Southwest Roundup : North Texas Rebounds to Surprise Texas Tech

Running back David McGinty raced 20 yards for a touchdown to cap a stunning second-half comeback Saturday night and propel North Texas State from a 24-10 halftime deficit to a 29-24 victory over Texas Tech at Lubbock, Tex.

Quarterback Scott Davis, who scored once himself, guided the North Texas 63 yards in 6 plays and sent McGinty spinning around right end for the winning touchdown with 3:54 remaining.

Davis sparked the pivotal drive with a 27-yard pass to split end Thomas Greene for the Eagles, ranked No. 5 in Division I-AA.

Field goals of 51, 55 and 46 yards by Keith Chapman and a 46-yard touchdown run by linebacker Rex Johnson with an intercepted pass kept North Texas close until the Eagles’ closing heroics stopped the favored Red Raiders.

The comeback overshadowed a good performance by Texas Tech wingback Wayne Walker, who turned 2 passes into touchdowns and gave him a total of 184 yards on 5 receptions.

“These kind of wins are so hard to come by for our football program,” North Texas Coach Corky Nelson said. “It’s not very often that we can go on the road and beat a Southwest Conference school with the tradition of Texas Tech.”

Nelson admitted Walker’s electrifying touchdown in the opening seconds made it appear the Eagles were in fro a tough evening. But, Nelson said, the turning point may have come when cornerback Kim Phillips was put in to defend against Walker in the second half. Walker, after gaining 163 yards in catches in the first half, got only 21 the second half.

Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes said that the Raiders had plenty of scoring opportunities but “just couldn’t ring the bell.”

Arkansas 63, Pacific 14--Fullback Barry Foster scored three touchdowns at Little Rock, Ark., as the Razorbacks scored the most points since a 64-0 win over Northwest Louisiana in 1947.

Arkansas Coach Ken Hatfield had promised some offensive changes in 1988 and the crowd applauded the Razorbacks’ first play--an incomplete pass. But quarterback Quinn Grovey completed 5 of 10 passes for 97 yards in the first quarter, after Arkansas attempted an average of only 10 passes per game in 1987.

The Razorbacks led, 14-0, barely four minutes into the game.

Baylor 27, Nevada Las Vegas 3--Running back Eldwin Raphel rushed for 142 yards and the Baylor defense held Nevada Las Vegas to 2 first downs at Waco, Tex., as the Bears beat the Rebels for the second straight season.

Freshman placekicker Jeff Ireland kicked field goals of 41, 37, 29, and 32 yards to tie a school record.

Baylor’s defense, led by linebacker James Francis, dominated the Rebels, limiting them to 46 yards total offense.

“Offensively, we just couldn’t get our running game going,” UNLV Coach Wayne Nunnely said. “Baylor was very big, very quick. They’re a lot tougher than we thought they were coming into the game.”

The Bears’ defense sacked Rebel quarterback Scott Sims 4 times and allowed him to complete only 4 of 22 passes for 39 yards. The Rebels’ leading rusher, Darin Brightmon, had 17 yards in 7 carries.