Banner Graphic, Volume 20, Number 84, Greencastle, Putnam County, 12 December 1989 — Page 7

49ers discover new hero while clinching title

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Add John Taylor to the list of the San Francisco 49ers’ big-game heroes along with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Roger Craig. Although Taylor caught the winning pass in the Super Bowl last January, he usually is overlooked amid the other stars on the 49ers. BUT IT WAS Taylor who was shining brightest Monday night. The quick, elusive wide receiver turned short passes from Montana into touchdown plays of 92 and 95 yards as the 49ers rallied from a 27-10 deficit in the fourth quarter for a 30-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Montana was his usual sensational self, completing 30 of 42 passes for 458 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers (12-2) clinched the NFC West title and the homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. TAYLOR WAS EVEN more sensational, with 11 catches for a club-record 286 yards. “Give Taylor credit, he had an outstanding game,” said Rams coach John Robinson, whose team, at 9-5, is left to battle for a wildcard playoff berth. Rice, the wide receiver who usually shares the 49ers’ top billing with Montana and running back Craig, said, “John did an excellent job. He’s an excellent player and he will make my job easier in the future.” RICE, USUALLY FACING a double-team defensive scheme, had five catches for 38 yards. He also helped out by throwing blocks on both of Taylor’s long runs. “They were doubling on Jerry and sometimes playing man and zone (coverage),” Taylor said. “Both of my touchdowns, the Rams were in a zone. “After my second touchdown, it was a great momentum change for us. Then they came back and

Michigan wins without leader

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) The Michigan Wolverines were coming off an overtime victory against Duke and playing without All-American guard Rumeal Robinson. You would expect they would be flat. For 10 minutes they were. But the sixth-ranked Wolverines finally got into gear and rolled past Chicago State 84-57 Monday night. “AFTER COMING OFF a game like Duke, you look to play with the same intensity, but it’s hard,” said Terry Mills, the only Michigan player to score in double figures in every game this year. “I mean, Chicago State isn’t Duke.” The only other ranked team to see action Monday was No. 18 Georgia Tech, a 101-87 winner over North Carolina A&T. In an effort to counter an emotional downswing, Michigan coach Steve Fisher set three goals for his team: not give up more than five offensive rebounds, not let the Cougars shoot over 40 percent and hold Chicago State to less than 55 points. THEY FAILED ON two of the three, but did hold the Cougars to 30.9 percent shooting. “Maybe we could have held

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fumbled.” TAYLOR’S 95-YARD touchdown, with minutes to play, narrowed the margin to 27-23. The Rams’ Ron Brown fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Keith Henderson recovered at the Los Angeles 27. After a 15-yard Montana pass to Taylor put the ball at the 7-yard line, Craig scored on a 1-yard run for the winning points. San Francisco had fallen behind 17-0 in the first quarter and did not lead until Craig’s touchdown with 3:42 remaining. “ONE THING ABOUT this club, over the years and the past 10 years, they have had great comebacks,” San Francisco coach George Seifert said. AFTER THE 49ERS went ahead, the Rams had the ball at their own 20 with 3:37 remaining. But Everett threw for just a 1-yard pickup on first down, threw incomplete on second down, then was sacked by Pierce Holt for an 8-yard loss on third down. After the Rams punted the ball away, the 49ers picked up a first down on a 9-yard pass to Taylor and ran out the clock. “Fortunately, things opened up for me and the game was a big one,” Taylor said. THE RAMS LED 17-0 after 12 minutes on Greg Bell’s 4-yard run, a 4-yard pass from Everett to Damone Johnson and a 35-yard field goal by Lansford after Leroy Irvin intercepted a Montana pass. The 49ers got within 17-10 on a 19-yard Mike Cofer field goal and the first Montana-to-Taylor connection. THE RAMS BUILT the lead back to 17 on Everett’s 13-yard pass to Buford McGee and a 22yard field goal by Lansford. Montana then stirred San Francisco with a 64-yard, six-play drive capped by a 7-yard pass to Mike Wilson five minutes into the fourth period.

them under 55 if we had stayed with our first unit,” Fisher said after lettng his entire reserve corps take part in the victory. Robinson watched the game in street clothes after spraining the big toe on his left foot in the first half of the Duke game on Saturday. Demetrius Calip started in Robinson’s place and scored 11 points, all in the first half. ROBINSON IS expected back Saturday when the Wolverines travel to Marquette. Sean Higgins led Michigan (6-1) with 16 points, Loy Vaught had 15 and Terry Mills 13. Chicago State (1-6) was paced by Gerald Collins, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half against Michigan’s reserves. Rod Parker added 13. The teams traded baskets for the first seven minutes of the game, with the biggest lead on either side being three points. HIGGINS THEN sparked a 156 run by Michigan with seven of his 11 first-half points as the Wolverines took a 27-19 lead with 7:28 left in the first half. Three-and-a-half minutes later, the Wolverines had increased the

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DON SHULA: Dolphins must win last two

Colts expect Trudeau to start against Miami

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Although battered, bruised and still very sore, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau likely will start Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, coach Ron Meyer says. Trudeau suffered a bruised shoulder and a concussion and was hospitalized after being knocked cold during the Colts’ 23-17 overtime victory over Cleveland Sunday night. He was released from Methodist Hospital Monday morning. “HE LOOKS LIKE he’s been in a hatchet fight and lost,” Meyer said Monday. Trudeau missed almost all of last season with a knee injury, also against the Browns. Earlier this year, he was out one game with a broken finger on one hand and later split two fingers on the other hand. He was sidelined with a hit to his shoulder late in the second

lead to 34-22. Michigan then outscored the Cougars 13-2 to finish the half with a 47-24 advantage. Michigan scored the first 11 points of the second half and the Cougars, who trailed by as many as 44 points, did not score for the first five minutes of the second half. Georgia Tech 101, N.Carolina A&T 87 At Atlanta, Brian Oliver scored 33 points and Dennis Scott 29 to lead Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets (4-0) led just 28-24 with 5:10 left in the first half before Oliver’s rebound basket sparked a 15-point run. After leading 51-39 at halftime, Scott opened the second half by hitting five 3-point shots in the first 10 minutes. Scott also finished with eight rebounds and freshman Kenny Anderson scored 20 points. Glenn Taggart scored 29 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Aggies (1-5) and Dana Elliott added 22 points.

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quarter Sunday night and was knocked unconscious on a hit by the Browns’ Clay Matthews late in the third period. Tom Ramsey replaced Trudeau the rest of the game, which the Colts won on Mike Prior’s 58-yard interception return for a touchdown with four minutes left in overtime. . MEYER SAID NFL officials are reviewing the tackle by Matthews to see whether it was a late hit. The victory kept the Colts’ faint playoff chances alive. Indianapolis (7-7) is a game behind both the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills in the AFC East with two games to go. “That’s behind us,” Meyer said of the Browns. “We got back to .500 but there’s a lot of football still left in this wacky AFC East race. The playoffs are in everyone’s

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Wild AFC East

Shula says good teams reason for ups, downs

MIAMI (AP) Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula does not deny that his team has been up and down this season. The Dolphins are coming off a 31-10 win Sunday night against New England. Their most lopsided victory of the season followed back-to-back losses to teams with losing records, which followed six wins in seven games, which followed embarrassing losses to the New York Jets and Houston. The Dolphins remain in the playoff race. But they’re inconsistent “You look around the league and we’re not the Lone Ranger,” Shula said Monday. The veteran coach doesn’t like to use the word parity when discussing the NFL’s competitive balance. “People always talk about parity, and to me there’s always that connotation of mediocrity,” Shula said. “There are just a lot of good teams, a lot of good coaches.” There are also a lot of AFC

December 12,1989 THE BANNERGRAPHIC

teams nine within one game of a 7-7 record. The group includes the Dolphins, 8-6 and tied with Buffalo for first place in the AFC East. With Sunday’s win, Miami moved into a frontrunner’s position in the race for the AFC’s two wild-card berths. That means if the Dolphins win their final games at Indianapolis (7-7) and at home against Kansas City (7-6-1), they’re guaranteed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1985. Miami also has a shot at the AFC East title. But since the Dolphins lost twice to Buffalo, they would need to finish ahead of the Bills to earn the division championship. Shula said he believes the Dolphins must win their final two games to make the playoffs. “The Colts game now becomes the big game,” he said. “They’re still very much in the race, so it’ll be do-or-die for them, too.”

mind, but that ail comes down to rhetoric unless we beat Miami. “OUR ONLY TASK is to beat the Miami Dolphins. That’s all we have to focus on the next six days. Without this game, the hunt is over. Fortunately, we’re at home. It’ll be a whale of a ball game and probably pick up right where the game against Cleveland left off.” Meyer said running back Eric Dickerson, hampered most of the season with a nagging hamstring, reinjured his leg early in the first half against Cleveland but is expected to play Sunday. “He’ll play. He’s just not vintage Eric Dickerson,” Meyer said. DICKERSON RUSHED for 137 yards against Cleveland, topping 11,000 yards for his seven-year career.

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