Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 31, 1994

The Raiders, who are a .500 team for the first time this season, should have no illusions of grandeur. . . .

They were barely able to beat Houston on Sunday at the Coliseum. . . .

They played down to the level of their competition, which is about as low as there is in the NFL. . . .

This was a mess of a game marred by numerous penalties, turnovers and missed opportunities and saved only by a furious finish. . . .

The Raiders had long touchdown drives on their first and last possessions, but did practically nothing with the football in between. . . .

Jeff Hostetler was on target during the winning drive, but something less than mediocre most of the afternoon. . . .

He reminded me of, say, Jay Schroeder. . . .

Harvey Williams rushed for more than 100 yards for the second time in a row, but was guilty of a key fumble. . . .

The defense, sparked by the sack-and-recover-the-fumble team of Chester McGlockton and Nolan Harrison, made some big plays, but the Oilers scored a point more than usual. . . .

Next stop: Kansas City, where the Raiders haven’t won since 1988. . . .

Arrowhead Stadium will be packed with about 78,000 fans Sunday night, in contrast to the 40,473 the Raiders and Oilers drew at the Coliseum. . . .

The only sport that has attracted a capacity crowd to a football stadium around here this year is soccer.

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Penn State is still the best college football team in the nation. . . .

The Nittany Lions’ 63-14 victory over Ohio State didn’t change my mind. . . .

Penn State has a better chance than Nebraska of staying unbeaten. . . .

But Nebraska has a better chance than Penn State to win an undisputed national title if both stay unbeaten. . . .

The Cornhuskers figure to play Miami or Florida State in the Orange Bowl while the Nittany Lions probably will be matched against one of four teams currently not in the Top 10--Oregon, USC, Arizona or Washington State--in the Rose Bowl. . . .

In other words, Nebraska will get the last good shot to impress voters. . . .

I agree with ESPN commentator Beano Cook that Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins is the most deserving Heisman Trophy candidate. . . .

However, I’m not as sure as Cook that Collins is going to win it. . . .

Collins, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State, is on a pace to set a single-season NCAA pass efficiency record. . . .

The problem is that Collins and running back Ki-Jana Carter might split the votes of those choosing a Penn State player. . . .

The week’s most untimely feature was ABC’s halftime segment on Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart and assistant coach Rick Neuheisel, shown while the Buffaloes were trailing Nebraska, 17-0. . . .

Tom Osborne outcoached Bill McCartney. . . .

The underrated Osborne does that to many people. . . .

Nebraska--which could fill its stadium for a game against Middle Tennessee State, and did two years ago--is wise to play a relatively easy non-conference schedule. . . .

So is Penn State. . . .

Colorado and Michigan, which play tough schedules, appear to be worn out. . . .

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Florida Coach Steve Spurrier won’t win any popularity contests among his peers in the Southeastern Conference, especially after calling pass plays and a reverse late in the fourth quarter while the Gators were leading Georgia, 52-14. . . .

J.J. Stokes does make a difference for UCLA. . . .

The Bruins had a go-to guy on the two-point conversion that gave them a 31-30 win over Stanford at the Rose Bowl. . . .

The most exciting UCLA game of the season was the only one that hasn’t been televised. . . .

Where would Stanford, 2-5-1, be without Steve Stenstrom? . . .

Oregon, which has upset Washington and Arizona the last two weeks, still can’t take a deep breath. . . .

Next for the Ducks is Arizona State, coming off an upset victory at Brigham Young. Then come road games against dangerous Stanford and traditional rival Oregon State. . . .

The Pacific 10 Conference preseason sportswriters’ poll had Oregon eighth and Washington State 10th.