Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 1, 1993

Give the edge to the Denver Broncos, who took Tommy Maddox in 1992, over the Raiders, who took Todd Marinovich in 1991, in their first-round selections of Los Angeles sophomore quarterbacks. . . .

There would be no questions about the identity of the starter at UCLA, where Wayne Cook and Ryan Fien are competing for the job, if Maddox had decided to complete his college eligibility and was preparing for the opening of his senior season Saturday night against California. . . . A couple of changes have been made in the series between the L.A. and Berkeley branches of the University of California. UCLA won 18 in a row from 1972-89, but Cal has won the last three. And they used to play in the middle of the season. This will be the 64th game, but the first opener. . . .

A Bruin to watch: Freshman punt returner-cornerback Andy Colbert. . . .

You can take in USC-Houston at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Coliseum, hit the freeway, and perhaps still make it to the Rose Bowl for the UCLA-Cal kickoff at 7, although the aerial circus of Cougar quarterback Jimmy Klingler might delay your arrival. . . .

Prime Ticket will televise the doubleheader. . . .

This will be the 70th anniversary of football at the Coliseum, where USC defeated Pomona, 23-7, on opening day Oct. 6, 1923, before 12,863 fans. . . .

The new bleachers in the east end, primarily for students, will be known as the Sun Deck. . . .

I doubt that Bill Walsh will get a standing ovation Saturday when Stanford comes out of the tunnel at Husky Stadium in Seattle. . . .

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Marshall Faulk’s chances of breaking the NCAA rushing record against overmatched Cal State Northridge at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium probably will depend upon how eager San Diego State is to build up the statistics of its Heisman Trophy candidate. . . .

Faulk set the record in September of 1991 when he ran for 386 yards in 37 carries against Pacific. Two months later, Tony Sands of Kansas ran for 396 yards in 58 carries, also a record, against Missouri. . . .

Former UCLA safety Othello Henderson is the latest victim of the NCAA’s unfair practice of requiring undergraduates to forfeit their remaining eligibility once they file for the NFL draft. Henderson was drafted on the seventh round, surprisingly low, by the New Orleans Saints and then cut Tuesday. Why should the rule be different from that in baseball? . . .

Kansas learned a valuable lesson in the Kickoff Classic last week. Any team fortunate enough to take a 3-0 lead over Florida State should not remove the points from the scoreboard no matter what the penalty against the Seminoles. . . .

More will be known about North Carolina after the Tar Heels’ game against Florida State Sept. 18 at Chapel Hill. . . .

John Olerud has been missing from the Toronto lineup during three Blue Jays’ games against Seattle Mariners’ flamethrower Randy Johnson. Last Thursday in Seattle, Olerud was used as a pinch-hitter in the ninth after Johnson departed. . . .

Olerud is having a remarkable year, but Frank Thomas, who is most of the Chicago White Sox offense, also deserves American League most-valuable-player consideration. . . .

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How disappointing that all the drama had to be taken out of Laffit Pincay’s 8,000th career win when it was discovered before the races at Del Mar Monday that a Daily Racing Form bookkeeping error had deprived of him a win in Mexico City in 1991. . . .

Couldn’t Del Mar officials have waited another few days to report that victory? I had pictured Pincay winning his 8,000th with one of his patented driving finishes. . . .

Star of Cozzene was an impressive winner in the Arlington Million and has finished first five times and second four times in nine races this year, but he might not compete in the Breeders’ Cup Nov. 6 at Santa Anita. . . .

“We’re going to run him in New York next and then we’ll consider the Breeders’ Cup Turf if he has a chance for horse of the year,” Team Valor’s Jeff Siegel said. “He would have to be supplemented for $240,000. Two years ago, we supplemented him for $120,000 in the Mile and we lost money even though he finished third.” . . .

Asked how long he would need to have running back Emmitt Smith in the fold before starting him, Dallas Cowboys Coach Jimmy Johnson said, “About 10 minutes.”