Unbeaten Alabama Wishbone lacks experience
Alabama's Wishbone-T
offense is not as perfected as
the Wishbone of Oklahoma.
The underlying principle of the
Wishbone supplies the
reasoning. "
To be effective, the
Wishbone has to be run with
perfection. It takes experience
to run the formation properly.
OK L AHOMA first
experimented with the
Wishbone during the middle of
the 1970 season. Alabama
waited until the opening of the
1971 campaign to run the
formation.
The Crimson Tide, however,
lined up. in the powerhouse
backfield formation in its
opening game against Southern
California and scored a 17-10
victory. Although not as
explosive as Oklahoma,
Alabama's Wishbone hasn't
been beaten in 1 1 appearances.
"It's natural that Alabama
doesn't run the offense with
the same perfection as
Oklahoma," said Nebraska
defensive line coach Monte
Kiffin, "but it's not really a
fair comparison because
Alabama runs a different type
of Wishbone."
OKLAHOMA'S Wishbone
concentrates on the outside
attack. Alabama thinks in
terms of running up the
middle.
"Oklahoma has the quickest
set of backs in the country,"
says Alabama coach Bear
Bryant. "It's only normal for
them to take advantage of their
talent and run wide. Our
runners aren't as fast, but I
think that they're harder
runners and get better yardage
up the middle."
The best of the 'Bama backs
is senior halfback Johnny
Musso. Musso, who was fourth
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in the voting for the Heisman
Trophy this year, is a punishing
runner and has gained 1,103
yards in 191 carries this season.
"HE'S A LOT like Jeff
Kinney," said Nebraska coach
Bob Devaney of Musso. "He
does a good . job of reading
blocks and is always fighting
for the extra yard."
Musso's yardage has come
from the Wishbone formation,
but he's also gained several
yards when the Crimson Tide
lines up in an I formation like
Nebraska.
Alabama sometimes lines up
in the Wishbone and then
switches to the I formation.
Joe LaBue, Alabama's right
halfback, moves to a wide
receiver on the right side and
Musso, the left halfback, shifts
behind the fullback to form
the I-formation. .
"THEY'RE just trying to
shake up your defense," says
Husker linebacker coach John
Melton. "They don't let you
adjust to just playing the
Wishbone."
While in the I formation,
Alabama has two wide
receivers which makes the
Crimson Tide more of a passing
threat than Oklahoma is.
And although Alabama
quarterback Terry Davis has
thrown just 66 passes this
season, his accuracy ranks as
one of the best in the nation.
Davis has completed 42 of 66
passes for a 63 per cent
completion average. Those 42
completions have been good
for 452 yards and eight
touchdowns.
DAVIS, a junior who was
red-shirted two years ago, isn't
considered a master of the
Wishbone like Oklahoma's Jack
Mildren. Nonetheless, Davis has
been credited with much of
welcome
15, 1971
Alabama's success this year
because of his ability to direct
the Tide's attack.
Davis has carried the ball
138 times this season for 543
yards. . . .a 3.3 yards per carry
average.
Sophomore Ellis Beck and
junior Steve Bisceglia fill the
fullback slot.
BISCEGLIA, the probable
starter in the Orange Bowl, has
gained 473 yards on only 80
carries. Beck has rolled for 558
yards in 1 10 carries.
The .'71 'Bama team isn't
like the teams of five or six
Huskers defend Classic crown
The Husker Classic opens at
the Nebraska Coliseum Friday
with LaSalle, Baylor and Idaho
joining host Nebraska for the
second annual event.
The Cornhuskers, defending
champions after stopping
Colorado State, 69-65, in the
title game of last year's
inaugural Classic, will open
defense of their crown at 9
p.m. Friday against Idaho. The
tourney opener pits Baylor
against LaSalle at 7 p.m.
Friday, with the consolation
game Saturday starting at 7:00
and the tourney finals
following at 9:00.
Student basketball tickets
will be honored" for both
session of the tournament.
Nebraska takes a 2-3 record
into the opening round
meeting with Idaho. The
Huskers had a 5-1 mark before
last year's tourney opener
against Miami of Florida.
Idaho, the team Cipriano
coached for three years before
coming to Nebraska in 1963,
will bring an inexperienced
club to Lincoln.
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THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
years ago in the Southeastern
Conference. Alabama's linemen
are big. . .bigger than
Oklahoma's offensive line.
And, although folks forget
about defense when a team
runs an effective Wishbone,
Alabama's defense has actually
been the backbone to the
Tide's success.
ALABAMA is seventh in the
nation in total defense giving
up just 219.7 yards per game.
Nebraska is fifth allowing only
202.9 total yards per game.
The Tide ranks second in
defense against scoring with a
The Vandals lost their top
six players from last year's
14-12 squad to graduation.
Coach Wayne Anderson, in his
fifth year as head coach at
Idaho, is counting on 6-2
senior guard Don Beane and
6-7 junior forward Paul Hardt,
both of whom saw action in
all 26 games last year, to form
the backbone of his squad.
Additional help should come
from junior college transfers
Carlos Perkins, Carl Robinson
and Chris Clark.
Anderson has a reputation
as one of the finest defensive
coaches in the Pacific
Northwest and likes to run a
controlled offense.
Baylor, under Coach Bill
Menefee, was 18-8 last year
and finished second in the
Southwest Conference, but
nft& THE MSd s
7.6 average. Nebraska is No. 3,
giving up 8.2 po. .ts per "me.
Sports fans must 's
speak in terms of compare .
when talking about upcoming
athletic events. That's the same
case in the 1972 Orange B'
game.
NEBRASKA stopped what
Oklahoma's Wishbone does
best. . .run outside. Now the
Cornhuskers are faced with
stopping what Alabama's
Wishbone does the best. . .run
up the middle.
That's one comparison you
can't make.
they lost All American center
William Chatmon (23 points
and 14 rebounds per game)
through graduation.
Filling his spot this year is
6-7 senior Pat Fees, who led
the SWC in field goal
percentage as a junior with a
.667 mark.
LaSalle, 29-7 last year in a
season which included wins
over NCAA semi-finalists
Villanova and Western
Kentucky, is also searching for
replacements for key loses.
Gone are All-American Ken
Durrett (27 points and 12
rebounds per game) and Bob
Fields (22.4 points per game).
The Explorers have found one
replacement in 6-4 forward Jim
Crawford, who had a
sensational sophomore year
last season and is leading the
team in scoring this year.
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