Fans Don’t Fawn Over Missouri

Despite its heartbreaking loss to then-No. 1 Nebraska before 66,846 at Faurot Field last week, Missouri was still in the hunt for its first bowl appearance in 14 years when it took the field Saturday against Baylor.

Some Missouri fans, however, apparently had some hunting of their own to do.

On Saturday, only 43,825 turned out to see the Tigers beat Baylor, 42-24. The game was played in 31-degree weather accompanied by snow flurries, but school officials blamed the dropoff on the first day of deer-hunting season.

Missouri clinched a bowl berth by finishing the regular season with a 7-4 record. The last time the Tigers had a winning season was in 1983.

EXCITABLE BOY

Pittsburgh quarterback Pete Gonzalez led four scoring drives and passed for two touchdowns during the fourth quarter of a 32-27 loss to No. 21 Syracuse.

The 27-point rally, launched after the Panthers trailed 19-0 at the end of the third quarter, was one of the most exciting in Pittsburgh’s 107-year football history.

Gonzalez certainly felt the effects.

“I’m about to have a heart attack. I need a heart doctor,” Gonzalez said. “This is about to kill me.”

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

James Johnson grew up in Mobile, Ala., but missed a chance to play for Alabama because the Crimson Tide was too deep at tailback.

“When I was a kid, I was a huge Alabama fan, but I had to start thinking like a man when I decided where to go to college,” Johnson said. “When I saw they had three good backs, I thought, ‘Where am I going to fit in?’ ”

Johnson is a perfect fit for Mississippi State. On Saturday, he ran for 198 yards and two long touchdowns in a 32-20 victory over Alabama that left the Crimson Tide winless at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time.

Mississippi State (7-2) logged consecutive wins against Alabama for the first time since 1954-55 and pulled within a half-game of the Southeastern Conference West lead.

Alabama (4-6, 2-5) was assured of its first losing season since 1984. A loss next week against Auburn would give the Crimson Tide its worst record since going 2-7-1 in 1957, the year before Bear Bryant arrived.

“It’s just the same old song,” said first-year Alabama Coach Mike DuBose, whose team gave up 347 rushing yards--the most given up by Alabama since Notre Dame racked up 348 in 1987.

The win came the day after Mississippi State Coach Jackie Sherrill signed a four-year contract extension. He became the second Alabama alumnus to earn a coaching victory at Bryant-Denny this season. Arkansas Coach Danny Ford started the trend with a 17-16 win in September.

KICKING THEMSELVES

Iowa kickers missed four field-goal attempts in the Hawkeyes’ 15-14 Big Ten loss to Northwestern on a snowy, blustery day at Evanston, Ill.

Chad Johnson, a freshman from El Toro High, missed a 50-yard attempt and, with a strong wind at his back, also missed from 47 yards with 2:57 left.

“I was nervous,” Johnson said. “I knew it was a long field goal, but I didn’t know how long because I couldn’t see exactly. I had never kicked a field goal like that in the snow. I’m from California.”

LIKE HALLEY’S COMET?

New Mexico’s 38-28 Western Athletic Conference victory over Brigham Young in Albuquerque, N.M., ended a streak of 16 losses to BYU and was only the second victory by New Mexico in the last 26 games in the series.

Seconds after the final gun, hundreds of fans among the crowd of more than 30,000 stormed the field and toasted one of the biggest wins in school history by tearing down both goalposts.

“I can’t tell you how special this feeling is,” New Mexico Coach Dennis Franchione said. “It’s special for me, but also for everyone in New Mexico and all the players over the last 25 years. You can’t find many people who have witnessed a New Mexico win over Brigham Young.”

HE’S GONE TO NEVER-NEVERLAND

No. 10 Kansas State’s 37-20 Big 12 victory over Colorado was a momentous occasion for the Wildcats. Since 1984, they had been 0-11-1 against Colorado.

“It meant a lot for the simple fact we have never, never, ever beaten Colorado since I’ve been here,” said senior running back Mike Lawrence, who rushed for 68 yards and one touchdown.

Kansas State (9-1) can have its first 10-win regular season since 1910 if it beats Iowa State next Saturday.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Nebraska’s 77-14 Big 12 Conference victory over Iowa State game marked the final appearance at Memorial Stadium for 23 Nebraska seniors who were unbeaten at home during their careers.

The Huskers own a 42-game home winning streak, tying Texas for fifth on the list of consecutive home victories. The Longhorns won 42 games in Austin from 1968-76.

It also marked the sixth straight season Nebraska has gone undefeated at home and extended the Cornhuskers’ Big 12 winning streak to 38 games.

NOTEWORTHY

Craig Young rushed for 218 yards and tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns as Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo defeated Dayton, 44-24, to end the Flyers’ winning streak at 20 games. . . . Corey Cobb intercepted two passes for touchdowns as Austin Peay scored four times on turnovers in the third quarter to beat Tennessee Martin, 36-26.

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THE PLAYMAKERS

RUSHING

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Player, Team No. Yds. TD JONAS LEWIS, San Diego St. 40 253 2 TRAVIS PRENTICE, Miami, Ohio 22 239 4 RICKY WILLIAMS, Texas 26 211 3 AHMAN GREEN, Nebraska 15 209 3 JAMES JOHNSON, Miss. St. 23 198 2 EDGERRIN JAMES, Miami 30 194 2 CURTIS ENIS, Penn St. 37 186 3 FRED TAYLOR, Florida 24 170 3

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PASSING

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Player, Team Att. Comp. Yds. TD JOHN DUTTON, Nevada 52 27 425 0 THAD BUSBY, Florida St. 35 27 390 4 TIM RATTAY, La. Tech 30 16 364 5 BILLY DICKEN, Purdue 60 33 347 2 DAVID GREEN, Duke 27 21 335 4 CADE McNOWN, UCLA 23 16 320 3 DAN O’DELL, San Jose St. 25 14 311 4 JOE HAMILTON, Ga. Tech 30 22 294 2 JAMES BROWN, Texas 34 27 290 1 PETE GONZALEZ, Pittsburgh 37 20 274 2

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RECEIVING

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Player, Team No. Yds. TD COREY THOMAS, Duke 16 276 4 FRED COLEMAN, Washington 10 140 0 ISAAC JONES, Purdue 10 106 1 GEOFF NOISY, Nevada 9 154 0 OLIVER NEWELL, San Jose St. 8 195 3

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