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Daily Nebraskan
Monday, October 18, 1982
Despite fumbles, Huskers beat KSU
By Tad Stryker
Led by 1-back Mike Rozier and a dominating offensive
line, the Nebraska Huskers overcame several mistakes,
churned out 384 rushing yards, and won their Home
coming game against the Kansas State Wildcats, 42-13.
Nebraska Coach Tom ' Osborne found no occasion
to use punter Grant Campbell, because of the 12 drives
started by the Huskers, six ended in touchdowns, four
in lost fumbles and two on failed fourth-down conversions
attempts. .
The last time Nebraska played a game without punting
was the third game of the 1972 season, when the Huskers
beat Army 77-7.
Osborne was pleased with the way the Huskers ran
the ball against the highly touted K -State defense but
was disappointed about the turnovers.
"We could have had 14 more points in the first half,"
he said. Nebraska led 21-3 at the half, but K-State stayed
within 15 points until the fourth quarter.
Nebraska moved the ball seemingly at will in the first
half, but fumbles in Wildcat territory by Ricky Simmons,
Jamie Williams and Turner Gill kept K-State in the game.
When it was not fumbling, Nebraska's top-ranked
offense chewed up the Kansas State defense.
"1 was surprised at the way we ran on themT" Os
borne said.
Rozier gained 205 yards on 21 carries and scored
on runs of 27 and 46 yards. That, coupled with his
Open basketball tryouts today
The Nebraska men's basketball team will have open
tryouts today at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center. Interested UNL students are encouraged to
come. The Huskers began practice Friday and will open
the season Nov. 20.
212 yards against Colorado last week, made him the
"" second Husker to rush for more than 200 yards in con
secutive games. 134. Hipp did it against Indiana and
K-State in 1977. " . .
"Mike's probably the best back in the country,"
said Husker center Dave Rimington-. "He knocks people
down, runs around them, catches the ball and he can
even throw it. He always makes us offensive linemen
look good, and we appreciate that."
Rozier, who left the game with a slight hip pointer
early in the fourth quarter, said he had thought the K
State defense would provide more of a challenge.
Husker guard Mike Mandelko said the offensive line
was inspired by K-State defensive tackle Reggie Single
tary's boasting earlier this season, '
Singletary had said that no one could stop him man-on-man.
"What he said . helped get me prepared," Mandelko
said. "It was on all our minds this week. We remembered
it." Singletary, an all-conference performer last year, -was
credited with nine unassisted tackles but was not a '
disruptive force.
The Huskers' ground power was complemented by
Gill's passing. Gill completed 11 of 12 to set a Nebraska
- one-game percentage record "of 91.7 percent. The pre
vious record was held by Dave Humm, who completed
23 or 27 passes against Kansas in 1974.
While. Nebraska's offense was storming, its defense
was fighting a battle of containment.
"We have a great offense," cornerback Allen Lyday
said "so on defense, our main goal is to keep them out
of the end zone. I think we've done that the last three
weeks."
Lyday said while the Husker offense is first in sta
tistics, the defense is "probably last, but we're coming
along pretty good each week."
Continued on Page 9
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Staff Photo by Craig Andresen
The official gives the signal for Nebraska's second
touchdown after fullback Doug WHkening goes
oyer from the 3-yard line in Saturday's 42-13 win
against die Kansas State Wildcats in Memorial
Stadium. '
KSU coach praises efficient Cornhusker offense
By Larry Sparks
Jim Dickey leftfio doubt about which part of Ne
braska's football team he thought looked best in Sa
turday's 42-13 Husker win against his Kansas State
team in Memorial Stadium.
"I've been up here many different times with many
different ball clubs - Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, KU
(Kansas) and this one. I believe this is the best offensive
football team I've ever seen Nebraska have," the Kan
sas State football coach said after the game. "They can
do everything. They can throw and they can run and
do all the things a good offense does."
The Husker Blackshirt defense isn't as strong, though,
he said.
"They've got a ways to go to have the kind of ball
club to go all the way through the league," he said. "They
played pretty basic. I do think they're a good defensive
team, but I think that since I've been coming up here,
this is not one of their better defenses."
Dickey praised Nebraska's running backs and said
I-back Mike Rozier may be as good a back as the Big
Eight has ever seen, but he gave most of the credit for
or
the Huskers offensive firepower to the line.
"Their offensive line is something. It's one of the
finest I've ever seen. I could run the ball in some of those
holes they (UNL backs) have to run in," he said.
Dickey's son Darrell, K-State's quarterback, also had
praise for the Cornhuskers, calling them the best team
in the Big Eight. He said it is important for the Wildcats
not to let the loss have a negative effect on' the rest of
the season.
"The important part of our season is in front of us,"
he said. "Whether this season is successful or not will
be determined in the next five weeks."
Last year's decision to redshirt 16 KSU starters still
can be proven successful, but it was unreasonable to
believe that one year of the redshirt program could
lead to a win against the Huskers, he said.
"You have "to understand that what we did last year
by redshirting is what they've (the Huskers) 'done the
last 10 years," he said.
K-State defensive end Victor Koenning said part of
Nebraska's big margin of victory can be attirubted to
poor officiating. He said the officials cost Kansas State
at least 14 points Saturday.
v t i ' C v U
"I might look at the film and be totally wrong but
I just feel that anytime there was a questionable call
on their sideline, it went to them, -and on our side, there?1
urac nn mil trmrf at oil " f nanninn coil '
"It didn't cost us the game," he said. "But a lot of
this jstuff today was uncalled for. It's been like this
everytime we come up here."
Coach Dickey, however, blamed the runaway score
on K-State's poor performance in the early part of the
game. The Huskers' first-half fumbles could have turned
the game around if the Wildcats had capitalized on them,
he said.
One of those early fumbles stopped a Nebraska scoring
threat after what Dickey said "wasn't the smartest call
I've ever made."
The fumble by UNL split end Ricky Simmons at the
K-State 34-yard line came just two plays after Dickey
had chosen to go for a first down on a fourth-andone
situation at the ISU 29. Nebraska safety Bret Clark
stopped KSU tail back Osefatu Faraimo for no gain on
that play and the Huskers took over on downs.
"In our particular situation, when you play a team
and feel you're a 28-point underdog, you will do a few
things that you ordinarily wouldn't do," Dickey said
when explaining the fourth-down gamble.
Dickey said he had expected a much closer game but
he said Nebraska's depth at nearly every position finally
wore the Wildcats down.
"1 just hope I live long enough to see them (Nebraska)
run out of material," he said.
Staff Photo by Craig Andrtsan
Nebraska I-Back Mike Rozier (30) tries to escape several Kansas State defenders in Saturday's 42-13 Homecoming
win against the Wildcats Saturday in Memorial Stadium. Rozier picked up 204 yards Saturday and became only
the second Husker to pick up more than 200 yards in two consecutive weeks.
Husker-Wildcat Statistics
10
7
Kansas State 0 3
Nebraska 7 14
NU - Rozier 27 run (Seibel kick)
KS FG Willis 44
NU - Wilkening 3 run (Seibel kick)
NU - Roiier 46 run (Seibel kick)
NU,- Williams 2 pass from Gill (Seibel kick)
KS - Dickey 1 run (Willis kick)
KS-FG Willis 45
NU - Smith 19 run (Seibel kick)
NU - Mathison 5 run (Seibel kick)
Attendance - 76. 268
0-13
14-42
First downs
Rushes-yards
Passing yards
Return yards
Passes
Punts
Furnbles-lost
Penalties-yards
KSU
15
45-124
131
41
12-27-0
4-39
0-0
7-67
NU
27
58-384
112
0
12-13-0
0-0
6-4
5-26
23:03
Time of Possession 31 :57
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
c ,o Uo"iNG 1 .KanM St,tt Frimo 13-53. Crawford
mft'hRkett Nebrwk.. Rozier 21 204. Gill 5?,
-n?15 K,nm Statt' Dickey 8-17-98-0 Booua