Wednesday, August, 17, 1988/The Battalion/Page 9
49ers, Saints should pace NFC West
USC-UCLA winner
should pick roses
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rod
ney Peete vs. Troy Aikman,
Southern Cal vs. UCLA.
The battle of Los Angeles
could decide the Pacific-10 Con
ference football championship
for the second straight season.
The two teams will battle for
city supremacy Nov. 19 at the
Rose Bowl, and one of them
could return to Pasadena Jan. 2
to face the Big Ten champion.
Peete and Aikman, both se
niors, are two of the best quar
terbacks in the country.
In his first season at UCLA af
ter transfering from Oklahoma,
Aikman completed 159 of 243
passes for 2,354 yards and 16
touchdowns during the regular
season to rank second in the na
tion in passing efficiency.
Peete was ranked fourth in the
country after completing 175 of
291 passes for 2,460 yards and 19
touchdowns.
UCLA and Southern Cal tied
for the Pac-10 title at 7-1, but it
was Southern Cal that went to the
Rose Bowl after upsetting the
Bruins 17-13.
Michigan State beat the Tro
jans 20-17, the Pac-lO’s only loss
in four bowls. Southern Cal fin
ished 8-4.
Peete, who holds 12 school re
cords, returns for his fourth sea
son.
UCLA, 10-2, beat Florida in
the Aloha Bowl. The school re
turns only 10 starters, the fewest
in the Pac-10. The Bruins also
have a chance at setting a national
record if they can win a seventh
straight bowl game.
Peete and Aikman are two of
nine starting quarterbacks return
ing in the Pac-10. Erik Wilhelm of
Oregon State, Troy Taylor of
California and Timm Rosenbach
of Washington State also threw
for more than 2,000 yards in
1987.
Washington lost starting quar
terback Chris Chandler to the
NFL Indianapolis Colts, but the
Huskies think they have a strong
replacement in junior Cary Conk
lin. Conklin had planned to red-
shirt last season, but had to play
when Chandler got hurt.
The Huskies have been to nine
consecutive bowls, including last
year’s Independence Bowl, where
they beat Tulane 24-12.
But the last three seasons have
been disappointing for Coach
Don James, as the Huskies went
7-5, 8-3-1 and 7-4-1 when they
were supposed to be Rose Bowl
contenders. Washington was 4-3-
1 in the Pac-10 last season.
With three league victories,
James, 55, will break former
Southern Cal Coach John McK
ay’s conference record of 70 vic
tories. James is 133-62-3 overall
in 13 seasons at Washington.
The Oregon Ducks enter the
season with most of their big guns
back from last season’s 6-5 cam-
A second-straight upper-divi
sion finish is predicted for Ore
gon, which finished tied for fifth
with Stanford at 4-4 after beating
Washington and Southern Cal in
the same year for the first time
since 1971.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The
San Francisco 49ers and New Or
leans Saints lost only five regular-
season games between them last sea
son, but they share an ironic destiny
this year:
Both may be better but wind up
with worse records.
The 49ers were 13-2 last year and
the Saints 12-3. But both were
soundly beaten by Minnesota in
their first playoff games and enter
this season with schedules that by
themselves could drag them down.
They should still lead the division.
But the Los Angeles Rams, who
faded to 6-9 last season could sur
prise if they get quick help from
their ' rookies, particularly running
back Gaston Green and wide re
ceiver Aaron Cox. Atlanta will still
trail.
San Francisco is still haunted by its
36-24 playoff loss to Minnesota and
also faces a killer schedule the first
half of the season with several new
players in a lineup that showed its
age against the Vikings.
The 49ers open on the road at
New Orleans and the New York Gi
ants. Before October is over, they
will have played Denver and Minne
sota at home and the Rams and Chi
cago on the road.
The 49ers won Super Bowls in the
1981 and 1984 seasons and have
captured five division titles in the
last seven years, but for the third
year in a row' they lost their first
playoff game decisively last season.
“I don’t think we have any real se
vere weaknesses,” says Coach Bill
Walsh. “More likely, we’re good in
some areas, but maybe not great.
What we have to do is find w'hat it
takes to make that last difference to
take us to the championship, and
we’re hoping we can do that this
year.”
Walsh expects quarterbacks Joe
Montana and Steve Young and re
ceiver Jerry Rice to repeat their
spectacular play of last year. They
will be augmented by receivers Do-
kie Williams and Wes Chandler, ac
quired from the Raiders and Charg
ers in trades.
Montana has looked as strong in
preseason as he did last year when
he threw for 3,054 yards and 31
touchdowns. In one stretch, he com
pleted 22 consecutive passes against
Cleveland and Green Bay.
Young played superbly as a
backup, throwing 10 touchdown
passes and running for 190 yards
while starting three of the eight
games he appeared in. Montana will
open as the starter, but Walsh says
Young will play a prominent role.
Rookies Danny Stubbs at de
fensive end and Bill Romanowski at
linebacker should bolster a pass rush
with with lighter, quicker Michael
Carter at noseguard and Charles
he was sorry to see Guerrero leave
the Dodgers.
“All of us in the Dodgers organi
zation wish Pete Guerrero the very
best with the Cardinals,” Claire said.
“Pete has been a member of the
Dodgers organization for 15 years
and he has established himself as
one of the outstanding hitters in
baseball.”
Claire said Tudor would be a vital
addition as the Dodgers fight to stay
in first nlace in the National League
Haley moved to strongside line
backer.
Cornerbacks Tim McKyer and
Don Griffin held out for a month
but give the 49ers one of the best
pairings in the game.
The big star last year was Rice, the
league’s offensive player of the year.
He set a team record with a league
leading 138 points, including an
NFL record 22 touchdown catches
and one TD run in just 12 games.
He also set an NFL record by catch
ing TD passes in 13 consecutive
games.
With Williams and Chandler tak
ing some of the pressure off Rice
could be even better. Roger Craig,
lighter and quicker, is the key to the
running game.
After its first winning season ever,
that gaudy 12-3, New Orleans was
shocked by Minnesota 44-10 in the
NFC wild-card game.
The Saints should be strong again
under Coach Jim Mora. But their
schedule problems come in the sec-
West with left-hander Fernando Va
lenzuela on the disabled list.
Tudor said he was sad to leave St.
Louis.
“No matter what happens in LA,
the fans here have been the great
est,” he said. “It’s been almost four
years for me here and this has been a
fun place to play. The town is great,
the fans are great and Whitey’s been
great. I’m going to miss them.”
In announcing the deal, St. Louis
general manager Dal Maxvill said
Guerrero agreed to a three-year
ond half, when they they face the
Rams twice v Washington, Denver,
the Giants, Minnesota and San Fran
cisco.
Ruben Mayes, who led the Saints
last year with 917 yards rushing, had
off-season surgery on his left knee
and has been brought along slowly.
If he can regain his form, the
Saints’ running game, which aver
aged 146 yards in 1987, should be
even stronger with the addition of
top draft pick Craig Heyward, a 260-
pound fullback with good hands.
Quarterback Bobby Hebert is
coming off his first full season as an
NFL starter and has shown maturity
and confidence this summer. Hebert
has a good, accurate arm and could
blossom this year.
Late last year, teams loaded up
the defensive front and dared New
Orleans to go deep, knowing there
wasn’t enough speed to burn them.
But Brett Perriman, of Miami, the
No. 2 draft choice, could change
that.
contract worth $6.2 million through
the 1991 season.
Maxvill said the Cardinals parted
with Tudor because they needed,
and had the opportunity to get, an
“everyday player with outstanding
run-producing potential.”
The Cardinals lineup has lacked
potency ever since Jack Clark bolted
to the New York Yankees as a free
agent in the off-season.
Herzog said Guerrero would play
first base, a position that has seen a
cast of characters come and go. He
will hit third or fourth, Herzog said.
paign.
Trade
(Continued from page 8)
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