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Show The Salt Lake Tribune SPORTS Tuesday, November 21, 1995 Can the Ducks & Buffs Cotton to BowlFans? As SWCDies, No Texas Teams Making the Cut TODAY: JAZZ By Steve Luhm THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — Will the Cotton Jazz Eager To Welcome Back Spencer The Felton Spencer Countdown has reachedits final stages. After rupturing his left Achilles tendon last Jan. 10, Spencer has received medical clearance to play. The 7-foot center did not suit up for Mondaynight's game against NewJersey, but helikely will be activated from the injured hist in the next few days. Spencersaid a strength test on his injured leg “went very well” Monday morning, and that team Dr. Lyle Mason “‘said he has no problem with me starting to play.” “T’m excited aboutit,” Spencer said. “It's been just over 10 months, and I've put in a lot of hard workthat finally looks like it’s going to pay off for me.” Ideally, Spencer would like to practice todayand be activated in time for Wednesdaynight's game against Sacramento. Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan, however, sounds a little more cautious “We've got to do everything we canto help him,” Sloansaid. “One more day or two isn't going to makeor break things. Felton has worked too hard — and that’s the key right there — to hurry him along now.” When Spenceris activated, of course, somebody on the 12-man roster must be cut. Most speculation has centered on Bryon Russell or Andy Toolson, But Sloanis not in any hurry to makesucha difficult decision. “I'm not going to discussit,” he said, ‘until we have to make a decision,” There is another possibility. The Jazz could place another player on the injured list, where James Donaldson continues to reside. A candidate: Greg Ostertag. He injured his handin the first half of the Jazz-Nets game Monday and didn’t return. His status will be determined today. HIGH — AND LOW — PRAISE Karl Malonehas outscored and outrebounded Seattle's Shawn Kemp in 12 consecutive Jazz-Son- ics games. In a 112-94 win in the seasonopener, Malone had 26 points and 11 rebounds. The foul-plagued Kemp managedeight points and eight rebounds. Kemp, long consideredthe heir apparent to Malone as the league’s top power forward, admits he hasn't overtaken the Jazz All-Star just yet. “Karl Maloneis the best power forward in my book,” Kemp said recently. “Howcan you say he’s not the best? He's played longer than I have and he has doneit over a period of years. Bowl be a hit without a Texas team? After landing No. 8 Colorado and No. 12 Oregon for their marquee, organizers of the Jan. 1 classic are more hopeful than optimistic. Without a Texas team in the 60th annualclassic, it remains to be seen if enough fans of the Ducks and Buffaloes will migrate south to fill the 68,252 Cotton Bow!seats. A Texas team hasplayedin all but nine of the 59 Cotton Bowls. And former Southwest Conference-member Arkansas, a close neighbor, played in eight of the nine non-Texas games. The only game between schools from outside the region pitted Clemson and Boston College in 1940. The game drew15,000fans. “We're going to have to have somesales effort here in the Dallas area in orderto fill it up, but we all know what kind of football fans we have here,” said John Crawford, president of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “The fact that we don't have a Texas team — I don’t know if we're troubled by that. We'vegot Cal Makes Call to Can Gilbertson ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERKELEY, Calif. fine, fine person and I'm Gilbertson also was head coach at Idaho from 1986-88 “We feel like we have a lot of potential in our football program,” Kasser said, “and feel there is a tremendous opportunity for a newcoach to have an im- mediate impact.” 0 him. You can just try to slow him downa little.” Malone and John Stockton received similar praise after the Jazz’s 86-81 win at Detroit Friday night Said the Pistons’ Otis Thorpe: “Theyhavea great feel for what they do. Right now, there’s no- body in the league like them. And you have to go back to Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas for guys who knewhow to run the pick-and-roll like they do.’ Malone did not get such high marks from Boston rookie Eric Williams Williams went head-to-head with Malone for much of the fourth quarter during the Jazz's 102-90 win last week. Williams played decently — no better — then talked with creative license about his first performance against Malone. “When first went at him, he looked me right in the eye,” Williams said. “I knew I could blow by him if I got him one-one-one. It’s something you always dream about.” Williams did get to the basket on Malone. Once. Moreimportantly, he didn't get close to the basket on the game's keypossession, and Williams ended a one-on-one attempt by missing a wild, off-balance 15-footer Malone then beat him down the floor for a crucial layup. Did Malone talk much during the game? According to the 6-8, 220pound Williams, “He said only one thing. He said, ‘I got the tiny guy on me, I got thetiny guy on me.’ $ a t with the SWCdissolvingafter this season, that association ended after last season's game between USC and Texas Tech. Underthe newTier 1 BowiAlligame was awardedto the Fiesta, Orange and Sugarbowls on a rotating basis for three years. That left the Cotton Bowl to scramble without a corporate ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — Someof the great Cotton Bowl classics, with attendance: @ 1937 — Thefirst Cotton Bowlclassic, in which Texas Christian, led by Sammy Baugh’s 100-yards passing, beats Marquette 16-6. Atiendance: 17,000. ™@ 1949 — SMU returns to the Cotton Bowlfor the secondstraight year. Led by Heisman winner Doak Walker and sophomore Kyle Rote, the Mus- sponsor since Mobil Corporation tangs beat Norm Van Brocklin-led Oregon 21-13. ance, the national championship droppedits affiliation in March. Without Mobil’s support, Oregon and Colorado each will receive between $2 million and $2.5 million, depending on ticket sales, said Charlie Fiss, media director for the Cotton Bowl. With Mobil’s support, Tech and USC each got o NIU’S SADLER FIRED Northern Illinois fired coach Charlie Sadler andhisstaff. Sadlerwas 18-37 in five seasons at the DeKalb, IIl., school, including 3-8 this season. “T leave this program knowing thatit is better than the dayI got here,” Sadler said. Attendance: 70,000. @ 1960 — Thefirst of five Cotton Bowls in 11 years in which a national hung in the balance. No. 1 Syracuse beats No, 4 Texas 2314. Attendance: 75,500. @ 1966 — Unranked LSU ambushes No. 2 Arkansas14-7, ending college football’s longest winning streak at 22 games. Attendance: 76,200 @ 1970 — No. 1 Texas, led by quarterback James Street, comes from behind in the last few minutes for a 21-17 win over No. 9 Notre Damein the first bowl appearance in 45 years for the Fighting Irish. Attendance: 72,000. @ 1979 — Notre Dame and quarterback Joe Montana escape with a 35-34 win over Houston. Attendance: 72,000. @ 1982 — Texas overcomesa 10-0 early fourththe quarter deficit as QB Robert Brewer sparks Longhorns to a 14-12 victory over Alabama and eoach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Attendance: 73,243. @ 1984 — No. 7 Georgia dashes the national No.2 Texas 10hopes of i 9. Attendance: 67,891. 1990 — Arkansas and Tennessee combine for 1,038 yardsof total offense as the Volsholdoff a fourth-quarter Razorbacks rally to win 31-27. Attendance: 74,358. $3 million. Each school is responsible for selling at least 12,500 tickets at $45 each, Fiss said. “Oregon is planning on taking moretickets,’ Fiss said. “The Oregon people are fired up. They wereselling cotton candy in the stands of the Oregon State game the other night.” Colorado expects many of its 3,600 alumniin Texasto buy tiekets. “Our fans, when it comes New Year’s Day games, have usually gone ape,” said Dave Plati, Colorado's sports information director. He said Coloradohas sold its ticket allotment or moreforall four of its New Year's bowl ap- Ww Home Amay AFC NFC Buffalo 8 33 63 20 Mami 8 2 Indnplis 6 ry New Engind 4 24-23 44 03 NYdets 2 2405 27 02 entra Pittsburgh 7 4 0 636-277 242 42 32 59 21 47-0 364 289.277 15 32 46 01 Cleveland 4-7 0 364 201 244 24 28 35 Houston 47 0 364-231 298 14 33 35 Jacksonvle $8 0 278 184 250 14 24 35 03 West Kan. City 10 1 0 909 265 161 Oakland «8 3-0 727 271 187 4 Dever 6 5 0 545 249 202 Seattle 5 6 0 455-249 279, San Diego 4 7-0. 364 106 238 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East WL Daas «8 2-0 818 919 202 41 & Phila 740 696-235 258 42 Arizona 3-8 0273-171 289 2 NYGiants 3 8 0 273 199 246 23 Washington $8 0 279 227 268 3 Central Green Bay Div 42 4 42 32 16 42 38 4 3 ursdy’s Games Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions, 1030 a.m. ‘Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys, 2pm. ‘Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 11 am. ‘New England Patriots atBuffalo Bills, 11 am. Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars, 11 am, Chicago Bears at New York Giants, 11 am [New York Jets at Seattle Seabawks, 2 pm Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 2 p.m. St. Lonis Rams at San Francisco 49ers, 2 pm. Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals, 2 pm Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 6 pm. jonday’s Game Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers. 7 pm. pearancessince 1989. Colorado has been to 19 bowl games since 1938, most recently defeating Notre Dame 41-24 in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl. The Buffs have 14 players from Texas on their roster, which also should help Texasticket sales. Thatlist includes Mission product Koy Detmer, who injuredhis right kneein a 29-21 victory over Texas A&M. The junior QB later had season-ending surgery. Oregonis a different matter. The Ducks have played in 10 bowls, losing last season’s Rose Bowl 38-20 to Penn State. The Ducks took 40,000 fans to Pasadena. However, Oregon lists just 1,200 Texas alums and no Texas players. “But we'll probably sell 18,000 to 20,000 tickets,” said Paul Thander, an assistant in Oregon's sports information office. One thing that might work against ticket sales to Colorado and Oregon fansis the weather. Warm weatherhelpslure fans perature is just 54 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Not exactly bikini weather compared to the average Jan. 1 high of 45 degrees in Eugene. Ore., and 42 degrees in Boulder, Colo. Colorado lost to Rice 28-14 in the 1938 Cotton Bowl, when the Buffaloes were lead by Byron “Whizzer” White, future justice of the U.S, Supreme Court. Oregon last appeared in 1949 to some bowl games, such as the with future NFL great Norm Van Brocklin at quarterback and lost Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., and the Orange Bowlin Miami. In Dallas, the average Jan. 1 high tem- 21-13 to Southern Methodist and Heisman winner Doak Walker. After Overcoming a StumblingStart, Eagles Ready to Make Playoff Push THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHILADELPHIA — Ricky Wattersinsists he’s notthe selfish player many peoplethink heis. If he were, he says the Philadelphia Eagles wouldn't be 7-4 and eyeing the playoffs. Both Watters and the Eagles have recovered from disastrous starts this season. After opening 1-3, Philadelphia has won six of its last seven games following Sunday's 28-19 victory over the New York Giants. “If you look at where westarted, whatpeople thought about us, and where we are right now, you've got to be pretty happy,” Watters said Monday. “Everything is very positive right now.” Whynot? They should be able to win three timesin their remaining schedule -- road games against Washington, Seattle and Chicago and home gamesagainst Dallas and Arizona — and10 vietories should get them into the playoffs. Of course, the Eagles were 7-4 at this point last year and didn’t win again. “That's not going to happenthis year,”’ Watters said. “We have a lot of guys on this team ... with Super Bowl rings, so they know howto win.” The Eagles are winning because of Super Bowlveteranslike Raleigh McKenzie and Guy Mclntyre, who have anchored what looked to be a shaky offensive line, and Kurt Gouveia, the savvy middle linebacker. Then there’s Watters, the highpriced free agent acquisition who is on pace to become the Eagles’ first 1,000-yard rushersince Herschel Walker in 1992. “We're still finding ourselves as a team,” Watters said. “If you want to call us overachievers, whatever you want to call us, that’s fine, as long as you call us winners.” Watters wascalled a number of things —— none flattering — after his infamous debut with the Eagles against Tampa BaySept. 3. Luredto Philadelphia by a $6.9 million, three-year free agent contract and the promise he would be the featured back, Watters was an immediate disappointmentin his first game. Hehadonly 37 yards on 17 car- ries, caught five passes for another 35 yards and fumbled twice,including the first time he touched the ball. What was worse, he shortarmeda pass overthe middlelate in the game, then explained he pulled away from theball to avoid getting hit. “For who?” Watters asked. ‘‘For what?” Two days later, Watters called a news conference to apologize. Since then, he has generally declined interviews. Watters said he decided to “lay back” after the negative reaction to his debut. “I didn’t likeit. It hurt myfeel ings,” he said. “They act like I'ma rookie or something. I've beenin three Pro Bowls in three years I've been in Super Bowls and scored three touchdowns.I know how to play, and I know howto win. And I just want my respect for that.” Watters has worked diligently to win back the fansbyhis performanceonthefield. He’s averaged four yards un 223 rushes, added another 333 yards on 43 catches. His 1,214 yards from scrimmage is fourth in the NFL. WAC ChampWill Play KansasState in Holiday THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS SAN DIEGO — After coming within 2 minutes, 24 seconds of their first New Year's Day bowl game, the Kansas State Wildcats will have to settle for the Holiday TSU'S DAVIS QUITS Bill Davis quit as Tennessee State’s head coach after a season that started with seven players declaredineligible and ended ina 2-9 record. Athletic director Howard Gentry Jr. said the resignation could be termed a negotiated settlement since Davis has agreed to remain onstaff as a faculty member. Texas Ties Mark Cotton Bowl’s Storied History the SWC champ since 1941, but just sor- three years in December 1993. ‘I always look forward to playYou know you can't stop Keith ry that things didn’t work out for the best here for him.” The Bears were 3-8 this season and 20-26 overall under Gilbertson, who made about $225,000 peryear Gilbertson said he would spend sometime with his family in the next few days and wasnot set on anyfuture plans. Gilbertson signed a five-year contract when he came to Cal in 1992 after three years of running the offense for a Washington team that won a national championship in 1991. His Cal contract was extended for an additional ing him becauseI learn a lot from him. — Gilbertson, who led California to one winning season during four years as head coach, was fired Mondayjust two days after the Bears ended their season with a loss to arch-rival Stanford Cal athletic director John Kasser met with Gilbertson on Mondayandthe two reacheda financial settlement for the final three years of Gilbertson’s contract “We felt the need to go in anew direction,’ Kasser said. “He's a higher-ranked teams than we've had a in a good while.” The Cotton Bowl had featured Bowl. The No. 10 Wildcats on Monday accepted an invitation to play the Western Athletic Conference champion on Dec. 29 at Jack Murphy Stadium. Utah and Brigham Young both are in the running for the Holiday Bowlberth, along with Colorado State, last year's Holiday Bowl loser to Michigan, and San Diego State, which has made it to the hometown bowl only once in 17 years. The Wildcats (9-2), who were chosen overrival and No. 11 Kansas for the Holiday berth, still are smarting from last Saturday's 2717 loss to Coloradothat cost them a spot in the Cotton Bowl. It was considered by many the biggest game in Kansas State's 100 sea- Step up to a Hard Body ®@ Rated #4 in industry © Free Instaliation ®@ Suppliers to Utah Jazz sonsof football. “We're certainly quite disappointed in the outcome of the ballgame on Saturday, but we couldn't have a finer reward for losing as we do,’ Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said Monday. Holiday Bowl president Vince Benstead told Snyder during a conferencecall that the game has “a record of high-scoring, exciting games, andit looks like Kansas State will fit that mold.” To which Snyder responded, “I appreciate that, but we also play defense. I hopeit’s not high-scoring in that sense.” Even the No. 1 defense in the country couldn't save the Wildcats on Saturday. After Kansas State went ahead 17-13 with 2:24 left, Colorado moved 80 yards to score the go-ahead TD with 1:04 left. The Buffaloes then addedanother TD with 45 seconds left when ex-Highland Highstar Kerry Hicks recovered a fumble in the end zone. “We're just happy to go to a bowl as long as we're not at home during the Christmas break," junior wide receiver Kevin Lockett said. “We wantto show the nation what kind of team wehave.”” Snyder was offensive coordinator for Iowa when the Hawkeyes made consecutive Holiday Bow! appearances, beating San Diego State 39-38 in 1986 and Wyoming 20-19 in 1987. While KansasStateis the losingest program in major college football history — it wasthefirst team to have 500 losses — it has madegreatstrides under Snyder The Wildcats have won nine gamesfor the third straight season, and will play in their third straight bowl. Manyobserversfelt ae is the best team the school has ad. OVER 20 MONTERO SR’S IN STOCK! 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