forward to. I don't have a ticket, but I
wait until half time when they open the
gates and then I come in.
"It's nice when the team is way ahead
because then people go home early and I
can get a good seat for the second half."
She's got her own reasons for coming
to the game, whatever they are. And like
everyone else it has partly to do with
being part of an experience.
The Lincoln businesses the cafes,
bars, department stores and
motels-aren't sure what motivates the
phenomenon of Big Red, either, but
they're happy about the whole thing. It's
very beneficial for them.
And it must be beneficial for the fans,
too, because there's no doubt that
Saturday after Saturday the stadium's
going to be as packed as possible.
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find, by the way,
there's a pretty
good game, too.
Five weeks ago when Bob Devaney
was still concerned about his team
bouncing back after the opening loss to
UCLA, he talked about the first half of
Nebraska's schedule.
"If we can score a big win at Army
that will give us a little momentum,"
Devaney said after a 35-7 win over Texas
A & M. "We return home the next week
against Minnesota and then get Missouri
at home, too. Then we travel to Kansas
and play Oklahoma State at home before
we get into that tough stretch with
Colorado and Iowa State."
That "tough stretch" may be starting a
week earlier than Devaney originally
planned.
The Oklahoma State team which visits
Memorial Stadium at 1 :30 p.m. Saturday
is not the same team that most pre-season
polls picked to finish last in the Big Eight.
In fact, the Nebraska-Oklahoma State
game is for the leadership in the Big
Eight. Both teams stand 2-0 in conference
play and are the only teams with
unblemished league records.
The Cowboys entered the elite
category of the Big Eight by defeating
nationally ranked Colorado, 31-6. And
that game was no fluke.
"They were so fired up it was evident
that we were going to have to play a hell
of a game to win," said Colorado
lineman Bud Magrum. "They've got a hell
of a team. They just blew us out."
But it took an exceptional game by
the Cowboys to stop Colorado. It will
take that same type of performance
Saturday if Oklahoma State hopes to
upset Nebraska. There can't be any of
those turnovers the OSU offense has
experienced in some games this year.
The Cowboys have fumbled 31 times
in six games and lost 18 of them. Two of
those lost fumbles cost Oklahoma State
its only two losses of the year.
The Cowboys gave Arkansas the
football on the 15-yard line and Virginia
Tech recovered a fumble on the
Oklahoma State three-yard line. Those
two fumbles resulted in winning
touchdowns.
But against Colorado the Cowboys
were consistent. They controlled the ball
32 of 41 plays in the second quarter.
Oklahoma State's wishbone offense
success is credited to junior quarterback
Brent Blackman who Devaney calls "the
best wishbone quarterback in the
country." The Cowboys are averaging
345 yard rushing per game.
Blackman is the Cowboys' leading
rusher . . . averaging 90 yards rushing per
game.
Oklahoma State does not present the
outside strength of most wishbone teams.
Fullback George Palmer, who gains most
of his yardage up the middle, is the
leading back averaging 71 yards per game.
"Oklahoma State doesn't try to
outrun you," Devaney said. "They get
the extra yards by running over you."
page 7
