The Week

SOUTHWEST

"We wanted to run the option away from Billy Ray, and damned if he didn't show up right where we ran." That's what Texas A&M Quarterback Gary Kubiak had to say about the play on which Arkansas End Billy Ray Smith dropped him for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-one at the Razorback 41 in the fourth quarter. That wasn't all Smith did. On the Aggies' next possession, Smith blind-sided Kubiak, jarring the ball loose as he prepared to pass. The Hogs recovered the ball on the A&M 41 with 1:13 left and hung on for a 10-7 victory. Bruce Lahay's 18th field goal of the season, a 40-yarder in the second period, had put Arkansas on top 3-0. But Kubiak gave A&M a 7-3 lead in the third period when he passed seven yards to Flanker Don Jones. Kubiak, who connected on 19 of 21 for 233 yards, was dumped by—who else?—Smith for an eight-yard loss on a third-down play later in the quarter. After that, Arkansas drove 91 yards and, as it developed, scored the winning points when Fullback Jessie Clark bulled over from one yard out.

With tailbacks Eric Dickerson and Craig James gaining more than 100 yards apiece in the same game for the fifth time this year, SMU improved its record to 9-1 by routing Texas Tech 30-6. Dickerson ran for 129 yards on 19 carries, James for 134 on 24. The Mustangs forced seven turnovers, which gives them 45 on the season, tying them with Tulsa for the most in the country. Eddie Garcia, who has kicked 14 field goals this year, booted three against Tech. The Mustangs, first in the SWC, play at Arkansas this week, but they are on probation and are not eligible to go to a bowl. Thus, if the Hogs pull off an upset and if Texas loses one of its last two games, Arkansas will be the host in the Cotton Bowl.

If Texas is to survive, it will have to do so without its leader on defense, Tackle Kenneth Sims. Late in the first quarter of a 31-15 win over Texas Christian, Sims damaged ligaments in his right ankle and broke the fibula in his right leg. A.J. (Jam) Jones, installed once again as the starting tailback for the Longhorns, rushed for 162 yards. Jones got Texas started with a 29-yard scoring run in the first period. The Horns were penalized for 135 yards, but capitalized on TCU's miscues, including an end-zone fumble that Safety William Graham pounced on for a TD.

Michael Calhoun's two touchdown passes earned Rice a 17-14 triumph at Baylor. Calhoun now has thrown for a conference-record-tying 21 touchdowns this season even though he has only 98 completions.

EAST

Before facing Alabama, Penn State Coach Joe Paterno referred to his counterpart, Bear Bryant (page 94), as "the Winston Churchill of another art form." Part of Bryant's artistry has always been his ability to arouse his players, which he definitely did once again on Saturday. Tide Quarterback Walter Lewis pointed out that before the game Bryant told his team, "Go out and play like it was the last game of your lives. Play every play like you're behind."

'Bama was never close to being behind, and early in the third period the Tide put on a goal-line stand reminiscent of the one it staged to stop the Nittany Lions in the 1979 Sugar Bowl and win the national championship. On this sequence, Penn State couldn't score from, in order, the four, three, two, one, one, one, one. The Tide thus clung to the 24-3 advantage it had built while outgaining the Nittany Lions 334 yards to 86 during the first two periods. To that point, half of Alabama's yards had come via the arm of Lewis, a sophomore, who completed six of nine throws. Two of those tosses, good for 37 and three yards, were caught for touchdowns by Jesse Bendross. Lewis also connected with Joey Jones on a 57-yard bomb that set up a 27-yard field goal by Paul Trodd. In nine previous games the Tide had averaged only nine passes and 98 yards through the air. Lewis, however, was delighted with the opportunity to show his stuff. "My eyes lit up when I looked at the films of Penn State," he said. "I was sure we could beat them deep."

The closest the Nittany Lions could get was 24-10 early in the final quarter after Tailback Jon Williams raced 41 yards for a score. But Penn State came up short on fourth-and-one a few minutes later, and the Tide went on to win 31-16, enabling Bryant to tie Amos Alonzo Stagg's record of 314 career victories.

"I'm looking forward to the three-week layoff after the Pitt game," Army Coach Ed Cavanaugh said before taking on the No. 1-ranked Panthers. "I'm not looking forward to the game itself." Cavanaugh had good reason to be wary. Dan Marino hit 19 of 29 throws for 282 yards as Pitt rolled 48-0. Julius Dawkins caught four touchdown passes from Marino, who leads the nation with 28 TD tosses.