SMU Comes Back From the Dead

From college football’s burial ground to a bowl game.

That’s the journey Southern Methodist could complete if the Mustangs keep it up.

Eleven years after being devastated by the only NCAA death penalty ever levied, SMU is on the verge of calling itself a winner again.

SMU’s 28-14 Western Athletic Conference victory over Texas El Paso on Saturday extended the Mustangs’ winning streak to four games, longest in the post-death penalty era.

“This a position we haven’t been in before,” said SMU quarterback Ramon Flanigan.

The last time SMU was 5-4 in November was in 1986. The Mustangs finished 6-5 before the NCAA imposed a two-year hiatus for rules violations.

Now, three coaches later, the Mustangs are 4-2 in the WAC and tied with Brigham Young, New Mexico and Rice for the WAC-Mountain Division lead.

Amazingly enough, the Mustangs could finish the regular season with bowl credentials. After Tulsa (2-7) next week, they face 0-9 Texas Christian.

“We’re not good enough yet to be thinking about a bowl game,” Flanigan said. “I think we’ll celebrate for the next 30 minutes, then start thinking about Tulsa.”

VERY LOW TIDE

Alabama’s 27-0 Southeastern Conference loss to No. 14 Louisiana State marked the first time the Crimson Tide had been shut out since 1991 and the first time it had been blanked at home since a 9-0 loss to Penn State in 1990.

It also was Alabama’s most lopsided defeat at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“It’s hard to believe what’s happening right now,” said first-year Alabama Coach Mike DuBose, whose team dropped to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. “But we have to be honest with ourselves and try to learn something from this. It may sound like a stupid statement for me to make, but something good will happen if we keep fighting.”

DuBose could be fighting for his job if the losing continues.

His team became the first to fall three times in one season at Bryant-Denny and fell below .500 at the latest point in the season since the 1984 team finished 5-6.

That team was coached by Ray Perkins, but this one seems to be drawing more comparisons to those led by J.B. “Ears” Whitworth, who went 4-24-2 in the three years preceding Bear Bryant’s arrival in 1958.

Alabama’s worst loss to LSU was 28-0 in 1957, Whitworth’s last year.

“If there’s love and concern on this football team, we’ll find a way to pull together and pull through this,” DuBose said.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Oklahoma State cruised to a 30-7 victory over rival Oklahoma, the Cowboys’ second consecutive win at Norman.

Rather than have his quarterback take a knee and run out the clock with less than a minute left, Oklahoma State Coach Bob Simmons called for a running play that resulted in two-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds left.

“I wasn’t trying to rub it in or run the score up,” Simmons said. “I was just trying to run our offense.”

Right.

RUDE AWAKENING

No. 4 Michigan’s easy 34-8 victory at No. 2 Penn State caught a lot of people by surprise, especially Nittany Lion quarterback Mike McQueary.

McQueary was thrown for a 10-yard loss on Penn State’s first play and completed 10 of 22 passes for only 68 yards and had one pass intercepted.

“When I went to bed last night,” said McQueary, “I never thought something like this could happen.”

LET’S PLAY TWO

Iowa defensive lineman Jared DeVries did not want to take off his pads after the No. 12 Hawkeyes lost to Wisconsin, ending Iowa’s 18-game winning streak against the Badgers.

Wisconsin had not beaten Iowa since 1976.

“We’ll regroup,” DeVries said. “This team has a lot of character. But I’m so mad right now, I could go play another game.”

POINTS FOR HONESTY

Michigan State’s Chris Gardner had a 39-yard field-goal attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown with two minutes to play, then missed a 43-yard attempt with three seconds left in the Spartans’ 22-21 come-from-ahead Big Ten Conference loss to Purdue.

“I know exactly what I did. I hit it on the inside of my foot,” Gardner said of his last attempt. “Horrible form. I totally choked on the kick.”

PUNCHING OUT

Alabama Gov. Fob James proclaimed Saturday as “Eddie Robinson Day” in honor of the Grambling legend who is college football’s winningest coach. Robinson will coach his final game in the state today against Alabama State.

Robinson, 78, is retiring at the end of the season after 55 years at Grambling.

State Rep. Alvin Holmes was to present a proclamation to Robinson on behalf of the governor at an invitation-only reception on Saturday hosted by Alabama State. The 150 guests planned to honor Robinson, then view a private screening of the Evander Holyfield-Michael Moorer heavyweight title fight.

NOTEWORTHY

Tinker Keck of Cincinnati returned first-half punts 44 and 78 yards for touchdowns in the Bearcats’ 28-9 victory over Louisville. Keck has returned four punts for touchdowns this season, setting a school record and matching the NCAA record shared by three others. The two punt returns in one game also matched the NCAA record.

--Compiled by Gary Klein