At the half: midway through the season, blowouts are in, celebrations are down and there is no shortage of thrills

Sporting News, The, Oct 16, 1995 by Andrew Bagnato

The idea has always been to put the ball in the end zone. Hit paydirt. Push it over the alumni stripe.

Scoring is supposed to be the point, so to speak. But that has changed this fall; suddenly it has become possible to score too much.

In a season in which fans have seen the lowliest program knock off one of the proudest, rules-makers differentiate Hail Marys from prayers and several new coaches making immediate impacts, it is routs that have attracted the most attention.

In one amazing weekend, Florida State hammered North Carolina State, 77-17, Nebraska crushed Arizona State, 77-28, and Penn State buried Temple, 66-14. The top seven teams in the AP rankings scored an average of 55 points, and six won by an average of 44.

There seemed little doubt the scores were a product of the new Bowl Alliance, which will attempt to pair the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the Fiesta Bowl. The pollsters will determine that matchup, and coaches have learned that pollsters pay close attention to victory margins.

The blowouts were, depending upon your view, either a disturbing new trend or further proof of the talent gap between the best and the rest of the nation.

Some coaches agree with Michigan's Lloyd Carr, who questions the ethics of coaches who run up the score. "I think where there are cases where a guy is trying to run the score up to increase his standing in the polls, I find that indefensible," says Carr, who ordered his second-string offense to down the ball instead of trying for last-second touchdowns in victories at Illinois and Boston College. "We are in a game where the great majority of coaches are in the business of teaching sportsmanship."

But others echo Colorado's Rick Neuheisel, who says, "While you don't want to run the score up, you want to be able to send in your backup kids and tell them, `You should do exactly what you've practiced to do.'"

As the top teams compete for votes down the stretch, the weekly margins of victory could continue to stretch.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, himself accused of tacking on a late touchdown in a 59-34 victory over Rutgers, shakes his head at the footaraw surrounding scores. "I really think it's a media phenomenon," Paterno says. "It's something to write about. The fans are talking about it. I don't really think the coaches are talking about it.

"Maybe it's good for college football because it has more people talking about college football."

There are certainly plenty of things to talk about as the season hits the halfway point. Here's a quick rundown:

New sensations

The five most surprising teams:

1. Northwestern. Maybe it wasn't Notre Dame after all. The only thing more shocking than the Wildcats' victories in South Bend and Ann Arbor is that Coach Gary Barnett walked onto those hallowed grounds expecting to win. Behind running back Darnell Autry and a turnover-producing defense, the Wildcats will go bowling for the first time since the 1948 season.

2. Colorado, You knew Bill McCartney wouldn't leave the cupboard bare in Boulder. But Rick Neuheisel is a candidate for coach of the year because he knew what to do with all that talent. The doesn't diminish his first month. After losing quarterback Koy Detmer to injury, Neuheisel made sure there was no dropoff with untested backup John Hessler.

3. Louisiana State. Under new Coach Gerry DiNardo. The Tigers gave Texas A&M a fight, stunned fifth-ranked Auburn and held Florida to 28 points. Baton Rouge is a scary place to play again.

4. Stanford. Under new Coach Tyrone Willingham, the Cardinal have quickly bounced back to respectability. They won as many games in September (three) as they did in 1994. Stanford has simplified its passing game and has plenty of firepower at running back with Adam Salina and Anthony Bookman.

5. Kansas. They were once the Powderpuff of the Plains, but the Jayhawks are making some noise before the Big Eight goes dark. They played a weak early schedule, but their upset of Colorado in Boulder removed all doubt. A much improved defense and running game are the reasons the Jayhawks are winning.

From the depths

The five most surprising players:

1. John Hessler, Colorado quarterback. He had taken three snaps, lifetime, when starter Koy Detmer got hurt against Texas A&M. Hessler stepped in and led the Buffs to victory that day, then threw a school-record five touchdown passes to whip then-no. 10 Oklahoma a week later. With Detmer out for the season, Hessler may end up as this year's Brook Berringer.

2. Jamie Howard, Louisiana State quarterback. He was the target of death threats in Baton Rouge and considered chucking football to pitch for the Atlanta Braves. But all was forgiven by Tigers fans led LSU past fifth-ranked Auburn. Now Howard, who has thrown for 1,366 yards and nine touchdowns in six games, can make a pitch for governor.

3. Darnell Autry, Northwestern tailback. He ranks fourth in the Country with a 153-yards-per-game rushing average. Not bad for a sophomore theater major who had decided to go home to Arizona a year ago, only to be talked into returning by his teammates and family.