COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

FOILED AGAIN

USC had an unexpected visitor at practice Friday afternoon at Stanford Stadium when Bill Walsh showed up wearing red shorts and a long, fake beard and carrying a video camera.

Walsh walked down the track and knelt eight feet behind Coach John Robinson, pretending to film the practice. The guise did not last long as Robinson recognized his old friend.

Walsh has played the prankster before. Once, at a Super Bowl, he posed as a hotel bellman, and carried many of his players’ bags before anyone recognized him.

Perhaps he should stick to book writing.

START WORRYING

George Perles, Michigan State coach, was a bit defensive before his team played host to Ohio State in East Lansing.

“What’s hanging over my head?” he asked. “The only thing hanging over my head is my contract. I don’t worry about those things and you shouldn’t worry about them.

“I’ve been schooled too long and too hard for me to worry about things I can’t do something about and right now the only thing I can do anything about is to try and to play as well as we can against Ohio State.”

After losing, 23-7, he might reconsider.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

At 7-0, Coach Sonny Lubick of Colorado State still is not sure about his Rams.

“We’re going 12-0,” he told the Denver Greater Ram Booster Club before the Rams defeated Texas El Paso, 47-9.

Then he added, “We could also screw up with the best of them.”

BROADCAST BLUES

As Penn State took a 16-3 first-half lead over No. 3 Michigan at Ann Arbor, television commentator Bob Griese belabored the point about how the home field can be a disadvantage as much as an advantage.

Nothing was said about it during the second half when Michigan rallied before losing, 31-24.

WHAT WERE THEY BEFORE?

Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett, praising the Wildcat talent this season: “At least now we’ve got some athletes.”

STILL STEWING

With a bye this weekend, Coach Bobby Bowden of Florida State had an extra week to lament his team’s loss to Miami.

“We’ve been through this so many times that it’s kind of a way of life,” Bowden said. “We must change that way of life. We must start beating Miami.

“The shock (of losing) was not as bad this year. It wasn’t even close to bad. Now somebody will say, ‘What’s wrong, y’all are supposed to be shocked.’ No, we aren’t supposed to be shocked. We’ve been in this very same situation for seven straight years. We are used to it.”

A FRANK SHORTER

See what a victory over Notre Dame will do?

Boston College’s Eric Shorter, who returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown with 2:04 left in a 45-28 victory over Temple, was talking big a week after the Eagles surprised the Irish.

“Not to take anything away from (Temple) but they shouldn’t have scored anything against us,” Shorter said.

This, after the Eagles led at halftime, 35-0.

CAN THEY COUNT?

Stanford has a coach nicknamed the Genius, and players who must score well on college entrance exams to be considered for the Cardinal program.

How then will they explain being penalized for too many players on the field twice against USC?

COLD SNAP

Utah running back Sylvester Cooperwood, who led the undefeated Utes past Hawaii in Salt Lake City, complained, “It was cold and wet.”

If Cooperwood was cold, what about the visiting Rainbows?

PAYBACK TIME

Before Auburn traveled to Gainesville to play top-ranked Florida, defensive lineman Ellis Johnson said:

“We owe them one.”

Auburn 36, Florida 33.

In the West, Washington free safety Lawyer Milloy said of Arizona State:

“We owe them something.”

Washington 35, Arizona State 14.

Consider the debts paid.

BOILING OVER

For Jay Macias, Wisconsin backup quarterback, there is always Purdue.

Macias started in 1991 when the Badgers lost, 28-7, to the Boilermakers. Macias came off the bench in 1992 against Purdue when starter Darrell Bevell was injured, and led Wisconsin to a 19-16 victory. Last year, with Bevell injured again, Macias threw a 14-yard touchdown pass in a 42-28 victory.

“I feel good when I play against them because I’ve always done pretty good against them,” Macias said before facing the Boilermakers for the fourth time.

After two interceptions led to 14 points, Macias was not feeling as good. Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez made a surprise switch by returning to Bevell, who was injured this year too. Bevell led the Badgers on two scoring drives to salvage a 24-24 tie.

McNAIR SHOW

Steve McNair passed for 387 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns as Alcorn State routed Prairie View A&M;, 69-14, and extended the Panthers’ NCAA-record losing streak to 41 games at Prairie View, Tex.

McNair has completed 170 of 300 passes for 2,704 yards and 31 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and has 672 yards in 70 rushes with six touchdowns.

ASKING FOR IT

“I expect them to come after me and I welcome them to come after me,” Cal quarterback Kerry McGonigal said before the Bears faced Oregon in Eugene.

“Let them come. They can blitz every time if they want, because I’ll get up, but there’s a good chance I’ll be getting up to look at the receiver standing with the ball in the end zone.”

Not quite. Oregon’s defense stuffed Cal in a 23-7 victory.

WE WON’T

The usually loquacious Lou Holtz, after Notre Dame suffered its second consecutive embarrassing defeat, this time, 21-14, to Brigham Young:

“Please don’t ask me for any answers. I don’t have any.”

HE KNEW

Offensive guard Jeff Smith of Tennessee figured Alabama was good despite five close victories:

“Alabama just finds a way to win, regardless if it’s against Miami of Florida or Miami of Ohio,” he said.

Or Tennessee. The Crimson Tide scored with three minutes left to defeat the Volunteers, 17-13.

COACH COLLAPSES

Richmond Coach Jim Marshall was taken to a Richmond hospital after collapsing late in the Spiders’ 28-3 loss to Delaware. Tests revealed no serious problem, and Marshall was sent home to rest.

NOTEWORTHY

Grambling defeated Arkansas Pine Bluff, 44-17, in Coach Eddie Robinson’s 549th game, breaking the all-time record held by Amos Alonzo Stagg. . . . Andy Glockner made four field goals as Penn (4-0, 2-0 Ivy League) extended Division 1-AA’s longest winning streak to 15 games with a 12-3 victory over Columbia. . . . Texas A&M; extended two winning streaks with its 41-21 victory over Baylor. The Aggies home winning streak is 24, longest in the nation. They have also won 25 consecutive Southwest Conference games. . . . Purdue is 4-1-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the Big Ten after going 1-10 and 0-8 last year. . . . Robert Morris had its six-game winning streak broken by Wagner, 38-21, for its first loss in its inaugural season of football.

QUOTEWORTHY

“The question was not whether we’d be 6-0, but whether we would have a winning season.”

--Ray Farmer, who blocked a kick for the eighth time in his career in leading the Blue Devils past Clemson, 19-13.

“It was the offensive line who opened the hole. I just happened to have the ball.”

--Nebraska’s Jeff Makovicka, after scoring his first touchdown to lead the Cornhuskers to a 17-6 victory over Kansas.

“We had all our eggs in one basket and we had our egg basket crushed.”

--Coach Jim Sweeney of Fresno State, still pondering the Bulldogs’ 32-20 loss to Brigham Young last week.

“We blew them out, what else do you want?”

--Napoleon Kaufman, after a sub-par performance in Washington’s 35-14 victory over Arizona State.