Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 5, 1990

The most important thing isn’t whether you win or lose, but whether you tie. . . .

At least, that seems to be the prevailing attitude in college football this season. . . .

The latest examples came Saturday in Los Angeles and Charlottesville, Va., where Bruce Snyder and George Welsh showed all the courage of Buster Douglas in Las Vegas. . . .

At the Coliseum, Snyder passed up the opportunity to become the first California coach to beat USC and UCLA in the same year since Pete Elliott in 1958. . . .

Not even the Cal cheering section did much celebrating after Robbie Keen kicked the extra point to tie USC, 31-31, with 1:22 left. Oh, the Bears did get the ball back and had a chance to win on a 43-yard field-goal attempt by Keen, but when you go for one point instead of two when you’re trailing 31-30 with 1:22 left, obviously you’re going for the tie. . . .

Snyder said Cal’s bowl chances would be a lot better with a tie rather than a loss. Yeah, and they would have been a lot better with a win rather than a tie. . . .

At Scott Stadium, Virginia’s Welsh had a tougher decision to make. The Cavaliers were trailing Georgia Tech, 38-35, with 2:34 left and fourth down on the six-yard line. Welsh chose the tying field goal. . . .

If Tech hadn’t staged its winning field goal drive, the tie would have virtually clinched the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for Virginia. That and a buck will get you a cup of coffee. . . .

But if the Cavaliers had employed the most dangerous pass-catch combination in the country--Shawn Moore to Herman Moore--and been successful, most likely they would have remained No. 1 in the nation. And if they had failed, Georgia Tech would have been pinned in deep in its territory and Virginia might have gotten another chance. . . .

The one guy who didn’t go for a tie Saturday was Auburn’s Pat (Tie) Dye, who couldn’t because he came up 41 points short against Florida. . . .

Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, the Raider play-calling left something to be desired. I mean, you’re trailing 9-7 in the fourth quarter, you have the ball on the Kansas City 49-yard line and you try three consecutive bombs? . . .

Jay Schroeder had his first bad day of the season--and so did his receivers. . . .

Wasted was a wonderful performance by Raider cornerback Terry McDaniel. . . .

If the Chiefs had lost, we’d still be hearing about the replay officials who refused to overrule a no-fumble call on Steve Smith’s fumble in the fourth quarter. . . .

Lip reading: Al Davis must not have liked the timeout called by the Raiders with 2:13 remaining. . . .

Bo Jackson plays better with the Royals than with the Raiders in Kansas City. . . .

I didn’t think the Rams could hold the Houston Cougars to 13 points, much less the Houston Oilers . . .

Virginia-Georgia Tech reminded me of Nebraska-Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day of 1971. . . .

The trouble was that, at times, I didn’t know if CBS was televising the game Saturday or simply promoting “The NFL Today.” . . .

The best pro prospect on Virginia is Moore--Herman, not Shawn. . . .

Wyoming probably nailed down a Copper Bowl berth with its loss to Colorado State. . . .

If ever a national championship tournament was needed, it’s this season. . . .

UCLA does better against passing teams than against rushing teams, which doesn’t make the Bruins’ chances against Washington look too good. . . .

Is Ricky Ervins ever going to play again? . . .

Todd Marinovich had a good day and deserved to get his job back again, but it seemed strange that Shane Foley started at quarterback for USC, conducted a touchdown drive, and then sat down for the rest of the game. . . .

However, the trouble with the Trojans is defense, not offense. . . .

What a comeback Hayden Fry has made at Iowa, where the wolves were after him. . . .

Parity is a Saturday when neither USC nor UCLA win, but Kansas and Kansas State do. . . .

The future of night racing at the Coliseum is in doubt after Traveler IV unseated rider Tom Nolan in the third quarter. . . .

Score: Houston 56, TCU 35. Reaction: Teams that throw 79 passes usually lose. . . .

The Cincinnati Bengals are schizo.

Hasn’t Pat Valenzuela already taken enough time to straighten out his life? . . .