and force the second overtime. Illinois wrapped it up with a 15-2 burst in the second overtime. Kendall Gill had 19 points for Illinois, Nick Anderson 18 and Bardo 16. Georgia Tech, 11-5, got 29 points from Dennis Scott. No. 4 Louisville 92 No. 10 Nev.-Las Vegas 74 Pervis Ellison matched his career high of 28 points as Louisville saw a 23-point lead cut to five before defeating beat Nevada-Las Vegas.
in 1987 to the best record in the NFL. And to 34 seconds from their first Super Bowl championship. “All of us are devastated,” defensive end Jason Buck said. “We know it’s possible we’ll never get another chance, never get this close again.” The Bengals were so close that, after Jim Breech’s third field goal gave them a 16-13 lead, some of them felt secure. “I did feel like we had it won,” comerback Eric Thomas said, “because of the way the defense played all year. On the last drive of every game, we would get them out of there and make sure we came out with a win. “But Joe Montana showed great leadership and Jerry Rice asserted himself as a great, great receiver.” TAKING OVER AT their 8, the 49ers staged the most memorable march the Super Bowl has seen. Rice had catches of 7, 17 and 27 to set up the decisive touchdown. But it was not Rice who scored it “Who would you throw it to?” said Taylor, who had dropped the only pass sent his way. “J.R. is the best in the game, he was making all the big plays. “But I wanted it I dropped tha one. I messed up and I had to make up for it” HE DID. Splitting the coverage of Cincinnati’s safeties in the end zone, Taylor got free, Montana spotted him and completed his 23rd pass in 36 attempts, finishing with a record 357 yards. “We were going to score a touchdown even if we had to throw Joe through the air 10 yards to do it,” center Randy Cross said. The final game of Cross’ career wasn’t up to his normal level his poor snap forced Mike Cofer to blow a 19-yard field goal, the shortest miss in Super Bowl history. He also had two key penalties. But he had Montana taking the snaps. “You don’t want anyone who’s ever played on a big drive, other than him,” Cross said. “He’s as cool and composed and handles situations like the last drive better
“WE WERE 34 seconds away forget this feeling,” Coach Sam Wyche said. Woods, who became a folk hero with his touchdown shuffle and two 100-yard games in the playoffs, was held to 79 yards on 20 carries well below his league-leading
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than anyone who plays this game. Those who think he might have a peer might have to reconsider.” THE 49ERS CERTAINLY have no peers in this decade, the age of parity. Not only have they won three Super Bowls, they’ve been in the playoffs six consecutive years. “We got beat by maybe the greatest team that’s ever played in the NFL, if you take them throughout the 1980 s,” said Bengals receiver Cris Collinsworth, who also felt the bitterness of falling short against San Francisco in 1982. They didn’t fall short by much, even though their top-ranked offense sputtered for the last 10 quarters of the playoffs. Cincinnati’s attack, in which the no-hud-dle barely played a part Sunday, did not get into the end zone, allowed a season-high five sacks and managed just 226 yards in total offense. Only once, in a 41-6 rout at the hands of the Houston Oilers, were the Bengals so anemic. YET, THEY ALMOST won. Breech had field goals of 34, 43 and 40 yards. Stanford Jennings streaked 93 yards with a kickoff with 34 seconds remaining in the third period after Cofer had kicked his second field goal, a 32-yarder that tied the game 6-6. It was 3-3 at the half, the first halftime tie in a Super Bowl. “There was nothing wrong happening on offense,” Bengals coach Sam Wyche said. “Our guys made a winning effort. I was disappointed for our team in that we didn’t win. But I’m not disappointed in the way we played.” The defense played superbly until the final drive, even though its star, All-Pro nose tackle Tim Krumrie, broke both major bones in his left leg in the first quarter. Pro Bowl safety David Fulcher was the best player on the field until Rice began to sizzle. “TIMMY IS AN ironman,” said David Grant, who replaced Krumrie and played well. “If there is any way to play with a broken leg, he’s the guy who will do it.” San Francisco lost left tackle
5.5-yard average during the regular season. His longest run was only 10 yards. The quickness of the 49ers’ defensive line and linebackers didn’t give Woods any big holes. “SAN FRANCISCO controlled
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January 23,1989 THE BANNERGRAPHIC
Steve Wallace to a broken left leg earlier in the opening period. The Bengals also played without running back Stanley Wilson, who was suspended Sunday morning for substance abuse. It was the third time Wilson has been sidelined by such problems. Ironically, Taylor missed the first four games this season for the same reason. He came back to lead the NFL in punt returns, and his 45yarder Sunday was a Super Bowl record. Then he capped San Francisco’s comeback against Cincinnati. “THIS IS PROBABLY the biggest thing that’s ever happened in my life,” Taylor said. Two months ago, not many 49ers would have envisioned a championship and the $36,000 winner’s share that goes with it. “We were really down when we were 6-5,” Rice said. “But we got it going against Washington (3721) and never really stopped.” Rice, who tied a record with six postseason touchdowns, caught a 14-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter for a 13-13 tie. In the second half, he couldn’t be stopped, catching eight passes for 157 yards. THAT CERTAINLY quieted the Cincinnati defensive backs, who all week talked confidently of silencing Rice. “There’s no question we’re impressed,” Thomas said. “Any time someone catches 11 passes for 200something yards, you’ve got to be impressed.” Walsh wants people to be impressed with these Niners on their own, not just as part of the dynasty. “It’s been up and down for us,” he said. “But as far as being world champions, I want to remind everybody that this team stands on its own and not as one of three 49ers teams who have won it all.” IT STANDS AS the punctuation mark on a decade of excellence. “We did make it here with three different teams,” Walsh said, “and that makes the accomplishment unique. All three teams were great.” This one also was driven yards, to be exact.
the line of scrimmage,” Woods said. “We ran hard but we just couldn’t get it in the end zone. Offensively, we couldn’t generate any points but field goals. We started running and passing the ball pretty well (at the start of the second half), but we just couldn’t get anything going after that.
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