COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

NO ONE’S IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD

A few lesser-known tidbits about Grambling State Coach Eddie Robinson, who earned his 400th victory Saturday with a 42-6 win over Mississippi Valley State:

--The Grambling coach before Robinson? None other than Emory Hines, who coached from 1935 through 1940.

--Robinson’s first career win was a 37-6 victory over Tillotson, on Nov. 15, 1941.

--For two years during World War II, Grambling did not field a team. Robinson used the time to coach Grambling High to a state championship.

--Robinson has had only four losing seasons since taking over the program in 1941.

--More than 200 of his players have gone on to the NFL, including three Hall of Famers: Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan and Willie Davis.

--In 1949, Grambling’s Paul (Tank) Younger signed with Rams to become the first player from a historically black college to play in NFL.

--Robinson has placed nine players named Williams into the NFL: Charles, Donald, Doug, Eugene, Joe, Robert, Roger, Terry and Willie.

--Robinson has won nine black national championships and won or shared 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles since the league was formed in 1959.

--Eight-five percent of his players have graduated.

STATE OF GLOOM

It was a tough day for the Penns, State and U.

Joe Pa’s Nittany Lions, of course, fell to Ohio State in Unhappy Valley.

But the bigger shocker took place in the Ivy League, where Columbia snapped Penn’s 24-game winning streak with a 24-14 victory in New York.

Penn’s streak is the Division I-AA record. The Quakers had not lost since Princeton schooled them, 20-14, on Nov. 7, 1992.

Penn could blame a lot of it on Columbia quarterback Mike Cavanaugh, who had touchdown runs of 34 and two yards.

For the hundreds of you keeping tabs on the Ivy League race, Penn fell to 3-1 while Columbia improved to 2-1-1.

WHAT’S NEXT, COOKIE ROJAS STADIUM?

Apparently, it doesn’t take much to become a legend in Eugene, Ore.

Rich Brooks, who compiled a 91-107-4 record in 18 seasons as the Oregon coach, returned this weekend to have Autzen Stadium renamed in his honor.

After leading the Ducks to a Rose Bowl loss against Penn State last Jan. 1, Brooks accepted the job as coach of the Los Angeles-to-St. Louis Rams.

“It doesn’t seem real,” Brooks said of field-naming honor. “I feel fortunate and grateful.”

Imagine what the town would have done if Brooks had actually won the Rose Bowl.

Sen. Brooks?

Saturday, the Ducks came through for their former coach at, er, Rich Brooks Field, trouncing Pacific, 45-7.

PACIFIC RIM SHOT

Speaking of the Tigers . . . Pacific wrapped up a nasty little nonconference schedule with its loss to Oregon. The Tigers (1-4) were outscored, 191-47, in road losses to Arizona, Fresno State, Nebraska and Oregon.

You can’t say Pacific isn’t getting better. Nebraska ran up 731 yards against the Tigers two weeks ago. This week, the Pacific defense stiffened and held Oregon to a measly 523.

The upside: Pacific gets to split the gate receipts to purchase more aspirin for its players.

THE SON ALSO RISES

Bob Griese may have signed a contract with ABC, but Saturday his heart was tuned to ESPN. At the same time Griese was doing color analysis with Keith Jackson on the Ohio State-Penn State game, Griese’s son Brian was playing quarterback for Michigan against Northwestern.

On, as they say, another network.

Give father Bob credit for even paying attention to the game he was covering.

Then again, maybe it was better that father couldn’t watch his son.

Because . . .

HAPPENS EVERY THIRTY YEARS

Northwestern’s 19-13 upset of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich., sent historians to the record books seeking the answer to the question: When was the last time a school won road games at Michigan and Notre Dame in the same season?

Northwestern, remember, had already upended the Fighting Irish last month.

Well, you have to go back to 1965, when Michigan State defeated Notre Dame, 12-3, at South Bend, Ind., and Michigan, 24-7, at Ann Arbor.

NOT THE RETIRING TYPE

Deion Sanders, the famous two-sport mercenary, returned to Tallahassee to have his No. 2 jersey retired before Florida State’s game against Miami.

Reportedly, he did not ask to be paid for the appearance.

Sanders, a former All-American cornerback, is the fifth Seminole player to have his number retired. The others are receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Ron Sellers, defensive lineman Ron Simmons and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Charlie Ward.

Looking back, Florida State was one of Deion’s longest stints as a player. Since turning pro, Sanders has played for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and, soon, the Dallas Cowboys.

BAD DAY FOR THE BUBBAS

Expect Vice President Al Gore to be dispatched immediately to an overseas funeral for a foreign dignitary after his Tennessee Volunteers had the gall to whip President Clinton’s Arkansas Razorbacks, 49-31, at Fayetteville.

WHAT SOPHOMORE JINX?

Iowa State’s Troy Davis, leading the nation with a 228-yard rushing average, managed only 89 yards in 21 carries against Oklahoma’s defense, ranked No. 1 nationally against the run. However, that was enough to make him the sixth back and first sophomore in major-college history to run for 1,000 yards in five games. He now has 1,001.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Setting the NCAA record for consecutive losses last week was apparently not enough for Prairie View A&M;, which lost its 52nd consecutive game Saturday, 48-12, against Langston of the NAIA.

Prairie View, a Division 1-AA school that plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, set the record for consecutive losses last week with a 64-0 setback against Grambling State.

Upcoming losses on the Prairie View schedule include Alcorn State, Alabama State, Mississippi State, Midwestern State and Jackson State.

Other notable streaks:

--Syracuse defeated Temple for the 10th consecutive time, extending the Owls’ losing streak to 13 games, longest in Division I-A.

--LSU lost its eighth consecutive game to Florida, 28-10.

--Houston lost its 10th consecutive game, 31-21, to TCU.

--Iowa State lost its 17th consecutive home game to Oklahoma, 39-26.

A TOUGH BLOW FOR BUFFALOES

The most noteworthy injury of the day was to Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer, who will undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and be sidelined the remainder of the season.

Detmer, who entered Saturday’s 40-24 loss to Kansas as the No. 1-rated passer in the country, played in portions of both halves with a brace on his injured knee, but he had to leave the game twice after reinjuring himself.

Detmer originally was injured two weeks ago against Texas A&M.;

POPE AT GREENWICH VILLAGE

Notre Dame fans in New York did not see most of the first half of the Fighting Irish’s 29-21 victory at Washington because the local ABC affiliate pre-empted coverage to show the Pope’s visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

NOTEWORTHY

Minnesota’s Chris Darkins set a school record by rushing for 294 yards in the Gophers’ 39-38 victory over Purdue. He also scored three touchdowns, all in the second half. . . . Sedrick Shaw gained 250 yards and scored a touchdown in Iowa’s 21-7 victory over Michigan State. . . . Peyton Manning of Tennessee went 35 for 46 for 384 yards and four touchdowns as the Volunteers outlasted Arkansas, 49-31. . . . Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying completed 24 of 35 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-25 victory over Penn State.

Michigan’s Tim Biakabutuka rushed for a career-high 205 yards in 34 carries in a 19-13 loss to Northwestern. . . . Butler’s Arnold Mickens rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-42 loss to Valparaiso.

QUOTEWORTHY

Kansas Coach Glen Mason, after his team’s 40-24 upset victory over Colorado:

“It’s only an upset if you think you’re a lesser team. I told our kids we were going to win it.”

Washington punter John Wales, on his botched punt that gave Notre Dame the ball at the Huskie 20-yard line:

“I was just thinking about the kick before I caught the snap and suddenly I turned all thumbs out there.”

Doris Robinson, wife of Grambling State Coach Eddie Robinson, on what her husband has done with all the awards he’s collected through the years:

“They’re everywhere -- under the beds, in the closets, even in the bathroom closet.”

--Compiled by Bob Cuomo, Chris Dufresne and Emilio Garcia-Ruiz.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TOP PERFORMERS

PASSING

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Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD CLEMENTS, Houston 35 48 401 3 MANNING, Tennessee 35 46 384 4 MAXWELL, Nevada 21 28 359 4 FOUTS, Utah 25 46 357 3 HOYING, Ohio St. 24 35 354 3 LEDBETTER, New Mexico St. 16 32 341 5 BLANTON, San Diego St. 26 41 297 2 RAYBORN, UTEP 20 30 288 5 DAVIS, Washington St. 21 28 274 3

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RUSHING

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Player Carries Yards TD DARKINS, Minnesota 38 294 3 SHAW, Iowa 42 250 1 TALLEY, No. Illinois 25 214 2 BIAKABUTUKA, Michigan 34 205 0 KING, Miami, Ohio 20 192 2 SHEHEE, Washington 32 191 2 WILLIAMS, Georgia Tech 35 185 2 DUNN, Florida St. 20 184 1 DAVIS, TCU 28 166 3

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RECEIVING

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Player No. Yards TD KENT, Tennessee 13 161 2 MOULDS, Mississippi St. 10 95 1 GLENN, Ohio St. 9 175 2 DYSON, Utah 9 118 1 VAN DYKE, Nevada 8 154 1 JAMES, Houston 8 132 2 WEST, Houston 8 124 1 MAYES, Notre Dame 7 132 2 DAVIS, South Carolina 7 109 3

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