Warrick Won’t Start Today

Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden did something Friday that North Carolina’s defense can only hope to do today at Tallahassee, Fla. He slowed down Peter Warrick.

Warrick, who is averaging almost 20 yards a catch for the fifth-ranked Seminoles, will not start against the Tar Heels because he skipped practice Thursday without being excused by the coaches.

Warrick, however, will play.

Bowden has already said he can hardly wait to see how his star junior receiver does against North Carolina’s All-America cornerback, Dre’ Bly.

“I just want to see the show,” Bowden said. “It’ll be an interesting battle.”

Bly’ has intercepted 18 passes in his career, an Atlantic Coast Conference record, prompting most teams to stay away from him. He has also broken up seven passes this year to rank among the ACC leaders in that category.

“In situations where we feel like it gives us a better chance to be successful, we’ll tell Dre’ to go stay with him,” first-year North Carolina Coach Carl Torbush said.

Warrick has caught 44 passes for 855 yards and nine touchdowns for the Seminoles, who will be seeking their seventh consecutive victory since being upset at North Carolina State in early September.

Florida State, 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, is 26-0 at home against league foes since joining the conference in 1992 and has never lost a game to North Carolina in nine previous meetings, although the teams tied in 1986.

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Gradually and almost without anyone noticing, they have put the air back in Air Force.

As coach of a wishbone team, Fisher DeBerry admitted he and his staff once viewed the pass as “something to use only in an emergency.” Now, the Falcons are mixing it in more often with their typically potent running attack.

Last week, Blane Morgan passed for a career-high 190 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ 42-21 victory over Tulsa. The previous game, Cale Bonds, subbing for the injured Morgan, passed for a career-high 194 yards and two touchdowns in a 49-7 rout of Navy.

With 910 yards through the air after seven games, the Falcons could become DeBerry’s best passing team, possibly eclipsing the 1,449 yards that Bart Weiss passed for in 1985.

“We have changed our approach to using the passing game more,” said DeBerry, whose team plays Southern Methodist today at Air Force Academy, Colo. “Third and eight is a very good option down. We’re confident we can make eight yards on the ground. But this year the opponent has to wonder if we might pass instead.”

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New Mexico State’s Denvis Manns didn’t realize carrying a football could have such perks--the first college degree in his family and a chance to match one of Tony Dorsett’s milestones.

While Texas’ Ricky Williams continues to close ground on Dorsett’s all-time rushing record, Manns today can join Dorsett and North Carolina’s Amos Lawrence as the only backs in NCAA Division I history to run for more than 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.

Barring injury, Manns will be the first back in 18 years to do it. Dorsett did it at Pittsburgh from 1973-76, and Lawrence from 1977-80.

The magic number is 106 yards, and the Aggies’ opponent, Utah State, has always had trouble stopping the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Manns. In three previous games against Utah State, Manns has run for 408 yards.

With four games remaining, Manns has run for 4,117 yards in his career. He broke the New Mexico State and Big West Conference career rushing records three weeks ago, is the nation’s ninth-leading rusher and is working on a streak of six consecutive games of 100 yards or more.

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Monte Christo, a former walk-on, will start at quarterback for Nebraska today against Texas, Nebraska Coach Frank Solich said.

Bobby Newcombe, who has struggled as he tries to recover from a partially torn knee ligament, is not expected to play. Solich said Christo will share the duties with Eric Crouch.