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Wednesday, October 04, 2000

Grove City's R.J. Bowers is taking it step by step, yard by yard, as he inches closer to becoming the NCAA's all-time rusher.

		NCAA All-Time Rushing Leaders Player, School (Division) Years Yards Brian Shay, Emporia State (II) 1995-98 6,958 Kavin Galliard, American International (II) 1996-99 6,523 R.J. Bowers, Grove City (III) 1997-2000 6,411 Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (I-A) 1996-99 6,397 Damian Beane, Shepherd (II) 1996-99 6,346 Johnny Bailey, Texas A&M-Kingsville (II) 1986-89 6,320 Richard Huntley, Winston-Salem (II) 1992-95 6,286 Ricky Williams, Texas (I-A) 1995-98 6,279 Jerry Azumah, New Hampshire (I-AA) 1995-98 6,193 Jarrett Anderson, Truman State (II) 1993-96 6,166

"Each time I take the field it's one step closer to the record," said Bowers, a 238-pound senior fullback. "The all-divisions record is the one that's going to get the most notice, and I want people to take notice so I could possibly further my career."

Bowers became the leading Division III rusher last week with 301 yards against Thiel, giving him 6,411 yards to surpass Coe's Carey Bender, who gained 6,125 from 1991-94.

"That's the first step getting me closer to the record I really want," said Bowers, who is in third place on the all-divisions list behind Kavin Galliard's 6,523 and Brian Shay's 6,958.

Bowers has moved past Heisman Trophy winners Tony Dorsett, Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne.

"I know a lot of the names I've passed up played at Division I," Bowers said. "I can't say they're 100 times better than me or that I'm better than them. I'm playing where I'm playing. Had I been at a Division I school, I probably would not be doing what I'm doing now."

Bowers has rushed for 100 or more yards in 30 consecutive games and can match the NCAA record of 31 held by Ohio State's Archie Griffin when the Wolverines (2-2) play Saturday at Washington and Jefferson (3-1).

"I take a lot of pride in the consecutive streak because it means you're taking bumps week in and week out and playing through nagging injuries," he said. "It means a great deal to me.

"If I didn't like to get banged up, football's not the game to play."

Despite challenging defenses stacked to stop him, Bowers has carried 153 times for 791 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

"We haven't thrown the ball this year, and teams have loaded up 11 guys right there waiting for me," he said. "I'm a marked man. That's OK, I like that. We see some crazy, crazy defenses."

Other than the outburst against Thiel, the yards have been tougher to come by than in his three previous years.

"Nobody wants [the record] to happen against them," he said. "It doesn't get any easier. The hardest part of our schedule is yet to come."

In addition to the NCAA rushing record, Bowers could become the NCAA scoring leader and all-purpose yardage leader when he leaves Grove City. He is fifth in yardage with 8,145 and third in scoring with 490 points. Shay leads both categories with 9,301 yards and 544 points.

"When I'm playing I'm not thinking about records," said Bowers, 26, a graduate of West Middlesex High School who spent five years in the Houston Astros minor-league system before enrolling at Grove City.

"I never think something's in the bag because you're always one play away, one injury away, from ending it all. But if I stay healthy, I'm going to do it [become the all-time rusher]. The only way I'm not going to do it is if I get hurt."

The rankings

Youngstown State (4-0) moved up a notch to No. 2 in NCAA Division I-AA. ... IUP (4-0) stayed at fifth and Slippery Rock (3-2) fell eight spots to 19th in NCAA Division II. ... Washington and Jefferson (3-1) dropped 12 places to No. 22 in NCAA Division III. ... Geneva (4-1) is 9th in NAIA; Robert Morris (3-0) remained No. 1 and Duquesne (4-1) No. 3 in Don Hansen's Football Gazette's Division I-AA mid-major poll.

By the numbers

Youngstown State's 19-13 victory over Southwest Missouri State last week boosts the Penguins' record to 11-1 in its past 12 games decided by seven points or less. ... St. Francis (0-5) and Lock Haven (0-5) are the only winless teams in the district. ... Slippery Rock's Stan Kennedy needs 45 yards to surpass Rick Magulick's 3,611 as the school's all-time rushing leader. Kennedy holds the school record with 47 touchdowns rushing. ... Westminster, led by Charles Szabo's four sacks, set a school record with 10 sacks in last week's 19-17 victory over W&J. ... IUP is 4-0 for the seventh time in 15 years under Coach Frank Cignetti.

The big game

Bethany (4-1) at Westminster (3-1), 1:30 p.m. -- Westminster's games don't count in the Presidents' Athletic Conference standings because the Titans are a provisional member of the league, but this matchup could provide a glimpse of what the future might hold.