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Show Southern Utah loses (?) 38-37 tilt to CalPoly obviously in unbelief over their sudden change of fortune. Meanwhile, three SUSC defenders sat, head in hands, in the end zone, equally unbelieving. SUSC did not lose the game from playing bad ball, but rather from Cal playing absolutely brilliant ball when needed. Coach Jack Bishop recognized as much. "Naturally, we're disappointed in losing, but I thought out team played exceptionally well. We were just playing a danged good ballclub." Bishop also mused that a team of his had never "put up 37 points and still lost." The T-Birds expected problems from Cal's blazing speed. "We really feared their team speed," Bishop said. "Just as a wild guess, I'd say they had 10 players faster than our fastest man. Perhaps we were too prevent-oriented in the end, but if we would have gotten isolated on any of their wide receivers, we would have been in bad shape." How can anyone really win a 38-3 game? But then again, how can anyone' really lose a 38-37 game? Cal Poly-Pomona and Southern Utah State could well be pondering those respective questions in wake of Saturday's three-and-a-hali-hour marathon that produced the above score, with the Broncos getting the one-' one-' point win. But this was not a game of missed extra points or field goals-both teams made all of them attempted. What was, or what might have been, took place in the heat of battle-with both teams producing fine football most of the afternoon. A tie might have been more appropriate. From the beginning, it was apparent the 'Birds were facing a very good, albeit frustrated in the first half, football team. Cal Poly had plenty of size and even more team speed, with a poised quarterback who seemed to like the challenge of third and long, and who responded on such plays six consecutive con-secutive times in the second half. Earlier in the week, T-Bird managemnent had talked about playing well just to stay in the game. But not too far into game, with the T-Birds "playing well," those thoughts turned to producing a win, perhaps even a rout. After trading touchdowns in the first 15-plus minutes, SUSC's coming on a Mike Scheiss-recovered fumble in the end zone, SUSC went on a nine-minute rampage that brought three touchdowns, touch-downs, and threatened to turn the game into a laugher. T-Bird scores came on a 64-yard pass from Dave Mollica to Mark Holland, a seven-yard run by Curtis Page and another one-yard plunge by Page with just four minutes left in the half. During that time, and even in the first quarter, Cal had been extremely sloppy in their play, piling up numerous penalties, and not executing plays very well. But their fortune changed under the gun, and the Broncos produced late in the second quarter what could well have been the game-winning rally. With 1:42 left, the Bronco's fleet Charles Cole punched it in from five. After stopping the 'Birds on downs, Randy Kerr got off just a 28-yard punt into a stiff wind. In the last 57 seconds of the half, the Broncos moved it quickly downf ield, attempted two passes in the end zone, then settled for what turned out to be a crucial three points. Rather than going into the locker room up 28-7, a defecit Poly may have never recovered from, the T-Birds were up just 28-17, and momentum was certainly not in their court. It looked like SUSC would make the second-quarter Bronco spurt moot in the game's outcome. The T-Birds took the opening kickoff and put together a methodical 73-yard, 13-play drive, by far their best-executed of the season so far. They had eaten up over five minutes, but more importantly were now in posession of a seemingly-invincible 35-17 35-17 lead. That lead seemed even more invincible in-vincible when the 'Bird's defense shut off the Broncos in their three remaining third quarter posessions, effectively stopping whatever momentum the visitors had obtained in the first half. But the Cal Poly philosophy seemed to be "allow just enough time to score the points needed to win," which they figured this time to be almost 14 minutes. Coach Roman Gabriel's forces started their comeback, oddly enough, on a broken play, with a confused running back, and an even more confused con-fused defense resulting. The 35-yard run made it 35-24. About six minutes later, the Broncos struck again, and with a two-point conversion added, were suddenly within three at 35-32. The 'Birds then responded well, keeping the ball for over three minutes, and taking it into Bronco territory before being stopped. The T-Bird defense then came up with its finest hour. Facing a second and 20 from their own 10, Cal Poly came under intense pressure from the defensive line, with two incompletions and a sack back to the one resulting. But Bronco mentor Roman Gabriel had a few tricks of his own remaining. Rather than risk a punt from his own one, Gabriel elected to take a safety, making the score 37-32. His punter then boomed a 62-yarder on the following free kick, with just a 15-yard return following. A clutch 14-yard catch by tight end Scheiss was not enough to allow the T-Birds T-Birds to run out the clock, and the Broncos got the ball back with 1:45 left, and 76 yards to march for a needed TD. Though hindered by two major penalties, the Broncos put together passes of 13, 23, 24 and 25, and a run of 13, and they were in business, first and goal on the T-Bird four with four seconds left. The 'Birds could have still won the game by holding Cal on the final play, but it was not to be. Quarterback Fred Collins found Cole cutting out of the backfield, and hit him with a perfect pass. Cal Poly had won the game 38-37. No extra point was attempted. Bronco players mobbed each other, -'1 JSm&'4mMmAmm,mil Mr rrnmi wi in riw.i tjn MM Record photo by Lee Warnick Fleet Cal Poly quarterback Fred Collins scrambles for good yardage, as S.U.S.C. defender Monte Green (7), moves in. Both the Broncos and the T-Birds unleashed an offensive show, resulting in a 38-37 Cal Poly victory. |