Fullwood Is Really a Handful

UCLA’s Gaston Green rushed for 224 yards against USC, the most ever against a Trojan team, but the way Auburn’s Brent Fullwood is going, the mark could become history on New Year’s Day.

Fullwood, who will face the Trojans in the Citrus Bowl, is averaging 8.3 yards per carry, best in the nation. More than one opposing coach has called him better than Bo Jackson, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn.

Fullwood, 5-11 and 209, is from St. Cloud (Fla.) High School, where he averaged 11.6 yards per carry as a senior.

Said the St. Petersburg Times: “On kickoffs, most teams would avoid kicking the ball to Fullwood. That year, he got a hold of 10 of them, however, and returned each for a touchdown, setting a national high school record with three in a game.

“Seven times, the coach let him return punts. On five of those, he scored. On one, he ran the ball to the three-yard line. The other time his shoe fell off, causing him to slip.”

A few times, the coach, Tom Greer, lined him up at tight end.

Greer: “I’d tell the quarterback to just drop back and throw it as far as he can. Three of the four times he scored, and one time he had to wait for the ball.”

Add Fullwood: He’s carried 167 times this season. The NCAA record for average gain per carry in a season (minimum 150 carries) is 9.4 yards by Oklahoma’s Greg Pruitt in 1971. UCLA’s Jackie Robinson, in 42 carries, averaged 12.2 yards in 1939. For a career, Army’s Glenn Davis, in 358 carries, averaged 8.3 yards in 1943-46.

Let’s see, Hawaii beat Wisconsin, 20-17, and Wisconsin beat Northwestern, 35-27. Northwestern beat Michigan State, 24-21, and Michigan State beat Minnesota, 52-23. Minnesota beat Michigan, 20-17.

Does that make Hawaii 46 points better than Michigan? No, but the Rainbows could make it interesting for the Wolverines Saturday in Honolulu.

In 1978, USC’s national championship team was only leading Hawaii, 7-5, in the fourth quarter before winning, 21-5. The Trojans were penalized 14 times for 157 yards.

Said Trojan nose guard Rich Dimler afterward: “Hey, where did they get those guys from, Rent-a-Ref?”

Trivia Time: What did Joe Auer of the Miami Dolphins and John Gilliam of the New Orleans Saints have in common? (Answer below.)

Said Stanford Coach Jack Elway before Sunday’s game against Arizona in Tokyo: “I heard that Japanese fans are very positive and clap for everything--even incomplete passes. If they do that, I might stay in Japan for the rest of my career.”

Said Arizona Coach Larry Smith when asked if he was upset that some of his players had been spotted in Tokyo’s night-life districts: “My feeling is that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Football’s important but it’s not the only thing in town.”

Stanford won, 29-24.

Flanker Amos Adams of East Carolina, which has lost to both Miami and Penn State, said of the Fiesta Bowl: “It’s a three-point game, and Penn State will win. Special teams will mean a great deal.”

Trivia Answer: In the first games ever played by the franchises, each ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Auer went 95 yards in Miami’s 23-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders in 1966. Tom Flores threw two touchdown passes for the Raiders. Gilliam went 94 yards in New Orleans’ 27-13 loss to the Rams in 1967.

Quotebook

St. John’s basketball Coach Lou Carnesecca, on his refusal so far to name a starting lineup for the season: “It doesn’t matter who starts. A lot of people started world wars and lost.”