Writer O'hara Gets His Due With Tribute From Wvia

Billboard Touts Value Of Tobyhanna Depot 
Local Blue Ribbon Task Force Aims To Convince 
Washington Planners That It Would A Mistake To 
Close The Local Army 
Facility

Thursday, January 05, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





It didn't make for good TV &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Nebraska was going
to be voted the national champion of college football after this past
weekend's bowl games, Penn State's players didn't help their cause with their
sideline behavior late in the Rose BowlIn particular, one has to wonder if
Ki-Jana Carter's speech into ABC television cameras late in the game alienated
some voters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You can't really blame the Penn State tailback for posturing. He had
nothing to lose. And, even if he did cost his team some votes, well, it's not
likely that those votes were enough to give Nebraska the title in and of
themselves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, it just didn't come off well -- unless, of course, you were a Penn
State fan, in which case you were the choir and Ki-Jana the preacher. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Probably the most unseemly part was when he pointed up to the scoreboard
and started crowing about the fact that Penn State, by that point, had built
up a big lead justifying its status as a 17-point favorite going into the
game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 True, at that point, Penn State had a big lead, apparently against the
"Gang Green" defense to which Carter sarcastically had referred. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 However, the two short touchdown runs by Carter that gave Penn State that
lead were both set up not by any sensational efforts on the part of himself or
his offensive teamamtes, but by great plays on special teams and defense by
players relatively unknown to all but the most fanatical Penn State
supporters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, except for his long touchdown run on Penn State's first offensive
play of the game, Carter had done little except give away opportunities. His
fumbles kept Oregon in the game for quite some time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So, when he got in front of the camera and started preaching about how
voters had to give Penn State the national championship in at least one of the
two major polls, he seemed almost disdainful of the voters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You can just visualize some football coach in South Carolina, or some
sports writer in Wyoming, watching that and thinking, "Hey man, don't tell me
what I've got to do" as he contemplated how he would vote. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were other images as well, such as that of Penn State players trying
on caps with "national champion" on them. That's fairly common in such
circumstances, and the players had every right to do it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But on television, the medium through which most voters in both polls saw
the Rose Bowl, it came off as posturing, and posturing not expected of Penn
State at that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Short of a championship game between Penn State and Nebraska, the best
solution would have been not for one poll to go with each team, but for both
polls to declare the two teams co-champions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That would have required for both teams to finish with an equal number of
points in both polls, a statistical improbability. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it could be that when Carter and his teammates started trying to tell
voters what to do, or when they started making the decision for them, they
turned the improbable into the impossible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Savage is a Times Leader sports writer. His column appears Tuesday and
Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

It Didn't Make For Good Tv 
Although It Was Pretty Much A Foregone Conclusion That Nebraska Was Going To 
Be Voted The National Champion Of College Football After This Past Weekend's 
Bowl Games, Penn State's Players Didn't Help Their Cause With Their Sideline 
Behavior Late In The Rose Bowl.

It Didn't Make For Good Tv Although It Was Pretty Much A Foregone Conclusion That Nebraska Was Going To Be Voted The National Champion Of College Football After This Past Weekend's Bowl Games, Penn State's Players Didn't Help Their Cause With Their Sideline Behavior Late In The Rose Bowl.