1986_12 The Daily Collegian December 1986

              Ofl
Sports
V
,Thursday, Pec. 11, 1986.
page
7
The PCAA representative in Cal Bowl VI, San Jose State, is ranked first in the nation in total offense, with wide receiver Guy Liggins hauling in large quantities of passing
yardage. Liggins burned FSU with 15 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns earlier this season.
Cal Bowl VI teams previewed
Rags to riches
for more than
one Spartan
By Mike Butwell
Sports Editor
Red Wavers who decide to take in thc
Cal Bowl festivities Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
may be a bit envious that the Bulldogs
won't be participating, but thc San Jose
Spartans earned their berth in the Cal
Bowl, and they earned it the hard way.
It's sort of a riches to rags back to riches
tale for SJSU head coach Claude Gilbert,
who successfully head coached the San
Diego State Aztecs to fivj? consecutive
eight or more win seasons from 1973 to
1977 (including a pair of 10-1 finishes in
76-77)
But. in a ifuest to bn*hg SDSL) national
prominence, a patient Gilbert told uni¬
versity officials recruiting would be th'e
key and he would need to recruit high
school seniors more heavily, meaning
losses might appear in stacks thc following
seasons. They did. Although Gilbert's
troops finished S-3 in 1979. sandwiched
around that season was a 4-7 and 4-8 tab.
- As the patience ran out on what direction
the program was going, so did Gilbert's
job and he was fired after the 1980 season.
He actually considered never coaching
again, but that thought lasted just 15
minutes.
Gilbert then served as an assistant under
Jack Elway_at San Jose State from 1981-
83, before finally taking on the head post
in 1984.
In *84 the Spartans ended wan a M
record, but in "85 the walls tumbled down
and Gilbert's Spartan club went 2-8-1.
Gilbert knew 1986 would be a do-or-die
situation. Thai's, where the Cinderella
"N story sky rises to the top. a turbulent jump
that if occuring on Wall Street would
cause hysterics.
The leader ol the band and the quarter¬
back who brought the Spartans their first
lop 20 marking at the conclusion of a
regular season (ranked No. 19 going into
Saturday's 2:30 showdown) is Junior Mike
Perez, the Taft JC product and football's
"kid natural". Perez's list of credentials
are about as long as a small child's wish
list for Christmas. And although Perez
launched the ball for a 329.9 yard-per-
game average to lead the nation in total
offense. Perez still might not be the
quarterback whose number is called on
Saturday.
Perez suffered a shoulder injury Nov. 1
against New Mexico State, paving the
way for junior backup Tony Loc'y. who
replaced the battered Perc/ and tired the
ball for 467 yards in wins versus Fullerton
State and Long Beach State. Gilbert is
unsure whether Perez will bc healthy
enough (((get the starting nod or not. but
if not. Gilbert still feels confidence with
thc ball in Locy's hands.
Perez, who racked up 2.969 yards in
total offense to lead the PCAA. dazzled
viewers enoughjo earn him PCAA Player
of the Year irf^'along with FSU's Kevin
Sweeney. Spartan senior wide receiver
Lafo Malauulu was the nation's 17th
leading receiver, catching 56 passes for
844 yards and named to the PCAA first
team.
Defensively,  the  Spartans  issued  58
quarterback sacks during the "86 campaign
and  against  the  rush  the  team  ranks
• second in the nation rendering just 66
ground yards a, game.
If the^partans' 45-41 triumph over
Fresno State was as joyous as a Christmas
party, well then a victory over the Redskins
could be as wild as a New Year's cele-
bration.             •	
Miami: a well-kept
secret out of Ohio
By Jim Bohannon
Associate Sports Editor
Not many people in the San Joaquin
Valley arc familiar with the Miami (of
Ohio) Redskins, but if the Mid-American
Conference champions play their game.
San Jose State will have everything it can
handle Saturday in Cal Bowl VI.
Miami earned its Cal Bowl berth with a
34-20 win over Eastern Michigan, finishing
MAC play with a 7-2 record (8-3 overall).
However. Miami gained its national
recognition this season with'a shocking
21-12 triumph over No. 5 ranked Louisiana
State. The Redskins traveled to LSU and
beat the Sugar Bowl-bound- Tigers in
front of 77,777 fans.
It may come as a surprise, but the
Redskins are one of the most successful
teams in college football history. Miami
sports a 518-263-37 record, thc I Ivh best
mark in the lan,d. During the mid-1970s,
thc 'Skins won three straight Tangerine
Bowls while compiling a 32-1-1 record. *
The Redskins struggled through two
consecutive 4-7 seasons before rebounding
with an S-2-1 campaign last year. They
completed the turnaround this, year with
the Cal Bowl berth.
"This team 'wayOcdicated to turning
our football program" around and now
they get to prove thetr pride as they
represent Miami and the MAC in the
California Bo^wl." said four-year head
coach Tim Rose.
Miami's wins were all by convincing
margins. The Redskins'victories came by
scores of 45-7. 21-12, 24-7. 34-14, 24-8.
20-6,59-21 and 34-20.
A sirong running game complements
the passing of senior Terry Morris. The
Miami quarterback played consistently
all season lorfg. completing 193 of 308
passes for a percentage of -.627. Morris
totalled 2.365 yards, while throwing 19
touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.
His finest game came against Cincinnatti.
w hen Morris went 22 for 38 for 321 yards and
three touchdowns.
George Swarn. the MAC's all-time all-
purpose running back, rushed for 1.112
this season. It marks the third straight
season Swarn passed the 1,000-yard mark.
In 1985, he set a career best with 1,511
yards. Swarn's talents are not limited to
rushing the ball. During his tenure at he
has caught 117 passes for |,057 yards.
ATthough Swarn carries the bulk ofthe
load, when the Redskins get close to the
end zone, they turn to fullback Tom
Graham. The 5-8. 246-pound powerhouse
gained only 333 yards, but he scored 14
touchdowns. He ranks 17th in the country
with 8.2 points per game.
I he defense relies on the experience of
eight returning starters. Inside linebacker
Pete Mather spearheads.the defense. Troy-
White. Jeff Anderson and Todd Snyder
alj played important roles in the "Skins
defense.
Opposing quarterbacks have had to
face constant pressure from Miami pass
rush. Dave Brown in particular. Brown
led the team with 13 sacks from his outside
linebacker position.
Miami has the reputation of playing
well in the big1 games as the Redskins are
5-1 in bowl appearances. They come into
Fresno eight-point underdogs to San Jose,
but if they play their football, the Redskins
could very well return home with a
California Bowl VI championship.
Correction
In Wednesday^ Daily Collegian,
the "Bulldog Bark", Charles Martin
was misidentified as George Martin.