Southwest Roundup : Calcagni Gets Off to a Good Start as Arkansas Quarterback in 30-15 Win

Arkansas’ Mark Calcagni made the most of his first start at quarterback as a fifth-year senior for the 14th-ranked Razorbacks Saturday.

After spending much of his career bouncing between quarterback and wide receiver, Calcagni rushed for 160 yards in 22 carries and scored once in a 30-15 Southwest Conference victory over Rice at Houston.

“I’m the worst runner of any of our quarterbacks,” Calcagni said. “You’ve got to take what they give you, and today they let our quarterback run. Any one of our three quarterbacks would have had a big day.

“I just got the opportunity.”

Calcagni, subbing for injured starter Greg Thomas, more than doubled his season’s rushing output in spot playing time this season. He started the game with 116 rushing yards in 20 carries.

Arkansas Coach Ken Hatfield said the Owls apparently wanted Calcagni to run with the ball.

“They stopped our halfbacks, who have run well for us all season. They gave us the quarterback run,” he said.

Linebacker David Dudley contributed to the Razorbacks’ 24-point second quarter surge with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The win boosted the Razorbacks to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the SWC. Rice fell to 3-5 and 2-3.

Texas A&M; 19, Southern Methodist 17--At College Station, Tex., Eric Franklin, who earlier missed a 45-yard field goal and an extra point, kicked a 48-yard field goal with 1:46 to play to give the Aggies a hard-fought victory over 20th-ranked SMU.

The Southwest Conference victory snapped A&M;’s five-game losing streak to the Mustangs and was the first for Aggie Coach Jackie Sherrill over SMU Coach Bobby Collins.

Jeff Atkins’ four-yard touchdown run with 4:46 to go and Brandy Brownlee’s placement gave SMU a 17-16 lead before Franklin got a chance to redeem himself, kicking his longest field goal of the season.

A&M;, 6-2 overall and 4-1 in SWC play, then clinched the win when Kip Corrington intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards to the SMU 26 in the final minute.

SMU, 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference, is on probation and not eligible to play in postseason games or win the SWC title. However, games against SMU count for its conference opponents.

Anthony Toney rushed for 117 yards in 21 carries and Keith Woodside added 104 yards in 12 carries for the Aggies, who held the vaunted SMU ground game to only 152 yards. The Mustangs’ Reggie Dupard, the leading rusher in the SWC, was held to 69 yards in 19 carries.

Texas 34 Texas Tech 21--At Austin, Tex., quarterback Bret Stafford revived Texas’ offense with 235 yards.

Stafford, a third-year sophomore, had 177 yards passing and 58 yards rushing, including a three-yard run for Texas’ first touchdown.

Texas’ 462 yards total offense are the most given up by Tech this season, and Texas’ 188 yards passing are the most yielded by Tech’s nationally top-ranked pass defense.

“There were a lot of real good holes out there,” said Stafford, who took the No. 1 quarterback job away from senior Todd Dodge, who did not play.

Texas’ offense had scored only one touchdown in the last three games. Stafford’s 177 yards passing came on 9 of 11 completions, and he averaged 5.8 yards a carry on 10 runs.

Texas is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SWC. Tech fell to 3-5 and 0-5.

Houston 26, Texas Christian 21--Fullback Sloan Hood rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Cougars survived a fourth-quarter scare at Fort Worth, Tex.

“I thought it was exceptionally hairy,” Houston Coach Bill Yeoman said after the Cougars had watched a 19-point lead melt away in the final minutes.

“I couldn’t help but think ahead to what was going to happen,” said Yeoman, whose Cougars ended a four-game losing streak.

Hood, a sophomore, rushed 15 and 47 yards for touchdowns, and quarterback Gerald Landry dived one yard for another as the reigning SWC co-champions won their first conference game of the year.

The Cougars are 2-6 for the season and 1-4 in the SWC. TCU fell to 3-5 and 0-5.