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Friday, November 15, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Forget for a moment this is the last game of a season unfulfilled for Carnegie Mellon, whose Tartans were weakened by injuries and fell far short of most of their goals.

This is the game that will stay with the players the longest.

That's because The Streak will be on the line at noon tomorrow when Carnegie Mellon (5-4, 1-2) plays host to Rochester (1-8, 0-3) in a University Athletic Association game.

The Tartans need a victory or tie to clinch their 28th consecutive winning season. The Streak began in 1975, when Coach Rich Lackner was a freshman linebacker. He has been an integral part of it as a player, an assistant coach from 1979-1985 and the school's head coach since 1986.

"It means a lot to me because I've been involved in some way in every one of those seasons," said Lackner, whose record is 121-45-2. He talked about it moments after a 31-17 loss last week at Washington University in St. Louis.

"I told them we had one big goal left," he said. "The young men on this team understand it's a very passionate goal that we have. We want to maintain the streak."

Carnegie Mellon is 197-63-4 during the streak, losing as many as four games only twice -- 5-4-1 in 1988 and 6-4 in 2000.

"This wasn't going to be a rebuilding year. We'd all be lying if we didn't say we're disappointed to lose a couple of those games," Lackner said. In the loss to Washington, which is in first place in the UAA, Carnegie Mellon rushed for more than 300 yards and had possession for nine more minutes. But the Tartans came away with only a field goal on three trips inside Washington's 10.

"We ran 90 plays. They ran 59. If you looked at the statistics and not the score, you'd have to say we won," Lackner said. "We didn't win."

Because the offense hasn't found a rhythm with its passing game, the Tartans have relied on the variety of running plays available in the wing-T offense. Ricardo Clarke (457 yards rushing, one touchdown), Adam Urbanczyk (456, five touchdowns) and Brad Stanley (357, seven touchdowns) have carried the offensive load.

"We're somewhat one-dimensional," Lackner said. "We haven't thrown the ball the way we'd like."

Senior quarterback Jarrod Highberger, who had a mild concussion against Washington, is expected to be ready. The backups will be Michael Mykosky and Sebastian Smelko, who also is the team's second-leading receiver with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. Chris Kay leads with 22 catches for 309 yards and a touchdown.

"Through the years I'd say a physical, running team has been one of the signatures of Carnegie Mellon football," Lackner said. "The kids we get here have a competitive nature. He wants to be valedictorian and he wants to score the winning touchdown."

Asked how the years have changed him, Lackner answered with a laugh: "I'm not as good-looking as I used to be. But I still have fire in me. We approach every game with the same enthusiasm and preparation."

Other games

Fairfield (5-5, 5-2 MAAC) at Duquesne (10-0, 7-0), 12:30 p.m. -- The Dukes, ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major and No. 24 in the USA Today/ESPN national polls, is seeking its 24th consecutive victory against a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They've clinched an unprecedented fourth league title and a spot in the ECAC Classic Nov. 23 at the home of the Northeast Conference champion. ... The Dukes lead the country in total defense (180.7 yards per game) and scoring defense (9.1 ppg). They've allowed only 10 touchdowns, with eight scored against the defense.

Robert Morris (3-6, 2-4) at St. Francis (1-8, 0-6), 1 p.m. -- The Colonials take a six-game losing streak into this Northeast Conference game.

Washington and Jefferson (7-2) at Buffalo State (1-8), 1 p.m. -- The Presidents must win to keep their faint hopes alive for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.