Page 8
The Daily ; Nebraska
Monday, November 20, I9S7
Devaney: Loss Was Tough;
Chance For Title Now Gone
Nebraska's hopes for a
fifth consecutive Big Eight
title were dashed by Mis
souri's clawing defense Sat
urday as the Tigers pawed
Nebraska 10-7 at Columbia.
"This game was a little
tougher on everybody,"
said Coach Bob Devaney af
ter the Tigers handed the
Huslcers their third league
loss. "We had an opportun
ity to tie for the champion
ship until today, but now
that's gone."
"'I think we'll come back,"
be said. 'I dont think
these are the kind of kids
that will quit."
TIE ASSURED
Saturday's seventh week
of conference play assured
the Oklahoma Sooners of do
ing no worse than tieing for
the crown worn by Nebras
ka for the past four years.
The 5-0 Sooners need on
ly a tie against Nebraska
Thursday or againt Okla
homa State Dec. 2 to clinch
the title, while the 5-2 Colo
rado, Buffalos will either
take second outright or tie
with Missouri or Kansas for
the runner-up berth.
M i s -s o u r i and Kansas,
both with 4-2 records meet
Saturday at Lawrence to de
termine the second place
team.
SECOND DIVISION
Nebraska, while re
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linquishing its loop crown,
can either finish fourth or
fifth depending on its Okla
homa game outcome and
Oklahoma State's last two
games.
If Nebraska wins it will
have a 4-3 mark and force
the 2-3 Cowboys to win
against both Kansas State
and Oklahoma to tie the
Huskers and either Kan
sas or Missouri for fourth
place.
If Nebraska loses it could
finish as low as fifth, while
Iowa State as clinched six
th and Kansas State could
tie for sixth with a victory
over the Cowbovs Saturday.
NEW RECORD
Split end Dennis Richnaf
sky established a Nebraska
single season reception peak
of 33 catches.
The old r e c o r d was 32
grabs by All-American Fre
man White during Nebrask's
undefeated 1965 season.
But even Richnafksy's
record setting performance
was saddened by the news
of his father's death Friday
from a fatal heart attack.
Following his mother's
wishes the Clairton Pa., na
tive didn't learn of the .
tragedy until after the
game.
Commenting on Ne
braska's total rushing yard
age of 11 yards, Devaney
f T 3. h f r , eiKf
'
Li
said ''We may have over
estimated the power of our
running game all season."
'We have been used to
getting yards on the ground,
but we just arent getting
them this year," he said.
Forced to employ a pass
ing game in the fourth quar
ter after MU had taken a
10-7 lad on 38-yard passing
play, quarterback Frank
Patrick was dumped for
losses totaling 28 yards.
TOUGH RUSH
'We had receivers open
the last quarter, but they
had a good rush on which is
as important as covering
the receivers in pass de
fense," the Husker boss
added.
The only serious injury in
the long afternoon was a
jammed neck suffered by
sophomore safetyman Ran
dy Reeves in the first quarter..
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PoWe
Sooners Invade Husker Stadium
In trying to finish Bob
Name a Big Eight sta
tistical category and it's a
pretty safe bet the Okla
homa Sooners are either
leading it or a close sec
ond. In his first season as
Sooner head coach. Chuck
Fairbanks has molded a
team which can do no
worse than tie for the con
ference championship and
can win its first league
crown since 1962 by defeat
ing Nebraska's struggling
Huskers Thanksgiving af
ternoon at Memorial Stadi
um. The game with a 2 p.m.
kickoff, will be nationally
televised by the American
Broadcasting Company
(ABC) as the NCAA game
of the day.
40 POINTS GAME
The Sooners Invade Lin
coln for the Husker's 1967
season finale leading the
Big Eight with a perfect
5-0 mark while Nebraska
is buried in fifth place
with an even 3-3 mark.
The Norman men have
outscored all league foes
with 205 points, while yield
ing a conference best of
only 40 points in eight
games.
In piling up 205 points
for a loop peak of 25.6
points per contest, Okla
homa leads other league
foes in rushing offense and
total offense.
The Sooners own a 230.1
rushing average per con
test and currently are blast
ing opposing defenses for
362 yards a game.
While Nebraska has been
stumbling against opponents
during a 6-S season, the 7-1
Sooners have raced through
their first eight matches
with relative ease.
GAINING STEAM
Oklahoma blasted Wash
ington State 21-0 and Mary
land 35-0 before dropping a
close 7-0 game to arch-rival
Texas before gaining
steam as the conference
schedule opened.
The Norman men, mith
a potent offense combined
with one of the Tjation's
stingest defenses, mopped
up Kansas State 46-7 and
Iowa State 52-14, shot down
Colorado 23-0, and had dif
ficult times in downing Mis
souri 7-0 and Kansas 14-10.
The Sooners are led by
a one-two combination of
alternating tailbacks Ron
Shorts and Steve Owens,
who currently are among
the league's three leading
rushers.
SHOO-IN?
Owens, practically a shoo-
in
-ma
in for sophomore of (he
year honors, is the loop's
top rusher with 646 total
yards on 152 carries for a
respectable 4.2 gain per
e 6T' 190 pound Mia
mi, Okla. native is also
leading the Big Eight in
scoring with 10 touchdowns.
Owen's replacement is
Shorts, who is the loop's
third leading rusher with
582 yards on 134 carries
for a 4.S average gain.
The 6' 195 pound senior
has scored six touchdowns
giving Oklahoma the finest
one-twc scoring punch in
the league as both Shorts
and Owens have accounted
for 99 points.
56.3 PER CENT
Quarterback Bob War
mack who directed Okla
homa to a 10-9 victory over
Nebraska last Thanksgiv
ing in Norman returns to
Lincoln Thursday with the
same purpose.
The junior signal caller is
hitting 56.3 per cent of his
passes with 62 completions
in 110 attempts for 95
yards and five touchdowns.
The Sooner defense is led
by a middle guard who
some rate higher than Ne
bra ska's All-American
Wayne Meylan.
Possessing a quickness
1
( m ij 1
edge on Nebraska's stand
out but lacking Meylan's
stiength is Granville Lig
gins, a 5'H" 216 pound
senior who was also a 1966
All-American.
After Oklahoma blanked
the Colorado Buffalos, Fair
banks said that Liggins
"played the best game of
any defensive lineman IVe
ever been associated with."
GOOD GRADES
Blocking for the Sooner
backs is Bob Kalsn, a
6'3" 216 pound tackle, who
is rated among the league's
finest linemen.
After the 23-0 victory over
Colorado, Fairbanks re
vealed K a 1 s u ' s blocking
grades.
He graded 87 per cent
on his blocking which is
awfully high and 96 on
techniques, which is his
best ever," the Sooner boss
said. '"Of the 76 plays we
ran, Kalsu scored 73 pluses
and 3 minuses, which
means he came off the line
of scrimmage and executed
his blocking techniques per
fectly on 73 of our 76
plays."
Devaney's sixth season with
a 4-3 league record, Ne
braska will meet the only
Big Eight team holding a
series edge over the Huskers.
Oklahoma leads 23-50-3 in
the series dating back to
1912 when Jumbo Stiehm's
Nebraskans edged Okla
homa 13-9.
Devaney's Nebraska
team have swept two games
in Lincoln's Memorial Sta
dium and have dropped all
three contests in Norman,
Scared Kid
Owes Bully
For Speed
Oklahoma's AH-Americaa
Granville liggins, a 1966
All-American defensive mid
dle guard, can probably
thank the bullies around
Tulsa for his exceptional
quickness.
"I probably oughtn't re
veal this but when I was
a boy back in Tulsa, I
wasn't the courageous
type," he said. ""I was just
a frightened kid. There
were lots of bullies around."
"They'd chase me all the
may to school trying t
take my lunch money," be
explained." I had to be
quick or not eat"
