monday, november 21, 1977
page 4
daily nebraskan
The Game s Thatnk ivimg feast off 97
"P.T. Barman and 'Ben Hur' met on a football
field Thursday. It was one of those rare occasions in
sports when the product was as great as the pro
motion, "
-Charlie Smith, United Press International
sportswriter
By Rex Seline
Daily Nebraskan Editor in Chief
It was Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 1971, and everybody
was seeing red.
It was the day of The Game, the battle for college
football's national championship,-the game of the year,
decade and century.
It was the showdown to determine who really was Big
Red-the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers or the No. 2 Okla
homa Sooners.
Tension and press coverage had been building for the
battle since the Sooner defeat of Texas, 48-27, Oct. 9. On
Sunday Nov. 14, newspaper reports of Nebraska's 44-17
victory over Kansas State made the point clear-The
Game was next.
The Lincoln Journal's Don Forsythe started his Kansas
State wrapup, "Clear the decks for action."
Husker halfback Jeff Kinney was quoted as saying:
"There's nothing to look past now. We've been playing
pretty steady football each week but on Turkey day,
you're going to see some fired -up Cornhuskers."
Not look past
Head coach Bob Davaney noted, "I don't think we'll
have to worry about our players looking past Oklahoma
to Hawaii (the following game)."
v Quarterback Jerry Tagge said it with obvious relief:
"Now the big showdown ."
The stage had been set as Kansas State became Ne
braska's tenth victim of the season and Kansas became the
Sooners' ninth.
'One elderly, well dressed lady . . .
realized it was the Nebraska football
team . . . she quickly extended her
middle finger..:
Wnue the nation's press prepared the 63,000 who
would attend the game and the expected millions of tele
vision viewers for the Big One, coaches worked to develop
plans to win.
Nothing out of the ordinary was done to prepare
Nebraska Devaney says.
"We followed the normal pregame routine for Okla
homa," Devaney said. "But we knew we had a very
important game to play. We prepared for Oklahoma as a
team. We prepared technically different. It was the only
Wishbone team we had faced."
Nothing unusual
Tagge also said nothing unusual was done to prepare
for the Sooners.
,4We just continued doing everything we'd worked on
and perfected all season. The only thing different for the
game was it was more emotional."
Countless pep rallies, promotions and stunts marked
the 12-day layoff between the Kansas game and the con
test between Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Lincoln's St. Paul United Methodist Church received '
national publicity with its sign, usually used to announce
the Sunday sermon. It read:
"Smite the Sooner, Suffer Him Not to Enter the End
Zone The Book of Devaney, XI:25-71
Supporting 'prayers'
Holiday Inn motels in Lincoln and Norman exchanged
"prayers" supporting their teams Lincoln's version:
"Our father wno heads the athletic department, Devaney
be his name.
Hie fieldhouse come, they will be done; on the Astroturf
as it is in the Unicameral.
Give us this year our dozen wins and forgive us our
dropped passes as we forgive those who complete
them against us
Lead us not into overconfidence, but deliver us from
defeat
For thine is the Big Eight and the national championship
and the Number One forever and ever. Amen "
Norman's version
Norman's version featuring Coach Chuck Fairbanks:
Fairbanks is our shepherd ; we shall not want.
He maketh us to run down to green end zones,
He leadeth us to the national championship.
He restoreth our spirit for OU sake.
Yea though we run through the valley of corn,
We will fear no tackle for He is with us.
IDs coaching staff comforts us,
lie prepares a victory before us in the presence of our
enemies.
Surely victory will follow us in all our seasons
And we will dwell .on the top of the Big Eight forever,
Amen.
Then Hie Game was only a day away.
A gathering of 400 fans sent the Huskers on their way
at tf f inmfn fllmort. The dine trio was auiet but a bar
ragt of reporters greeted the team when it landed in
It was the game of the century-at least that is what
they said in 1971.
Most Nebraskans can recall what they did that day
pushing aside the turkey and savoring the Nebraska
victory.
It was zany. No game since has had the buildup.
Rex Seline, Daily Nebraskan editor-in-chief, takes a
look at the details of the buildup, the battle and the
celebration.
Seline is a senior journalism major from Omaha.
He was a Daily Nebraskan reporter for three semesters,
associate news editor for two and news editor for one.
m r
I jm ffian finnnv
Daily Nebraskan Sports Editor Jim Johnston reported
that Sooner fans were less than happy to see the northern
visitors.
"One elderly, well-dressed lady, riding in a fancy car,
was going past the (team) bus when she realized it was the
Nebraska football team. She quickly extended her middle
finger toward one bus. (It's doubted that she was signify
ing No. 1)," Johnston wrote.
The team went through a light workout at Owen Field
after arriving in Norman. Oklahoma band members and
other bystanders cheered each dropped pass, Johnston
said.
In Lincoln, it was reported that 400 fans had attended
a "Who the Hell is Oklahoma, We're No. 1" rally. A
message was read from Gov. J. James Exon proclaiming
1:50 pjn. Thanksgiving Day-kick-off time-as the "wish
bone breaking hour."
Wednesday night movie
The team went to a movie Wednesday in Oklahoma
City and were in their rooms by 10:30, according to John-,
ston. Worried coaches kept the motel coffee shop busy.
Then it was nearly time.
"Tension mounts when you're in a situation like that,
when you're probably playing for the national champion
ship. We felt if we beat Oklahoma, we could beat anybody
in a bowl game," Devaney remembers.
The team ate breakfast early before boarding buses for
the ride of more than an hour from the motel to Norman.
"It was quiet all the way," Johnston reported. "A few
players talked about the oil wells near the highway, but
conversation was usually limited."
Locker room quiet
It remained quiet in the locker room. Outside the
stadium hucksters attempted to sell mementos of The
Game. Radio announcers interviewed fans.
"It was an emotional game, but, in fact, we weren't
nervous," Tagge says.
The first score of the game remains a vivid memory
for those who watched.
Junior All-American flanker Johnny Rodgers took an
early punt at his own 28. Eluding Pruitt, Rodgers fell to
one hand, facing a circle of at least four more Sooners in
tent on grabbing the speedy Omahan. Spinning right,
Rodgers left the Oklahomans "counting their change" as
radio announcer Lyell Bremser put it.
From there it was pretty much a foot race with
Rodgers crossing the line 72 yards away for six points.
Everybody wanted to
Sports Illustrated reported "afterward, back on the
Nebraska bench, Johnny did what most everybody in
Norman, Okla. probably felt like doing: he threw up."
Tension eased for the Huskers after the first series of
plays and Rodgers runback, Tagge says.
'Afterward, back on the Nebraska bench,
Johnny didwhat most everybody in
Normanf Okla. probably felt like doing:
he threw up
"Your mind concentrated on situations, not on the
tension."
Two Sooner fumbles allowed Nebraska to enjoy a
14-3 lead early in the game, but quarterback Jack
Mildren and fullback Leon Crosshwite combined on a long
drive to make it 14-10.
Then, with less than a minute left in the half, Mildren
found Jon Harrison with two passes, one for 43 yards,
the other for 24. A total of four plays, including the
passes, put the Sooners ahead at half, 17-14.
Feeling confident
Johnston reported that the Huskers went into the
locker room at half time feeling confident.
'The Cornhuskers felt they had beaten the Sooners in
the first half."
Devaney changed his game plan at half time. Nebraska
was to come out and run straight at the Sooners. He also
told his defense, "You guys ought to give Glover a little
help from time to time."
The junior from New Jersey was beating Oklahoma
center Tom Brahaney, tying up Sooner backs.
Stopped in their first drive of the second half,
Nebraska picked up a Sooner fumble and drove 53 yards
to po ahead 21-17. On their next possession, they took it
61 yards and it was 28-17.
Seven plays
But Oklahoma roared back. They went 73 yards in
seven plays. A Tagge fumble let Oklahoma go once again
and it was 69 yards in 12 plays to make it 31-28. The
drive included a 17-yard run by Pruitt, the only time he
broke loose all day.
It was the second time in the game, and only the
second time all season, the Huskers had been behind.
"When we got in the huddle (for the last drive), every
body was just quiet," Tagge remembers. "Nobody said
anything. We told ourselves we were going to have to give
extra effort."
With 7:10 left in the game, Nebraska started making
key plays, Jeff Kinney started running and Johnny Rod
gers started catching.
Tagge remembers the biggest play was a third-and-eight
pass to Rodgers. The pass was a low, line drive, released
after Tagge had scrambled away from the onrushing
Oklahoma line.
"Greatest game"
Kinney, having his "greatest game ever," according to
Tagge, carried the ball the last four times including the
two-yard plunge that made it 34-31. Rich Sanger booted
'If was the highlight of my career.
Vve never come down from it, and I
probably never will9
the extra point and Nebraska was nearly national champs.
With 1 :38 left, they led 35-31 .
Everybody knew at that point that run-oriented
Oklahoma would have to scrap their Wishbone offense
and pass.
All-American tackle Larry Jacobson joined Glover
in finishing Mildren's passing hopes and Nebraska took
possession on the Oklahoma 15 -yard line, running the
clock out.
w
Nebraska was No. 1.
Devaney says "the players were probably as jubilant
after he game as I've ever seen. Of course, the President
(Richard Nixon) called. Certain things like that meant a
lot."
Impact hits slowly
Bob Elliot of the Miami Herald wrote, "The impact of
their victory didn't hit the Huskers right away. But wherv
coach Bob Devaney arrived, everything broke loose. Start
ing with Devaney, the players tossed anybody they could
recognize and reach into the showers.
"Their victims included Gov. J. J. Exon, University
of Nebraska President Woody Varner, publicist Don
Bryant and assorted others."
Tagge ended up wearing the governor's wet, red felt
Cowboy hat while talking with reporters after the game.
An hour and a half later amidst traffic delays and in
the cold and dark of what turned out to be a windy, wet
day, the Huskers made it back to Oklahoma City and their
flight back to Lincoln.
Boarding the jet, the team began its celebration, John
ston said.
Baggy pants
Devaney walked through the plane wearing baggy prac
tice pants and a red coaching shirt and coat trying to stay
dry after his post-game shower.
After coming to a nearly complete halt during the
game's telecast, Lincoln and Omaha were coming back to
life, moving once again, ready to celebrate.
An estimated 30,000 fans jammed the Lincoln airport.
Its access roads and even some of the runways were filled
with fans.
Tagge says it was great to see the crowd. He said the
reception could be seen as the plane came in to land.
"It was one of the greatest feelings coming home. The
year before we were criticized for having backed into the
championship. There was no argument in 1971. We were
No. 1 as we came into Lincoln."
"It made everything worth it."
; Crowd control
Policemen and Shriners on motorcycles had been able
to control the crowd for about two hours but as the plane
landed at 8 :05 the crowd broke loose, forcing the players
to get off while the pkne was still parked on the runway.
Reports said the players and coaches looked dazed at
wUhheaC5Sghts" airPrt WCrC dCSCribcd W abIaze
After the airport reception, the players were on their
vwn
Two games remained -Hawaii and then Alabama in the
Orange Bowl-but the Big One had passed.
Tagge says it was the "highlight of my career. '
Wjjj ve nevcr come d0n from it, and I probably never
coached! 11 W3S m0St taPrtant
game he
io "l11' Pn h,s ,in reaffirmed that the
tcamaSd Um C0,Ief ftbn
It had indeed been The Came.
