Heisman picture remains cloudy

By Alan Goldenbach
Daily Sports Editor

STATE COLLEGE - Sure, it was Judgment Day, as they like to call it, in college football. But that only involved the teams.

As far as the Heisman Trophy race is concerned, there was no judgment passed on anyone this weekend other than that the picture surrounding the nation's most coveted individual honor is as cloudy as ever.

The season-long front-runner - Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning - rebounded from the worst game of his career to post some stellar, more characteristic numbers in the Volunteers' 44-20 victory over Southern Mississippi.

Manning completed 35 of 53 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns, passing the 2,500-yard mark this season through the air.

The Tennessee senior has a number of advantages going for him in the race: he has long been a contender for the award (perhaps as far back as his sophomore season); he was given the award to lose in the preseason; and he plays a position that gener

AP PHOTO Michigan's Glen Steele (81) sacked Penn State quarterback Mike McQueary on the Lions' first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for the dominant Michigan defense. McQueary was never able to get into rhythm, and he completed only 10 passes for 68 yards.

ally receives the most attention for the honor.

After Manning, several second-tier candidates had their stock drop or rise moderately with their performances this weekend.

Marshall's Randy Moss caught seven passes for just 56 yards. He did catch a touchdown, his 22nd, which is one short of the major college record set by Houston's Manny Hazard in 1989.

But Moss has the small-college label of newly annointed Division I Marshall on his back, which could cost him a lot of votes.

The Big Ten's top two running backs, Iowa's Tavian Banks and Wisconsin's Ron Dayne, went up against each other this weekend in Madison and neither came away in particularly good shape.

With Iowa losing, Banks's 145-yard effort seems much more insignificant, as does his yards per game average of 155, which has dropped drastically since the first month of the season.

Dayne, on the other hand, sprained his ankle on the game's opening drive and sat out the remainder of the contest. Without a monster game to his credit yet this season, the Heisman candidacy for the Badgers' sophomore seems to be fading, especially if this injury affects his late-season push for the award.

Finally, there is Michigan's all-everything Charles Woodson, who is making as strong a case as ever for becoming the first defensive player to win the award. With Manning's performance in recent weeks not being the caliber of the best player in the country, Woodson's charge has picked up some steam.

Saturday was Woodson's prime opportunity to show what he could do against a top-ranked opponent in front of a national audience.

Woodson didn't disappoint offensively, catching a 37-yard touchdown pass. But overall, his statistics are not meaty enough for traditional number-heavy voters to give him strong consideration.

In addition, many of the voters do not watch Woodson week in and week out to see how he alters opponents' offenses by his mere presence.

For Woodson to pull off the upset victory, he may need a couple of big interceptions or something like a punt return for a touchdown in Michigan's next blockbuster game on Nov. 22 against Ohio State.

The barrier is broken: For the first time this season, Michigan gave up a second-half touchdown and points in the fourth quarter. The historic moment came with 5:52 left in the game as Penn State's Curtis Enis plunged into the end zone from one yard out to put the Lions on the board.

On a day that was otherwise as close to perfect as it could get for the Wolverines, they seemed to take the score pretty tough.

"We didn't like that," safety Marcus Ray said. "We really did not like that. They at least had to score something for pride."

"That really meant something to us to give up the touchdown in the fourth quarter," defensive end Glen Steele said.

Mourning Period: Think you're competitive? Losing pretty tough for you to swallow?

Penn State linebacker Jim Nelson was downright morbid in the lockerroom after the worst home loss in the coaching tenure of Joe Paterno.

"It's like a funeral in there," said Nelson of the lockerroom atmosphere. "Nobody really says anything. Heads are down and people really aren't going to congratulate each other for anything. It's like somebody died."

And what does Nelson do to recover from a beating like this?

"I know it's the worst whoopin' I've taken in a long time," he said. "It makes me sick. I want to vomit I feel so bad."

Enis rumbles on: Enis's 103 yards rushing marked the first time all season an opponent ran for the century mark against the Wolverines.

11-10-97