October 31,1971 Lincoln, Neb., Sunday Journal and Star Johnny Rodgers (20) waits for the ball as Colorado’s BUlie Drake (51) starts moving in, but Drake misses and Rodgers keeps going. Cullen Bryant (16) also tries and misses. Seconds later, Glen Bailey and Lome Richardson bring Rodgers down on the two-yard line. Johnson Anxious for OU-NU Clash 1#‘ Nebraska Black Shirts Bill Kosch (left) and Bob 'rerrio can testify to the wetness of AstroTurf on a rainy day. By VIRGIL PARKER Colorado quarterback Ken Johnson knows where he’s going to be Thanksgiving Day. ‘T’ll be in front of my TV set just like everyone else watching that Nebraska-Oklahoma game. It’s going to be unreal! There isn’t any question in my mind. They are the two best football teams in the country.” Though coach Eddie Crowder wouldn’t compare the nation’s top-rated clubs •— the only teams to shoot down his Buffaloes this season — Johnson was more talkative. When asked which team he’d bet on if he were a betting man. the Colorado signal caller said, ‘T wouldn’t bet. Nebraska has the better defense — in fact that’s by far the best defense we’ve faced all year — but Oklahoma has the best offense.” The Buffalo quarterback feels “Nebraska will have to score a lot of points to win. There’s no way that they’ll shut out Oklahoma. The Sooner triple-option offense will move the ball against Nebraska. It’ll be a heckuva game. Just unbelievable.” Johnson didn’t feel the Nebraska defense hit “all that hard. They don’t dump you on your back too much,” he said. “But they’re so consistent. They are seldom out of position. And they don’t miss the tackle once they’ve got you cornered.” The Colorado game plan was to run the option play a lot with enough passes tossed in to keep the Huskers off balance, Johnson added. “And the option went well. We pull one guard to lead the play and the slotback, fullback and tailback are also all out in front of me. No defensive end can stand up under that. Then the end goes down alx)ut 15 yards and cuts either in or out. That takes the secondary back so if he’s not open I wind up with quite a lot of running room. But our blocking would break down just often enough to keep us from getting a consistent drive going.” Both Crowder and Johnson admitted the Colorado touchdown was scored on a “broken play,” but that split end Cliff Branch was the primary receiver. “He was supposed to go down about 15 yards and buttonhook, Johnson explained. “But he wasn’t open and the defense came blitzing in on me. Cliff just started running across the field looking for an open area. I saw him all the way and waited till the lasi moment to unload the ball. If he hadn’t been free I’d have just thrown it over his head.” Crowder called Nebraska “a magnificent football team. Their balance is what beats you. They are excellent on the run and the pass and play fine defense. And that (Jerry) Tagge is just a super player. When a team has everything, like Nebraska, it’ll take quite a ball club to beat ’em.” INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Nebraska Rushing No. Yds. Ave. Kinney ... 81 3.0 Olds , ,. 639 6.5 Damkroger 5 35 7.0 Dixon ...... 718 2.6 Tagge .... 10 6 0.6 Brownson . 1 - 8 -8.0 Rodgers .. 2 trussing No. Com. 9 4.5 Int. Yds. Tagge ...... 17 10 0 144 Brownson ..4 2 Ü0 Pass Receiving Rodgers .................. 3 Anderson ......... List ................. Damkrogcr ............ 2 Longwell ......... Cox ................ Kinney .......................2 Punting No. Yds. Ave. Hughes .......■ ■ • 6 194 32 3 Pass Interception No. Yds. Ma.son 1 9 I’uiit Returns No. Yds. Rodgers ............... 1 13 Kickoff Returns No. Yds. Rodgers ........... 1 17 Damkroger ................1 7 Coloratlo No. Yds. Ru.shing 3 54 No. Yds. Ave. 117 Tarver .. .........8 36 4.5 10 Davis ... .17 764.5 2 4 Johnson . .........15 221.5 11Dueñas . .......... 9 -27 -3.0 15 Mathews , .......... 2 31.5 Branch ............ 1 3 3.0 Brunson ............1 -3 -3.0 Mendez ..... 2 - 2 -1.0 Passing No. Com. Int. Yds, Johnson ..a 2 1 .)2 Dueñas 1 0 0 Ü Pass Receiving No. Yds. Mendez ................... 1 18 Branch .....................1 34 Punting No. Yds. Ave. Stearns .......... 5 163 32.6 Punt Returns No. Yds. Branch ................... 1 10 Kickoff Returns No. Davis ................... 1 Branch..................... 1 Brunson................■. 2 Yds. 22 17 27 The team on the field may have been Colorado, but some people in the stands were thinking of other things game against second-ranked Oklahoma for instance. . the Thanksgiving 43 Willie Harper Lootm Imposingly r Nebraska Offense SE—Cox, Anderson LT-White, Wolfe LG—Rupert, Weber C -Jamall, Dumler RG—Worlman, Beran RT—Johnson, Austin TE Longwell, List QB Tagqc, Brownson IB Kinney, Dixon SB Rodgers, Hughes FB Olds, Damkroger, Carstens Defense LE Adkins, Hyland LT -Jacobson MG -Glover, Johnson, Peterson RT--Janssen, Dutton RE—Harper, Manfledt WLB—Terrio, Morell SLB—Branch, Hauge, Sloey Mon—Mason, Pitts LCB-Btahak, Hollstein RCB Anderson, Borg S - Kosch, McClelland K Sanger (Colorado Offense TE—Masten, Cain TT—Horton, /Wahoney TG—Kraltcek, Parr, Emmerling C -McDonald, Bevans SG-Baln ST-Zumbach, Houck SE--Branch, Nichols 08—Johnson, Dueñas 7 B--Davis FB—Tarver, Mathews SB—Brunson, Whitaker, Mendei Defense LE-Dean LT—Orvis, Darovec, Sens LB—Taibi, Cooney ,RG—Magrum, D.OrvIs RT—havens RE—Stavely LLB—Drake, Clufo RLB—Geist LH—Bryant, Bailey RH—Foster, Richardson S—Stearns I Plutlo.s by I I Hob (xorliuiii I I ilarabi Drciiiiaiiis» | I Kaiuly llaiiiploii | I Web Hay ¡ I WilliH Van Sickle | I John Hennings | iiiiiiiiittiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ H i Charlie Davis (26) seemed to he in good position to recover teammate Joe Dueñas’ (1Ü) fumble. 11 Willie Harper (81) looked imposing to Charlie Davis (26), what did he look like to Bo Mathews (41) who was on the ground? But Nebraska monster-back Dave Mason (25) got there first.
