Section B · Page 7
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, December 9, 1997
Heisman heat growing for Marshall's Moss
The Associated Press
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. When Randy Moss showed up at Florida State, coach Bobby Bowden was almost giddy about his new wide receiver.
"He can run, he can jump, but what he does best is run like a scaled dog," Bowden said before Moss ran afoul of the law and was kicked off the team
A year and another school later, Moss has not stopped running. And no one can catch him.
"Nobody in America can cover him," Ball State coach Bill Lynch said after Moss caught five touchdown passes in Marshall's 42-16 victory against the Cardinals.
The only sophomore among this year's Heisman Trophy candidates, Moss set the Division I-A single-season mark with 25 receiving touchdowns — five covering 70 yards or more — and has caught 90 passes for 1,647 yards to set a Mid-American Conference record.
In two seasons, he has scored 53 touchdowns for Marshall.
"He's doing this with people putting triple coverage on him," Marshall coach Bob Pruett said. "They doubled and triple-teamed Randy, but he always seems to find a way to make big plays."
At 6-foot-5. Moss is taller than most defensive backs. And he is faster, with a 4.25 time in the 40-yard-dash. Moss also has an impressive 39-inch vertical leap and huge hands with tentaclelike fingers that rarely drop passes.
But Moss said he would rather watch the Heisman Trophy ceremony Dec. 13 on his living room television than in person. He is one of four players invited to New York for the ceremony.
Moss' college career was almost before it began.
One of West Virginia's most celebrated high school athletes, Moss was headed to Notre Dame. But the Irish revoked the scholarship after he was
charged with attacking another student at DuPont High School.
Moss pleaded guilty to battery and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He was allowed to defer most of the sentence until after his freshman year in college.
Florida State was quick to roll out the welcome mat, but a year later rolled it back up when Moss violated his probation by smoking marijuana. A one-year jail sentence was reduced a month later to time served after he completed algebra and speech communications classes in a work-study program.
Although Moss never played at Florida State, Bowden was well aware of his talent.
"He's just got so many tools, limitless tools," the coach said after watching Moss practice.
After his release from jail, Moss walked on at Marshall and scored 28 touchdowns, leading the Thundering Herd to the Division I-AA championship with a 15-0 record. This season, Marshall (10-2) returned to Division I-A after a 28-year absence and will face Mississippi in the Motor Cowl Bank on Dec. 26.
But can a wide receiver in the MAC win the Heisman? For that matter, can a wide receiver from any school win it? The last receiver to win it was Michigan's Desmond Howard in 1991.
"If the Heisman Trophy is for the best college player who does the most for his team, I think Randy deserves a shot," said Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington. "When the offense needs a big play, he's going to make one almost every time."
Nonetheless, the award is expected to go to players at higher-profile programs such as Tennessee's Peyton Manning, Michigan's Charles Woodson, or Ryan Leaf at Washington State.
In fact, he's weary of answering questions about it.
"This Heisman thing is not so big to me. If the trophy comes, great, I mean, if it wouldn't hurt anybody's feelings, I'd watch on TV. I never really did set any individual goals for myself."
Cleveland nabs Lofton for three years
Indians also get three pitchers in trade agreement
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — In a stunning turnaround, the Cleveland Indians signed Kenny Lofton Sunday and traded Marquis Grissom and pitcher Jeff Juden to Milwaukee for three pitchers including Ben McDonald.
Lofton, Cleveland's career steals leader who played for the Indians from 1992-96, agreed to a $24 million, three-year contract with his former team. He will get $7.5 million in each of the next three seasons, and Cleveland has an option
for 2001 at a minimum of $8 million and a maximum of $9 million, depending on his performance. If the option is not exercised, Cleveland must pay a $1.5 million buyout.
In addition, the Indians agreed to a two-year deal with pitcher Dwight Gooden worth $5.675 million.
Cleveland got Lofon for significantly less than the four-year deal worth about $40 million he rejected last year.
Grissom, acquired with David Justice from Atlanta for Alan Embree and Lofton on March 25, was sent to the Brewers for McDonald and relievers Ron Villone and Mike Fetters, according to baseball sources who spoke on the condition they not be identified.
The move reunited Lofton, a four-time Gold Glove and five-time AL stolen base champion, with the team; he led to the World Series in 1995.
Cleveland traded Lofton, 30, late
i n spring training because t the y we are afraid h e would s l g n w i t another
team after the 1997 season. The speedy leadoff hitter had an injury-plagued, sub-par year with Braves, hitting .333 with only 27 steals.
Grissom and Justice led the Indians to the World Series for the second time in three years, taking leadership roles on a club whose personality made a complete reversal from the volatile days dominated by Albert Belle.
The unlikely reunion of Lofton and the Indians effectively reduces the blockbuster Cleveland-Atlanta trade to this: The Indians gave up Embree for Justice, and got three pitchers on top of that. The Braves have no regrets because the deal allowed them to clear money to sign the best starting rotation in baseball to long-term contracts.
McDonald, a 6-foot-7-inch power pitcher known for a big-breaking curveball, was 8-7 with a 4.06 ERA for the Brewers last season but made only 21 starts because of shoulder injuries.
K-State football, fans place team in Fiesta
The Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. — Kansas State fans have a history of following their football team to bowl games in drives.
That's just what the Fiesta Bowl had in mind Sunday when it matched the 10th-ranked Wildcats against No. 14 Syracuse.
"We knew we were going to take a Big East team with our No. 6 pick in the alliance," said Frazier. "When we looked at the potential matchups, Syracuse against Kansas State was the best for us."
"When Syracuse last played here against Colorado, they brought about 6,000 to 7,000 fans. I think he'll add lot more this time."
The game will be the first: football meeting between the schools.
It'll be the first Flesta appearance for Kansas State and the second for Syracuse, which defeated Colorado 26-22 in 1993.
Kansas State (10-1) won its rinal seven games after losing at Nebraska 56-26 on Oct.4.
Syracuse (9-3) won its last eight games, including a 33-13 victory at Miami on Nov. 20 to take its first outright Big East championship.
"Our players are very excited about it and very deserving of it," Kansas State bill Bill Snyder said. "People around the country will have a chance see our team play."
"The last time we were on national television was against Nebraska. Hopefully, we'll have a better performance than that."
Snyder is worried about containing Orangemen quarterback Donovan McNabb, the Big East's Offensive Player of the Year.
"He's a force to be reckoned with. A tremendous quarterback," Snyder said. "Overall, Syracuse is playing very well right now."
Nebraska's title shot is not looking so rosy
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska coach Tom Osborne is answering the questions before he even hears them.
Yes, it would be better if his second-ranked team could play No. 1 Michigan for the national
title. And yes, his Cornhuskers have a lot of work to do before they face Peyton Manning and No. 3 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2.
But don't worry, he will answer them all. Again.
became Nebraska's coach in 1973, the Huskers are going to the Orange Bowl. Osborne is 3-7 in those games, but three yeas ago was the charm — a 24-17 win against Miami that gave him his first of two consecutive national titles.
"Nothing much is going to change between now and Jan. 2, unless somebody gets hurt in practice," Osborne said Sunday. "By the time Jan. 2 comes around, a lot of the same questions will have been asked hundreds of times."
Osborne's a veteran of the postseason media blitz.
For the 11th time since he
"I have a lot of memories of
Miami, good and bad," Osborne said. "I think our players have been accustomed to going there, staying on the beach. It's kind of traditional almost." Nebraska is set for a record 17th appearance in the Orange Bowl — the Huskers
first played there in 1955, losing 37-7 to Duke. Coach Bob Devaney, Osborne's old boss, won both of his national titles there in 1971 and 1972.
Six of those Orange Bowls had national title implications for at least one of the teams, but it will take a loss by No.1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl to make that a reality this year.
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NIKE Days
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The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts Lied Center Series and Astor Universal present a Lied Family Series Event
*
A peaceful break from the hectic holiday season
state ice ballet *
the Nutcracker Saturday, December 13, 1997 2:00 $ \textcircled{c} $ 7:00 p.m.
Swan Lake
Sunday, December 14, 1997
2:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Lied Center Gift Certificates are a perfect holiday gift!
ALL TICKETS 1/2 PRICE FOR STUDENTS
Tickets on sale at the Lied Center Box Office (864-ARTS); Murphy Hall Box Office (864-3982); SUA Box Office (864-3477) or Ticketmaster (913) 234-4545.
Do your shopping online on the web site at www.ulans.edu/~lied
Lied Center Box Office will be closed December 20th, 11 but
The Lea Center Box Office will be closed December 20- January 11, but tickets are always available from Ticketmaster and at www.audi.edu-tickets
ASTOR UNIVERSAL