Penn St. Bomb Wrecks LSU, 16-9

MIAMI -- Penn State used a sensational touchdown catch by Chuck Herd and a long punt return by Gary Hayman to defeat Louisiana State, 16-9, Tuesday night in the Orange Bowl game. Herd, a 197-pound flanker, hauled in a 72-yard scoring bomb from Tom Shuman in the second period and Hayman returned a punt 36 yards to start a 26-yard scoring drive that gave the Nittany Lions their winning margin. John Cappelletti, Penn State's Heisman Trophy winner, was shackled throughout the night by a swarming LSU defense, but he did get the winning touchdown on a 1-yard plunge with 2:19 left in the half to give Penn State a 16-7 halftime lead. Cappelletti, who sprained an ankle Wednesday and hadn't engaged in any contact work since, said the footing on the wet Orange Bowl Poly Turf was the worst he'd ever seen. But he said he wasn't using the ankle or the artificial turf as an excuse, noting that LSU's linebackers closed every hole. It was the 12th straight victory for the Lions and third loss in a row for LSU, which finished with a 9-3 record.

Penn State saw several other scoring opportunities go astray when the smaller Tigers forced some critical errors. Chris Bahr, the Lions' ace kicker who also plays soccer, booted an Orange Bowl-record 44-yard field goal in the opening period, but then failed on two attempts in the second half, one from 38 yards away and the other 52. Cappelletti, flashing his Heisman credentials only rarely, did break loose on a 40-yard run to the LSU 22 on a screen pass, but he managed to gain only 50 yards in 26 carries. LSU, which had knocked three teams from the undefeated ranks in bowl competition during the last 12 seasons, opened as if it intended to do it again. The Tigers got a 16-yard, game-opening kickoff return from freshman Robert Dow and then crunched out a 51-yard touchdown drive, capped by Steve Rogers' 3-yard plunge after 3:57 had elapsed. The drive featured the running of Brad Davis, who gained 39 yards in five trips.

LSU's only other score came early in the third period when Mark Markovich's center snap sailed over the outstretched hands of Penn State punter Brian Masella, who retreated to the end zone and slipped after picking up the ball for the safety. "It was just a lack of concentration, a poor snap," said Markovich, who plays guard but handles the snaps for punts and placements. "It was wet out there, but I kept wiping my hands off." The Lions bunched their scoring within a 15-minute span. Bahr opened it with his 44-yard field goal with 1:25 left in the opening period. Shortly afterward, Penn State's Dave Graf blocked Juan Roca's 54-yard field goal attempt and the Lions recovered on LSU's 35. But Penn State wasted the scoring opportunity on the next play when Shuman's 35-yard pass to Herd was ruled incomplete, the officials saying he'd caught the hall one step out of the end zone. On the next play, a holding penalty pushed Penn State out of field goal range and the Lions subse-quently had to punt.

Hayman appeared to have scored on a 73-yard punt return early in the second period but it was ruled he was downed on a slip where he caught the ball. However, it really didn't matter. Two plays later Shuman lofted a long pass down the center to Herd, who made a one-handed catch at the LSU 35 and went the rest of the way untouched. Herd said he was as surprised as anyone that he caught the ball. "I thought it was out of reach," said the 201-pound senior. "It hit my left hand and I cradled it. I just ran straight down and tried to get to the inside. He (defensive back Dale Cangelosi) was close to me." Penn State built its lead on its next posession when Hayman scampered 36 yards on a punt return to the Tiger 26. It took the Lions nine plays to score, Cappelletti going over on a 1-yard plunge. The LSU defense was obviously keying on Penn State's leading rusher, who had averaged 138.3 yards through the regular season.

LSU's Mike Miley connected on four passes for 23 yards to Davis, fired a 13-yarder to Ben Jones and raced 18 yards on a keeper as LSU fought the clock on a drive from its 20 to the Penn State 5 as time expired in the first half. Penn State staged two threats in the second half, reaching the LSU 31 where Shuman was sacked for a 12-yard loss by Ron Daily and later moving to the Tiger 21, mainly on Cappelletti's 40-yard sprint with a screen pass. But that drive ended on Bahr's missed 38-yard field goal try. LSU threatened only once in the fourth quarter but it went astray on a fourth-and-three gamble at the Penn State 27 when Doug Allen nailed Davis for a 4-yard loss. The victory left Penn State unbeaten in the Orange Bowl, having edged Kansas, 15-14, in 1969 and Missouri, 10-3, in 1970.

[source: ap]