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Sports
Monday. Oct. 6, 1986 page
Tale of a team in awe
Glenn Moore/ The Dally Collegian
Losing a 10-point lead in the fame's final minutes, FSU's John Oleary is consoled after the loss.
Dramatic comeback leaves Bulldogs stunned 45-41
By Mike Butwell
Sports Editor
Life will go on in Fresno, but not after
facing the reality that Fresno State's
building legacy took a detour by way of
San Jose and actually lost a football
game.
A dramatic, emotional, suspenseful,
thrilling football game.
This just wasn't any old loss either.
Besides being the 'Qpgs first loss of the
-..cason and in the Pacific Coast Athletic
Association to put them 3-1 overall and
0-1 in league, it washed out the nation's
longest winning streak at 12 games, ruin¬
ing any chances of FSU remaining in the
Top 20 and puts the Bulldogs more than a
car length behind San Jose (0-1 in the
PCAA. 3-2 overall) in the race for Cal
Bowl VI.
The climatic homecoming game played
before a record crowd of 28.S 11 saw the
Spartans bolt to a spacious 24-0 lead
halfway through the second quarter. But
the 'Dogs got their artillery in full swing
and bounced back to own a 41-31 lead
with just over a minute left.
That's when junior Mike Perez proved
Kevin Sweeney wasn't the only quarter¬
back on the field comparable to Doug
Flutie.
Perez dismantled the 'Dogs' defense,
passing for 433 yards and five touch--
downs. And down 4l-3l.it took Perez just
four plays before connecting with Guy
Liggins to trim the score to 41-38 with
only 42 ticks Jeft on the game'clock. .
The Perez-Liggins combo became a
familiar tandem all afternoon to FSU.
liggins reeled in 15 receptions for 205
yards, a new school record. %
But the hero of all heros and the catch that
did the 'Dog in, came just sixteen seconds
later, following a successful on-side kick.
Worker" nickname, completing a 46-yard
pass to Lafo Malauulu, moving the ball to
the FSU 22. Then on the next down. Perez
barely dodged a rushing Jethro Franklin
andyfired a rifle to an open Malauulu in
Jhe left corner of the end zone to hand San
(Jose a big. big victory.
'We had run the exact same play the
The on-side kick was perfectly cxe^/time before," Perez said about the game-
cuted, bouncing past Mark Olson. th/iT
being jarred loose from James D. Willi¬
ams by Freddie Payton and recovered by
Chris Alexander.
The final scenario was now set. As
Perez stole Stephen Baker's "Miracle
winning touchdown. "Lafo was just find¬
ing the seam. The defender came and I just
ducked. If he hadn't caught it, no one
would have and we would have had
another play."
"It was just a clean, hard game with lots
of highs and lows." said FSU coach Jim
Sweeney. "The whole first quarter was
field position and our lack of it. I thought
we came back strong in the second quarter
and got some momentum back." \
SJSU boss Claude Gilbert obviously Ny
was overjoyed. "I've-seen some exciting
games, but I can't remember one like this.
Hh vfes absolutely fantastic—a great game
by both teams. We learned our lesson
about never giving up."-
FSU could very easily have given up
trailing 24-0. but Sweeney, who threw for
just 17 yards in quarter one, found the
See BULLDOGS, page 7
Nightmare on San Jose's Seventh St.
Bulldog
Bark
Mike Butwell
Say it ain't so, Jim. Say the San Jose
Spartans didn't defeat your Bulldogs Sat¬
urday. Say it ain't so.
I n a matter of one on-side kick recovery
and one qi'arterbick s»ck-turn -touch¬
down, the Fresno State Bulldogs saw theii
season go kerplunjkfjght before their very
eyes.
It was "The Nightmare on Seventh
Street." (The location of Spartan Sta¬
dium).
Some will unquestionably argue the
point that a whole season couldn't possi¬
bly be down the drain because of one
game. This is Fresno State, baby.
.This was the year Kevin Sweeney
becomes the all-time leading passer in the
nation (which he will still do). This is the
year FSU finally gets attention and climbs
occasionally higher on the AP and UPI
poll. This would be the year the 'Dogs
repeat as Pacific Coast Athletic Associa¬
tion champs and engrave their names on
the California Bowl trophy for a second
straight year. This was Fresno State's
year.
Not any more.
Enter the "Jason" of the PCAA. The
"Freddie K rueger." Enter the terrible San
Jose State Spartans.
Led by Mike. Perez' deadly arm and
tenacious web hands of Guy Liggins, the
Spartans made the FSU secondary look
like poodles instead of Bulldogs.
If Saturday's mishap could be com¬
pared to a horror movie, the resemblances
are incredible. Like a horror flick, the
opening scene shows the villain (in this
case, the San Jose Spartans)'doing some¬
thing brutal to their victim (Fresno State).
Could anything be more brutal than run¬
ning up a 24-0 lead against the former No.
I defense in the land? The Bulldogs were
giving up just four points a game.
Of course, while this is all going orlplhe
victim, (in this case' Kevin Sweeney) is
unable to do anything about the murders
See BARK, paie 7
Object Description
| Title | 1986_10 The Daily Collegian October 1986 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1986 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
Description
| Title | October 6, 1986, Page 6 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1986 |
| Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
| Full-Text-Search | Sports Monday. Oct. 6, 1986 page Tale of a team in awe Glenn Moore/ The Dally Collegian Losing a 10-point lead in the fame's final minutes, FSU's John Oleary is consoled after the loss. Dramatic comeback leaves Bulldogs stunned 45-41 By Mike Butwell Sports Editor Life will go on in Fresno, but not after facing the reality that Fresno State's building legacy took a detour by way of San Jose and actually lost a football game. A dramatic, emotional, suspenseful, thrilling football game. This just wasn't any old loss either. Besides being the 'Qpgs first loss of the -..cason and in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association to put them 3-1 overall and 0-1 in league, it washed out the nation's longest winning streak at 12 games, ruin¬ ing any chances of FSU remaining in the Top 20 and puts the Bulldogs more than a car length behind San Jose (0-1 in the PCAA. 3-2 overall) in the race for Cal Bowl VI. The climatic homecoming game played before a record crowd of 28.S 11 saw the Spartans bolt to a spacious 24-0 lead halfway through the second quarter. But the 'Dogs got their artillery in full swing and bounced back to own a 41-31 lead with just over a minute left. That's when junior Mike Perez proved Kevin Sweeney wasn't the only quarter¬ back on the field comparable to Doug Flutie. Perez dismantled the 'Dogs' defense, passing for 433 yards and five touch-- downs. And down 4l-3l.it took Perez just four plays before connecting with Guy Liggins to trim the score to 41-38 with only 42 ticks Jeft on the game'clock. . The Perez-Liggins combo became a familiar tandem all afternoon to FSU. liggins reeled in 15 receptions for 205 yards, a new school record. % But the hero of all heros and the catch that did the 'Dog in, came just sixteen seconds later, following a successful on-side kick. Worker" nickname, completing a 46-yard pass to Lafo Malauulu, moving the ball to the FSU 22. Then on the next down. Perez barely dodged a rushing Jethro Franklin andyfired a rifle to an open Malauulu in Jhe left corner of the end zone to hand San (Jose a big. big victory. 'We had run the exact same play the The on-side kick was perfectly cxe^/time before," Perez said about the game- cuted, bouncing past Mark Olson. th/iT being jarred loose from James D. Willi¬ ams by Freddie Payton and recovered by Chris Alexander. The final scenario was now set. As Perez stole Stephen Baker's "Miracle winning touchdown. "Lafo was just find¬ ing the seam. The defender came and I just ducked. If he hadn't caught it, no one would have and we would have had another play." "It was just a clean, hard game with lots of highs and lows." said FSU coach Jim Sweeney. "The whole first quarter was field position and our lack of it. I thought we came back strong in the second quarter and got some momentum back." \ SJSU boss Claude Gilbert obviously Ny was overjoyed. "I've-seen some exciting games, but I can't remember one like this. Hh vfes absolutely fantastic—a great game by both teams. We learned our lesson about never giving up."- FSU could very easily have given up trailing 24-0. but Sweeney, who threw for just 17 yards in quarter one, found the See BULLDOGS, page 7 Nightmare on San Jose's Seventh St. Bulldog Bark Mike Butwell Say it ain't so, Jim. Say the San Jose Spartans didn't defeat your Bulldogs Sat¬ urday. Say it ain't so. I n a matter of one on-side kick recovery and one qi'arterbick s»ck-turn -touch¬ down, the Fresno State Bulldogs saw theii season go kerplunjkfjght before their very eyes. It was "The Nightmare on Seventh Street." (The location of Spartan Sta¬ dium). Some will unquestionably argue the point that a whole season couldn't possi¬ bly be down the drain because of one game. This is Fresno State, baby. .This was the year Kevin Sweeney becomes the all-time leading passer in the nation (which he will still do). This is the year FSU finally gets attention and climbs occasionally higher on the AP and UPI poll. This would be the year the 'Dogs repeat as Pacific Coast Athletic Associa¬ tion champs and engrave their names on the California Bowl trophy for a second straight year. This was Fresno State's year. Not any more. Enter the "Jason" of the PCAA. The "Freddie K rueger." Enter the terrible San Jose State Spartans. Led by Mike. Perez' deadly arm and tenacious web hands of Guy Liggins, the Spartans made the FSU secondary look like poodles instead of Bulldogs. If Saturday's mishap could be com¬ pared to a horror movie, the resemblances are incredible. Like a horror flick, the opening scene shows the villain (in this case, the San Jose Spartans)'doing some¬ thing brutal to their victim (Fresno State). Could anything be more brutal than run¬ ning up a 24-0 lead against the former No. I defense in the land? The Bulldogs were giving up just four points a game. Of course, while this is all going orlplhe victim, (in this case' Kevin Sweeney) is unable to do anything about the murders See BARK, paie 7 |
