Sports
‘Flawless’ San Francisco clobbers Denver
Nebraska connection helps
49ers close in on history
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Joe
Montana and the San Francisco 49ers
proved Sunday that they have just one
competitor - history.
And history may have to rally to
catch them.
In the most one-sided Super Bowl
ever, the 49ers routed the Denver
Broncos 55-10 to become the first
repeat NFL champions in a decade
and tie the Pittsburgh Steelers as the
epitome of Super Bowl perfection
with four wins in four tries.
“Wc need to do something no
team has ever done and that ’ s to three
peat,” said offensive tackle Bubba
Paris, singing “Re-re-re-pa-pe-re
peat.”
“If they want to go for another
one, that’s fine with me,” said George
Seifert, the rookie coach, after his
team raced into the locker room yell
ing “Repeat! Repeal! Repeat!”
“Certainly, this is one of the finest
teams ever to play.”
“Flawless,” is the way Denver
quarterback John Elway described San
Francisco after being held to just 108
yards, throwing two interceptions and
fumbling once.
Montana, 22 of 29 for 297 yards,
had five touchdown passes, three to
Jerry Rice, breaking a Super Bowl
record for TD passes. He also set a
record with 13-straight completions
and sent Denver to its third Super
Bowl loss in four years and fourth
overall, tying Minnesota for futility.
He also set five Super Bowl career
records, including his third MVP
award, and San Francisco’s point total
and victory margin were the most
ever. Of 14 Super Bowl passing rec
ords, Montana now holds eight
“Joe’s the best” said Rice, who
had seven catches for 148 yards.
It’s perhaps the understatement of
the year.
“He’s perhaps the greatest quar
terback who’s ever played the game,”
Seifert said.
Montana, typically, praised the
offensive line that didn’t allow a sack
in three playoff games and a defense
that picked off two passes, forced two
fumbles and held Elway to one com
pletion in his fust 10 attempts, a shovel
pass to Bobby Humphrey. Denver
gained just 167 yards in the game.
“At this rate, heck, I can play until
I’m 40,” said the 33-year-old Mon
tana, who has a completion rate of 78
percent in three postseason wins by a
total of 126-26.
At that rate, he will own the NFL
record book just as the 49ers owned
Sunday’sgamc from the opening gun.
And gave the NFC its sixth-straight
Super Bowl victory.
By halftime it was 27-3 with San
Francisco playing against the record
book rather than the Broncos, who
have now been outscored 136-40 in
their four Super Bowls.
San Francisco was boringly per
fect. The 49crs did even more than
expected by the experts who made
them favorites by nearly two touch
downs after a 14-2 season and a waltz
ihrough the playoffs.
* ‘We made brilliant forecasters of
a lot of experts,” Denver coach Dan
Reeves said. “The way the 49ers are
playing right now, it’s hard for any
team to keep up with them.”
Along with the records came a
personal achievement for Seifert, who
took over when Bill Walsh retired
after last season. Seifert became only
the second rookie coach to win a
Super Bowl; Baltimore’s Don Mc
Cafferty was the First in 1971.
Seconds after winning their sec
ond straight Super Bowl, the 49ers
talked about making it three in a row.
“I think we can,” Rice said. “We’re
a great team and a great organization.
I’m just looking forward to next year.”
“ Now we can be mentioned in the
same breath with the Pittsburgh Steel
ers, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay
Packers,” said running back Roger
Craig, a former Nebraska player.
Linebacker Matt Millen, who
played on two Super Bowl winners
with the Raiders before joining the
49ers in September, was awed by
being a part of this championship
team. ,,
“It was almost a flawless game,
he said. ‘ ‘The only flaw was us defen
sively in the third quarter, and even
then it was out of reach.
“This is the best offensive team I
have ever seen - bar none.”
Rice and John Taylor, who also
caught a 35-yard touchdown pass,
made a mockery of Denver’s secon
dary, which included three first-year
starters. They were as open as they ’ ve
been all season.
“They left a lot of open areas in
the middle of the field, and Joe read
me every time,” Rice said.
Fullback Tom Rathman, mean
while, kept the delcnsc ott-balance
by breaking loose over the middle for
passes when he wasn’t bulling for
:'hon yardage. His TD runs of 1 and 2
yards were an unexpected bonus.
“I really don’t thrive on scoring
touchdowns,” the former Nebraska
player said. "I’d rather throw a great
block for Roger.
“But I tell you what. It’s awtul
sweet to score a touchdown in the
Super Bowl.”
Super Bowl bookies cover
all possible betting angles
Every year, the Super Bowl is
anxiously awaited and cherished by
football fans as the game of the year.
The big one. Super Sunday. The
last game of the season. A real whiz
banger of a time.
The sentiment also runs high among
Chuck
Green
people who stand to make a buck or
two off the game. Namely, bookmak
ers.
Mark (not his real name) is a stu
dent at the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln and a “runner* ’ for a Lincoln
bookie. He accepts bets from clients
and passes them on to the bookie in
return for a percentage of the bet.
Mark said his bookie planned on
dealing in the “tens of thousands of
dollars” for yesterday’s game alone.
The game, he said, was special in that
the gambling isn’t limited to the point
spread and over/unders (belting on
whether the game’s final score will
add up to be more or less than a
designated number).
Mark’s sheet listed San Francisco
as a 12 1/2-point favorite, with the
over/under at 49.
But the sheet contained a few other
things for gamblers to mull over. Other
things to bet on during Super Bowl
XXIV included:
• Point spreads by quarters.
• Over/undcr by quarters.
® Which team wins the pregame
coin toss.
• Odds on 49ers running back
Roger Craig outrushing all Denver
running backs combined (Craig was
an 8-5 favorite).
• Which team would get the most
penalties, pass receptions, rushing
yards, passing yards, etc.
• Ovcr/under on field goals (3).
• Which team would kick the first
field goal.
• Ovcr/under on receptions by 49cr
wide receiver Jerry Rice (5).
• Ovcr/under on combined inter
ceptions (3).
• Odds on a shutout by San Fran
cisco, a 2-0 score by either team and
whether the game would go into
overtime.
• Which team and player would
make the first first down, and whether
the play would be a pass or run.
• Which player would score first,
catch the first pass, rush for the first
first down (there were odds on indi
vidual players).
The list went on and on. There was
a total of 64 aspects of the game to
bet, and various bets could be ac
cepted throughout the game.
A gambler could even bet on San
Francisco to win (just by one point) ai
5-1 odds. In other words, betting SI 00
on the 49ers and losing would mean
paying the bookie S500.
Mark said the 64 betting possibili
ties are commonly accepted by Las
Vegas casinos for most regular-sea
son professional games, but don’t
usually show up on Lincoln sheets.
But this game was different. It was
the Super Bowl.
1 remember a time when the Super
Bowl was something to watch on a
late-January Sunday and look for
ward to throughout the season.
But now, it’s big business -- like
nearly everything else in the world.
It’s a blurring collage of three-dimen
sional commercials and Bud Bowls,
filled with dancing, screaming, clip
board-throwing beer bottles. It’s
endorsements from current and for
mer athletes whose bank accounts are
running lower than they’d like.
And it’s gambling on coin tosses.
But most significant of all, the
Super Bowl is the signal of the end of
another football season, for players,
fans and bookifcs alike. On to full
time betting for basketball season ...
I wonder what the over/unders are
on missed free throws by the Com
huskers against Oklahoma Wednes
day night
Green is a senior news-editorial major, a
Daily Nebraskan senior sports reporter and
sports columnist.
Smallest conference player leads Iowa State to best NU
By Cory Golden
Staff Reporter _
David met Goliath Saturday night
in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
At a listed height of 5-foot-9 and
weighing 150 pounds, Terry Woods
is the smallest basketball player in the
Big Eight Conference.
Nebraska center Rich King - at 7
2 and 242 pounds — is the tallest.
Chalk one up for the little guy.
Woods scored 25 points on nine of
13 shooting - including 2 of 4 from
three-point range. He also dished out
seven assists and chalked up four
rebounds despite being bothered by a
hand injury.
His efforts led Iowa State to a 91
83 victory over the Comhuskcrs.
As for his two one-on-one meet
ings with King, the Cyclones’ point
guard scored both times.
With two minutes left in the first
half, King took the ball at the high
post, wheeled at the top of the key,
then had his pass picked off in the
comer by Woods. Just two minutes
into the second period, Woods drove
the lane against the Huskers’ center.
Both times, the same result: Woods
scored and Nebraska’s all-time lead
ing shot blocker swatted nothing but
air.
After the victory, Woods said he s
used to being shorter than everyone,
including coaches, team doctors, train
ers, and even public address announc
ers.
Bui the senior from Waterloo, Iowa,
said he didn’t let his height ~ or lack
of it - bother him against Nebraska,
which sports the tallest team in the
Big Eight.
“Naw. Not really,” he said laugh
ing. “No.”
Woods wasn’t impressed with his
performance, but both coaches were.
“When I looked at Iowa State,”
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said,
“Terry Woods kept them in control,
kept them moving the ball around the
basket.
“Woods reminded me a lot of
(Kansas guard Kevin) Pritchard. The
guys that wanted (the ball) were
(Victor) Alexander and Woods.”
Cyclone coach Johnny Orr, who
watched the diminutive, three-year
starter finish fifth in the Big Eight in
assists his sophomore year and sec
ond only to Oklahoma all-American
Mookic Blaylock last year, was pleased
with his floor leader, he said.
“Terry had a great game for us,”
Orr said. “I though he was really
dynamic . . • He made some great
passes.” -.k
King tied the game at 64-64 with
9:46 left in the game, then David
struck back at Goliath.
Woods ignited a 14-5 run for Iowa
State, pouring in 10 points - includ
ing a 28-foot three-pointer and three
point play that resulted from a foul he
drew from fellow sub-six-footer Keith
Moody.
It was his job to take over, he said.
‘‘I’m the only senior out there on
the court,” said Woods, who played
all but a minute and a half of the
contest. “Other players sometimes
don’t realize the lead’s in jeopardy.
The next shot may be a big one and
you’ve got to score that bucket
‘ ‘ I knew what to expect.
Woods also anticipated the HuSker’s
final kick, which pulled the game
within four with less than a minute
left.
“You expect that when a team’sat
home they’re going to make a run at
you,” he said. “It was good we had
the 10-point lead. We just held them
off and went from there.”
Woods lobbed up a pair of ill
advised, alley-oop passes to junior
forward Kirk Baker that missed, Orr
said, but did everything else right.
Woods grabbed a long rebound
and picked up a foul that sent him to
the line, where he swished both ends
of a one and one to pul the game out
of reach with 28 seconds left.
The giant killer, who nearly upset
rival Iowa with a career-high 36 points
earlier this season, is ready for the
biggest challenge for the 7-9 Cyclones,
who are now 2-2 in league play. He
said that challenge will come in the
form of No. 1-ranked Missouri, Iowa
Slate’s next opponent.
Looking a bit down the road, Woods
said he sees another tight game with
the Huskers in Ames, Iowa on Febru *
• -
See WOODS on 8
Inconsistency problems
contribute to NU loss
By Chris Kopfensperger
Staff Reporter __
A lack of execution spelled death
for the Nebraska men’s basketball
team during its game against Iowa
State.
Nebraska coach Danny Nee said
after his team’s 93-81 loss to Iowa
* State on Saturday at the Bob Deva
ney Sports Center that execution
problems kept the Comhuskers
winless in the Big Eight. He said
the problems surfaced during the
game’s most critical time -• the
Clld.
4 ‘Those couple of minutes right
there at the end, it was very disap
pointing that there was no execu
tion,” Nee said. "It got preuy crazy
.and that’s just inconsistency.”
Nee said that inconsistency has
him concerned about the rest of the
season.
“1 don’t think we’re going lobe
doing anything until we just get
some consistency in our game, both
offensively and defensively,” he
said. *i felt we played in spurts,
l but we didn’t have any kind of
consistency at either end of the
floor._ .v ■
“We’re growing up. These
experiences help us, but we’re
digging ourselves such a hole to
'have any kind of a successful sea- '
son.
Nebraska tried to start building
towards a successful season against
Iowa State, as it twice battled back
from deficits that reached as many
as 11 points. But Iowa State, now
7-9 overall and 2-2 in the Big Eight,
pul together an 11 -3 run in the final
three minutes of the first half to
take a 48-38 halftime advantage.
The Huskers came out running
in the second half, as they capped a
10-point run with a dunk by Ray
Richardson that gave them a 59-58
lead with 11:35 remaining. The
glory of that lead was short-lived
as it was the last time Nebraska
held an advantage in the contest
Nee said he thought Nebraska
could win when the game got dose.
“Once we got within five I felt
we were going to get the crowd
back into,the ball game,” Nee said.
“I felt now we’re just going to play
and just execute and try to take
control of the game at some point. ’ ’
• See LOSS on 8