Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 11, 1993

Now you see, Chuck Knox, what can happen when an L.A. coach isn’t afraid to lift a starting quarterback who is having a lousy day. . . .

Vince Evans made Art Shell look like a genius for yanking Jeff Hostetler early in the second quarter Sunday with the Raiders trailing the New York Jets, 14-0. . . .

To be more specific, Evans made Shell look like Vince Lombardi on the last scrimmage play of the fourth quarter when the Raiders went for a game-winning touchdown instead of a game-tying field goal. . . .

The quarterback couldn’t hear the coach yelling for him to spike the ball and give the Raiders time to talk it over, so he handed off to running back Nick Bell, who scored from the one-yard line to beat the Jets, 24-20. . . .

In a similar situation, Lombardi decided to go for a touchdown instead of a game-tying field goal in the 1967 NFL championship game, a.k.a. the Ice Bowl, at Green Bay. . . .

With 13 seconds left, Bart Starr scored from the one on a quarterback sneak to give the Packers a 21-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. . . .

That was a third-down play, but Green Bay had no timeouts and probably couldn’t have gotten the field-goal team on the field in time if Starr hadn’t made it into the end zone. . . .

A few minutes after Bell’s winning touchdown, a former Raider running back, Bo Jackson, was going for a tie, but struck out with a runner on base, two outs in the ninth, and the Chicago White Sox trailing the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-3. . . .

Each of the last two NFL games at the Coliseum has been decided on the final scrimmage play. It is too bad there haven’t been more spectators. Attendance hasn’t reached the 50,000 mark for any of the Raiders’ three home games although they continue to play before sellout audiences on the road. . . .

Thumbs-up to NBC for allowing Southern California TV viewers to watch the last few minutes of the Raider-Jet thriller after the Pittsburgh Steeler-San Diego Charger blowout. . . .

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UCLA scored more points against Brigham Young, 68, than during a six-game stretch last season. . . .

However, Coach Terry Donahue, who went to his bench late in the third quarter, couldn’t be accused of pouring it on. . . .

Notre Dame is next for Brigham Young and Lou Holtz undoubtedly will spend the week extolling the virtues of the Cougars’ underrated defense and offensive line. . . .

That was a nice bounce-back victory for USC over Oregon and the Trojans will be heavily favored to make it two in a row for the first time this season against Oregon State. . . .

After building a 23-3 lead over Washington, California should have stuck with aggressive, imaginative football instead of going into a shell. . . .

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Bobby Bowden might be doing the second-best coaching job in his family this season. . . .

Most people thought Bobby’s Florida State Seminoles would be unbeaten at midseason, but few thought son Terry’s Auburn Tigers would be. . . .

Florida State has a terrific defense, but put quarterback Charlie Ward on Miami and the outcome might have been reversed Saturday. . . .

Most loosely used description in college football: “legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.” . . .

Right now, there is only one, Ward. . . .

Bruce Snyder was supposed to bring Arizona State back into contention for the Pacific 10 Conference title, but the Sun Devils, clobbered by Oregon State and Washington State the last two weeks, rank among the most disappointing teams in the nation. . . .

The balloting for defensive player of the game must have been torrid after Minnesota’s 59-56 victory over Purdue. . . .

After having his 37-fight win streak broken by Zack Padilla in June, junior welterweight Carlos Gonzalez will try to improve his marksmanship tonight when he returns to action against Luis Maysonet on the Genaro Hernandez-Harold Warren title card at the Forum. Gonzalez threw 1,353 punches during 12 rounds against Padilla, but landed only 363. . . .

The Lady’s Secret Handicap today at Santa Anita--which has attracted Jolypha and Hollywood Wildcat, among others--shapes up as the toughest $100,000 race in years. . . .

Watching the Florida State Seminoles and Atlanta Braves win on the tube Saturday, did you get your fill of the tomahawk chop?