Huskers Nip 'r JL l&V Mizzou 23-20 COLUMBIA Mo (UPI) - For the second straight season Missouri coach Warren Powers had Tom Osborne's hopes for his first national championship at Nebraska in his hands But Powers was less concerned this year with spoiling Osborne’s season than salvaging his own And No 2 ranked Nebraska remained in the national championship chase as a result escaping with a 23-20 victory Saturday over Missouri Missouri had driven 69 yards in the final three minutes of the game to the Nebraska 11 But with three seconds remaining Powers disdained a game-tying field goal in order to go for the win Nebraska defensive end Derrie Nelson spoiled Powers’ strategy however with a sack of Missouri quarterback Phil Bradley as time ran out to preserve the Comhusker's eighth straight win this season "I didn't think our football team was ready to play a team the stature of Nebraska and go for the tie’’ said Powers whose own Tigers had fallen to 4-4 "If we were 6-1 and still in the Big Eight race it might have been different But we needed this win “I never considered a field goal I don't think these kids wanted a field goal either — they wanted a win Our kids didn't save anything They left it all on the field They played their hearts out I don't fed sorry for myself I feel sorry for them" Last year it was Osborne feeling sorry for his players Nebraska was again ranked No 2 in fire nation and needed only a home field win over Missouri in the season finale to ensure a national title game in the Orange Bowl against Penn State But Mis- ( Big Eight ) Pint dam Rulh—rdt Paaabw yard datum yard Paaaaa Punta Panalltaa-Varda Nak li swat M 0 S-IW Ml 4-1 1 M la-M-i w Ml is is-a I GMG-M Mat HadaHna I run (Siup kick) Ma-CHIa I run (kick wlda) Mat Haaar 1 ran (Sukua kick) Nak-PO Sukup 24 Mat Fff Sukua It NUIMrtpaaa tram aridity (ran taHadl 17 radtoy) Nak-FO Sukua If A — 7457S souri got four touchdowns from James Wilder that day to post a SS-31 victory and ruin Nebraska’s season But it was not to be in 1979 Dean Sukup booted a 19-yard field goal with 3:15 remaining in the game to put Nebraska on top 23-20 It was his third field goal of the game And it capped a 61-yard 11-play drive However Bradley inarched Missouri right back down field completing seven of 10 passes for 48 yards and getting a critical face mask penalty against Nebraska to move file ball into position at the Comhusker 11 But Bradley missed a pass in the right flat to Gerry Ellis with nine seconds left and was sacked by Nelson for an 16-yard loss as the game ended It was the fourth Nebraska sack of the day totaling 48 yards The victory also snapped a string of two straight Warren Powers' triumphs over Nebraska Powers coached Washington State to a 19-10 opening season victory over Nebraska in 1977 on addition to the 1978 finale
