Confer-encea Preparation Most Interesting Ever For Bob Devaney By Bob Devaney LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) From the standpoint of preparation, this Oklahoma Game Thursday is the most interesting I have had the opportunity to be involved in as a coach. ' BOB DEVANEY Oklahoma's wishbone offense is different from any we have faced this year, and they have ideal personnel for it Quarterback Jack Mildren is a fine leader, a good runner and a good passer. Their halfbacks-Greg Pruitt, Joe Wylie and Roy There's No Single Key To Victory-Fairbanks By Chuck Fairbanks Oklahoma Football Coach For The Associated Press NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Thursday's game will be a rarity in college football history. Only a couple of times have two teams come to such a showdown. Our players and coaches are proud to be part of it. There is no single key to vic tory against a team like Nebraskawe'll have to play a complete football game. Defensively well have to come up with the big plays. We can't afford to allow Nebraska to control the ball. They've been doing so., all year with the passing of Jerry Tagge and a strong running game. They have tremendous balance. In addition, we must have ex cellent coverage on punts and kickoffs. We'll have to find a way to contain jonnny Kod- gers. I don't expect Nebraska to change its attack much. They've had great success pas sing off the spread formation. We'll need to put pressure on Tagge up front and get excellent coverage in the secondary. Of course, our offensive team is well aware that it is facing the best defensive team in the nation. We'll have to use variety in our attack to dent it and our execution and blocking must be exceptional. You can't have success against Nebraska and have an unusual number of errors. Variety and the ability to adjust to game situations, I feel have been the keys to the success of our wishbone offense. We are not, as some may suppose because of our rushing yardage, an assaulting type of attack. We like to run downhill, adjusting our offense to counter the defensive situations confronting us. We will pass when we have to and success in passing has helped us win many games. It is my hope that errors or fluke plays will notb e a deciding factor in the game; that it will be won by the team with the best players. Then both teams will be able to walk off the field with their heads held high. Bell have fine speed. Pruitt especially has been a great back all year, with tremendous speed and agility. At fullback they have Leon Crosswhite, one of the most underrated ball carriers in the Big Eight Conference. He is the back that keeps the defense honest inside. Oklahoma also has a fine offensive line. In watching films of their games with other opponents, our coaching staff has been impressed by the way their offensive line gets off the ball quickly. They have some great blockers in that line and their quickness is a great asset Oklahoma's defense also is underrated. In fact I feel Oklahoma could be the toughest defensive team we have faced this year. To stop Oklahoma and move the ball against them, we simply have to do the things we have been doing, but do them better than we have at any time this season. We can't throw out our whole defensive system because we are facing a type of offense we haven't seen yet this year. Yet we have to make some adjustments. On offense, we will need a sound and solid mixture of passing and running. This balance has been the key to our offense. We can throw the ball and we can run the ball. We are anxious to defend our No. 1 rating and we hope that against Oklahoma we can come up with the best game of the season, because it will require our best effort to defeat this fine Oklahoma team.
