College Football

Perkins was fuming because, with 11 seconds left in the game, Miami freshman quarterback Craig Erickson threw a three-yard touchdown pass to second-string junior flanker Andre Brown. But Miami coach Jimmy Johnson pleads innocent to running it up: "It's interesting that on a week when Florida wins 65-0 and Florida State wins 61-10, with [star wide receiver] Herb Gainer scoring its 61st point on a pass with 15 seconds left, we would be accused of running it up."

The Hurricanes are playing an entirely different game than are the Terps. Miami plays 60 minutes a week for the national title. Its competition on any Saturday isn't just the other team on the field. It's also Oklahoma, Nebraska and even Florida State, whom the 'Canes have already beaten. Those teams score dozens of points every week—yes, they, too, run it up—and Miami looks less impressive if it doesn't keep pace.

Pity poor Cincinnati, which has to face the rested Hurricanes this weekend.

CHALK TALK

Before playing UCLA on Saturday, Oregon, then 4-1, debuted in several Top 20 polls, including SI's. Ducks linebacker Tom Talbot kept it all in perspective. "Ratings don't mean anything until you're the national champion," he said. "I heard the Miami and Oklahoma guys say that on TV." Healthy attitude, Tom. Oregon was crushed by the Bruins....

Baylor coach Grant Teaff issued a ban on table tennis before the Bears' game against Texas A & M on Saturday. On Oct. 9, Baylor quarterback Brad Goebel sprained his ankle while battling flanker Bobby Jack Goforth across the net. Goebel played against the Aggies, but the Bears were pinged 34-10....

North Carolina strong safety Norris Davis has four touchdowns this season, tops among the Tar Heels, and he has scored them in all sorts of ways. In Saturday's 17-14 win over N.C. State, he recovered an errant punt snap in the end zone for six points. Previously Davis had run in a blocked punt against Auburn, returned an interception for a TD against Illinois and grabbed a fumble in midair and rambled 27 yards to the end zone against Navy....

Bucknell coach George Landis thinks that unbeaten Holy Cross may be getting some help from above. On the morning of the Bison's 48-10 loss to the Cross, Landis wandered into Bucknell's near-empty Memorial Stadium and noticed a priest standing before the Crusaders' bench and talking into a headset. Landis glanced up at the press box to see who was on the other end of the line. The box was empty.

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