COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

CAN ‘WHITE TIGER SEQUEL BE IN WORKS?

Remember the 1981 made-for-TV movie “Grambling’s White Tiger?” Don’t feel bad if you missed it. It starred Bruce Jenner, flowing hair in top form, as Jim Gregory, who in 1967 became the first white player to compete in the predominately black Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Also, Harry Belafonte did a convincing Eddie Robinson in what was mostly a Wheaties, Wally Cleaver-type goes South and triumphs in the face of adversity. (Surprise, no Emmy nominations).

Well, 29 years later Grambling started another white quarterback, New Yorker Mike Kornblau in a 20-7 loss to Central State (Ohio) on Saturday. Kornblau replaced Chiron Applewhite, who was injured in last week’s loss to Alcorn State, and was five of 18 for 48 yards and two interceptions.

Surprisingly, Kornblau is not the first white player in the SWAC this season. Redshirt freshman Marcus Jacoby started for Southern at quarterback last weekend.

“I believe it is easier for a black college to play a white quarterback nowadays than it was when Jim Gregory was here,” Robinson said. “You have to do what you have to do. For a football coach, that means playing your best player at every position, even if it means starting a white quarterback.”

Said Jacoby, from Baton Rouge: “The whole race issue is not a big deal at all.To judge me differently as a person or a player would be sheer ignorance. Racism is a thing of the past.”

ATTENTION EAGLES . . . YOU’VE GOT MAIL

Boston College Coach Dan Henning got a call before Saturday’s 45-7 loss to Virginia Tech from his son, Dan Jr., who read him play-by-play accounts of the Eagles’ practices that week, courtesy of America Online. “He started telling me things about our practice that even I didn’t know,” Henning said.

Henning was faxed a copy of the report, which was sent out by Kevin McGrath, a reporter for a bimonthly publication that covers the Eagles. Henning said the report was so detailed that it left his team at a disadvantage Saturday. “If I knew all the things I saw on the Internet about Virginia Tech, I’d be way ahead of the game.”

Henning said he spoke with McGrath about toning down the report, but for future Eagle opponents here’s the address: [email protected].

SAY WHAT?

BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian after Washington’s 29-14 victory: “They kind of out-physicaled us the whole game.”

GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Frustration set in early in Kansas State’s 35-0 rout of Cincinnati, but it was not the Bearcats who got angry. Penalties and missed scoring chances had the Wildcats fuming.

Kansas State had a first down at the Cincinnati 36-yard line with less than a minute remaining before the intermission, but three penalties for 29 yards forced Kansas State to punt.

It was then that defensive back Mario Smith went to work. He ran down Cincinnati’s James Scott on the sideline and threw several roundhouse rights.

Smith threw the punches after the Bearcats had already been flagged for a personal foul. For his effort, Smith was ejected.

PAYING ATTENTION?

Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., which defeated Charleston Southern, 34-26, is nicknamed the “Blue Hose.” Don’t ask.

BUFFALOES PAY TRIBUTE TO TEAMMATE

Colorado football players paid tribute to an ailing teammate Saturday, but they couldn’t win for him.

While the fifth-ranked Buffaloes were losing to No. 11 Michigan, 20-13, linebacker Tyronee “Tiger” Bussey was fighting for his life with leukemia in a Detroit hospital.

Colorado players knelt at midfield just before kickoff, their helmets raised in tribute to Bussey. All helmets bore his No. 56.

Before the game, players watched a videotape from the 20-year-old Bussey, urging them to victory.

“There were a lot of tears,” linebacker Matt Russell said. “He’s not doing too well. I wish we could have won it for him.”

HELLO, ANYONE HOME?

This from Purdue quarterback Billy Dicken after his team was routed by Notre Dame, 35-0:

“I thought we had a pretty good game plan going into the game.”

THEIR NEXT TRICK IS TO CUT A FOOTBALL IN HALF

Back to Boston College-Virginia Tech:

The Hokies added a few trick plays to its offense before the game because Eagle defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian held the same position at Virginia Tech in 1993 and 1994.

One of those plays came on Virginia Tech’s first play from scrimmage when quarterback Jim Druckenmiller faked a handoff and two backs collided before he connected with receiver Cornelius White for a 25-yard gain. Five plays later, Druckenmiller threw a nine-yard scoring pass to tight end Bryan Jennings, the first of three consecutive Hokie scores.

Whether the collision was a trick or merely an accident is unknown, but it and everything seemed to work for the Hokie offense.

“I guess they run our defense,” said Druckenmiller. “But no one runs it any better than we do.”

MORE UP THE SLEEVE

Vanderbilt Coach Rod Dowhower brought out his tricks against No. 13 Alabama. The Commodores tried an onside kick, a fake reverse on a kickoff return and the most dramatic of all, a record-setting 81-yard touchdown run by punter Bill Marinangel.

The tricks didn’t bring a victory, as Vanderbilt lost, 36-26, but it made for some excitement. On Marinangel’s run in the second quarter, he took the snap and watched as the middle of Alabama’s return team raced downfield. The punter followed them, got about 30 yards before anyone noticed, then broke one tackle and sprinted the last 40 yards for the score.

It was the longest run from scrimmage in Vanderbilt history, and earned Alabama’s respect. “I told Rod after the game that that’s what you’ve got to do sometimes,” Crimson Tide Coach Gene Stallings said. “You’ve got to gamble.”

MISERY LOVES THIS COMPANY

Lastly, and fittingly so, we have an update on the plight of Prairie View A&M;, that small Texas school that has won hearts by being absolutely pitiful.

The Panthers had an NCAA-record 59-game losing streak before stepping on the field Saturday against Hardin-Simmons, the only team with non-scholarship players on Prairie View’s schedule this season.

The Cowboys seemed ripe for beating, and the Panthers took the lead, 6-0, on a seven-yard run by Josh Barnes in the first quarter. (What? You want them to make the extra point too?).

But Prairie View reverted to its usual practice of being inept and eventually fell to Hardin-Simmons, 42-12.

Make that 60 consecutive losses--and no end in sight.

--Compiled by GEORGE DOHRMANN

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NOTEWORTHY

--Lou Holtz coached his 123rd game at Notre Dame, breaking the record set by Knute Rockne. But does longevity make a great coach? A look at Holtz’s resume compared to other Notre Dame coaches:

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Holtz 85-24-2 (.765) 1 national title Rockne 105-12-5 (.881) 6 national titles Frank Leahy 87-11-9 (.855) 5 national titles Ara Parseghian 95-17-4 (.836) 3 national titles

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To his credit, Holtz admitted he may not be on par with his predecessors. “I didn’t win more than anybody, I coached more,” Holtz said. “Let’s say that Greg Norman played 73 rounds of golf last year. I played 96. Does that make me a better golfer than Greg Norman?”

--What school has the longest, active winning streak in the nation? Tough one, it’s Nebraska with 26, but what school is second? Virginia Tech, which defeated Boston College for its 12th consecutive victory.

--With BYU’s 29-17 loss to Washington, Cougar Coach LaVell Edwards fell to 13-23 lifetime against Pacific 10 Conference teams.

--Darnell Autry extended his streak of 100-yard games to 15 with 157 yards in Northwestern’s 38-13 victory over Duke.