The Week

Penn State finally won a game, beating Temple 23-18, but only after Owl Quarterback Tim Riordan, the No. 7 passer in the country last year, bruised his shoulder on the seventh play. With Temple junior Suzette Charles, the reigning Miss New Jersey and first runner-up in this year's Miss America Pageant, standing behind the Owl bench, Riordan's replacement, freshman Lee Saltz, gave the Lions a scare with two TD passes in the fourth quarter. Afterward, Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said, "I'm not kidding myself. With Riordan in the game, maybe it's different. We've got a long way to go. We're jittery and shaking and kicking the ball around. One game doesn't make a season."

Although Princeton's answer to Miss New Jersey, freshman Brooke Shields, passed up her first home game for a modeling assignment, the Tigers overcame a 28-0 deficit to beat Bucknell 46-28. Princeton Quarterback Doug Butler, a sophomore making his first start, recovered from four early interceptions to throw for 411 yards and five TDs.

SOUTHWEST

In an outstanding defensive performance, Oklahoma State upset Texas A&M 34-15. The Cowboys intercepted Aggie Quarterback John Mazur four times and sacked him seven times while holding A&M runners to 49 yards on 40 attempts.

Texas defeated North Texas State 26-6 in a game marred by 45 penalties, and SMU extended its unbeaten streak to 19 by holding off TCU 21-17 with a goal-line stand in the final 1:26. Rice ended its losing string at 15 with a TD and a two-point conversion with 3:02 remaining that lifted the Owls to a 22-21 defeat of Southwestern Louisiana.

SOUTH

The decisive play in Maryland's 13-7 victory over Pitt came with three minutes left in the first half. With the Panthers punting from their 49-yard line, Terrapin Linebacker Doug Cox broke through the line, made the block, grabbed the ball off the bounce on the Pitt 32 and ran it into the end zone. "I wanted to make sure I didn't drop it," said Cox, a junior walk-on. "I was thinking, 'Please, nobody catch me.' " As for the block, it was "sort of like tunnel vision. It was the only thing I had on my mind."

An 81-yard punt return by Trey Gainous broke Tennessee's back in its 37-14 loss to Auburn. Said Volunteer Coach Johnny Majors, "I may sound like a crazy man, but I feel better about our program now than at any time since I've been here. We've got better players, better attitude and better character."

Another unlikely note of hope came from Notre Dame Coach Gerry Faust, whose team lost 20-0 to Miami and is now 1-2. "Call me an eternal optimist, but we're in good shape," said Faust. "It's a young season. I'm sure we'll have a good year yet." The Hurricanes, meanwhile, haven't allowed a point in 11 quarters—a result, say the Miami defensive players, of intimidating chatter. "We talk a lot out there," said Linebacker Jay Brophy after beating the Irish. "It gets the adrenaline flowing and gets the whole team in the spirit of the game. We just told 'em, 'You ain't doin' nothin' tonight. You ain't going nowhere.' "

Added Cornerback Reggie Sutton, who blocked two field-goal attempts, "We started calling them names. We figured if we could make 'em talk back to us they wouldn't have their minds on what they were doing."