Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 15, 1993

The Raiders belong right up there on the list of NFL underachievers. . . .

There is no reason why a team with their talent should be only 5-4. . . .

Their 31-20 defeat to Kansas City Sunday at the Coliseum marked the third time they have lost after blowing a lead in the second half. . . .

They have been outscored 113-58 in second halves. . . .

Apparently, rival coaches are making better adjustments than Art Shell during halftime. . . .

After Marcus Allen ran for 39 yards and then scored on a four-yard run to bring the Chiefs to within three of the Raiders in the third quarter, a fan turned and yelled in the direction of where Al Davis was sitting in the press box, “Nice move, you idiot!”. . . .

Actually, Davis has made enough good personnel moves to rebuild the Raiders into what should be an AFC championship contender. . . .

However, questionable tactics, key mistakes, second-half collapses, the lack of a knockout punch, and too many penalties have put them two games back in the West race as they embark on a stretch of three consecutive road games. . . .

The Cleveland Browns released the wrong guy. It should have been Bill Belichick instead of Bernie Kosar. . . .

*

Pacific 10 Conference leader USC. That is not a misprint. . . .

The Trojans will play UCLA Saturday at the Coliseum for a Rose Bowl berth because they did something that better USC teams haven’t been able to--keep their poise in Seattle--and got some help from Cal. . . .

Washington Coach Jim Lambright made a curious decision when he alternated Beno Bryant, who wasn’t nearly as effective, with Napoleon Kaufman at tailback. . . .

Most of UCLA’s worst fears were realized when the Bruins faced the most improved team in the conference, Arizona State, without quarterback Wayne Cook. . . .

Cook has thrown three interceptions in nine games. His replacement, Rob Walker, threw three Saturday. . . .

This is not to suggest that Walker was entirely to blame for the defeat. The UCLA blockers, running backs, and special teams should have found a way to win on a day when the defense was effective. . . .

Of course, all the loss meant to the Bruins in the Rose Bowl race was that they need a victory over USC instead of a tie. . . .

Keep the faith, Wisconsin fans. Tyrone Wheatley was back in touchdown form against Minnesota, enhancing Michigan’s chances against Ohio State Saturday at Ann Arbor. A Buckeye loss and Wisconsin victories over Illinois and Michigan State would bring the Badgers to Pasadena for the first time since New Year’s Day of 1963. . . .

Clearly, Notre Dame and Florida State are the two best teams in the nation. . . .

A rematch in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title will be in order if the Irish beat Boston College and the Seminoles beat North Carolina State and Florida. . . .

On Saturday, Notre Dame was the better-coached team. . . .

Bobby Bowden relied too much on gimmicks and not enough on his impressive rushing attack. . . . .

Lou Holtz, who called a near-perfect game, deserves to be on the short list of coach-of-the-year candidates. . . .

Most overexposed player of the day--and the year--was Florida State freshman kicker Scott Bentley. He had little to do with the outcome, but got more sideline close-ups than any other player. This is the same guy who was pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he played in a college game. . . .

“It’s been a really good, hard-hitting ball game,” NBC announcer Charlie Jones said early in the fourth quarter. . . .

Florida State’s comeback upgraded it to excellent, but Nebraska’s 35-31 victory over Oklahoma in 1971 remains the best of the Games of the Century. . . .

*

One starting center fouled out Saturday at the Sports Arena and the other scored the winning basket. The surprise was that San Antonio’s David Robinson left with five minutes remaining and the Clippers’ Stanley Roberts made the game-winning dunk with 17 seconds left. . . .

Now that the Dodgers aren’t going to sign Robby Thompson, they better re-sign Jody Reed. Ryne Sandberg isn’t available. . . .

Being shut out by the Atlanta Braves is one thing. Being shut out by the Atlanta Falcons, as the Rams were Sunday, is another.