Winslow’s comments worth absolutely nothing

Monday, Nov. 10, 2003 | 9:45 a.m.

It was simply a coincidence, but it sure put things in perspective.

On Saturday, not more than 15 minutes after I watched "We Were Soldiers," on Showtime and flipped to ESPN to catch up on some late college football scores, there was an agitated Kellen Winslow in a losing Miami Hurricanes dressing room, referring to himself as a "soldier."

Kellen, I hate to break it to you, but you are not a soldier. You are a football player, a darn good football player. Do not confuse the two. Do not think for a minute that playing Tennessee in the Orange Bowl in 2003, regardless of how many times the Volunteers chop-blocked you, is like playing the North Vietnamese in a dry creek bed in the la Drang Valley in 1965.

I guess this is what happens when football coaches take a meaningless game and compare it to going to war. Or something else of consequence that it surely isn't.

It didn't take long for Winslow -- or at least the Miami sports information office -- to apologize for his insensitive remarks. In a statement released Sunday, Winslow said he was sorry for blasting officials and insulting those who have served their country.

"After speaking with the press, I immediately regretted my comments and felt embarrassed for my family, my team, the University of Miami, our fans, alumni and myself," Winslow said, or had somebody say for him.

"What I have learned from this experience is to take my triumphs and failures in stride. My outburst should in no shape or form be a reflection on this institution or the Miami football program. "As for my reference to being a soldier in a war, I meant no disrespect to the men and women who have served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces. I cannot begin to imagine the magnitude of war or its consequences."

Well, provided Winslow is sincere, that's a start. But if really wanted to make things right, he should drop by the VFW hall in Coral Gables this week and shake some hands.

Or maybe even offer to polish the boots of some real soldiers.

The starting 11

OHIO STATE 33, MICHIGAN STATE 23: A report on Ohio State's victory against Michigan State used the word "impressive" to modify "offensive performance" in reference to the Buckeyes. And for once, it wasn't a misprint. Craig Krenzel, feeling pressure from backup quarterback Scott McMullen (although he denies it), completed 12 of 23 passes for 213 yards. And unlike Maurice Clarett, he's not flunking P.E.

CLEMSON 26, FLORIDA STATE 10: Well, if you've got to have your national championship hopes trashed, it might as well be against your embattled son's team. "I told him his job ought to be safe for about another five days," FSU's Bobby Bowden joked about son Tommy, the Tigers' head coach, after Clemson dominated the Seminoles on the elder Bowden's 74th birthday.

PITTSBURGH 31, VIRGINIA TECH 28: The Hokies did a great job of holding Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt's superlative wide receiver, in check for the first 56 minutes. But they lost track of him during the final four, which you can't afford to do when you're chasing a national championship. Fitzgerald caught three passes for 49 yards on a desperation drive that gave the Panthers the win and turned another Sugar Bowl contender into pre-sweetener.

TENNESSEE 10, MIAMI 6: During the third quarter, the Hurricanes' Jarrett Payton ran through a gigantic hole in the Volunteers' defense and appeared headed for an easy touchdown. But he was caught from behind after a 40-yard gain, which better than anything else illustrates why these Hurricanes lost their second consecutive game, to a modestly talented Tennessee team. Miami just doesn't have the speed and talent it had as recently as a year ago, when its "soldiers" wore track shoes instead of army boots.

NOTRE DAME 27, NAVY 24: After beating Navy for the 40th consecutive time on a field goal on the final play of the game, the Fighting Irish celebrated as if they had just won the national championship on St. Patrick's Day. Too bad Rudy Ruettiger doesn't have any eligibility remaining, because he could probably start at linebacker for this Notre Dame team.

PURDUE 27, IOWA 14: Kyle Orton didn't have to soak his right arm after the game, which means for once the Boilermakers were able to run the football. Orton completed 13 of 20 passes for a modest 167 yards to complement Jerod Void's 120 rushing yards against an Iowa rush defense that had been stingier than Jack Benny on a fixed income.

MISSISSIPPI 24, AUBURN 20: Nobody's snickering about Ole Miss' dream season (6-0 SEC) any longer, thanks to Ben Obomanu's butter fingers. Auburn's Obomanu dropped a certain touchdown pass in the end zone on the game's next-to-last play, which means Mississippi and LSU will be playing for a trip to the Georgia Dome and the SEC title game when they meet Nov. 22 in Oxford.

OKLAHOMA 77, TEXAS A&M 0: Sooners coach Bob Stoops said he believes in "being decent to people," which is why he had his offensive linemen all but flop to the ground with Oklahoma ahead 77-0 and perched on the Aggies' 3 midway through the fourth quarter. But will somebody please explain how the offensive line playing possum is more respectful to an opponent than scoring another touchdown in a 77-0 game?

WASHINGTON STATE 31, UCLA 13: The Cougars scuttled the notion that it is impossible to win a football game in which you commit seven turnovers. Of course, it should be noted that the Bruins also turned the ball over seven times. This game featured so many mistakes that it should have been renamed the Robert Downey Jr. Bowl.

TEXAS 55, OKLAHOMA STATE 16: The Cowboys led 16-14 at halftime, then imitated Texas A&M in the second half. Oklahoma State, which two weeks ago was entertaining thoughts of a Big 12 South championship, has been outscored 107-25 since becoming delusional, as it lost 52-9 at Oklahoma last week.

MINNESOTA 37, WISCONSIN 34: Nobody axed me, but the most impressive play of the weekend was Minnesota kicker Rhys Lloyd's 35-yard field goal on the last play of the game, followed by his sprint to the sideline and leap over the bench to lay claim to Paul Bunyan's Axe, which the jubilant Gophers recklessly carried around the Metrodome. Good thing the blade was dull.

Big men on campus

Stats enough

John Gagliardi became college football's career victory leader when St. John's rallied to beat Bethel 29-26. Gagliardi, in his 55th season and his 51st at the Minnesota school, got his 409th victory, passing Eddie Robinson, who retired in 1997 after winning 408 games at Grambling. ... Northern Illinois beat Buffalo 40-9 to win nine games for just the sixth time in its 102-year history. ... Iowa State was shut out for the second game in a row, 45-0 by Kansas State. The Cyclones had not been blanked twice in succession since 1958. ... Indiana ended its 11-game Big Ten losing streak with a 17-14 victory against Illinois. ... North Carolina snapped a school-record 10-game home losing streak with a 42-34 win against Wake Forest. ... Arizona snapped a string of 13 consecutive Pac-10 home losses by stunning Washing ton 27-22. ... Texas Tech's Wes Welker set the NCAA career record for punt return yardage with a 22-yard return in a! 62-14 win against Baylor. Welker has 1,739 career return yards, breaking the 54-year-old record of Lee Nalley, who had 1,695 at Vanderbilt from 1947-49. ... Penn clinched at least a share of the Ivy League title with a 37-7 win against Princeton, the Quakers' 14th consecutive victory dating to last season. ... With a 17-7 loss to Northwestern, Penn State lost its sixth in a row for the first time under coach Joe Paterno. The last time the Nittany Lions lost six consecutive games was in 1931.

Division I-A Lite

A look at the top teams in the non-BCS conferences:

1. Miami of Ohio (MAC): RedHawks just might be the better of the two Miamis.

2. TCU (USA): If wins are truly what count, Frogs have 'em.

3. Bowling Green (MAC): Falcons' Miami (of Ohio) vice: Too many mistakes.

4. Northern Illinois (MAC): Turner's burner scorches Buffalo as Michael gets 163 yards.

5. Boise State (WAC): Broncos take the week off to count their victories.

6. Louisville (USA): Cardinals just six points from being perfect.

7. Utah (MWC): Utes closing in on first outright conference crown since 1957.

8. Navy (IND): Forget loose lips. It takes a field goal on the last play to sink Navy's ship at Notre Dame.

9. Air Force: (MWC): Falcons play with Army men.

10. Marshall (MAC): Marshall mellow without starting QB Hill.

Games we'd like to see

In this space each week the Sun will present a dream college football matchup, with statistics and highlights provided by Lance Haffner Games' 3-in-1 computer simulation. Readers who would like to propose future matchups can do so by contacting the Sun via e-mail at ron@lasvegassun.com.

1994 Penn State 31, 1994 Nebraska 17: Maybe the game has passed Joe Paterno by in recent years, but it sure didn't happen in 1994, when the Nittany Lions went 12-0 and scored at least 31 points in each of their wins. Penn State never got a chance to play for the national championship which went to Nebraska, but was the better team in our computer matchup, prevailing 31-17. Penn State racked up 499 yards to Nebraska's 287, as Kerry Collins completed 17 of 26 passes for 295 yards and Ki-Jana Carter added 138 rushing yards on 30 carries. Lawrence Phillips had 119 yards on 26 carries for the 'Huskers.

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