COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : HAD PARSEGHIAN STAYED THIS WOULD BE NO BIG DEAL

They’re probably still celebrating in Evanston, Ill., what with unranked Northwestern having pulled off what some are calling one of the biggest college football upsets ever, a 17-15 victory over ninth-ranked Notre Dame, at South Bend.

After all, the Wildcats hadn’t defeated their longtime rivals since posting a 35-6 victory in 1962.

Those were the days, Wildcat fans might remember. Their team was ranked second by United Press International.

Touchdown Tommy Myers was the quarterback. Ara Parseghian, who went on to coach at Notre Dame, was Northwestern’s coach.

Wrote a UPI reporter of the game: “Once again sophomore quarterback Myers and his favorite receiver, flanker back Paul Flatley, were the keys to the Northwestern offense. Myers completed 11 of 18 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns and Flatley hauled in six of those pitches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.”

IRISH EYES MISTY, GET ‘EM A BIG HANKIE

A sampling of reaction from Notre Dame’s students:

--”The season’s over now, the national championship is the only thing we play for,” said Dave Bradley, a Notre Dame senior from Detroit. “I don’t think I’m going to any more games. I have Purdue tickets, but it looks like that would be a waste now.”

--”I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” said Mike Norbut, a senior from Chicago and sports editor at The Observer, the student newspaper. “The student body has got to be devastated. They live and die by football.”

--”We’re not going to get a bowl worth speaking of. We’re going to end up somewhere in the middle of the bayou,” said Amee Appel, a sophomore from Hackettstown, N.J.

A LOOK BACK . . .

The Wildcats improved their record against the Fighting Irish to 8-37-2.

The first time Northwestern beat Notre Dame was in 1901, a 2-0 victory that improved the Wildcat record against the Fighting Irish to 1-2. Notre Dame posted a 9-0 victory in 1889 and a 12-0 victory in 1899.

HE PROBABLY DOESN’T HAVE MUCH OF A SKY HOOK, EITHER

From UCLA radio commentator David Norrie, during the Bruins’ rout of Miami: “It doesn’t matter how great a game [Karim Abdul-Jabbar, formerly Sharmon Shah] is having, there is still only one Big Fella.”

TO THEM, EVERY VICTORY IS A HAIR-RAZING EXPERIENCE

Arkansas State’s football team has started a “head-on-the-block” gimmick whereby someone’s head gets shaved every time the Indians win.

Coach John Bobo was the first to get it. His thinning locks were sheared after his Indians came from behind to beat Utah State, 21-17.

It was only the Indians’ third victory over a Division I-A opponent since they returned to the NCAA’s top division in 1992 and only their second conference victory since joining the Big West in 1993.

Bobo said assistant head coach Pete McGinnis’ head would be on the block next week against UNLV.

A TIGGER BY THE TAIL . . .

Duke had its hands full against the entire Florida State squad, as the 70-26 score would indicate.

But one player they couldn’t stop stands out, in name anyway. Pooh Bear Williams, the Seminoles’ 280-pound fullback, rushed for three touchdowns as Florida State opened a 54-12 halftime lead.

NOW JUST TRY TO SAY HIS NAME THAT QUICKLY

Three touchdowns in a span of 4:22 by Tshimanga Biakabutuka early in the second half stunned the fans in sold-out Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., and eased the way for 13th-ranked Michigan’s 38-14 victory over No. 25 Illinois.

Bothered by a sore shoulder, Biakabutuka had only three carries in the first half, but was back in the lineup when the Wolverines emerged from the locker room.

He had touchdown runs of five, 11 and 17 yards as Michigan opened a 31-0 lead.

AND THE NCAA THOUGHT THEY DIDN’T HAVE A PRAYER

Liberty University, which went to federal court to protect its right to pray after big plays, scored 10 touchdowns and four unpenalized prayers in a 76-6 romp over West Virginia State.

Neither West Virginia State nor the NCAA challenged Liberty.

Liberty, founded by Jerry Falwell, alleged in a suit filed Thursday that an NCAA rule intended to cut down on showboating amounted to religious discrimination and violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The school dropped its suit after the NCAA agreed to allow players to pray briefly as long as they did not make a spectacle of themselves.

HE’S NO NAPOLEON, BUT LEON IS NO JOE BLOW, EITHER

Leon Neal waited a long time for Napoleon Kaufman to finish his career at Washington.

The wait is over and Neal is trying to make a name for himself.

He got off to a decent enough start Saturday against Arizona State, rushing 22 times for 105 yards.

But he admits that he still has some big shoes to fill.

“If I had to back up a running back, I’d rather back up [Kaufman] than anyone else,” Neal said. “I wasn’t just backing up Joe Blow. I was backing up Napoleon Kaufman.”

AIR MCNAIR WAS ONE THING, BUT AIR FLETCHER?

Alcorn State began life without Steve McNair, and his replacement did what the NCAA’s career leader in total offense never did--lose at Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Miss.

Jerry Fletcher completed 26 of 50 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown in his first game as McNair’s replacement. But the Braves lost, 39-17, to Grambling State, the team they shared the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship with last year.

NOTEWORTHY

Patrick Nix completed 28 of 39 passes for a school-record 382 yards, threw for one touchdown and ran for two in Auburn’s rout of Mississippi. Dou Innocent rushed for 137 yards in 22 carries for Ole Miss. It was his seventh consecutive 100-plus rushing game. . . . Danny Kanell threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns for Florida State, which amassed 797 yards total offense and remained unbeaten against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents since joining the league in 1992. The victory was the 250th for Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, who joined Paul (Bear) Bryant, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner and Joe Paterno as the only coaches to reach that plateau in Division I-A. . . . Robert Edwards, a converted defensive back, scored a school record five touchdowns--four rushing, one receiving--in Georgia’s 42-23 victory over South Carolina. Edwards, who rushed for 169 yards, scored all his touchdowns in the second half. Steve Taneyhill of South Carolina completed 34 of 51 passes for 405 Yards, three touchdowns in the losing effort. . . . BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian completed 25 of 42 passes for 346 yards in a losing effort against Air Force.

Rick Neuheisel became the first Colorado coach to win his debut since William Saunders in 1932, and he did it against the Badgers in Madison, Wis., the town in which he was born 34 years ago. . . . Leeland McElroy rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns and gained 359 all-purpose yards for Texas A&M; against Louisiana State. . . . West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen lost consecutive openers for the first time since he came to West Virginia in 1980, after the Mountaineers fell to Purdue, 26-24. West Virginia lost, 31-0, to eventual national champion Nebraska in the 1994 Kickoff Classic. . . . C.J. Williams, who also plays on Georgia Tech’s basketball team, rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets’ 51-7 rout of Furman. . . . Southern Methodist quarterback Ramon Flanigan dislocated his left hip on the first play of the game against Arkansas and will be sidelined eight to 10 weeks. Flanigan, a junior, was the total offense leader in the Southwest Conference last year and ranked 13th in the nation with 237.1 yards per game. . . . Youngstown State, the defending I-AA national champion, had its unbeaten streak ended at 20 games with a 20-17 loss to Kent. . . . Richard Huntley ran for 125 yards, becoming black college football’s career rushing leader, as Winston-Salem State opened the season with a 33-6 victory over Fort Valley State. . . . Doug Switzer, son of Dallas Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer, threw three touchdown passes as Arkansas-Pine Bluff defeated Mississippi Valley State, 41-16. Switzer completed 12 of 23 passes for 178 yards in his debut for the Golden Lions.

QUOTEWORTHY

“Before we left the hotel, I told the players I did not want to be carried off the field. I wanted them to act like we’ve done this before.”

--Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett, after the Wildcats’ stunning 17-15 victory at Notre Dame.

“We don’t ever think about losing here. They hurt, I hurt.”

--Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz.

“Everybody talks about our inexperience. Well, it was a hell of an experience to get bombed like that in our first game.”

--Wisconsin freshman strong safety Leonard Taylor, after the Badgers were routed by Colorado, 43-7.

“I just launched it up. To Fred, it probably looked like a punt. I’m surprised he didn’t fair-catch it.”

--Backup tailback Rashaan Shehee, after throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Fred Coleman on a trick play with 2:53 to play to give No. 22 Washington a 23-20 comeback victory over Arizona State.

“Any time anybody beats you 12 times in a row, it begins to eat at you. It was a long time in coming. The first win of the season, the first game of the season, against a team the caliber of BYU in such a convincing way--I’m just so proud of our team . “

--Air Force Coach Fisher DeBerry, after his team defeated BYU, 38-12, to end a 12-game losing streak to the Cougars.

* Compiled by Bob Cuomo, Emilio Garcia-Ruiz and Pete Thomas.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

HOW THE TOP 25 FARED

RANK: 1

TEAM: Florida State (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Duke, 70-26; Seminoles’ Pooh Bear Williams, who scored three touchdowns, was drafted by Chicago Cubs. Moniker would work for NFL team in that town too. (Next: at Clemson)

*

RANK: 2

TEAM: Nebraska (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Oklahoma St., 64-21, Thursday; Bob Simmons takes over Cowboy program, opens at home against national champions and is down, 36-7, at half. Welcome. (Next: at Michigan St.)

*

RANK: 3

TEAM: Texas A&M; (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat LSU, 33-17; Tigers have lost to Aggies in three season openers in row, but they won’t let it happen again. Series is being discontinued. (Next: Tulsa, Sept. 16)

*

RANK: 4

TEAM: Penn State (0-0)

SYNOPSIS: Idle. (Next: Texas Tech)

*

RANK: 5

TEAM: Florida (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Houston, 45-21; After last year’s quarterback controversy, Gator Coach Steve Spurrier used three, including Brian Schottenheimer, Marty’s nephew. (Next: at Kentucky)

*

RANK: 6

TEAM: Auburn (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Mississippi, 46-13; All together class: Tigers are off probation this season, Alabama is on it. Auburn off, Crimson Tide on. Got it? (Next: Tennessee-Chattanooga)

*

RANK: 7

TEAM: USC (0-0)

SYNOPSIS: Idle. (Next: San Jose State)

*

RANK: 8

TEAM: Tennessee (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat East Carolina, 27-7; Can’t say Pirates didn’t try. They went on fourth down four times, converting two, and tried halfback option that was intercepted. (Next: Georgia)

*

RANK: 9

TEAM: Notre Dame (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to Northwestern, 17-15; A stunning surprise or another sign of the Lou Holtz fall? A hint: Irish are 6-6-1 in their last 13 games. (Next: at Purdue)

*

RANK: 10

TEAM: Ohio State (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Boston College, 38-6, Aug. 27; Meeting with Huskies could be very telling for two teams angling to slip into Rose Bowl chatter. (Next: Washington, Sept. 16)

*

RANK: 11

TEAM: Alabama (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Vanderbilt, 33-25; This again? Tide won seven of first eight games by 11 points or less last season and begins ’95 campaign in same form. (Next: Southern Mississippi)

*

RANK: 12

TEAM: Miami (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to UCLA, 31-8; Butch Davis revolutionizes coaching by calling timeout to prevent clock from expiring in third quarter. Next, he’ll turn down shoe contracts. (Next: Florida A&M;)

*

RANK: 13

TEAM: Michigan (2-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Illinois, 38-14; Get it right: Tim Biakabutuka, who scored three times, pronounces his name Be-OCH-ah-buh-too-kah. Real first name is Tshimanga. Bless you. (Next: Memphis)

*

RANK: 14

TEAM: Colorado (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Wisconsin, 43-7; Badgers left to ponder what score would have been if Rashaan Salaam had not entered NFL draft ahead of schedule. (Next: Colorado State)

*

RANK: 15

TEAM: UCLA (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Miami, 31-8; Karim Abdul-Jabbar successfully begins quest to one day have people question whether a certain basketball player spells his first name incorrectly. (Next: at BYU)

*

RANK: 16

TEAM: Oklahoma (0-0)

SYNOPSIS: Idle. (Next: San Diego State)

*

RANK: 17

TEAM: Virginia (1-1)

SYNOPSIS: Beat William & Mary, 40-16; Tribe always pesky in Division I-AA, but step up in class against state rival too much to ask. Bring on New Hampshire. (Next: at North Carolina State)

*

RANK: 18

TEAM: Texas (0-0)

SYNOPSIS: Played Hawaii. (Next: Pittsburgh, Sept. 16)

*

RANK: 19

TEAM: Arizona (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Pacific, 41-9; Tigers follow this shellacking with games against Oregon St., Fresno St. and Nebraska. Can you say 0-4? We knew that you could. (Next: Georgia Tech, Thursday)

*

RANK: 20

TEAM: North Carolina (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to Syracuse, 20-9; An ugly opening week on Tobacco Road as Wake Forest, Duke and Tar Heels lose home openers. (Next: at Maryland)

*

RANK: 21

TEAM: Wisconsin (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to Colorado, 43-7; Same thing happened to Badgers last year and they went on to a frustrating 7-4-1 season. (Next: at Stanford, Sept. 16)

*

RANK: 22

TEAM: Washington (1-0)

SYNOPSIS: Beat Arizona State, 23-20; Clothes don’t make the man: Huskies win despite garish purple helmets. There’s a reason school stopped wearing them in 1974. (Next: at Ohio State, Sept. 16)

*

RANK: 23

TEAM: West Virginia (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to Purdue, 26-24; Kicker Bryan Baumann, media guide says, “made noticeable gains in off-season weight program.” Muscle man missed 26-yarder, lost game. (Next: Temple)

*

RANK: 24

TEAM: Virginia Tech (0-0)

SYNOPSIS: Idle.(Next: Boston College, Thursday)

*

RANK: 25

TEAM: Illinois (0-1)

SYNOPSIS: Lost to Michigan, 38-14; Anyone still think an Illini linebacker can win the Heisman trophy? We don’t either. (Next: at Oregon)

PASSING

*--*

Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD TANEYHILL, South Carolina 34 51 415 3 MAXWELL, Nevada 26 41 413 2 JOHNSTON, West Virginia 22 35 390 0 NIX, Auburn 28 39 382 1 SARKISIAN, BYU 25 42 346 2 MULLINS, Utah St. 30 56 315 0 TAITE, Misissippi St. 18 26 296 4 KANELL, Florida St. 21 27 275 4 LEDBETTER, New Mexico St. 16 27 269 4

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RUSHING

*--*

Player Carries Yards TD McELROY, Texas A&M; 35 229 3 ABDUL-JABBAR, UCLA 29 180 2 EDWARDS, Georgia 30 169 4 AUTRY, Northwestern 33 160 0 WILLIAMS, Georgia Tech 17 151 3 McCULLOUGH, Wisconsin 28 151 0 GRAHAM, Tennessee 26 144 0 OLIVER, New Mexico 16 143 2 WALKER, West Virginia 28 137 3

*--*

RECEIVING

*--*

Player No. Yards TD ALEXANDER, Utah St. 14 183 0 PRITCHETT, South Carolina 12 137 0 POOLE, Arizona St. 9 162 2 COOPER, Florida St. 9 155 2 JELLS, Pittsburgh 9 131 2 PURNELL, West Virginia 8 149 0 McHENRY, Nevada 8 137 2 MUHAMMAD, Baylor 7 138 1 VAN DYKE, Nevada 7 133 0

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