ptQ3 12
friday, October 19, 1979
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NU feading offense to hit Cowboy defense
By Paul Huscher
The third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers have the
leading offensive football team in the nation, averaging
509 yards per contest.
The Oklahoma State defense has one of the best
linebacker corps in the nation, according to Cowboy Head
Coach Jimmie Johnson.
These two forces clash this Saturday in Stillwater in
the 20th meeting between the teams.
Johnson , who is in his first year at OSU after serving as
defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, last year, makes no
bones about the strength of the Cowboy defense.
They (the linebackers) will be the stronget part of our
team this year without a doubt ," he said ,
OSU linebacker coach, Paul Jette, agrees that the
Cowboy's linebackers are among the best in the nation.
We have two excellent linebackers, Ricky Young at
middle linebacker and John Corker at outside linebacker,"
said Jette, a former University of Texas player.
Corker's already proved himself,' Jette said about
OSU's 6-5, 220-pound senior linebacker from Miami, Fla.
Despite missing the last four games in 1978, Corker was
named the UPI and AP Big Eight Defensive Player of the
Year in addition to both All-Big Eight teams. The
three-year letterman was also named to AP's All-American
first team.
CORKER, who holds the record for most tackles at
OSU, suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of last
year's 22-14 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln .
He had surgery in November and , according to Jette, is
now playing at full strength.
"Last week against Missouri (which OSU won 14-13)
was the first time this year he's been at full speed and he
did a great job for us," Jette said after beating the
15th-ranked Tigers in Columbia, Mo,
"Before Missouri he was thinking about his injury, but
I think he's over the mental aspect of his injury now," he
said.
Jette said Corker is good against both the run and the
. """" ' v, ... v ,
4
3
pass although OSU hasn't faced a dropbackfassing
quarterback,
"Most of the teams we've played have had roll-out
quarterbacks, so it's hard to tell now," he said, "John
reads defense well, at 6-5 he clogs up a lot of area,"
Jette said he thinks if Corker keeps improving and
playing well this year hell be a first-round draft pick in
the upcoming NFL draft,
ALTHOUGH CORKER was injured early in last year's
game, the Huskers still had trouble with the OSU defense,
Jette said the reason for that was because this year's
staring middle linebacker Ricky Young, who was just a
Football season at halfway point
Cowboy spirit won't halt Huskers
Here we are at the halfway point of both the college
and pro football seasons. And no group is better
qualified to discuss the trials, troubles and tribulations
of the first seven weeks than the players and coaches
themselves,
. The best quotes we've heard ro read so far this
season start with one from , New York Giant
quarterback Joe Pisarcik, A boxing ring set up in the
Giant locker room prompted someone to suggest that
Pisarcik could make more money boxing than playing
football. Pisarcik said, "Yeah, and I'd probably get hit
a lot less too,"
Pisarcik's protection from the offensive line has
been so bad that someone sent him the book
"Emergency Medicine" after thei third game.
From Redskin Iin backer Pete Vysocki, on trying to
hit Earl Campbell: 1 When you tickle him, it reduces
your IQ."
From San Jose St, coach Jack I Iway, after his team
surrendered 364 yards passing to Utah St.: "We did a
hell of a job taking the run away from them early,"
From Vanderbllt coach George Maclntyre, who has
has 26 freshmen and 25 sophomores on his travel
roster: "Our biggest concern is diaper rash,"
From New York Jet coach Walt Michaels:
"Everyone has some fear, A man who has no fear
belongs in a mental Institution. Or on special teams,"
From the Palomar (Calif.) College press guide on
Craig Morris, a 5-9, 165f ound defensive tackle: "Craig
is small for his position, but he shows a lot of desire,"
And from columnist Red Smith, the final word on
an old nemesis: 'The Russians have a weapon that can
wipe out 280,000000 Americans. That puts them
exactly 10 yean behind Howard Cosell,"
For the third week in a row, this column has gone
224 M for 66.7 percent, which makes the season mark
132545 for 71 percent,
NEBRASKA AT OKLAHOMA ST,The Huskers hit
the road for the first time in four weeks to tangle with
a club that has a history of making trouble for
Nebraska, Tla Cowboys started a third -string
quarterback aud a converted defensive end in the
backfield last w -iek and came away with a 1443 upset
of Missouri, No doubt, the Okies will be sky high, But
it's going to take more than emotion to stop the
Huskers in 197? . , , Nebraska 28, Oklahoma St, 10,
USC AT NOTRE DAME-LSU coach Charley
McClendon said USC is not the best team in the
countrythe Dallas Cowboys' and Pittsburgh Steelers
are better, After last week, maybe we should add
Stanford to that list, The Trojans can't be too pleased
about having their national championship hopes
dampened, Dan Devine and the Irish are going to need
more than green jerseys and a speech about the Gipper
to win this one, Too bad for Notre Dame this game
couldn't have been played two weeks ago, so maybe
the Pope could have refereed , , , USC 30, Notre Dame
14, . , : , '
GEORGIA AT VANDERBILT'-Georgia is 2 J on
the year, yet they could hold the key to a possible
national championship for Nebraska, The Bulldogs are
2-0 in conference play and they don't play Alabama
this year, If they win the rest of their conference games
and tie Alabama for the SEC title, Georgia will go to
the Sugar Bowl since the Tide went last year, If the
picture stays the way it is now, that would make the
Bear choose between an Orange feowl or Cotton Bowl
matchup for the title, But like we said, this crazy
season is only half over , , . Georgia 39, Vanderbilt
12,
MISSOURI AT COLORADO- Wiil the real Missouri
Tigers please stand up? Are they the team that beat
Notre Dame and Nebraska last year or the fumbling,
stumbling unit that" lost to Oklahoma St, and was
totally dismantled by Texas this season? Lucky Chuck
Fairbanks gets to find out this week , , , Missouri 45,
Colorado 18,
TEXAS AT ARKANSAS-If you are looking for an
"Upset 'Special of the Week", don't look here, The
Longhorns right now are the best in the country, and
may want to claim part of the Big Eight title after
beating Iowa St., Missouri and Oklahoma so far this
season,,, Texas 27, Arkansas 9,
freshman last year, did an excellent job filling in for
Corker. Young led the Cowboy defense with 19 tackles in
a game that OSU could have tied if quarterback Scott
Burk hadn't overthrown an open receiver near the goal
line with just over one minute left to go in the game.
Young, a 6-1, 220 pound sophomore from East
Chicago Heights, 111., is leading the OSU defense in tackles
this year,
Jette said Young has good speed, outstanding strength
and is regarded as one of the hardest hitters on the team,
"Ricky has been playing really good," he said. "He's
smart, he runs well, he reads well and he works hard,"
"He's not big but he makes up for that with his
quickness and hard-hitting," Jette said,
Young said he was a little nervous in last year's
Nebraska game being just a freshman, but with playing
experience he'll be ready for the Cornhuskers this year,
"I'd rather go against a running team like Nebraska,"
Young said, "I think if our defense holds them to 20 .
points (almost 20 points below NU's average) well be able
to beat them "he said,
YOUNG SAID it will be a big advantage to play the
Huskers in Stillwater's Lewis Stadium which is known
around the conference as 'The Snakepit,"
'The fans are great, when the defense has a good series,
they give us a standing ovation and that really fires us
up,"
"Playing with Corker also is a great advantage, Young
added,
"Playing with John really boosts my confidence, I
know if I make a mistake he'll be there to help out,"
He agrees with Jette that Corker will join the ranks pf
two other OSU players, Terry Miller and Phil Dokes, as a
first-round draft pick,
Young said he feels that with more experience he
should be as good as Corker when he's a senior, He also
has All-Conference and AH-American goals in his future,
Jette agrees, Young has the potential to be as good or
better than Corker if he keeps improving like he has
been,"
Huskers say OSU
plays tough game
It didn't matter who you talked to this week on the
Nebraska football team, the consensus is the Oklahoma
State game in Stillwater Saturday isn't going to be easy,
, "Oklahoma State always plays us tough no matter
where we play," said Husker quarterback Tim Hager,
"They always play aggressive, physical football"
"They haven't won many games in the series, (NU
leads series 16-24) so they're always fired up to play us.
They get up for us like we get up for Oklahoma"
But Husker head coach Tom Osborne says the
Cowboys play tough no matter who the opponent ist
"We're the only team they (OSU) haven't beat in the
last five years," Osborne said, "Every year we play them,
they've played us as tough as any team in the conference,
I don't think it will be any different this year,"
The Cowboys, 3-2 on the season .gave the Huskers fair
warning pf what to expect when they upset Missouri
14-13 in Columbia, The Cowboys pulled the upset
without starting quarterback Harold Bailey and their top
four running hacks, Bailey leads the conference in total
offense and passing yardage,
.....
Although OSU coach Jimmy Johnson said Bailey will
be able to play Saturday, the Cowboys top four backs
including leading rusher Worley Taylor, still will not be
available,
"We've had a bad injury situation all year long, so this
isn t anything new," Johnson said, "We've just got to go
with the people that ;re healthy,"
Osborne said the Huskers are coming into this game
with the worst injury situation of the year, Starting
linebacker Brent Williams will not make the trip because
pf a severly snrained ankle, while part-time starting
cornerback Paul Letcher will stay home with his injured
"We have six or seven players with little thine
w0eterbnegenhiem';;ftbr,f Mid "eKtl A??
we ve been in all-year, but it could be worse The ones
who are healthy will have to play well 1
Osborne admitted OSU wis a little beat up too. "But
ColLTia6" UP ,3St W"k and m 1)631 Missour ln
