Hawkeye Found It Hard to Kick Habit

You might say Tavian Banks is off to a fast start. In three games, the Iowa senior tailback has outrushed the combined backfields of USC, Florida State, Colorado and Brigham Young, 644 yards to 546.

If he can wriggle free for 356 yards this weekend against Illinois--have you checked out Illinois?--Banks would be the first player to reach 1,000 yards in four games.

Banks’ chances are better of becoming the eighth Division I runner to exceed 1,000 yards in five games.

Not bad for a guy few outside the Big Ten beltway have heard of and one who ranks football a distant second on his list of favorite sports.

As any red-blooded Iowan might, Banks dreams of leading the No. 11 Hawkeyes (3-0) to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1991, where he would no doubt tread respectfully on the hallowed Pasadena grounds and savor the history.

You know, Brazil versus Italy in the 1994 World Cup Final.

“Actually, I like soccer a lot better,� Banks said by phone this week from Iowa City. “Not even a question. Soccer you don’t have a lot of injuries. Football you have a lot of injuries.�

Banks could be the first tailback to credit soccer for making him what he is today--a Heisman Trophy candidate.

“I have never had that combo,� Iowa running backs coach Larry Holton confessed. “But you could see why he’s a great soccer player. He goes sideline to sideline as quickly as he goes straight ahead.�

Banks was an all-state soccer player at Iowa’s Bettendorf High and nearly abandoned football to consider soccer scholarship offers from Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

“I’ve been playing [soccer] ever since I could walk,� Banks said.

In Iowa, youth soccer is played in the spring, so there was never a conflict.

The decision to play football at Iowa was wrenching and dashed Banks’ hopes of making the 1996 Olympic team.

“It was pretty damn close,� Banks said. “It came down to the day I had to leave to go to school. A lot goes into it. I had already signed my letter of intent to go to Iowa, so I was going to play football. There’s no telling what soccer could have been like. I had to make a decision about which way I could go.�

It looks like a good choice now.

With Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning backpedaling to the pack after Saturday’s annual loss to Florida, the Heisman race is open wider than the eyes of defenders trying to tackle Banks in the open field.

The early Heisman race would seem to involve Manning, Banks, Marshall’s Randy Moss, Michigan two-way star Charles Woodson and maybe Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf and UCLA tailback Skip Hicks.

Yet, Banks’ choice of football didn’t always look so good.

For three seasons, he was a backup to Sedrick Shaw, Iowa’s all-time leading rusher and a third-round pick of the New England Patriots.

Banks, 5 foot 11 and 195 pounds, showed flashes of greatness, rushing for 1,286 yards and 16 touchdowns in relief.

“It was tough at times,� Banks said. “But I learned a lot being behind Sedrick.�

Banks never considered a transfer because he knew he’d get his chance as a senior.

“This is what I’ve been preparing for,� said Banks, the nation’s rushing leader.

After opening with 203 yards against Northern Iowa, Banks broke Ed Podolak’s Iowa single-game record with 314 yards against Tulsa.

Last week, Iowa State “held� Banks to 127 yards and four touchdowns in 20 carries.

The quality of opposition is certainly suspect--Banks’ gush of rushing yards will no doubt slow against Big Ten competition--but no one is questioning his abilities.

He is averaging 9.6 yards a carry.

Holton was an assistant at Pittsburgh in 1976 when Tony Dorsett was there and later coached Thurman Thomas at Oklahoma State.

“Thurman was a burner, a small-type back, not like Tavian,� Holton said. “Tavian is smoother and more graceful, with probably better speed than Thurman. Tony had the burst. He was maybe a half-step faster than Tavian.�

Banks says his soccer skills have helped him as a runner.

“It helps with my vision on the football field,� he said. “It helps me with my juking, because in soccer you’ve got to do it with the ball at your foot all the time. In football, all you have to do is carry one.�

Banks still gets his soccer fixes. Last year, he and a few ringers helped capture the school’s intramural title.

Holton was a frequent spectator.

“He can go play in one of those indoor soccer leagues right now,� Holton said. “He’s that good.�

If Banks wins the Heisman, we’re guessing he’ll thank Iowa Coach Hayden Fry.

And maybe Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.

ORANGE BOWL MAY BE SEEING RED

With its “weeee’re back� win at Washington last week, Nebraska now has the straightest route to the national championship game at the Orange Bowl.

The Cornhuskers jumped from No. 7 to No. 3 in this week’s AP poll and, in the weak Big 12, won’t face a serious challenge until they meet Colorado in Boulder on Nov. 28. Oh, Nebraska has beaten Colorado five consecutive times.

It has been a stunning two-week turnaround for the Cornhuskers, who were booed at home Sept. 13 in a 38-24 victory over Central Florida.

Until Washington, Nebraska hadn’t seemed its old formidable self since a shocking 19-0 loss at Arizona State last year snapped the Cornhuskers’ 26-game winning streak.

“Maybe there’s a little feeling now that were capable of playing at the very top echelon,� Coach Tom Osborne said this week.

Getting into national title position will be more difficult for Nebraska’s competition:

* No. 1 Florida plays at Auburn and at Louisiana State, hosts archrival Florida State and still must win the Southeastern Conference title game to get an Alliance berth.

* No. 2 Penn State faces a problem shared by four other Big Ten teams currently unbeaten and ranked in the top 12: Most of the teams have to play each other. Penn State faces Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

* No. 7 Ohio State plays Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan.

* No. 6 Michigan gets Notre Dame (OK, that’s a gimme), Iowa, Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State.

* No. 12 Michigan State plays Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, all at East Lansing.

* No. 11 Iowa catches the biggest break, missing Penn State and Michigan State on the schedule, and has the tiebreaker advantage against Penn State for the Rose Bowl. The flip side is the Hawkeyes play at Ohio State and Michigan.

“The problem in the Big Ten is that we’re going to reach a point pretty soon where we play each other,� Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr said. “Some of us are going to take our lumps.�

Outside Lincoln, the school with the next-best chance of going undefeated is No. 5 North Carolina. The Tar Heels have three tough tests left--Virginia, Florida State and Clemson--but they get the Cavaliers and Seminoles at home.

ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL

It is still difficult to comprehend how Southern Mississippi Coach Jeff Bower made it through Saturday night’s game against Nevada in Hattiesburg, one week after his 17-year-old daughter, Kristen, was killed in a car crash.

Bower said returning to the sideline was therapy.

“I love what I’m doing,� he said Monday. “It was good for me to get back around my players. I’ve got a responsibility to this team and I’ve got to do everything that I possibly can.�

Southern Mississippi players wore all-black uniforms and arm bands to honor the coach’s daughter, then presented Bower with the game ball after beating Nevada, 35-19.

Inspiring?

Golden Eagle quarterback Lee Roberts tied Brett Favre’s school single-game record of 26 completions in passing for 356 yards.

Kristen Bower regularly attended Golden Eagle games and practices.

“For away games, she would meet me when I came back to the office,� her father said.

Bower was overwhelmed with emotion twice Saturday, first when he entered the stadium for the traditional “Eagle Walk,� and then when he saw his wife, Debbie, after the game.

“I’m deeply appreciative of our assistant coaches and our football team for the job they did,� Bower said. “They made my day.�

COAST TO COAST

* Another week, another AP poll joke. Despite a 57-21 victory at Louisville, Penn State lost its hold on No. 1 to Florida, which defeated Tennessee, 33-20.

For Nittany Lion fans, it rekindles haunting memories of Oct. 28, 1994, when No. 1 Penn State beat No. 21 Ohio State, 63-14, yet surrendered the top spot to No. 3 Nebraska, which beat No. 2 Colorado.

“I don’t know how you evaluate anybody at this stage,� Nittany Lion Coach Joe Paterno said.

Some might blame Penn State’s weak nonconference schedule, with its three victories coming against Pittsburgh, Temple and Louisville.

Paterno defends the competition, pointing out that Pitt is 3-1 and coming off a victory over Miami: “When all is said and done, I think it might be better than people think.�

* Texas basketball Coach Tom Penders made the mistake--or was it?--of inviting a recruit to the UCLA-Texas football game two weeks ago in Austin. The Bruins won, 66-3. “See,� Penders told the kid. “I told you Texas is a basketball school.�

* Northwestern Coach Gary Barnett is opening a restaurant in Evanston. The way his Wildcats played last weekend, he might want to consider taking rice off the menu.

* Anyone still think preseason polls are a good idea? With a week left in September, six of the schools that began in the Associated Press Top 25 have been ousted. Here they are, with their preseason rank: Notre Dame (11), Texas (12), Miami (13), Syracuse (17), USC (22) and Wisconsin (24).

* No one can say Texas Tech is not consistent. With their Saturday loss to North Texas, the Red Raiders are 1-2 for the eighth consecutive season.

* FYI: Marshall receiver Moss has more catches, more yards and a better yards-per-catch average than California’s Bobby Shaw, the nation’s leading receiver this week. Why is Moss ranked 24th? Because the NCAA determines category leaders by per-game average to factor that not all teams have played the same number of games. Moss’ numbers: 25 catches for 544 yards, a 21.7 yards-per-catch average and nine touchdowns.

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They Really Rate

The top quarterbacks in I-A history, ranked by passing efficiency rating (five of the top 12 are from Brigham Young):

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Player Team Years Rating Danny Wuerffel Florida 1993-96 163.6 Ty Detmer BYU 1988-91 162.7 Steve Sarkisian BYU 1995-96 162.0 Billy Blanton San Diego St. 1993-96 157.1 Jim McMahon BYU 1977-81 156.9 Vinny Testaverde Miami 1982-8 152.9 Josh Wallwork Wyoming 1995-96 152.6 Trent Dilfer Fresno St. 1991-93 151.2 Steve Young BYU 1981-83 149.8 Troy Aikman Okla./UCLA 1984-88 149.7 Jim Harbaugh Michigan 1983-86 149.6 Robbie Bosco BYU 1983-85 149.4 Chuck Hartlieb Iowa 1985-88 148.9 Elvis Grbac Michigan 1989-92 148.9 Koy Detmer Colorado 1992-96 148.9 Danny White Arizona St. 1971-73 148.9

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Researched by Houston Mitchell