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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1971)
f ; V I i. i 1 r 1 Notional champion: tough act to follow by Jim Johnston Nebraska's football team picked a totigh act to follow. What do you do for an encore following a national championship? The best answer, of course, is to win another national title. Not so easy, however. At least Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney didn't think it was too easy. "I'd call our chances of winning another national championship a shot in the dark at this time," Devaney said at the start of the season, " a real shot in the dark." It wasn't that Devaney was pessimistic about the 1971 edition of the Cornhuskers. It was just that he was realistic. None of the past five champions in the Associated Press poll had repeated. "We've got another fine team," said Devaney, "but we're not tooting our horn until we prove ourself." That was in August . . . five months ago. There was a 12-game schedule facing the Cornhuskers, including the always rugged Big Eight Conference. Nebraska, however, was still favored by most pollsters to retain its national title. The Cornhuskers were rated No. 1 by United Press International and No. 2, behind Notre Dame, in the Associated Press poll. The Cornhuskers have lived up to their pre-season billing. Nebraska owns a 12-0 mark and is rated No. 1 by every Orange Bowl history '33-Miami (fla.) 7 Manhattan 0 '34- Duquesne 33 Miami (Ha.) 0 '35-tucKmell 26 Miami (Fla.) 0 '36-Catholic U 21 Mississippi 19 '37 Duquesne 13 Mississippi St. 12 '38-Auburn 6 Michigan St. 0 '39 Tennessee 1 7 Oklahoma 0 '40 Georgia Tech 21 Missouri 7 '41 Mississpi St. 14 Georgetown 7 '42 Gerogia 40 TCU 26 '43 Alabama 37 Boston College 21 '44-LSU 19 Texas A & M 14 '45-Tulsa 26 Georgia Tech 1 2 '46-Miami (Fla.) 13 Holy Cross 0 47-Rice 8 Tennessee 0 '48-Georgia Tech 20 Kansas 14 '49-Texas 41 Georgia 28 '50-Santa Clara 21 Kentucky 13 51 Clemson 1 5 Miami (Fla.) 14 '52-Georgia Tech 1 7 Baylor 14 '53 -Alabama 61 Syracuse 6 '54 Oklahoma 7 Maryland 0 '55-Ouke 34 Nebraska 7 '56-Oklahoma 20 Mayland 6 '57 Colorado 27 Clemson 21 '58-Oklahoma 48 Duke 21 '59-Oklahoma 21 Syracuse 6 '60-Georgia 14 Missouri 0 '61 -Missouri 21 Navy 14 '62-LSU 25 Colorado 7 '63 Alabama 1 7 Oklahoma 0 '64-Nebraska 13 Auburn 7 '65-Texas 21 Alabama 1 7 '66-Alabama 39 Nebraska 28 '67-Florida 27 Georgia Tech 1 2 '68-Oklahoma 26 Tennessee 24 '69 Penn State 15 Kansas 14 . '70-Penn State 10 Missouri 3 '71 -Nebraska 17 LSU 12 Schedules go Wednesday Schedules for second semester classes will be sent Wednesday to students who pre-rcgistered. According to the UNL administration office it is hoped all students will receive their schedules before they leave for vacation. All schedules will be mailed to the students' Lincoln address. January 7 will be the last day to return signed and verified registration forms. The free drop and add period will operate January 1 2, 12, and 14. After this time there will be a S5 fee. Second semester classes will begin Jan. 1 9. TERM PAPER RESEARCH UNLIMITED, INC. "WE GIVE RESULTS" 407 SOUTH DEARBORN STREET SUITE-790 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60605 (312) 922-0300 factory trained mechanic Wl major minor OLSTON'S 66 Large selection of VW parts IN STOCK also Dynamic wheel balance with snow tires purchased. 27th & Orchard Get dad a tie (what else?) at the Hltchin' Post. He'll even like this one. major national poll (except, maybe, those computers in Oklahoma). But when you listen to Devaney and the Nebraska players, it sounds as if things really haven't changed much since the start of the season. They no longer consider their national championship chances "a . shot in the dark," but they're not tooting their horns yet, either. No. 2 rated Alabama, one of the nation's biggest surprises this year, is waiting for a shot at Nebraska in the Orange Bowl New Year's night. Nebraska already owns the UPI national championship for 1971, but the AP conducts its final poll after the bowl games. The Orange Bowl winner will decide the AP national title. And as far as the Cornhuskers are concerned, the only true national championship can be won New Years night ... an undisputed title. What's been the success story for Nebraska? What has separated the Cornhuskers this year from other pre-seasori contenders Notre Dame, Texas, Ohio State and Southern California. Why did Nebraska survive in 1971? To point at the Nebraska coaching staff and credit their success in preparing the Cornhuskers strategically is too simple. Football is more than a physical game. It's more than having strong physical athletes. It's a mental struggle. You have to be prepared mentally each Saturday afternoon . . . regardless of who you're playing. That's where Nebraska was No. 1 in 7 1 . Husker fans were talking about the Nebraska-Oklahoma game since the middle of October, but that showdown of the Big Eight powerhouses wasn't mentioned by the Nebraska players and coaches until it was a reality. Nebraska fans laughed each weekend leading up to the Husker-Sooner showdown when Devaney said: "So and so has a fine football team. We'll have to be ready this weekend. This is the best team we've played yet this season." But the Husker players weren't laughing. Devaney had the players believing him. Listening to co-captains Jerry Tagge and Jim Anderson talk about next weekends game was like listening to a recording of Devaney. "So and so has a fine football team." It wasn't easy to think about next week's game with Oklahoma looming in the future, but Nebraska did it. And that, perhaps, is the Cornhusker success story. Now Nebraska faces another psychological battle. It's not often that a regular season game receives as much national publicity as did the Nebraska-Oklahoma game this year. The Huskers were rated No. i and Oklahoma No. 2 going into the Thanksgiving Day battle. It was called the "Game of The Decade" for the national championship. Nebraska won, 35-31, and claimed the UPI title. But that didn't mark the end of the season for the Huskers. "It doesn't seem right," said Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge. "The Oklahoma game should have been the end of the season. It was like that game meant the whole season to us. It doesn't seem right that we have to do it again." But that's exactly the case. The Huskers have to play their second national championship game within five weeks. -Added to the problems of preparing a team to perform such a feat, Nebraska's coaching staff has an additional problem. A five-day vacation in Hawaii (where Nebraska also played a football game) makes it even harder to come back to Nebraska and practice football in freezing temperatures. How will the Huskers react? "I don't know why they should quit now," said Devaney. "They've come this far without having a mental letdown. Every . game we've played this season has b"en for the national championship." Except aspirin won't do much for a napalm burn. Burned bv our naoalm. maimed bv our scrapnel. v mortally diseased and born hideously deformed . from the effects of our lavishly sprayed defoliants, these victims of Nixon's war have virtually nowhere to turn for help. Consequently, several concerned medical, religious, . . educational and professional organizations have formed a Medical Aid Committee for Indochina. ' And this year, the U.S. National Student Association is working with the Committee, trying ' to heal some of the wounds. , We need your help. This holiday season, give a gift to the Indochinese people in the form of a donation to the U.S. Medical Aid Committee for Indochina. You can have the gift placed in a friend or relative's name and they will receive a holiday greeting card explaining the specific medical project the donation was utilized for. Ail support received by the Committee will be used' to supply direct medical aid to the myriad civilian war casualties in North and South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. If you like, we can provide you with information regarding our organization, its sponsors, policies and purposes. Your donation, no matter what size, can be earmarked for a specific country or project. Or you can trust us to apply it where it will do the most good. Send your check, money order or request for further information to the United States Medical Aid Committee for Indochina, 2115 S. Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008. (202) 387-51 CO. US. Medical Aid Committee for Indochina a r i e i V r " I. i I: in i'X ? f 5 ! WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1971 , , 1 .',!. . ...... the; daily nebraskan PAGE 11 ""TV!1".". ,f "'. wr-
