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THE MERCER CLUSTER-OCTOBER 21.19W-PAGE S
MERCER
Pat’s Picks
Georgia over Kentucky Wildcats, Falcons over N.Y. Jets
ly.1. PitrickKolty
After a slow start my predgfions
are finally failing m line Last week i
recorded a perfect 4-0 mart lor
college picks and a very good 2-1
record for professional games. Last
week's success
in college games
raised my season
I record to 22-7
rv.iwj and my
pref success in pro-
V fessronal games
> hrther raised my
Jj. r record aOove trie
-a* JB .500 level with a
100 (55.5%) mart. Finally. In my
seventh week of predicting games fa
the Cluster I'm at least a partial
success.
This week's college picks;
#7 Florida nor East
Pirates are toasting their best team
since Pat Dye left to coach at
Wyoming and presently AuPum. The
Pirates opened the season with a
narrow 47-46 toss to tW^kxida State
Semlnoles and followed it a few weeks
later with an upset victory over the
Missouri Tigers. The Pirates featiae a
strong ground game and tough
defense. The host Gators, on the other
hand have an offense that has
exhibited amazing balance widi the
passing of quarterback Wayne Peace
and the running of a stable of fine
backs The Gator defense led by
linebacker Wilbur Marshall is one of
the best in the nation. The Gators are
unbeaiened and r'ji a trip to Auburn
coming up next week might look past
the Pirates. If the Pirates can catch
the Gators looking the right way they
might be able to steal away from
Gainesville with a victory.
R Georgia nor Ktetacky-Georgia
returns home to the friendly land
between the hedges after surviving a
scare in Nashville. The Dogs are
recovering from a multitude of
injuries as well as some quarterback
ing woes against Vanderbilt last
week. The Bulldog defense, however,
had no such problems and continues
to be the team's strength. The
Bulldogs defense will need to be
particularly strong when the Wildcats
pay their visit on Athens. The
Kentucky offense is a quality unit led
by mobile quarterback Randy Jenkins
and a strong line. The Kentucky
defense is also tough particularly
against the run. Those who thought
Kentucky's great start this season
was a fluke were proved wrong last
week when they upset LSU in Baton
Rouge. The home environment should
get the Bulldog offense on the right
track and extend the .Bulldogs
consecutive SEC game winning streak
to 22.
R Miami over Clnrinnatll The
Hurricanes travel to Ohio to face the
Bearcats who opened their season
with an upset over defending national
champion Penn State but since then
have done little to impress. Last
week's loss to FSU would take a lot
out of the likelihood of them pulling a
simitar upset against Miami The
Hurricanes are strong on both sides of
the ball and should have an easy time
with the Wildcats. The Hurricanes
offense led on the ground by fullback
Speedy Neal and through the airways
by freshman Bemie Kosar is effective
If not spectacular The Miami detense
ranks among the best. Miami gets a
good warm-up tor their October 29
meeting with the West Virginia
Soccer team drops two in weekend action
The Mercer University Soccer Team
recently returned from a road trip to
Florida where they dropped a pair of
close 2-1 decisions to NgNyeouted
opponents over the weekend They
dropped the first game of the road trip
to Jacksonville University on two
controversial penal tv kicks with the
winning coming with only two
minutes ten in the game Then in the
second game of the trip tie Bears
scored first agamst nabonaRy ranked
Central Florida but the Knights came
hart with two late scores to claim the
decision over Mercer
Jack Spangler scored Mercer 's only
goal against Jacksonville on an assist
tram junior striker Oral Campbell
Against Central Florida Spangler
recorded an assist when Mart Lind
scored Mercer s only goaf Lind was
named offensive player of the week as
Mountaneers.
Georgia Tick over Tennessee-last
week Tech lost big to Auburn and
Tennessee pulled out an upset victory
over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tech
is 1-5. Tennessee is 4-2. Why Tech
over Tennessee? Both learns have
good athletes and the basics to be
comenders in their respective divis
ions. However, both have been up and
down, looking good one week and bad
file next. Last year the Volunteers
upset Alamoama and they went to
Atlanta and lost to Tech 31-21. This
year Tech travels to Knoxville but l
think the results will be the same
• This week's pro picks:
Miami ever Baltimore Don Shula's
Dolphins travel to Baltimore in this
key AFC Eastern Division contest
The Dolphins led by rookie quarter
back Dan Marino and reborn defense
looked impressive last week while
defeating the Jets in Shea Stadium.
Baltimore, which by no means even
vaguely resembles the pathetic,
wmiess team of a year ago, has a
Steady offense and a gambling style ol
defensive play that could give the
Dolphins problems. If the Baltimore
Blitz can snake up Marino they could
be in business. The Colts offense,
however, looked weak against Buffalo
and detense looked no better The
Dolphins are on a roll and should win
this game on the strength ol Marino's
arm and poise.
Atlanta over New York- A game
between two talented squads with
poor records. Ouring the pre-season
both teams were considered to be
played contenders. Both teams need a
massive infusion ol intensity it they
are going to fulfill those expectations.
The Jels led by Richard Todd losl t^
Miami last week when Todd had live
passes intercepted. The Falcons
problem, on the other hand, has been
a defense that has allowed numerous
opponents to come from behind In the
last stages ol their games Both ot
these teams posess the talent to bounc
back and the Falcons who have lost
live games by a total ot 20 points have
less distance to recover than the
grounded Jets ottense.
New Orleans over Tampa Bay- In
the last lour weeks the Saints have
almost upset Dallas, upset the
Cowboys, downed ihe Falcons, and
losl a narrow decision to Ihe
Fourty-nlners: all good learns. Tampa
has looked improved in the last tew
weeks but remain winless. New
Orleans Is shooting tor its first
winning season ever and the Boos are
so bad that even the'Saints won't be
able to "convert' them into a winner
well as Man of the Match against
Central Florida.
Marc Kurz. who was named Man ol
the Match agamst Jacksonville, was
also named Bears Defensive Player ot
the Week.
mu
*
Oral Campbell drive* toward goal.
The Bears play at Samtord
University in Birmingham. Alabama
in a Trans-American Athletic Confer
ence match on Monday, October J4.
The two weekend losses drop
Mercer's season record to (H>-1
Soccer Standouts
>s ot 10-17-63
PLAYER
Oral Campbell
Stacy Noske
Mark Lind
Jack Spangler
Jeb Smith
Jon^ Morr.son
GOALKEEPER
Jeff Hussey
Ron Keller
GOALS
9
7
4
3
2
2
GAMES STARTED
3
10
ASSIST
2
0
10
2
4
2
GOALS
AGAINST
4
18
POINTS
20
14
10
8
8
6
GOALS AGAINST
AVERAGE
1 00
1 96
Mercer picked sixth in TAAC poll
By Bobby Pope
Director of Sports Information
The coaches ot the Trans America
Mercer baseball player prevents off-campus rape attempt
By J. Patrick Keley
William Brennan is a junior pitcher
for the Mercer Bedri Baseball team
Brennan, a native a> Macon, broke
into Mercer baseball two years as a
freshman and starred lor the Bears m
the latter part of the season, pitching
the team to victory In many tight
situations. After redshirting his
sophomore year, he retwra to the
Bears, expected to be the ace of wnat
will be a young stall. Based upon past
performances those expectations
would seem to be justified; however.
It's doubtful that even it the Bears
were to make the NCAA Tou$prgenl
that he would be called upon to
perform in a more important situation
than that ot the morning of Saturday.
October 1. 1983. For on that day.
Brennan was thrust into a situation
that required turn to perform for
r much higher than any game he
ever ptay in-because the
prevention of attempted rape is no
game.
On the rught of Friday. September
30th. Brennan, who ft a Sigma No.
attended a party at the Sigma Nu
lodge Around 2 30 the party had
thinned and he left to go home. On the
way oiA he ran into a girt he had met
earlier She explained to turn that her
ride had already left and he ottered
her a ride home. They pulled into the
driveway ot her apartment on Adams
Street, one-halt block ott campus. The
driveway is situated at such an angle
that it descends below the yard ot the
adjoining apartment OdilBing. The
two of them remained in William's car
talking when a sequence events
happened in rapid succession.
Looking up from the driveway
Brennan had a clear view ot the tront
porch of the adjoining apartment
building. Ha noticed a friend ot his
who is a resident of that building
standing on the jorch. talking to a girl
he didn't recognize. The resident,
who was wearing snorts, went into the
back ol the building to change into
some warmer clothes The girl sat
alone an the porch with her feet
resting on one ot the top steps facing
/
the street About this time, a well
dressed black male in his early
twenties; approximately 5'9". 160
pounds, turned up the walkway to the
porch where the girl was sitting.
Brennan watched as the man
ascended the steps leading to the
porch and walked past the girt He
stopped in the middle ot the porch and
spoke to her briefly. After she
responded he descended down the
first two or three steps and kited
before the girl, placed his hand on her
knee, and began to talk to her again
When she responded with a puzzled
look and pushed his hand away.
Brennan realized something was
wrong The assailant then grabOed
the girt about the shoulders She
proceeded to struggle In order to
loosen his grip, white trying to crawai
away from him and towards the door
ot the apartment building. During this
time Brennan had reached under the
tront seat ot his car and emoved a
pair ot nuncltaks and opened
the door ot his car. The noise ol the
car door opening !e<3 the
assailant, who then ran. Brennan
began around his car in pursuit,
shouting at the assailant. Being
extremely quick and having a large
headstart, the assailant turned tell at
Oglethorpe Street when Brennan lost
sight ol him. Brennan relumed to Ihe
porch to make sure the girl was
alright About that time his friend
emerged from the building, unaware
of what had happened, since the girt
had been too frightened to scream
When the girl had calmed down and
been lelt under the protection ot his
friend. Brennan left to lookjor police
who mighWe In the area.
What Brennan did took courage and
strength In this lime when the
integrity of amateur athletics and
athletes is clouded with drug
scandals, payoffs, and recruiting
notations, it becomes easy to accept
the negative as the rule ol conduct. It
this is the state ol things today, it is
good to be reminded Irom time to time
that exceptions do exist. William
Brennan is such an exception.
Athletic Conference have chosen
Houston Baptist University as the
pre-season favorite in the 1983-84
basketball race Centenary College
was a very close second to the Huskies
with delending champion Arkansas-
Little Rock tabbed to finish third in
the eight team race. Samtord
University was picked to finish tourth
toliowed by 1982-83 Tournament
Champ Georgia Southern. Mercer.
Northwestern State (LA.) and Hardin-
Simmons. Georgia State, who joined
the Conference this past summer, will
not be eligible for the TAAC crown
until next season, and Nicholls Stale
Is not eligible lor ihe 1983-84 title.
T44C
Pre-Season
Order of Finish
1 Houston Baptist
2 Centenary
3. Arkansas-Little Rock
4 Samtord
5. Georgia Southern
6 Mercer
7 Northwestern State (LA)
8. Hardln-Simmons