Page 12 or ting View Super Sunday is just not what it used to be by John Musser Collegian Sports Editor I remember the good old days. There was a time when this past week and a half would fill the nation with anticipation and excitement. There would only be talk of who was better, who was stronger, and large monetary bets would be made. Plans that involved anything without a TV or radio in close proximity were quickly nixed in favor of those with a BIG screen television and tons of chip dip. Wives and girlfriends everywhere were momentarily forgotten. And this wasn't all done without good reason. In those days, you not only expected the big game to be close, you knew it. There weren't any big blowouts lames didn't end in the second quarter like they do now. Games back then, you stayed gi Ito the set until at least the > nth quarter. And v iked it. vs, things ain't what o be. The Super ome the Whats-on annel Bowl. Ok, ime was exciting, out that game for Try to recall the ,’ou watched a od Super Bowl (If Usburgh Steelers ninate any of their in the tide game, two of their Super fun to watch for ut the rest were Now. they us Bowl ha the-othe last yea; But forg a mome last tir genuine you're fan, thei appeara Sure, on Bowls v non-fans boring.). Still thinking? How about eight years ago in Detroit's Pontiac h d erdome, where the San Francisco 49er's defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21. Any game that's won on a goal line stai d is memorable Games now are generally won by three touchdowns and tend to be forgettable. Now for this years big game, we have the 49er's and the Denver Broncos. The 49er’s have everything going for them. They have dismantled each of their playoff opponents and arc playing like a "dynasty" team. No team has repeated as the NFL's main cheese since the Steelers did it in '79 and 'BO. If that isn't enough to motivate the Niners, then perhaps a place in football history alongside Pittsburgh as the only two teams to win four Super Bowl games without a loss should. It almost seems that they arc destined to win and lock up team of the decade honors. The Broncos are a different story. They have been embarassed in their three previous Super Bowl score of 108-40. With a loss, they will join the Minnesota Vikings as the only teams to lose four Super Bowls, not to mention never making it to the winner's circle. I guess in some way that this also makes the Broncs a team of destiny. As I see it, the orange boys of Denver are lucky to be here. First, they let one of the worst offenses in the league dominant their defense for thirty minutes, and then had to drive for the winning touchdown late in the final period to win their playoff opener against the surprising Steelers. One could argue that the better team did not win on that day. Then there’s the AFC championship game with Cleveland. Do I really have to talk about a game in which one of the teams featured a quarterback with only the remnants of a passing arm? Don’t get me wrong, I have all of the respect in the world for Browns QB Bemie Kosar, but there is just no way that he can play at his level of excellence with a sore shoulder and a busted finger on his throwing hand. A healthy Kosar and it may have been a different story. Make that would have been. Sometimes itk better to be lucky than good. Denver is lucky, just like they were the two other times they snuck by Cleveland into the Super Bowl. The 49er's are good. Very good. And they are motivated. They want to repeat as champs, and they have modeled their attitudes after that of the L.A. Lakers, who made it their mission to repeat as NBA champs in the 'B7-88 campain. And you do remember how that turned out, don't you? (For those that don't, the Lakers repeated with a seven-game series win over Detroit.) Denver may be better than the last time they made it to the NFL's promised land and may actually make it an exciting game. But 'Frisco just has too much firepower (RE: Montana, Rice, Taylor, Craig, and a solid defense) for Denver to handle. This time good beats lucky, hands down. • If Sunday's game does get out of hand early, there's always "Bud Bowl II" to keep hardcore fans ineterested. CBS announcers Brent Musburger and Terry Bradshaw bring home all of the exciting action. Maybe I'm not all that quick (According to former Collegian Editor James Martin, I'm not even "five percent here"), but the appeal of beer bottles playing a football game escapes me. Men and Women's Basketball Season Statistics Men’s Stats | Rebounds/per game Scoring Average Gurska 15.1 Demski 13.8 Pringle 10.5 Team 81.7 Women’s Stats | & Madison 19 Dunn 8.6 Dorenkamp 7.5 Beisler Team 62.7 News • Talk and Sports Radio The Collegian Wednesday, January 24,1990 Demski 105/7.5 Pringle 101/6.7 Cooper 70/4.7 Assists/ner gam Baughman 89/5.9 Madison 119/7.9 Madison 47 Beisler 85/5.7 Tonelli 47 Dunn 71/5.1 Dunn 44 iists/per gam* Altsman 50/3.3 38/2.5 Madison Dorenkamp 36/2.4 36/2.4 Bradley Field Goal Pen Cooper ,59 Demski 56 Floyd 55 Pringle 53 Team 46 ,me Field Goal Percenta Team FreeT Murray 83 Dunn 81 Team 62 trow Percenta
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