The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 03, 1979, Image 8

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    Page 8 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1979
the sports
David
Boggan
Sports Editor
The Fiesta Bowl
was a real turkey
College bowl games are kind of like a Christmas turkey. They are
great at first but all too soon they take on the appearance of leftovers.
Perhaps if the games were spread out over a longer period of time
instead of bunched up in a few weeks, they could be truly enjoyed by
all. But just as football fans have had their second helpings of post
season bowls, along comes another game looking like a big turkey
sandwich.
I think the people in charge of the television networks realize that
most of their viewers’ football appetites do eventually reach a satura
tion point. Gimmicks are created to present each bowl game as a new
and unique experience for the viewing public.
For example, the Orange Bowl was slated as the big rematch be
tween Oklahoma and Nebraska, the Sugar Bowl was played to decide
the national championship and the Rose Bowl, of course, was “the
granddaddy of them all.”
AND THEN THERE WAS THE FIESTA BOWL, featuring Ar
kansas and UCLA on Christmas Day. Looking for a unique presenta
tion angle in this game, the people from NBC took their technology
and microphones to the sidelines. They had more people wired for
sound than Watergate.
Arkansas head coach Lou Holtz had a wireless microphone at
tached to his sweater. This allowed NBC to broadcast the Razorbacks’
offensive plays as Holtz called them from the sideline. Then, NBC’s
Curt Gowdy interpreted Holtz’s calls in the booth and everyone
watching from coast to coast knew what the Hogs were going to do
next even before Arkansas quarterback Ron Calcagni found out. This
got old after a while, but anything to help Curt with the play-by-play,
right?
Meanwhile, on the UCLA sideline NBC’s Mike Haffner periodi
cally interviewed Bruin head coach Terry Donahue during the course
of the game.
Sorry, NBC, but that was a no-no. Donahue had a job to do —
coach a football team, not answer a reporter’s questions. No,
Donahue did not have to consent to do the interviews, but did you
have to ask in the first place?
Fortunately Donahue did not seem too distracted by Haffner and
his microphone. But, just imagine, things could have been a little
different in Sun Devil Stadium on that Christmas afternoon:
“OK, CURT, I’M DOWN HERE with UCLA head coach Terry
Donahue,’’ Haffner says into the microphone halfway through the
first quarter. “Coach, Arkansas looked pretty tough on their last of
fensive series.”
“Well yes, Mike, Donahue answers. “Calcagni is doing a fine job
of leading their offense. And of course, Ben Cowins is always a threat
on the ground. We re just going to have to play tough defense and
prove that we want to win this ball game.”
“Coach, I noticed that you started Steve Bukich at quarterback
instead of you regular starter, Rick Bashore, ’ Haffner says. “Any
particular reason why?”
“How do you spell Bukich," interrupts a wire service reporter who
demanded equal time on the sideline.
“B-U-K-I-C-H,” replies Donahue, who is starting to get a bit flus
tered. “There are many reasons for starting Steve. He’s a five-year
player and I felt I ov/ed it to him. Hey, what’s all the yelling about?”
“NOTHING COACH,” HAFFNER ANSWERS. “I think Bukich
just fumbled and the Razorbacks recovered the ball. Now, Coach,
aren’t you feeling a little sorry that you started Bukich?”
“Just a minute. I’ve got to instruct my defense, the Bruin coach
says, turning to one of his linebackers. “OK, let’s gamble with a safety
blitz on first down. I want you to ...”
“Hey, hang on just a second. Coach,” the NBC reporter interrupts.
“I’m not sure a blitz is wise in this situation. What do you think.
Curt?”
“Indeed, it is not wise at all, Mike, Gowdy says from the press
box. “Holtz just called a play in Arkansas’ 80 series and that is their
passing series. I think you better keep that safety back there. What do
you think, John Brodie?”
“Yes, Curt that sounds like a good idea,” says the former San
Francisco 49ers quarterback, his voice characteristically cracking up
an octive. “And, Mike, you might even try double coverage on
Robert Farrell. He can be dangerous.”
“Will do, John,” Haffner answers from the field. “Excuse me,
Coach. You’re standing on my mike cord. All right, Holtz has called a
pass. Let’s put double coverage on Farrell. Here we go.
“OH, TOO BAD, COACH. Calcagni flipped a little pass out to
Cowins who came out of the backfield and he took it in for the
touchdown. You know, a little pressure from a safety blitz might have
been effective on that play. Oh well, someone had to score first.”
“You sorry (bleep)! Get the (bleep) out of here!” screams Donahue
as he lunges at the reporter.
“Does this mean our live reports from the locker room at halftime
are off. Coach?” Haffner asks. “Uh, back up to you. Curt.”
“OK, thank you, Mike,” Gowdy says. “Folks, be sure to stay tuned
at halftime when we will have the UCLA drum major wired for sound
to catch every cadence and countermarch of the band’s perfor
mance. ”
“Peanuts! Popcorn! Candy!” yells a concessions vendor who has a
special microphone attached to his T-shirt.
Coogs celebrated‘too earl)
United Press International
DALLAS — For both the Notre
Dame Fighting Irish and the Hous
ton Cougars, the Cotton Bowl on
New Year’s Day came down to one
play each, and it all happened in a
span of 40 seconds.
After the sudden finish of a long
game made longer by bitter cold
and wind, the players for both teams
were muted by the shock of it while
walking up the long ramp from the
playing field to the dressing rooms.
Neither the Notre Dame players,
with a few whoops here and there,
nor the Houston Cougars, with a
few obscenities here and there,
really realized what had happened.
“A good game, Emmett,” Notre
Dame defensive end Jay Case yelled
at Houston running back Emmett
King coming up the ramp.
King said thanks and started to
smile, but then remembered Hous-
Oilers declare
war on Steelers
United Press International
HOUSTON — The Houston Oil
ers figure they already have won
enough battles and now they’re
looking forward to winning the war.
The Oilers recorded their second
straight playoff upset Sunday when
they blitzed the New England Pat
riots 31-14 to move into their first
AFC title game Sunday against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The win fol
lowed a 17-9 upset over the Miami
Dolphins a week earlier.
“It’s going to be a knockdown,
drag-out affair,” Oilers coach Bum
Phillips said of the Pittsburgh game.
“We re going to sever diplomatic re
lations with them. That’s what you
do when you declare war, isn’t it?”
Pittsburgh and Houston split
their two regular season games,
with each team winning on the road.
Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini,
who threw for three touchdowns in
the win over New England, said he
was eager for the rubber match.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath,” he
said. “It’s going to be rugged and
very physical. I just hope we 11 have
enough survivors to make it to the
Super Bowl if we win.
Pastorini again donned his
bullet-proof flak jacket Sunday to
protect broken ribs.
“I may wear a flak jacket all over
my body for the Pittsburgh game,”
he said. “We’ve been playing with
our backs against the wall all season.
I hope we re the underdogs again.”
The Oilers checked New En
gland’s league-leading ground
game, holding Patriots runners to a
mere 83 yards. Houston noseguard
Curley Culp said he’s hoping for
similar success against the
Pittsburgh ground attack.
“Our job up front is always tough
and Pittsburgh is always tough, but
we pride ourselves on being able to
stop the run. They have the home-
field advantage and that’s great for
the team and the fans. But once the
whistle blows, they’ve got to play
football and everything evens out,”
Culp said.
Earl Campbell, the NFL rushing
champion, gained 118 yards pn 27
carries and scored a late touchdown
to seal the victory over the Patriots.
But the modest rookie downplayed
his importance in the victory.
“The reason for my success is that
my teammates have accepted me
and tried to help me out,” Campbell
said. “Next week will be a bigger
thrill than winning the Heisman
Trophy if everything goes all right.
Every week seems to be the same
— just more pressure.”
Rams want to hush critics
with victory in Super Bowl
United Press International
LOS ANGELES — In Pat Ha-
den’s opinion, the Los Angeles
Rams won’t be able to silence their
critics until they win the Super
Bowl.
Even a win over the Dallas Cow
boys in the NFC title game next
weekend won’t do it, he adds.
Haden, who threw for a pair of
touchdown passes in a 34-10 playoff
victory over the Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, has been under fire —
along with his teammates — this
season despite the Rams’ 12-4 regu
lar season record. The critics have
noted the Rams past playoff failures
and have harped that Haden, at
5-foot-ll, is too small to play quar
terback in the NFL.
“Well have our critics until we
win the Super Bowl,” said the
third-year pro from University of
Southern California. “They’ll never
be silenced until then. And then
maybe for only a year.”
Haden outperformed Fran Tar-
kenton, the Vikings’ 38-year-old
record-setting veteran, in Sunday’s
game. He completed 15 of 29 passes
for 209 yards and had one pass in
tercepted while Tarkenton was 18
for 37 for 219 yards with two inter
ceptions.
The Rams will host the Cowboys
next Sunday. Dallas, the defending
Super Bowl champion, also was 12-4
during the regular season, the Rams
USC named
number one
United Press International
NEW YORK — The United Press
International Board of Coaches final
top 20 college football ratings for
1978, with first-place votes and
won-lost records in parentheses:
Team Points 1. So. Calif.(15)(12-1)
496 2. Alabama (15) (11-1) 491 3.
Oklahoma (5) (11-1) 467 4. Penn
State (11-1) 424 5. Michigan (10-2)
330 6. (tie) Clemson (11-1) 285 6.
Notre Dame (9-3) 285 8. Nebraska
(9-3) 223 9. Texas (9-3) 200 10. Ar
kansas (9-2-1) 199 11. Houston (9-3)
14512. UCLA (8-3-1) 10613. Purdue
(9-2-1) 97 14. Missouri (8-4) 92 15.
Georgia (9-2-1) 61 16. Stanford (8-4)
59 17. Navy (9-3) 23 18. Texas A&M
(8-4) 21 19. (tie) Ariz. St. (9-3) 16 19.
No. Carolina St (9-3) 16.
Note: By agreement with the
American Football Coaches Associa
tion, teams on probation by the
NCAA are ineligible for top 20 and
national championship consideration
by the UPI Board of Coaches. Those
teams on probation were: Michigan
State, Oklahoma State and Grambl-
ing.
Now you know
United Press International
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ton lost in the last second and his
face turned grim — not unfriendly,
just grim.
Ten minutes later, however, they
had all figured it out.
Notre Dame quarterback Joe
Montana, the game’s most valuable
offensive player, had thrown 8 yards
to split end Kris Haines for the
touchdown that won the game as
time expired. Houston quarterback
Danny Davis, ending his career,
and King discussed the 1 foot they
could not pickup that would have
saved the game.
Montana, who failed to start the
second half because of an illness
made worse by the 20-degree
weather, re-entered late in the
game and directed the Irish com
eback from a 34-12 deficit in the
final 7!4 minutes.
Steve Cichy returned a blocked
punt 33 yards for a touchdown,
Montana ran 2 yards for a
touchdown and hit Vegas Ferguson
for two points.
After a Houston possession,
Notre Dame moved toward the
winning touchdown but Montana
fumbled. The Irish defense held and
that set up those last 40 seconds.
Houston’s Jay Wyatt punted only
21 yards against the 30 mph wind,
but Notre Dame was offsides. The
5-yard penalty moved the ball to
within a foot of a first down.
“I don’t think anybody on the
squad wanted to punt," Houston
Coach Bill Yeoman said.
“The offense felt like it could
make that first down, Davis said.
Davis handed off to King, who
bounced off the left side of the Irish
line for no gain.
Notre Dame, given a 36-second
reprieve, struck quickly. Montana
drove them to the 8. With six sec
onds left, Haines ran a quick out in
the end zone. Montana’s pass was
short and the clock stopped at two
seconds.
“Joe asked me ifl could beat him
(the defensive back) again, Haines
72 No
3 ag es
said. "And I said ‘yes. Ik
and said, “let’s do it and !
Irish kicker Joe Unis I#
extra point, but the team.
for illegal procedure. Their
again with the score tied
"I just tried to putallth
ing, yelling and jumpingai
of my mind. Unis said,
think of basics. Keep;;
down and kick it. 1 didntl|
to think about beingnerv fc
kicker fantasizes about/C^ ▼ ^
games like this.” ji United
And that suddenly it SHINGTt
“They told us Joe was r the civi
back in the second halfpited Stat<
thought it (the game)™ the shah a
Irish center Dave HufFnJtne count
we’ve learned over thesed Tuesd
years that it’s never Over y Psaid th;
Davis said it dilTerei;ioiled to 1
thing can happen in foolunf who tal
guess an\thing happened Iran. His h
“I’d say our minds goi lc0,nm ital
us, King said. "We stii^g or stayii
rating too early.” ^^ew insti
to
defeated the Cowboys 27-14 in
Texas Sept. 17.
“I think our chances are good
against the Cowboys, Haden con
tended. “We get to play them at
home and that is a big plus. If we get
the kind of crowd support we got
against Minnesota plus the execu
tion we got against Minnesota, I
think we re going to be awful tough
to beat.
“I think we re playing awfully
well right now, too. We have in our
last two games (the Rams wound up
the regular season with a 31-14 win
over Green Bay at Los Angeles Dec.
17). The offense has finally come
around and the defense is playing
superbly again.”
Quarterback Roger Staubach suf
fered a concussion in the first half of
the Cowboys’ playoff win at home
Saturday against Dallas and Danny
White came off the bench to lead
last season’s Super Bowl titlists to
27-20 victory. Staubach, who was
knocked out with Atlanta leading
20-13, is expected to play against
the Rams.
“I’d love to see White,” Haden
admitted candidly. “It’s.not that he s
not a good quarterback because he
is. But Staubach can make a big, big
difference in a game because he’s
been there so many times before.”
Despite six straight NFC West
championships, the Rams have
never made it to the Super Bowl.
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On Dec. 20 the Texas Aggies defeated the here playing Arkansas, rushed for a is tei
Iowa State Cyclones 28-12 in the Second An- 276 yards, a new career high for the ed that as
nual Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. from Bryan. aivertheh
Texas A&M running back Curtis Dickey, seen Battalion photo by Patk iebate.
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