Sunday Journal-Star SPORTS /Outdoor, 11/Pocketbook, 13 NOVEMBER 4, 1984 D 'Prepared' Huskers bury memory of '83 By Virgil Parker Sports Editor "Our defense played very well," NU Return yards 91 Passes 5-12-0 9-20-4 Coach Tom Osborne said, "This was one Punts 5-34 11-40 of the better defensive games we've Fumbles-lost 4-2 3-2 played since I've been the head coach." Time of Penalties-yards possession 34:46 -2-15 25:14 5-61 Defensive coordinator Charlie Third-down conversions 6-18 1-13 McBride said the Black Shirts were Fourth-down conversions S 2-5 0-0 ready. "We prepared for this game as good air. Nebraska countered with 358 yards as any we have played this year," a rushing and 49 passing while intercepthappy Nebraska defensive coordinator ing four Iowa State aerials and recoverCharlie McBride said. ing two fumbles. "What really helped us was the way "The turnovers were a big factor," they ripped us up last year - especially Osborne said. "So was the wind." The (wide receiver Tracy) Henderson. They stiff breeze was a steady 30 mph, with just went up and down the field on us heavier gusts. last year. That was a very good incen- Nebraska held a slim 3-0 lead at the tive for us this time." end of the first quarter, a 10-0 advantage at halftime and a narrow 16-0 count Henderson stifled after three periods before exploding for Henderson, who broke the conference 28 fourth-quarter points. career reception record a week ago, "The score certainly wasn't indicawas limited to just two catches for a tive of the game," Osborne. said. "The total of 11 yards. key was our ability to move the 1 ball well enough against the wind (second Overall, Iowa State netted just 16 yards on the ground and 37 through the See HUSKERS on page 8D DuBose's burst breaks Cyclones AMES, Iowa - Nebraska's Black Shirt defense recorded its first shutout since midway through the 1982 season Saturday. The Cornhuskers blanked Iowa State, 44-0, before 52,919 fans, the sixth largest crowd in ISU history. The result wasn't all that unusual for a matchup between the two Big Eight Conference rivals. The Cyclones have failed to score in just five games since the beginning of the 1971 season, but all five have been against the Huskers. By Mike Babcock AMES, Iowa - Doug DuBose had reservations about the play called in the huddle when he got to the line of scrimmage and heard an Iowa State linebacker warning his teammates; "Watch for a countersweep." Nebraska stood first-and-10 at its own 20, on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter of a 44-0 victory at Cyclone Stadium-Jack Trice Field. "I thought maybe we were going to audible since they knew where the play was going," DuBose said. A little bit of knowledge was a bad thing for the Cyclones. What they knew hurt them. ISU pursued to stop a countersweep, and "it looked kind of clogged up," said DuBose. Nebraska's sophomore I-back "cut back across the grain, and a guy hit me in the thigh." That was the last Iowa State defender to make significant contact with DuBose, who sprinted 80 yards fo for the first touchdown in a 28-point fourth quarter. "I never think they're going to stop me," DuBose said. "I always expect to make five or six yards. "But I didn't expect to go 80 yards on that play." DuBose rushed for more than eight times as many yards as the Iowa State team did. He carried 12 times, gaining 134 yards (ISU had 16) and scored two touchdowns, the first on a 6-yard run with 7:00 remaining in the third quarter. "In the third and fourth quarters, we were trying to put points on the (score) board for the defense," DuBose said. "We owed it to them." DuBose's 80-yard run was the only I NU 44, Cyclones 0 Nebraska lowa State NU-FG Klein 20 -Turner 1 run (Klein kick) NU-DuBose 6 run (kick failed) NU-DuBose 80 run (Klein kick) NU-Turner 8 run (Klein kick) NU-Hiemer 13 pass from Sundberg (Klein kick) NU 47 run (Klein kick) A-52,919 NU ISU First downs 15 5 Rushes-yards 70-358 34-16 Passing yards 49 37 Total yards 407 53 one in the fourth quarter not set up by an interception. The Cornhuskers' other three scoring possessions in the final period all began deep in Iowa State territory, at the 6-, the 23- and the 13- yard lines. Nebraska finished with 407 yards of offense, 358 on the ground, against an Iowa State defense that had played well recently. The Cyclones "didn't do anything we hadn't seen before. We were pretty well prepared for what they gave us," said Nebraska quarterback Travis Turner, who ran for two touchdowns and passed 13 yards to tight end Brian Hiemer for another. The Cornhuskers' other points came from Dale Klein, who kicked a 20-yard field goal and five extra points, and freshman I-back Keith Jones, who raced 47 yards to score the first touchdown of his college career. Nebraska held only a 10-0 lead until DuBose's 6-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter, but "it was only a matter of time until things broke open," he said. "We were coming at them pretty hard, and that showed in the fourth quarter. It was just a' matter of waking up to some things they were doing. I knew we were going to put some points on the board." By the fourth quarter, Iowa State "didn't want to play anymore," Cornhusker fullback Tom Rathman said. Like DuBose, Rathman credited the defense with the lopsided score. "The second half, we got a lot of breaks created by the defense," he said. "We want to have a plus-3 turnovers, and we got more than that." STAFF PHOTOS BY RANDY HAMPTON. Nebraska's defense froze lowa State's defense Saturday until the* Huskers' offense could strike for 28 fourth-quarter points. Above,: Scott Strasburger (90) and Bill Weber manhandle ISU quarterback: Alan Hood. At left, NU fullback Tom Rathman breaks between ISUdefenders Lester Williams, left and Anthony Mayze. COLOR 1984 Black Shirts better than triplets AMES, Iowa - I don't know how you spell belief. But I saw something here Saturday that made a rational man make an irrational statement. Iowa State Coach Jim Criner made the observation: "Nebraska is probably a better overall team this year than last year." And you know what? I agree with him. If Saturday's 44-0 win over the e Cyclones was one small step to another Big Eight championship, it was one giant leap for the defense. Turnovers arrive The Black Shirts not only got their first shutout in 26 games. They finally got the other team to turn the ball over. Six times. Four interceptions and two fumbles. Turnovers. They've been the missing ingredient between a very good Nebraska defense and a great Nebraska defense. Turnovers. Now that the Black Shirts know they can get 'em, it may turn them into a whole different team. I never thought I'd write this. But the 1984 Huskers really are better than the 1983 Huskers - because they can stop somebody, maybe anybody. I've always thought Tom Osborne was the greatest football coach in America. But one thing always puzzled me. His teams seemed to be better in September and October than they were Randy York Columnist in November and December. This team appears to be different. This team is peaking instead of fading. This team may be his first national champion. Sorry, I got carried away. But those turnovers really do turn you on. They make you think a stingy, ball hawking defense will be that much better next week and the week after that. And... I can't help remembering last year when Nebraska beat Iowa State, 72-29. Personally, I'd rather score 28 fewer points and still win by one more. No buried heads Last year, the Black Shirts buried their heads in the locker room. They were mad. Frustrated. And no one felt worse than Bill Weber, the Academic All-American defensive end who said the Huskers were going to have to change their philosophy. They did. See YORK on page 8D