COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Government offices may be closed while President Clinton battles the Senate and the House over balancing the federal budget, but some things simply can’t be stopped--like football.

The service academies that had home games Saturday anticipated no problems related to the government shutdown.

“Football goes on as planned,” said Maj. Jay Ebbeson, public affairs spokesman at West Point. “Those that are being affected will be sorely missed. But other soldiers will be there to help carry on. . . . We’re going to have a slight impact, but the vast majority of football operations are paid for by non-appropriated funds.”

Navy said it wouldn’t be affected at all because football operations are totally privatized. Air Force, however, lost five of eight staffers in its sports information department and had to recruit helpers for its game against Notre Dame. The Western Athletic Conference and Colorado State supplied volunteers.

BUT ARE THEY SITTING PRETTY?

Virginia Tech has won a school-record nine consecutive games and is 6-1 in conference play, but that may not be enough for the Hokies to earn a trip to a major bowl.

The winner of next week’s Syracuse-Miami game will tie Virginia Tech for the Big East championship. Coalition bowls can pick whichever Big East winner they want, and, despite their success, the Hokies are not considered as attractive a draw nationally as Syracuse or Miami.

Coach Frank Beamer, obviously, thinks his team should get a bowl bid.

“We’re getting prettier all the time,” said Beamer, whose team has beaten Miami and Syracuse. “Some programs have been there [to major bowls]. This is a program that’s going there.”

Sugar and Orange Bowl officials attended the game at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

THOSE WILDCATS JUST KEEP ROLLING

Need any further proof that the Wildcats of Northwestern are living a charmed life?

They lost their leading tackler, Pat Fitzgerald, to a broken leg last week, but still managed to play a superb defensive game in beating Purdue, 23-8, at West Lafayette, Ind.

Don Holmes, who started in place of Fitzgerald, had a team-leading 12 tackles, and Northwestern’s defense came up with two scoring plays.

“They all played at a higher level,” Coach Gary Barnett said of his defense’s reaction to losing Fitzgerald, who watched the game on crutches along the sideline.

“Holmes did a good job. It’s a defensive team. That’s how we played all year.”

MAMA SAID THERE’D BE DAYS LIKE THIS

Arkansas Coach Danny Ford knew early that it wasn’t going to be his day at Baton Rouge, La.

In the first half, LSU kept the football for almost 20 minutes, outgaining Arkansas 236 yards to 21. The Razorbacks finished with only 144 yards and a 28-0 loss, their worst since a 47-0 shutout by Rice in 1953.

“They controlled the tempo of the hitting and the tempo of the football game from play one,” Ford said. “I wish I would have called a timeout before we ever got off the bus.”

THEY CAN ALMOST SMELL THE ROSES

Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying had a memorable day against Indiana, but he probably won’t recall much of it.

Hoying passed for two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 42-3 rout of Indiana at Columbus, Ohio, but left the game because of a mild concussion. Hoying, who completed 12 of 17 passes for 203 yards in his final game at Ohio Stadium, was hit by Indiana outside linebacker Jabar Robinson in the third quarter and lay motionless on the field for two minutes. He managed to walk off the field with help.

Hoying is expected to be available for next week’s game against Michigan at Ann Arbor. A victory by the Buckeyes would send them to the Rose Bowl.

“I remember everything up to when I flipped the ball to Rickey [Dudley],” Hoying said. “They said I was out for a while. But I don’t think I really was. Right now I just have a little headache.”

The Buckeyes hope they won’t have a big headache next week.

BOWLING FOR DOLLARS

The bowl picture is still muddled, but here’s a look at what has been settled. A quiz will follow.

Big West champion Nevada will face Toledo, the Mid-American champion, in the Las Vegas Bowl; East Carolina will play in the Liberty Bowl; UCLA will likely say aloha to Oklahoma or Oklahoma State in the Aloha Bowl; Washington will face Michigan State or Iowa in the Sun Bowl; Colorado will meet Oregon in the Cotton Bowl, and USC will face Ohio State or Northwestern in the Rose Bowl.

SILENCE CAN BE GOLDEN

Flu did something no opponent had ever done: It silenced Penn State Coach Joe Paterno.

The Nittany Lions defeated Michigan, 27-17, but Paterno lost his battle with a flu bug. For the first time anyone could remember, Paterno was quiet during a game, although he gestured even more wildly than usual. He started the game speaking hoarsely, but by the end couldn’t utter a word.

“It was kind of weird not hearing his voice screaming and yelling,” tailback Stephen Pitts said.

NO HARM, NO FOUL

Oklahoma linebacker Broderick Simpson denied reports he and offensive coordinator Gary Nord got into a fight after the Sooners’ loss to Oklahoma State last weekend.

Nord and Coach Howard Schnellenberger said tempers flared, but denied that Nord ever threw a punch.

“If you love the game as much as I do, you’re going to be upset after any loss,” Simpson said in a statement. “But I never had any physical contact with coach Nord after the game and he never had any with me.”

HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS A HOCKEY GAME?

Virginia Athletic Director Terry Holland said he will investigate reports that trainer Joe Gieck tried to trip a Virginia Tech player who scored a touchdown on the last play of the Hokies’ 36-29 victory.

ESPN and CNN showed replays of the final play, a 65-yard interception return by Antonio Banks that sealed the victory. The tapes appeared to show Gieck sticking out his left leg as Banks ran down the sideline in front of the Cavaliers’ bench.

Gieck said he didn’t try to trip Banks.

“If I really wanted to, I would have gone out there and gotten him,” Gieck said. “I thought about tackling him [but] I’m not going to break my leg.”

THIS ONE LASTED LONGER THAN TYSON-MCNEELEY

Florida linebacker Ben Hanks might miss the first half of next weekend’s game against Florida State after being ejected for fighting in a 38-7 victory over Vanderbilt.

Hanks scuffed with Vanderbilt receiver Fred Baker after a running play with about 12 minutes left in the third quarter. Both were ejected and, under Southeastern Conference rules for fighting, neither will be allowed to compete in the first half of their team’s next game.

Hanks is a key player in the Gators’ defense from his “nickelbacker” position. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior had seven tackles and a sack before his ejection.

NOTEWORTHY

Wisconsin quarterback Darrell Bevell completed a school-record 35 passes for 352 yards against Iowa, breaking the mark set by Ron Vander Kelen against USC in the 1963 Rose Bowl. . . . Badger tight end Matt Nyquist caught a school-record 13 passes for 140 yards. The previous record of 11 was shared by Pat Richter, now Wisconsin’s athletic director, Jimmy Jones and Louis Jung. . . . South Carolina quarterback Steve Taneyhill threw his 29th touchdown pass of the season, breaking the Southeastern Conference season record set in 1991 by Florida’s Shane Matthews. . . . With its 42-3 victory over Indiana, Ohio State set a school record for points in a season with 438. . . . Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying set a school record with 2,737 yards passing, breaking Art Schlichter’s record of 2,551, set in 1981. . . . Backup quarterback Chris McCoy set the Navy single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback by gaining 108 yards in the Midshipmen’s 35-7 rout of Tulane at Annapolis, Md. His total of 725 breaks the previous record of 633 by Alton Grizzard in 1989.

Northwestern’s Darnell Autry, who gained a career-high 226 yards in the Wildcats’ 23-8 victory over Purdue, is the only NCAA Division I back to gain 100 yards in every game this season. He has 1,675 rushing yards this season. . . . Fullback Mike Alstott became Purdue’s career rushing leader by gaining 71 yards on 16 carries. His career total of 3,371 yards topped the record of 3,315 set by Otis Armstrong from 1970-72. . . . Only 11,738 showed up at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas to watch Texas Tech defeat SMU, 45-14. . . . Cody Ledbetter passed for a season-high 546 yards and four touchdowns as New Mexico State routed UNLV, 58-34, at Las Vegas. Ledbetter also had season highs in completions (34) and attempts (56). . . . Alex Van Dyke set an NCAA record for most receiving yards in a season, catching 13 passes for 314 yards as Nevada beat San Jose State, 45-28, at Reno. Van Dyke increased his total to 1,874 yards, surpassing the record of 1,779 set in 1965 by Howard Twilley of Tulsa.

QUOTEBOOK

Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, who rallied the Volunteers to a 34-31 victory over Kentucky:

“Coach [Phil Fulmer] told us this would be their bowl game, and to expect a tough fight.” Maryland Coach Mark Duffner, on his strategy in the Terrapins’ 59-17 loss to Florida State:

“We did try to throw the kitchen sink at them with two fake punts and the on-side kick. We went after them with all we had and the players played like crazy.”

--Compiled by Bob Cuomo, Helene Elliott and Emilio Garcia-Ruiz.

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TOP PERFORMERS PASSING

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Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD LEDBETTER, New Mexico St. 34 56 546 4 LaRUE, Wake Forest 50 67 545 3 BENNETT, Nevada 29 46 492 3 MILANOVICH, Maryland 46 62 380 1 BEVEL, Wisconsin 35 51 352 2 KANELL, Florida St. 24 34 346 2 BARNES, California 29 43 334 2 HARVEY, N. Carolina St. 19 22 326 5 MULLINS, Utah St. 21 30 324 2

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RUSHING

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Player Carries Yards TD D. AUTRY, Northwestern 32 226 0 TAIT, Toledo 44 219 3 SHAW, Iowa 41 214 3 SHEHEE, Washington 26 212 3 McPHAIL, East Carolina 26 209 2 HOLCOMBE, Illinois 24 206 1 OLIVO, Missouri 28 201 1 SINGLETON, UTEP 37 199 1 DOUGLAS, Baylor 28 197 2

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RECEIVING*--*

Player No. Yards TD SIMON, Maryland 16 124 0 ESTES, Wake Forest 15 178 3 VAN DYKE, Nevada 13 314 3 NYQUIST, Wisconsin 13 140 1 COOPER, Florida St. 12 182 2 JOHNSON, USC 12 116 0 GONZALEZ, California 10 150 1 MAYES, Oklahoma St. 10 125 2 ALEXANDER, Utah St. 9 243 1

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