From the S&S archives: West excels in Japan Bowl

YOKOHAMA, Japan — It was UCLA day at Yokohama Stadium Sunday as Bruins running back Freeman McNeil and his teammate, defensive back Kenny Easley, sparked the West to a 25-13 victory in the sixth Japan Bowl.

McNeil, aided by an Easley interception, slashed for two touchdowns in the final six minutes, giving the West its fourth triumph in the only college All-Star football game played outside the United States.

"Getting two touchdowns against the likes of Bubba Green (of North Carolina State) and Hugh Green (defensive end from Pittsburgh and the Lombardi Trophy winner) was a real thrill," said McNeil, who gained 74 yards in 19 carries and was named the best offensive player of the game.

Easley, a three-time All-American, tormented Indiana quarterback Tim Clifford throughout the game. recovering a fumble and intercepting two passes by the Hoosiers' quarterback., He was named the best defensive player for the second week in a row, following his stellar performance in the Hula Bowl, won by the West 24-17, with many of the same players who played in the Japan Bowl.

Playing before a capacity crowd of 30,000, the East took a 7-0 lead when Purdue passing ace Mark Herrmann connected on a 12-yard scoring strike to Florida All-American receiver Cris Collinsworth, only 64 seconds into the game.

The West made it 7-7 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Phil Bradley of Missouri to Keith Chappelle of Iowa later in the quarter, before the East took a 10-7 halftime lead on Dale Castro's second-quarter field goal.

"We decided to run the ball more in the second half," said Warren Powers of Missouri, who coached the West team, along with Ron Meyer of SMU, "and that opened up our passing attack."

The West's fourth-quarter drive, which produced a 17-13 lead with six minutes left, was an eight-minute, 18-play march in which Bradley kept the East off balance with a mixture of passes and runs by McNeil, Terald Clark of Houston and J.C. Watts of Oklahoma.

Powers praised Chappelle, who caught 11 passes for 143 yards and "made some great catches." He also said that Easley "completely stopped them from throwing into the middle."

Coach Dan Devine of the East defended his decision to keep Herrmann on the sidelines and give the other two team quarterbacks, Clifford and Mickie Hall of Tulane, equal playing time.

"Herrmann is probably one of the greatest quarterbacks to come along in a long time," Devine of Notre Dame said, "but the other two also are fine athletes and deserved a chance to play."

The other East coach, Johnny Majors of Tennessee, said that his team didn't have a chance to play Herrmann much in the second half "because the West wouldn't give us the ball."

The game, played before an enthusiastic crowd led by Southern Cal cheerleaders, was the last amateur college appearance for the players before the National Football League draft in the spring.