Ohio State Borrows To Pay Back USC, 42-21

Nebraska Pulls Switch...And Wins, 19-3

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]

They're No. 1 In Paterno Poll

MIAMI -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno called a band of Nittany Lions whooping it up in the dressing room New Year's night "my best team." "They're the best balanced outfit I've ever had," said Paterno, who finished his third undefeated season in eight years as a head coach with a 16-9 Orange Bowl victory over Louisiana State. Besides runners such as Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti and defenders such as All-American tackle Randy Crowder, Paterno said, "we've got two wide receivers like we've never had before on one team -- (Gary) Hayman and (Chuck) Herd. They're great."

It was Herd's one-handed stab of quarterback Tom Shuman's bomb in the second period that gave Penn State its first touchdown and go-ahead points on a 72-yard pass and run score. Paterno revealed for the first time after the game that Cappelletti ran on a slightly sprained left ankle and had not practiced since the injury last Wednesday. When asked about it, Cappelletti refused to use it as an alibi for averaging only 1.9 yards on 26 carries in contrast to his regular season average of 5.3 yards per rush. "No, it didn't bother me," Cappelletti said. "Their defense just played well. Their linebackers were plugging the holes. "I don't feel badly. I just tried to do the best I could." Paterno said he thought "Cappy played a good game," despite netting only 50 yards. "When we gave him running room, he got the yards. The trouble was we weren't making the holes. "I knew darn well we'd have to throw against LSU," Paterno added. "They're so quick we had to adjust." Cappelletti revealed many of the Penn State players, including himself, discarded their shoes in the second period in favor of shoes provided by the Orange Bowl shoe bank. Even after that, the slipping continued on the artificial turf, dampened by a pre-game shower.

Paterno had the last word on how good Penn State is. "I've just conducted my own poll -- the Paterno Poll --and Penn State is No. 1," he said. Louisiana State coach Charlie McClendon, finishing his season with a 9-3 record, refused to offer any excuses. "We played probably as well as we can play as individuals, but not as well as we can play as a team," he said. There weren't any cheers in the LSU locker room, but the players indicated a feeling they had put forth a good effort. McClendon was especially proud of the way LSU played Cappelletti. "I told my guys, 'Wherever he goes go with him,' " said McClendon. "'If you don't stop Capelletti, you're in trouble.' He reminds me a little bit of Billy Cannon," McClendon added. "He's bow-legged, has that balance and you don't knock him down," Middle linebacker Warren Capone said he told Cappelletti, "Nice run" throughout the game and explained, "I like to compliment him every time he runs the ball because he's so good. I think you can look back at our statistics against the good runners and we always play well," added Capone. "When they got the ball we just went to our regular pursuit angles. We just did a good job, it's as simple as that."

Concerning the last play of the first half when LSU had a first down on the Penn State 5 with only 11 seconds left, McClendon explained: "It was supposed to be a play that would either score or stop the clock. "If he caught it, he would score. If he didn't, it would stop the clock. He caught it, but he got nailed, I mean nailed right there. "The man that got him wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near," said McClendon. McClendon wouldn't compare Penn State with Southeastern Conference champion Alabama. "As I told my players, there's no comparison. They're two different types of teams all together. Penn State is very bulky." Alabama had been ranked No. 1 before losing, 24-23, to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl New Year's Eve.

[source: upi]

Connors Australian Champ; Evert Loses

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Jimmy Connors took the first step toward winning tennis' Grand Slam, capturing the men's singles title in the Australian Open Championships Tuesday, but his fiancee, Chris Evert, was beaten for the women's crown by Evonne Goolagong. The 21-year-old Connors, the No. 2 seed from Belleville, Ill., overwhelmed Phil Dent of Australia, 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, after Miss Goolagong, the 22-year-old Wimbledon champion, won her country's title for the first time in four tries, beating Miss Evert of Ft. Lauderdale, 7-6, 4-6, 6-0.

The Australian Championships are the first in the Grand Slam series that includes the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open tournaments. Connors, earning $9,685 from the $74,500 purse, was too quick for the 23-year-old Dent, the No. 9 seed, beating him in a match that lasted 2 hours, 5 minutes. Dent received $5,215.

Other finals:

MEN'S DOUBLES -- Ross Case-Geoff Masters (Australia) d. Bob Glitanan-Syd Ball, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.

WOMEN'S DOUBLES -- Goolagond-Peggy Michel (Pacific Palisades), d. Kerry Melville-Kerry Harris (Australia), 7-5, 6-3.

[source: ap]

Clemente's Friend Won't Give Up Hope

PITTSBURGH -- The friendship Phil Dorsey enjoyed with baseball great Roberto Clemente still haunts him, and he says although it's been a year since Clemente disappeared he hasn't given up hope. "I still have hope. They haven't found the body, and I still believe there's a chance I'll see him again," said Dorsey, who befriended Clemente when the outfielder first joined the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club. "We were closer than brothers -- as close as two people can be, I guess," said Dorsey, whose mementoes include one of Clemente's uniforms. "That's why I'm going to sit around this New Year's Eve and try to ease through it," said the city postal worker the other day. "It's been a hard year, and this (the anniversary of Clemente's apparent death) brings back all the memories." Clemente and three other men were aboard an airplane that fell into the Atlantic Ocean last New Year's Eve while on a mercy mission to Nicaragua, where an earthquake had left thousands without food or medicine.

Dorsey said Clemente was in the habit of calling him on the telephone at Least once a week during the Christmas season. "And sometimes when the phone rings I get the feeling it's him," said Dorsey. Pirate catcher Manny Sanguillen, a fellow Latin and another close friend of Clemente, telephoned Dorsey recently, and for a second, Dorsey said, "I thought it was Roberto's voice. That would be a miracle, but I believe it's possible." Only the pilot's body was recovered from the waters.

Since the crash, more than $400,000 has been raised in Clemente's honor in the United States alone. The money will go to the victims of the Nicaragua tragedy and help build a sports complex for underprivileged youngsters in Puerto Rico. "Roberto never expected to live to be an old man, and it used to worry him because there were so many things he wanted to accomplish," Dorsey recalled. "That's why the greatest tribute anyone could pay him would be to carry through with the work he started."

[source: ap]