4B
Thursday, October 24,1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tennessee faces tough battle at home
The Associated Press
There is another knock on Tennessee than just its inability to beat Florida — the Volunteers can't beat Alabama in Knoxville.
The Crimson Tide has won five in a row at Neyland Stadium, dating to 1986. And when the Vols won in 1984, the score was 28-27.
On Saturday, it's No. 7 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee for the 79th time. It's the seventh time both teams are ranked in the Top 10.
While the Vols (4-1) are out of the national title picture for now, the Crimson Tide (7-0) needs a victory to remain on course for a Southeastern Conference title showdown against No. 1 Florida.
But getting past Peyton Manning & Co. won't be easy. Although Alabama excels on defense, the Vols' offense could be mighty tough.
"I think he's very accurate, he's in total control of the offense and
knows exactly what's happening," said Alabama coach Gene Stallings, of Manning. "And he doesn't waste many plays."
In the Vols' 41-14 victory last year at Birmingham, Al. Manning threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Joey Kent on the first play and finished 20 of 29 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. This year, Alabama has a new defensive coordinator in Mike DuBose, and the Tide ranks fourth nationally in total defense at 206.7 yards a game. They allow just 10.9 points a game.
"They play very good defense, they don't turn the ball over, they run the ball," said Phillip Fulmer, Vols coach. "This has been Coach Stallings' way, and it's been very successful."
Led by Manning, who is 120 of 180 for 1,691 yards and 10 touchdowns, the Vols are scoring 39.2 points a game and averaging 462.4 yards — 349.4 passing.
For Alabama, Freddie Kitchens is 90 of 167 for 1,277 yards and seven touchdowns, and Dennis Riddle is the go-to guy with 535 yards and nine touchdowns.
In the Southeastern Conference race, Alabama is first in the Western Division at 4-0, while the Vols are 2-1 and second in the Eastern Division. The loss was to Florida — 35-29 at Knoxville on Sept. 21.
A week ago, the Crimson Tide posted their first shutout of the season — 37-0 against Mississippi. Tennessee did not play last week.
No. 2 Ohio State (minus 14) at No. 20 Iowa
Two straight big upsets seems unlikely for Hawkeyes. ... OHIO STATE31-14.
No. 14 Virginia (plus 16) at No.
3 Florida State
Payback time for Seminoles, left at the goal line in last year's 5-point loss to Cavs ... FLORIDA STATE 31-
Believe it or not, Cardinals beat Sun Devils last season ... ARIZONA STATE 45-20.
No. 4 Arizona State (minus 14)
10.
at Stanford
Kansas (plus 31 1/2) at No.5
Huskers get a better grip on the ball this week. ... NEB-RASKA 45-7.
Texas (plus 10) at No.8 Colo-
Longhorns trying to avoid a fourth loss. ... COLORADO 35-21
No. 9 North Carolina (minus 21 1/2) at Houston
First football game between schools — Tar Heels are 5-1 vs. Cougars in basketball ... NORTH CAROLINA 27-10.
Wolverines just getting by these days .. MICHIGAN 24-10.
No.10 Michigan (minus 13) at Minneapolis
Illinois (plus 12 1/2) at No. 11
Minnesota
Wildcats don't need luck in this one ... NORTHWESTERN 31-13.
IWO. 25 Miami (plus 3) at No. 12
West Virodeo
WEST VIRGINIA
Can the Hurricanes really lose
three in a row? ... WEST VIRGINIA
24-19.
Mississippi State (plus 19) at
No.13 Louisiana State Could be a big day for Tigers' quartback Herb Tyler...LSU 42-13.
No.15 Brigham Young (minus
15 1/2) at Texas Christian
Speaking of big days, Brigham
Young's Steve Sarkisian is on
another touchdown roll. ...
BRIGHAM YOUNG 42-14.
Oklahoma (plus 18) at No.16
Kansas State
Sooners looking for
three-game winning
streak. ... KANSAS
STATE 35-14.
No.17 Penn State
Tulsa (plus 12 1/2) at No. 21
Houston
(minus 14 1/2) at Indiana
Let Curtis Enis run, Joe. ... PENN
STATE 27-10.
No.23 Washington (minus 7)
at Greenwich
Utes have won six straight after opening-season loss. ... UTAH 27-13.
Hot and cold Huskies go against well-rested Ducks. ... OREGON 31-28.
No. 24 Southern Mississippi
Chiefs deny bad-boy charge
(minus 10) at Tulane
Green Wave still wet after loss at Army. ... SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
24-10.
Coach refutes idea that team intimidates AFC West opponents
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer on Tuesday rejected a suggestion that his team is trying to intimidate opponents in the rugged AFC West. Schottenheimer said his team played hard-nosed football within the rules.
A column by Tacoma News Tribune writer John Clayton, reprinted in The Kansas City Star on Tuesday, suggested that the Chiefs had taken on the bad-boy reputation once held by the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
ence.
Clayton mentioned incidents from last Thursday's Chiefs-Seahawks game, including a punch Marcus Allen threw at Seahawks safety Robert Blackmon that wasn't penalized. Clayton suggested that the NFL would be watching the Chiefs.
The Seahawks, who lost that game 36-14, thought Allen should have been penalized. They also were upset by a low block to linebacker Winston Mossby by receiver Penn.
"My opinion is that we do not have an interest in being designated intimidators," Schottenheimer said at his weekly media confer-
"We'll see in future games if their penalty numbers increase or their fines accumulate," Clayton wrote. "One thing won't change, though. The Chiefs have become the intimidators in this division."
"We're just trying to play," he said. "Our receivers go down the field and block. One reason we don't fumble a lot with our running backs is they're not getting hit at the last second by an unblocked guy coming at them from the secondary."
Defensive backs have complained that they are being blocked low by Chiefs receivers.
"Chris Penn wasn't trying to intimidate anybody," Schottenheimer said. "I don't think many players in this league can be intimidated. In his view, the play was still live, and they are taught to go until the whistle blows."
Schottenheimer said the question had come up a couple of times while he served on the NFL Competition Committee.
NHL Competition
"The overwhelming sentiment was that if a defensive back has an opportunity to see a guy coming at him and defend himself, then you can block him low," Schottenheinen said. "Our wide receivers have always taken pride in blocking down the field as long as we've been here. As long as the guy has an opportunity to see you come, then it's legal," he said.
Moss and fellow linebacker Dean Wallace
Moss and fellow linebacker Dean Wells were ejected from the game. The Seahawks had 13 penalties for 118 yards. Kansas City was penalized nine times for 70 yards.
The Chiefs (5-2) will play Denver on Sunday in a game they must win to avoid falling behind the first-place Broncos by two games. Oakland's victory Monday against San Diego kept the division race close.
"It obviously is an important game because it's a game against a division opponent," Schottenheimer said. "Our purpose is to do the best we can to find a way to win. I don't think it puts us in the back of the pack if we lose."
The Kansas City Chiefs recently have been accused of intimidating opponents in the AFC West. Running back Marcus Allen started the controversy when he threw a punch at a Seattle Seahawks safety last Thursday.
Ex-Steeler cleared of harassing police
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers guard Terry Long grinned but declined comment as he left a courtroom after being acquitted of harassment charges and related motor vehicle violations.
Common Pleas Judge Walter Little found Long innocent of the charges during a hearing on Tuesday. Before testimony began, Assistant District Attorney Ansley Westbrook withdrew the more serious charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
The charges stemmed from a confrontation with a city police officer who stopped Long's car, which did not have a license plate, in downtown Pittsburgh on Feb. 2. The police officer said Long smelled of alcohol and refused to take a breathalizer test, so they arrested him.
Long said he had asked for an officer's badge number so he could have complained about rudeness, and as a result he had been jailed for 14 hours.
Defense lawyer Wendell Freeland argued that Long might have
struggled with officers but had not intended to harass them. The law requires the harassment to be intentional for a guilty conviction.
"Whatever the conduct is, there must be intent," Freeland said.
Long's attorneys agreed in February to a deal in which Long would perform 50 hours of community service and sign a waiver to release police of any civil liability. In return, prosecutors would reduce his charges to harassment.
In May, City Magistrate Dan Butler rejected Long's statement that he did 56 hours of service at a nursing home managed by his fiancee. Butler gave him a second chance to perform the service, increasing the sentence to 60 hours.
Long performed the additional community service, but in June, he joined a federal civil rights suit the American Civil Liberties Union filed against the city of Pittsburgh concerning alleged police misconduct.
Long's NFL career ended in 1991 after a positive test for steroids and a suicide attempt.
After Mora's resignation, Saints promote Venturi to interim head coach
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — His record isn't impressive, nor is the team he'll coach for the next eight games. Rick Venturi's goal, however, is rather grand. He wants the New Orleans Saints to go 8-0 and make the playoffs.
Venturi, until now the linebackers coach for the Saints, is the new head coach. He got his battlefield promotion yesterday, two days after Jim Mora suddenly resigned, shocking players and coaches.
The hiring came one day after the general manager's first choice as a replacement, pro personnel director Chet Franklin, decided not to take the job, having detected displeasure with the choice among the assistant coaches.
The Saints then turned to Venturi,
who says the team is up to the challenge, despite:
■ the worst rushing defense in the league.
an offense that's only three spots from the bottom.
a 2-6 record.
a Sunday afternoon loss to the Carolina Panthers that was so embarrassing it provoked an expletive-filled tride from Mora on Sunday and his resignation on Monday.
It all made for a confusing, tumultuous two days.
"This program is absolutely not in disarray, regardless of the perception," Venturi said yesterday. "This team has won the last two out of three football games. It approaches the last eight weeks with optimism and commitment. We want to make this last eight weeks the best weeks
of our lives."
it's the second time Venturi has become an interim head coach in the NFL. In 1991, he took control of the Indianapolis Colts after the firing of Ron Meyer. The Colts went 1-10 under Venturi, finishing the season 1-15.
The Saints are a better team than the Colts team he inherited, Venturi said.
"I feel like this football team can be successful," Venturi said. "I think we have to manage it into success. It isn't going to just happen, there are some things we have to do to get better. But we can do them."
Before joining the Saints as the linebackers coach this season, Venturi was secondary coach, then defensive coordinator during two years with the Cleveland Browns. He was part of the Cleveland that was fired
when the Brown's moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens.
Jim Haslett, who also had been considered a candidate to succeed Mora, will remain defensive coordinator.
Carl Smith, the offensive coordinator since 1986 who was fired Tuesday, will not be replaced, Venturi said. The entire offensive staff will have a hand in drawing up the plays, but tight ends coach Bruce Arians will be quarterbacks coach and will call offensives plays on game day.
"I think the offense will change dramatically," quarterback Jim Everett said after practice yesterday. "There will be a dedication to running the ball, no doubt about it. That's already been expressed."
The Saints' offense ranks 27th overall in the NFL, 28th in rushing and 21st in passing. Their 174 yards
in a 19-7 loss to Carolina on Sunday was their lowest total of the season. Afterward, Mora lashed out at his team and for the first time criticized Smith, especially his decision to abandon the running game in the second half.
Assistant coaches — who had reacted coolly to the choice of Franklin, general manager Bill Kuharich's first choice to replace Mora — were pleased with Venturi's selection.
"He's going to do a great job," said Haslett, who said he was not interested in moving up to head coach.
"I'll have a chance to be head coach," Haslett said. "This isn't the best time or place for me to do it. My best interest is in coaching the defense. We don't need the distraction of me moving. We're finally starting to play well on defense."
We've only given up an average of 18 points in the last four games. That's blavoff-caliber defense."
After a day of indecision while Franklin pondered taking the interim position, Kuharich offered the job to Venturi yesterday morning. The deal was so hasty there was no discussion of a salary increase, Venturi said.
Venturi oversaw his first practice as head coach minutes after the announcement.
"With this team right now, the best thing is to work on fundamentals," Venturi said. "We'll do that, take a few days off to get away from everything, and start working on San Francisco in earnest next week."
The Saints, who do not play this weekend, will take Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Their next opponent is the 49ers on Nov. 3.
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- A chance to learn more about the Greek community
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in the Greek community
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If interested, please call the Panhellenic office at: 864-4643
Greek community
Flight Instruction Scholarship
The Willis A. Waas Memorial Scholarship is awarded each Spring to a KU student to assist in obtaining a private pilot license.
Deadline: December 1, 1996
To be eligible, a student must:
•be working toward a private pilot license
•have a current flight medical certificate
•have at least 5 hours of dual instruction time logged (attach a copy of pages from logbook)
•be enrolled at least 50% of time at the Lawrence campus
Application available at
Aerospace Engineering Department
2004 Learned Hall · 864-4267
Duties:
ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER Position Vacancv
- Eligibility:
Administer, interpret, and enforces all election rules and policies set forth by the Student Senate Elections Commission. (A complete job description is available in 133 Strong Hall or OAC, 400 Kansas Union.)
- Salary:
Must be a regularly enrolled student at the University of Kansas, Lawrence campus. Officers, officials, and employees of Student Senate, BOCO, and other student government organizations are not eligible.
$6.50/hour-November 1996-April 1997 Anticipated start date is November 4, 1996. Applications available in 133 Strong Hall and the OAC office.
Applications Due:
Monday, Oct. 28, at 5:00 pm to 133 Strong Hall
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