COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

PETE CARRIL SURE COULD STOP THEM

Nevada Las Vegas won its first game of the season, halting the nation’s longest losing streak at 12 games with a 44-42 victory over San Diego State. Also, by giving up only 42 points to the Aztecs, the Rebels will probably not be known as the worst defensive team in NCAA history.

Before Saturday’s game, UNLV was giving up 47.8 points per game, only a sliver shy of the NCAA record of 49.5 held by the 1973 Texas El Paso team. If the Rebels gave up 60 points to San Diego State and 60 next week against San Jose State, the record was theirs.

With the current average, UNLV fans have this to think about. Twice in the last five years there a college basketball team (Princeton, 1991 and 1992) that gave up fewer points per game.

A RUSH TO THE TOP

Going into the week, Iowa State’s Troy Davis held a slight lead over Texas Tech’s Byron Hanspard in yards (1,822 to 1,743) and average yards per game (202.4 to 193.6) in the battle for the nation’s rushing lead. But Hanspard outgained Davis 257-134 as both rushed into the record books.

Hanspard became the sixth major-college player to run for 2,000 yards in a season, rushing for 257 yards and four touchdowns in Texas Tech’s 56-21 victory over Southwestern Louisiana.

Davis finished with 138 yards in 34 carries. He ran his total for the last two years to 3,970 yards--the most in consecutive seasons in Division I-A. Marcus Allen had the previous high for two years, running for 3,905 yards at USC in 1980 and 1981.

After 10 games: Hanspard--311 carries, 2,000 yards, 200.0 per game, 6.4 per carry. Davis--354 carries, 1960 yards, 196.0 per game, 5.5 per carry.

AUDIENCES IN MIAMI SAIL AWAY, SAIL AWAY

Remember when the Orange Bowl was the toughest place to play in college football. Remember the smoke from the tunnel as the players came sprinting out, a packed stadium breathing with every pass and every run. Loud music, loud players, loud pants.

Well, today, the Orange Bowl ambience is not unlike an Enya song.

A crowd of only 38,814 watched Virginia Tech defeat Miami for the second year in a row, continuing what has been a poor trend for scalpers in the Miami area. The Hurricanes are averaging only 34,805 for this year’s four home games. In 1995, the average was 38,204, a decline from 60,331.

“A lot of teams come in thinking they have a chance,” safety Tremain Mack said. “They have an attitude that it’s not the way it used to be.”

MAKE IT SHINE, BOYS

North Texas players will celebrate their 24-17 victory over Idaho at Denton, Texas, by returning to the stadium today and cleaning it.

It is punishment for taking about $1,400 worth of towels, blankets and other items two weeks ago from a motel in Provo, Utah. Motel officials discovered the loss in time and confronted team officials at the stadium. The property was taken off the team bus and stacked up in the parking lot of the hotel before the team left after its game with Utah State.

GET YOUR HOT DOGS

Northwestern played its final game in “old” Dyche Stadium as the facility will undergo a $22-million renovation. Among many changes, new bathrooms and concession areas will be built.

“Now our fans will be able to buy hot dogs without mistakenly standing in line for the bathroom,” Coach Gary Barnett said.

A LONG, TOUGH ROAD

It’s been a long and difficult season for Coaches Jim Hess of New Mexico State and Pokey Allen of Boise State, and the two were on opposite sidelines as their teams met Saturday in what ended in a 33-32 Boise State victory.

Hess coached his final game after seven seasons in Las Cruces. He was fired earlier in the week, the fallout from the Aggies’ 1-9 record heading into the Big West Conference finale.

Boise State also is 1-9, but much of the attention during the season has focused on Allen’s ongoing battle against cancer. Allen, who has beaten the disease once before, was diagnosed with it again in August, only days before the opening of preseason practice.

“I feel great and I’m looking forward to coaching another five to 10 years,” said Allen.

New Mexico State couldn’t send Hess out a winner despite going up, 32-27, with only 43 seconds left, as a big kickoff return and a Tony Hilde 22-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Ikebe made Allen a winner.

NOTEWORTHY

Records were broken left and right Saturday. A sampling:

--Marshall’s Randy Moss broke Jerry Rice’s Division I-AA record with a touchdown reception in his 11th consecutive game, leading the Thundering Herd to a 42-17 victory over Furman. In 1984, Rice had 10 consecutive games with a touchdown reception for Mississippi Valley State.

--Jarrett Anderson of Truman State set a Division II rushing record in a 36-7 victory over Southwest Baptist. Anderson rushed for 232 yards to raise his season total to 2,140 yards. The previous record of 2,011 yards was held by Johnny Bailey of Texas A&M-Kingsville; in 1986.

--Marietta’s Dante Brown broke NCAA Division III single-season records for rushing yards as Marietta defeated Muskingum, 30-3. Brown had 205 yards in 36 carries, and finished the season with 2,385 rushing yards in 314 attempts. Carey Bender of Coe College was the previous record holder with 2,243 yards in 1994.

From the big leagues:

--Wyoming’s Marcus Harris set the NCAA Division I record for receiving yards. Harris caught 16 passes for 191 yards and now has 4,400 yards in his career, breaking the old mark of 4,357 set by Wyoming receiver Ryan Yarborough.

--Washington’s Corey Dillon set an NCAA rushing record for a quarter, gaining 222 yards in 16 carries in the first quarter as the Huskies routed San Jose State.

And team honors:

--Sedrick Shaw of Iowa ran for 143 yards and scored three touchdowns, tying Ronnie Harmon as Iowa’s career touchdown leader, as the Hawkeyes beat Wisconsin, 31-0. His last touchdown run, which came on a lateral from quarterback Matt Sherman, gave Shaw 32 touchdowns to tie Harmon (1982-85) with one game left.

--Navy’s Chris McCoy ran a school-record 44 times for 214 yards, scored three touchdowns and passed for two as Navy defeated Tulane, 35-21. McCoy became the fifth player and the first quarterback in Navy history to run for 1,000 yards in a season.

ASK IF SHE’LL SEND SOME COOKIES TOO

North Carolina quarterback Chris Keldorf, from Manhattan Beach and Palomar College in San Marcos, was not loving the temperature in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels faced Virginia and lost, 20-17. Temperatures were in the 50s during the week and dipped into the 40s by game time.

“It hurts outside,” said Keldorf, who claimed he does not have a decent jacket. “I need to call mom at home. This is ridiculous.”

LAST HURRAH AT HOME FOR YALE’S COZZA

Yale Coach Carm Cozza, 66, had his final game at the Yale Bowl after 32 seasons as coach of the Elis, and every one of Cozza’s 32 captains was in attendance as Yale lost to Princeton, 17-13. At the half, members of the school’s marching band shaped themselves into a heart and played “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

“Obviously, it’s been a very hectic week, very emotional. When I saw all my captains there I felt pretty good,” Cozza said.

Cozza’s career doesn’t officially end until next Saturday, when Yale travels to Harvard, but once time runs out, Cozza will walk out of Harvard Stadium as the winningest coach in the history of Yale and the Ivy League. Also, his 32 years as coach of the same school ties him for second among active coaches. Only Grambling’s Eddie Robinson (53) and Eastern Kentucky’s Roy Kidd (32) have lasted as long.

Brian Dowling, one of 13 Cozza players to play in the NFL, remembers how Cozza disappeared just before a preseason practice was about to end on a gruelingly hot summer day.

“The next thing we know, he pulls up on the field with an ice cream truck,” Dowling said. “I can’t remember if he was driving the thing, or riding shotgun. But we all got ice cream. That was the type of thing he would do for us.”

--Compiled by GEORGE DOHRMANN