friday, november 10, 1978
page 12
daily nebraskan
sports
Talking is over; 'showdown' to be played Saturday
By Kevin Schnepf
What hasn't been said already about
Saturday's football game between number
one ranked and undefeated Oklahoma and
number four ranked Nebraska, whose only
loss has been to third ranked Alabama?
The most important factor stressed over
and over is that both teams, eyeing nation
al championships, are tied in the Big Eight
with 5-0 records and are battling for an
Orange Bowl berth. And a trip to the
Orange Bowl would better the winner's
chances of becoming national champion.
The statistics of the two teams, which
rank high nationally, have been built-up,
rehashed and analyzed in newspapers and
magazines.
Team clout
Here is what the newspaper and maga
zine writers who will pack the press box
Saturday, have been telling their readers.
Oklahoma is the nubmer one rushing team
in the nation with a 414.7 average while
Nebraska is the number two rushing team
in the nation with 342.7 average; Nebraska
is the number one total offensive team in
the nation with a 515.2 yard average while
Oklahoma is the number two total offen
sive team in the nation with a 483.1 yard
average; Nebraska is the number one
scoring team in the nation with a 413
average while Oklahoma is the number two
scoring team in the nation with a 40.4
average; Nebraska is number eight in the
nation in rushing defense allowing an
average 114.4 yards per game while Okla
homa's defense is unrated.
Team start
ABC television will be in Memorial Sta
dium to show the national audience such
superstars as Oklahoma's speed-demon
backfield of quarterback Thomas Lott,
halfbacks David Overstreet and Billy Sims
and fullback Kenny King. Commentator
Keith Jackson also will be telling his audi
ence about Nebraska's offense led by quar
terback Tom Sorley who either hands the
ball to running backs Richard Berns, I.M.
Hipp, Andra Franklin, Tim Wurth or
Craig Johnson or throws the ball to Junior
Miller, Kenny Brown or Tim Smith.
A lot of attention has been focused on
the number one and two running backs in
the Big Eight, OU's Billy Sims, who leads
the nation in rushing as well with a 155.2
yard average, is coming off three consecu
tive 200 yard plus rushing games.
Nebraska's I.M. Hipp, the sophomore sen
sation of last year, is the Big Eight's
second leading rusher with a 90 yard
average.
High noon
ABC will begin their pre-game telecast
at 11:30 ajn. and the game will begin at
12 noon. Saturday's game is considered by
many as coming close to resembling 1971 's
game of the century, when number one
ranked Nebraska beat number two ranked
Oklahoma, 35-31.
Another factor that has been stressed
is that Nebraska is coming off a record
breaking offensive production in last off a 28-7 win over Colorado in which
week's 63-21 rout over Kansas. Nebraska Billy Sims continued his 200 yard plus
piled up 799 total yards, making it the best streak.
offensive production per game in the The winner will go to the Orange Bowl
nation this fall. Meanwhile, OU is coming since no other Big Eight team is in con
tention. OU's next opponent will be the
improving Oklahoma State team next
Saturday in Norman while Nebraska will
host former Nebraska assistant coach War
ren Powers' Missouri Tigers.
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Saturday's contest between UNL and OU is not billed the "Game of the Century," but it should be the "Game of the Season" for
the two teams and their fans.
'Battered, torn' Husker fans rise again
Oh, those poor dedicated Nebraska
football fans. Each year when they watch
their Huskers roll along, the anticipation
builds up inside as they hope for a Big
Eight Championship so they can travel to
kevin schnepf
war, balmy Miami Beach. But each year
since 1974, the Husker fan is shattered,
battered, and torn to pieces after the
annual Nebraska-Oklahoma shootout.
Three Orange Bowl trips in a row from
1971 to 1973 and two national champion
ship teams in that period had spoiled the
Husker fan to the point that an 8-3 record
is considered a losing season. Ever since
Oklahoma began its domination of the
rivalry in 1972 with a revenge victory,
17-14, Husker fans have stored their Go
Big Red toilet seats away until Nebraska
beats Oklahoma.
Cocky talk
Not only have the Husker fans been
forced to accept defeat to Oklahoma, but
since 197 l's game of the century, they
have had to put up with Sooner talk.
Sooner talk usually is straightforward, out
landishly lackadaisical and cocky. It seems
to be the right weapon, along with
Oklahoma's talented wishbone runners, to
psycli out the Huskers and discourage
Husker fans.
When the number one ranked Huskers
gave their fans meaning in life with a
victory over the number two ranked
Sooners in 1971, revenge was, has been,
Oklahoma personnel. Prior to the 1972
rematch in Lincoln , OU head boach Chuck
Fairbanks said, "Our team and our coaches
have had Nebraska on our minds since last
year."
From behind
Nebraska led at halftime, 140, leaving
plenty for Husker fans to buzz about.
But, OU came from behind and won
17-1 4 -something Husker fans have come
to expect.
Continued on Page 14
Primed-up NU predicted to surpass impressive OU
There may never be another college
football game to match it-the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma
shootout. It has been
considered by many the greatest college
football game ever played. It had a "Game
of the Century" billing and lived up to the
expectations. Number one-ranked
Nebraska had to come from behind in the
closing minutes to edge out the number
two-ranked Sooners, 35-31, in a game that
had everything-super catches, a punt
return, the touchdown bomb and defensive
plays.
Things have changed since 1971 and it
has been a lopsided change. For six years
Nebraska has lost to Oklahoma. For six
years Nebraska has not scored in the fourth
quarter against Oklahoma. The Sooners
have handed out six years of frustration
after losing the biggest one of them all.
Two weeks short of seven years later,
Oklahoma and Nebraska are primed for
another mesting Saturday in Lincoln. It is
not being b$ed as another "Game of the
Century", but both teams are again loaded
with impressive credentials.
The two teams are scoring more points
than any other team in the nation. In
rushing offense Oklahoma leads the nation
with the Huskers second, but in total of
fense Nebraska is on top and the Sooners
second.
The offenses are so powerful that the
defenses have been lost in the shuffle. They
are both capable of slowing the offenses,
and turning the game into a defensive
struggle.
If the "seven years bad luck" supersti
tion has any meaning, Nebraska may have
to suffer one more year. But who believes
in superstitions?. . .Nebraska 21, Oklahoma
17.
In other Big Eight games:
Colorado at Kansas State -Colorado has
regained some respectability since the 52
14 loss to Nebraska and might be in line
for a bowl bid with wins in its last two
games. Kansas State is starting to look
more like the old Kansas State every
week. . .Colorado 34, Kansas State 14.
Iowa State at Oklahoma State -The
Cowboys are the Big Eight's comeback
story of the year. Jim Stanley's 3-6 squad
has been especially impressive at home in
Stillwater, holding victories over Colorado,
Kansas and Missouri with a narrow 19-7
loss to Arkansas. Since this is the home
finale. . .Oklahoma State 17, Iowa State
13.
Kansas at Missouri-Warren Powers' Ti
gers are bruised by losses to Oklahoma
State and Colorado the last two weeks.
But this is the rivalry that got former
Missouri coach Al Onofrio into trouble.
Here's to Powers and the unhappy Tiger
fans. . .Missouri 45, Kansas 10.
Around the country:
East-Penn State 24, North Carolina 7;
Army 27, Boston College 17; Pittsburgh
30, West Virginia 11; Navy 16, Syracuse
14.
South-Clemson 31, North Carolina 21
Louisville 29, Memphis State 20. Maryland
31, Virginia 7; Kentucky 38. Vanderbilt
19; Georgia 17, Florida 10; Mississippi
State 33, Auburn 28; Mississippi V Tu
lane 17; LSU 20, Alabama 17; Duke 17
Wake Forest 12; Florida State 45 Vir
ginia Tech 16.
Southwest-SMU 28, Rice 24; Texas
23, Houston 21; Arkansas 27, Baylor 14;
New Mexico 26, Colorado State 17; Texas
Tech 32, TCU 20.
Midwest-Michigan State 41, Minnesota
21, Indiana 24, Iowa 8; Notre Dame 31,
Tennessee 10; Ohio State 52, Illinois 14;
Michigan 44, Northwestern O; Tulsa 42,
Wichita State 14; Purdue 23, Wisconsin 7.
West-Utah State 37, Weber State 7;
California 34, Washington State 24;
Southern Cal 24. Washington 10; UCLA
37, Oregon State 10; Utah 35, UTEP 24;
Stanford 28, Arizona State 23; Georgia
Tech 30, Air Force 13; Wyoming 20, Ne
vada at Las Vegas 16; Oregon 24, Arizona
17; Brigham Young 42, San Diego State
21; New Mexico State 24, Hawaii 21;
Pacific 24, San Jose State 14.
Last week's picks were the season's best,
a 36-6 mark for an .857 percentage. The
season record improved to 286-90-6 (ties
count half right, half wrong) for a .757
percentage.