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Sooner player aims at victorious return
By Jeff Singer
Staff Reporter
After spending the past two weeks
recovering from surgery, the only
operating Oklahoma quarterback Calc
Gundy wants to think about is on the
Nebraska defense.
Gundy, who missed the Sooners’
21-6 win over Oklahoma State last
week because of a minor hernia op
eration, said he will be ready to play
when Oklahoma battles the Com
huskers Nov. 29 at Memorial Sta
dium.
The sophomore from Midwest City,
Okla., said his surgery might have
been a blessing in disguise as the
Sooners prepare for their annual battle
with the Huskcrs.
“I think I’m in better condition
now than I was before my surgery,”
Gundy said. “Getting this time off
from taking punishment all season
has definitely helped.”
Gundy practiced for the first time
Wednesday and said everything is
back to normal in his football routine.
He said the Oklahoma offense ran
well with backup quarterback Steve
Collins playing, but in order for the
Sooners to compete with Nebraska,
he has to return to run the offense.
“Steve Collins did a good job last
Saturday, but I think with me being
the starter, I have to be out there for
the offense,” Gundy said. “We’re a
family out there, so it’s key to the
team for me to be there.”
Gundy said he has been anticipat
ing Oklahoma’s game against the
Huskers for a while, and is looking
forward to playing the Sooners’ Big
Eight rival.
I “l can’t wait to p\ay in Lincoln,
f since it will be my first trip up there,"
Gundy said. “I know it’s a madhouse
there, and that it’s always a challenge
playing against the solid red in
Memorial Stadium.”
The Sooners will be looking to
continue their winning ways against
Nebraska. Oklahoma holds a 39-29-3
scries record against the Huskcrs,
including last year’s 45-10 pounding
they handed Nebraska in Norman,
Okla.
Gundy said he’s not expecting a
similar blowout this lime around.
“No one would’ve expected that
we would beat Nebraska by 35 points,
and I know last year’s game was a
fluke,’’Gundy said. “We’re definitely
going to have to prepare ourselves
well for next week’s game.”
I
The Husker defense will be no
pushover, according lo Gundy, who
said Nebraska’sdefcnsive units isone
of the best Nebraska has put together
in a long time.
“Their defense really impresses
me,” Gundy said. “They’ve got 11
outstanding guys who aren’t afraid of
putting it to you.”
Gundy said that in order for the
Sooners to leave Lincoln with a win,
they will need to avoid what plagued
them in losses to Texas and Colorado.
“We’ve been playing exception
ally well lately, and need to continue
to play our type of game,” Gundy
said. “Our two losses came because
of turnovers, and we’ll need to slay
away from making similar mistakes
against Nebraska.”
Gundy said he had no doubts about
attending Oklahoma after high school.
He said his reasons for attending the
school were obvious. ,
“They were having a quarterback
controversy when I was coming out
of high school, and I knew I would
have the opportunity to play right
away,” Gundy said. “They were also
changing the offense in a way that fit
my style by throwing the ball more,
so I knew ttys was the place to be.”
Gundy’s brother Mike, who set
many school and conference records
while playing for Oklahoma State
and is now the Cowboys’ receivers
coach, wanted Calc to attend Okla
homa Stale, but the younger Gundy
said it wasn’t a consideration.
“1 wanted to go somewhere where
1 could do my own thing,” Gundy
said. “I also wanted to play at a school
that would have the chance of playing
for conference and national champi
onships, and l jusl didn’t see that _
happening at OSU.”
Gundy, who has completed 54
percent of his passes for I, I OS yards
so far this year, said he will take
:redit for the Sooners success this
season.
“We’re 8-2 and I’ve played eight
exceptional games this year,” Gundy
said.
The 6-foot, 187-pound communi
cations major said his goals arc simple
for his remaining two years at Okla
homa.
“I want to win the Big Eight title
and play for the national champion
ship before I end my career,” Gundy
said. “I know I’ll probably set most of
the school’s passing records while
I’m here, but most importantly, I want
to win.”
Kiley Timperley/DN
Oklahoma quarterback Cale Gundy gets off a pass before being hit bv Iowa State’s Matt Grubb.
Gundy said he is ready to play again after sitting out Oklahoma s 21 -© win over Oklahoma State
on Saturday because of minor surgery.
Colorado nearing end
of Buffaloes’ lucky trend
Colorado coach Bill McCart
ney called it resiliency. Quarter
back Vance Joseph said it was a
never give-up attitude.”
I call it luck.
tTodd
Cooper
Nope, Colorado’s 30-24 come
from-behind victory against Kan
sas last week was no stroke of
intestinal fortitude. No, Joseph’s
30-yard run on third down-and-a
mile against the Jayhawks — who
had been whipped Nov. 9 by Ne
braska, 59-23 — was not a tremen
dous testimony to talent. The half
back pass from I-back Lamont
* Warren to receiver Charles Johnson,
a pass which prevented them from
trailing 24-3, was not a portrait of
poise. It was a miracle, a true black
and gold miracle.
Better yet, it was Buff luck;
and, anymore, that means tough
luck for opponents.
The Colorado Buffaloes have
had a string of fortune that would
make an Irishman proud. It’s out
done the luck of the Irish — Notre
Dame, that is — and their miracles
a couple years ago.
The following Buffalo chips from
the past two years have, quite sim
ply , stunk up any chances for Colo
rado opponents:
• More so than last week, Colo
rado’s comeback against Oklahoma
Slate was greater fortune than a
genie could muster. Down 12-10 to
the 0-9-1 Cowboys and lining up
for an apparent field goal, Colo
rado third-string wide receiver
Robbie James, who has touched a
ball three times in a game in his
career, look the snap. He then threw
a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris
tian Fauria, a redshirt freshman, to
win it 16-12. Pat Jones termed
McCartney’s play-call “gutsy.” But
had Jones’ defense covered the way
they should have (it was third down,
Pat), McCartney would have looked
a little nutsy.
•Of course, everybody remcm
bers the Colorado-Nebraska tic from
See COOPER on 14
Husker fans’ behavior suspect
A friend and I were reminiscing
the other day about how we used to go
to all the Comhuskcr football games
when we were growing up.
Eventually, the talk turned to
“Remember when we used to throw
oranges at the Oklahoma games?”
Yes, it was a lotof fun. Just like the
Colorado fans, who undoubtedly had
a lot of fun throwing oranges and
snowballs at Folsom Field a few weeks
ago when the Huskers were in town.
Since that game, the Omaha World
Herald’s Voice from the Grandstand
letter section has been filled with
comments from Nebraska football fans
who found the behavior of the Colo
rado fans revolting.
The letters went on to praise Husker
fans and players in general for their
“class behavior at all times,” and
generally gave thanks to God that no
Nebraska fans ever misbehave or make
the opposing team or fans feel bad.
Nebraska fans arc well-known for
being some of the most respectable in
the country, and Husker players arc
known for their on-field discipline in
staying out of trouble.
Off the field, well . . . that’s an
other story altogether.
However... N
1979: After Missouri middle guard
Norman Goodman went after Husker
I-back Jarvis Rcdwine’s knee on an
exira-poinl attempt, the Ncbraska
Missouri rivalry exploded into hard
feelings that are just now beginning
to die down.
After the game, the Nebraska media
played up the incident to the fullest
extent, and Goodman and his parents
received threatening phone calls from
“classy” Husker fans.
S Chuck
Green
1980: During the game against
Oklahoma, Rcdwinc broke loose on a
90-yard touchdown run. At the Okla
homa 30-yard line, Rcdwinc turned
to the pursuing Oklahoma defender
and pointed at him, taunting him all
the way to the end zone.
Oklahoma won the game 17-14.
1981: When the Huskers went to
the locker room at halftime trailing
Auburn 3-0, Nebraska fans sent their
team inside with a chorus of boos and
obscenities directed at Osborne and
struggling quarterback Nate Mason.
Nebraska went on to post a 17-3
win, engineered by sophomore quar
terback Turner Gill.
1982: This was a big year for Husker
no-nos.
In the final minute of the 27-24
loss to Penn Slate, a Nittany Lion
tight end caught a pass that was clearly
out of bounds. But officials ruled he
had drug his foot on the way out, and
the drive was capped on the next play
by the winning touchdown.
Nebraska fans still haven’t stopped
complaining about this obviously bad
call, but little has been said about a
worse call, which went Nebraska’s
way in the 1988 loss to UCLA.
. Safety Mark Bla/ck intercepted a
Bruin pass, fell down and rolled.
Because he didn’t hear a whistle, he
scrambled to his feet and jogged into
the end zone for a touchdown.
Later in 1982, trailing the worst
Missouri team in years, Gill look a
cheap shot from Tiger defender Randy
Jostes, a native of Omaha. Gill suf
fered a concussion when he hit his
head on the AstroTurf.
For the next week, Jostes parents
received death threats in the mail and
over the telephone, and one female
caller reportedly told Jostes’ mother
that she hoped she was raped the next
time she left her house.
And still later, with seconds re
maining in the Oklahoma game, thou
sands of Nebraska fans (including
See GREEN on 14