6B the university daily kansan
sports
tuesday, September 16, 2003
Slim Seminole victory earns coach honors
By Peter Burke
FSView & Florida Flambeau (Florida State U.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Saturday night's meeting against Georgia Tech was supposed to be the game where Florida State coach Bobby Bowden would become the winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
But that moment almost never came.
It took a miracle fourth quarter rally and some fancy footwork by quarterback Chris Rix in order for the Seminoles to prevail and win in a narrow 14-13 decision.
Bowden tied former long-time Virginia coach George Welsh in last weekend's 35-10 victory over Maryland for most ACC wins and surpassed the legendary coach in exhilarating fashion by beating the Yellow jackets in a game that was not decided until cornerback Pat Watkins intercepted Tech quarterback Reggie Ball with 29 seconds left.
It took Welsh 19 seasons to achieve what Bowden did in 12 years of conference competition. The 86th ACC victory for the 28-year tenured coach at FSU was one for the record books as the Seminoles (3-0, 3-0 ACC) improved to 12-0 against the Yellow Jackets in conference competition.
Bowden quipped at how it nearly slipped away.
"That was nearly a game that you already had wrapped up before you went out there," he said. "I mean, you doubt you're going to win this one."
The modest Bowden credited his players in securing the all-time record.
"It was a very meaningful win," he said. "I'm thankful but I haven't done anything to deserve it."
For the first time since the national championship Orange Bowl against Oklahoma in January 2001, FSU was shut out in the
first half. From the first offensive play for Florida State -- in which receiver Graphonso Thorpe fumbled the football on a trick play -- the Seminoles were unable to get anything going. The one scoring opportunity that arose early in the fourth quarter crumbled like an avalanche after Tech imitated FSU's first quarter defensive stance with one of its own.
Down 6-0, the Seminoles were faced with first-and-goal on the Georgia Tech 3-yard line when Chris Rix threw an ill-advised pass into triple coverage that was returned by the Yellow Jackets 47 yards. Two plays later the defense gave up its first touchdown of the season by allowing PJ. Daniels to rush 47 yards into the end zone.
"When you're playing against good Division I teams, on a given day anything can happen," cornerback Bryant McFadden said. "That just shows what kind of defense we had. We faced a lot of adversity out there today."
Prior to the fourth quarter, Florida State was held in check offensively and Rix was ineffective with two interceptions and no touchdowns. But momentum swayed in the final quarter of play and Rix responded by running in a touchdown on a quarterback sneak out of the shotgun formation. He was shaken on the scoring drive that cut Tech's lead to six but returned on the next series after the defense held off Tech's offense and gave the Seminoles another opportunity to score.
This time Rix rallied the offense to a six-play, 57-yard game capping touchdown drive.
PK. Sam caught the 5-yard toss from Rix that tied the game and Xavier Beitia kicked the point after that proved to be the difference in the game.
"We were just determined," Rix said. "We weren't going out until that game was over. We weren't going to let Georgia Tech take the game from us in the end and roll over."
A crowd that, at times, looked guilty of last season's conduct by condemning Rix for his performance ultimately worked to the Seminoles' advantage. The crowd noise kept Tech in check on its final desperation drive. Tech never got the chance to rely on its field goal kicker after FSU elected to go for a first down with a little over two minutes left in the game and the Seminoles ahead by one. The flustered freshman quarterback for Tech never looked comfortable on fourth-and-seven as he threw the ball into the hands of FSU's Watkins. It was the final stinger of the evening for the Yellow jackets.
"It hurts," Galley said. "Any time you give that kind of effort and you come up short it hurts."
Rix completed just 50 percent of his passes for 160 yards. The performance contributed to Bowden's one-on-one sideline chat with him before the offense's last possession of the game.
"Well, (I told him) just what a great job he did of hanging in there and showing a lot of heart," Bowden said. "It would have been so easy to quit."
Bowden acknowledged that the strength of this year's team is its will to win.
"Last year's team would have laid down," he said. "Last year's team would not have come back. This year the kids just simply would not give up. So they did win the battle of the heart. I thought that Georgia Tech won the physical part, but I felt like we won the heart."
St. Louis defeats Milwaukee 11-2
Cardinals end losing streak
The Associated Press
Tomko allowed six hits over eight innings and drove in three runs as the Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with an 11-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday night.
ST.LOUIS—Brett Tomko was on the mound for Tony La Rusa's 2,000th career victory—and for No. 2,001. That's how tough it's been for the St. Louis Cardinals lately.
“It’s been a while since we won one,” La Russa said. “It was a good-looking game.”
Tomko went 2-for-4, including a two-run single in the second and an RBI single in the third, as the Cardinals moved within five games of idle Houston in the NL Central.
Albert Pujols hit his 42nd home run, leaving him tied with Barry Bonds for the NL lead. Jim Edmonds also homered for the Cardinals, who scored seven times in the first three innings off Wes Obermueller.
"It's never over till it's over," Tomko said. "We've just got to keep winning games and win as many as we can and see what happens."
Tomko (13-8) didn't allow a baserunner until Keith Ginter homered with one out in the fourth. Bill Hall also homered
"He was changing speeds and just got us off-balance," Hall said. "It didn't help that he got out to a big lead on us, and he was able to get in a comfort zone."
leading off the sixth. Tomko, who threw a complete game his last outing against the Rockies, struck out two and walked none.
geen a commo Tomko has a 5.27 ERA, but has won seven of his last eight decisions since Aug. 2. He's 11-3 since June 19.
"The stats are going to be what they are and they might not look pretty to some people," Tomko said. "To me, it's been a good year because I've battled back from a lot of adversity."
Obermueller (0-5) is winless in 11 career starts over the last two seasons. He lasted 2 1-3 innings — his shortest outing of the season — and allowed seven runs on seven hits.
seven times.
"The roof caved in on him." Ned Yost, Brewers manager, said. "It's all part of being a young pitcher and learning how to maintain your poise on the mound and staying aggressive."
The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead after three innings, scoring one more run than they had while getting swept over the weekend in Houston.
In the second, Edmonds,
Edgar Renteria and Chris Widger
walked to load the bases. Tomko
hit a two-run single, and Bo Hart
added an RBI single to make it 3-
0.
Edmonds ended a 4-for-29
stump with his 37th homer leading off the Cardinals' four-run third. Widger, Tomko and Orlando Palmeiro also had run-scoring hits.
Renteria had an RBI single in the fourth, and Pujols homered off Glendon Rusch in the fifth to make it 9-1.
Notes:
Richie Sexson got doubled off second in the seventh when he ran on John Vander Wal's fly out, forgetting there was only one out. Pujols has 113 homers his first three seasons, second-most in major league history. He passed Eddie Mathews and needs one more to tie Ralph Kiner. Pujols leads the majors with 199 hits, and is batting a major league-best .364.
The victory ended a string of seven straight series-opening losses for St. Louis.making a leap, and even more who are under the impression that all it takes is a I-A conference to land in, there are plenty of obstacles in the way, but also reason for optimism.
OU to adjust against UCLA
By Ryan McGhee
Oklahoma Daily (U. Oklahoma)
NORMAN, Okla. — The topranked Oklahoma Sooners beat Fresno State on Saturday and now look to complete their nonconference schedule against UCLA.
The big-play capability of OU's passing game helped the Sooners to a 38-0 halftime lead against Fresno State. Jason White finished the day with 338 passing
yards, his most this season
White had four touchdown passes in the first half, including one to Brandon Jones. Jones has now scored a touchdown in all three games this season.
Coach Bob Stoops said the Sooners' success in the air helped set up the running game. On Saturday, the Sooners gained 212 yards on the ground.
UCLA's rush defense is ranked 18th in the nation. On Saturday, it held Illinois to 67 yards on the
ground.
Bruins quarterback Matt Moore is expected to miss Saturday's game with a bruised left tibia. His replacement, Drew Olson, completed 11-of-31 passes for 95 yards against Illinois.
Oklahoma linebacker Lance Mitchell is out with a knee injury, and could be out for the rest of the season. The coaching staff was unsure who would start in Mitchell's place.
Jury considers Notre Dame player's fate in assault case
By Observer Staff
The Observer (U. Notre Dame)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Jury deliberations began yesterday in former Notre Dame football player Donald Dykes' trial, where a student alleged he raped her.
The defense rested Friday after calling only three witnesses, while the prosecution had called 13 since the trial began Tuesday. Dykes, who pleaded not guilty,
did not testify during his trial. He is charged with rape, conspiracy to commit rape and sexual battery. The woman maintains she was gang raped by the four former players, who are being tried separately.
John Scroggins, co-defendant Justin Smith's roommate, testified Friday that he did not hear any screaming or sounds of distress from Smith's room, which is adjacent to his, that night.
Michael Blakesley, a doctor at Memorial Hospital who examined the woman in the emergency room six days after the alleged incident, also testified for the defense and said she had no injuries consistent with rage.
On Thursday, Bill Kirk, associate vice president for student affairs, testified and said it was university policy to provide students who claimed they were wic-
tims of sexual assault with information regarding Notre Dame's disciplinary process and contacting police or other support services.
Kirk denied telling the woman to avoid contacting the police, but he admitted that he possibly told her it would be difficult to contact the police and pursue an investigation.
Rachel Lee, a friend of Smith's,
testified Thursday and said she
overheard Smith telling Dykes that they and Abram Elam needed to discuss their stories and Dykes nodded in agreement.
The prosecution also called a DNA analyst who said the woman's blood and Dykes' semen were found on Smith's comforter.
During Elam's trial -- the first of the four trials -- Elam, Dykes, Lorenzo Crawford and Justin Smith all testified, offering their
versions of what occurred March 28 at Smith's house and maintained the sexual acts were consensual. Elam was convicted of sexual battery and acquitted of criminal deviate conduct and conspiracy to commit rape.
The trials for the two remaining football players will begin later this year.
The South Bend Tribune contributed to this report
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