Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 2, 1990

The Prevent Defense Haters of America salute Larry Smith. . . .

The best move the USC coach made Monday in Pasadena was to let loose his full complement of defensive linemen and pass-rushing linebackers at Michigan quarterback Michael Taylor during the final series. . . .

Taylor ended the Rose Bowl on his back, the victim of a sack. . . .

Poor Bo Schembechler. The guy gets criticized his entire career for being too conservative, calls for a daring run from punt formation in the waning moments of his final game, sees his man get a first down, and then has everything backfire when two penalties are called against the Wolverines. . . .

Well, maybe Bo shouldn’t be pitied. If he had kept his cool, the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty wouldn’t have been called and USC might have been pinned back near its goal line instead of having breathing room on the 25 before the winning march. . . .

I wonder what the guy who follows Bo around on the sidelines and picks up all the stuff he throws is going to do next season. . . .

Now Larry Smith can enter the conversation when John McKay and John Robinson talk about great, game-winning Rose Bowl touchdown drives by USC. . . .

Which team deserves to be voted national champion? Miami. It’s simple. Of the three highest ranked teams that finished with one loss apiece, Miami beat Notre Dame and Notre Dame beat Colorado. . . .

Of course, what is needed is a national tournament. Notre Dame vs. Florida State, which was eliminated from the poll championship race when it lost its first two games, would be a classic matchup of strength versus finesse. . . .

Actually, Florida State was too good for NBC’s sake on New Year’s Day. After the Seminoles put away Nebraska early in the second half, a lot of viewers must have switched to ABC and the Rose Bowl. . . .

Some NFL team could do a lot worse than to bring in Bobby Bowden and his wide-open offensive philosophy. . . .

Worst of the many gambles taken on New Year’s Day was Colorado Coach Bill McCartney calling for a run from field-goal formation instead of merely trying to break a scoreless tie in the second quarter with a chip shot field goal. It wasn’t Ken Culbertson’s night, but the Buffalo kicker probably would have made the 20-yard attempt. . . .

One reason Lou Holtz’s teams have lost only one game the past two seasons is that they don’t beat themselves. . . .

Holtz also is one of the few coaches blessed with the kind of talent that can eat up 8 minutes 55 seconds on a 17-play, 82-yard touchdown drive, which the Irish did late in the fourth quarter to clinch the win. . . .

It’s close, but the Miami Hurricanes’ defensive line might not actually be better than the Miami Dolphins’. . . .

I don’t know how I was able to live for more than four decades without the Copper Bowl. . . .

Timely Timeout: Arkansas called a timeout before its first play of the Cotton Bowl against Tennessee and then drove for a touchdown. . . .

As if it wasn’t bad enough that UCLA spent a rare holiday season away from football, the Bruins had to listen to Arkansas’ excuses for losing big to the Bruins in the Cotton Bowl last year. . . .

Quote of the day from Tom Osborne, after Nebraska was edged by Florida State, 41-17: “We thought we were capable of winning the game, and we almost ended up getting blown out.” . . . TV analysts for three of the most important games were those close followers of the collegiate scene, Bill Walsh, Merlin Olsen and Dan Dierdorf. . . .

Best dressed bowl coach: John Mackovic of Illinois, who also coached a pretty good game against Virginia in the Citrus Bowl. . . .

You deserve a year’s supply of their products and services if you can match more than half of the bowl sponsors with their respective games. . . .

Maybe it’s a good thing, though, that the Sun Bowl was changed to the John Hancock Bowl. The temperature was in the mid-40s and the skies were cloudy for the game Saturday at El Paso. . . .

Worst-looking apparel: The black stockings worn by USC linebacker Junior Seau and safety Mark Carrier. . . .

Is the Orange Bowl halftime show over yet?. . . .

If NBC tells you to start your bowl game at 11 on a Saturday morning, you do. That’s one reason why the Freedom Bowl drew only 33,858 to Anaheim Stadium. Another reason was that the participants were Washington and Florida. . . .

Most entertaining bowl: Penn State’s 50-39 win over BYU in the Holiday, where defense always takes a holiday. . . .

Michigan’s helmets are to the NCAA what the Rams’ helmets are to the NFL. . . .

Conference bowl scoreboard: Pacific 10 4-0, Southeastern 3-3, Big Ten 2-2, Southwest 1-2, Atlantic Coast 1-3, Big Eight 0-2, Western Athletic 0-3. The independents went 6-2.