College Report

COLORADO IN MIAMI?

Colorado's third straight impressive win, a 38-7 rout of 11th-ranked Illinois, gives rise to the startling possibility that some school other than Nebraska or Oklahoma might represent the Big Eight in the Orange Bowl this season. The last time that happened was in 1977, when Ohio State beat the Buffaloes 27-10.

Oklahoma can't go to a bowl this season because it's on NCAA probation, but the Sooners didn't look much like bowl contenders anyway in their 6-3 loss at Arizona last week. They had 222 yards rushing and zero passing before losing the game on a 40-yard field goal by Doug Pfaff with two seconds remaining in the game.

Nebraska fans may want to wait a while before booking hotel rooms in Miami. In grinding out a 42-30 win over visiting Utah, the Cornhuskers didn't exactly shut down Ute quarterback Scott Mitchell, who completed 26 of 44 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns. "I think my arm would fall off if I threw that many times," said Husker quarterback Gerry Gdowski, who connected on three of six passes for 27 yards. Gdowski did run for 98 yards and three TDs when he wasn't handing off to tailback Ken Clark, who rushed for 130 yards.

While Nebraska was plodding, Colorado was exploding against the Illini, who had opened their season with a 14-13 upset of Southern Cal. The Buffaloes grabbed a 21-7 lead in the first quarter with the help of three big plays: a 74-yard pass from quarterback Darian Hagan to wideout Jeff Campbell, a 48-yard TD pass on an option play from tailback Eric Bieniemy to wideout M.J. Nelson and a 45-yard scoring run by Bieniemy's backup, J.J. Flannigan. Said Illinois linebacker Steve Glasson afterward, "They threw everything in the book at us, and unfortunately, most of it worked."

One thing Colorado threw at Illini quarterback Jeff George was a fierce rush led by Arthur Walker, Kanavis McGhee and Alfred Williams, who are known around Boulder as the H-Boys because all three of them come from Houston. The trio sacked George four times and also pressured him into throwing two interceptions, both of which helped set up Buffalo touchdowns.

ALL THE FIELD IS A STAGE

Speaking of Mitchell, the Utah coaches should have known better than to ask an economics major to switch to drama, but that's what they did against Nebraska. In the second quarter, with the Utes trailing the Cornhuskers 21-16, Mitchell, the nation's third-leading passer going into last weekend, was sacked and left the game with an apparent injury to his left—or passing—arm.

He returned to action after one play, but while getting ready to take the snap from center, he straightened up and began walking off the field, clutching his arm as if he were still in pain. Up in the stands, Mitchell's mother, Delia, had a typical motherly reaction—"She almost had a heart attack," said her husband, Bill—but the Cornhusker defense wasn't moved. With Mitchell still heading toward the sideline, the ball was snapped directly to tailback Clifton Smith, whom the Huskers tackled for a two-yard loss.

Afterward, Mitchell admitted that he wasn't really hurt. "It was part of the game plan," he said. "It was kind of a cutesy thing."