The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 53

litter SPORTS Section Q) Sunday, January 2, 1972 Worst Loss in Bryant's Career Alabama or a 9 fa Hi) K. -0 MC Hiiiit If, Hiii FRANK DOLSON Bear Stops Rain But Not Nebraska i MIAMI. "Don't worry," the man from the Orange Bowl Committee said as a misty rain fell on the land of sun 'n' fun the first morning of the New Year. "This won't last." The man's voice rang with confidence. The weather had been beautiful all week.

The forecast was fair and mild. It wouldn't dare rain. Not on this month's game of the decade. Not on the biggest Orange Bowl matchup of them all. But it dared.

I At 6:01 P.M. the lights at Orange Bowl Stadium were 'turned on. At 6:02 the skies over Orange Bowl Stadium opened up. In less than 10 minutes miniature lakes had formed near the Alabama bench. What a break! Maybe now we'd find out if Bear Bryant really can walk on water.

No doubt about it. The Alabama coach would need all the supernatural tricks in his reportoire. After all, this was no ordinary Nebraska team. Ordinary teams don't get to play two games of the decade five weeks apart. Bryant gave it his best shot.

At 7 P.M., an hour before the scheduled splash-off, the entire field was under water. Then the Bear did whatever it is miracle-workers do and Presto! the rain stopped falling and the moon was over Miami, as advertised, as NBC waited for the Rose Bowl to end so the game of the decade could start. Unfortunately for Alabama, it finally did. "I think we'll play as well as we can," Bryant had said. "I hope it's good enough.

As a matter of fact, I'd just as soon play lousy if we could luck out." It is doubtful that Alabama at its best could beat this explosive, incredibly well-balanced Nebraska team. But what Continued on Page 8, Column 1 'Huskers Ice Claim For No. 1 From Our Wire Services MIAMI. The fired-up Nebraska Cornhuskers, sparked by a 77-yard punt return by all-American Johnny Rodgers and the aggressive defensive play of burly Rich Glover, reaffirmed their claim to the national championship Saturday night by crushing second-ranked Alabama, 38-6, in the Orange Bowl. The celebrated collegiate version of the Super Bowl, a matchup of the nation's No.

1 and No. 2 ranked teams, turned into an embarrassing rout before a sellout crowd of 78,151. Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney said he was immensely happy about the way his Cornhuskers manhandled Alabama. "We got some breaks early and took advantage of them," said Devaney. "It was one of our best defensive games.

This football team is one of the greatest that ever played college football." Nebraska reaffirmed its No. 1 ranking by erupting for four touchdowns in an eight-minute span of the first half and handing Alabama its worst beating in 25 bowl appearances. "We were beaten soundly by a far superior football team," said downcast Alabama Coach Paul (Bear) Bryant. Although Nebraska dominated play from the start, it took a bad snap on an attempted Alabama punt and a 33-yard pass interference call to set up the Cornhuskers' first touchdown a two-yard run by workhorse Jeff Kinney with 2:01 left in the first period. But then the Nebraska touchdowns came fast and furious.

Rodgers, fielding a punt at the Nabraska 23, shook off two would-be tacklers, danced around a block to the left sidelines, and scampered the distance just as the first quarter ended. RECOVERS FUMBLES The Cornhuskers got the ball back immediately as John Peterson recovered Steve Williams' fumble at the Alabama 27 on the ensuing kickoff and quarterback Jerry Tagge, completing two passes in the drive, quickly carried Nebraska in, scoring himself from a foot out. Nebraska scored again less than four minutes later after an exchange of fumbles with Gary Dixon powering over from two yards out, and was driving for yet another touchdown when an offsides penalty killed a 63-yard drive which had carried to the Alabama 3. The victory had a special meaning to Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney, who had met Alabama's Paul (Bear) Bryant twice previously and lost both times. Alabama outslug-ged Nebraska, 39-28, in the AP Wirephoto Who's No.

Nebraska players give coach Bob Devaney a There's No Question Anymore victory ride after resounding win over No. 2 Alabama in naBS the Texas Wishbone- 30-6 State Penn By SANDY PADWE The Inquirer Staff DALLAS. They gave the Cotton Bowl trophy to Penn State football coach Joe Pater-no Saturday after his team defeated the University of Texas, 30-6. They should have given him an Oscar. All week long, as the Lions prepared to meet Texas," Pa-terno moaned through one crisis after another.

His team, he lar season game. That loss dropped State from the fifth to 10th in one poll and to 11th in another. Saturday's win Paterno's third victory along with a tie in four bowl appearances was a brilliant one. "We played a hard game," Paterno said. "We had some real zip If they (Texas) don't fumble the ball, it's a different game.

We kept mpv- Orange Bowl a number of times, but left Jim (Laslavic) or Frank (Ah-renhold) open to make the tackle." The whole Penn State defense played superbly, shutting off the Texas running game better than anyone this season except Arkansas (which held the Longhorns to 140 yards). State held Texas to Continued on Page 7, Column 1 Professional BASKETBALL NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSN. Saturday's Results FLYERS 4 St. Louis 4 Phoenix 114 Boston 104 New York 104 Cincinnati 4 Buffalo at Seattle, late night Tonight's Games 74ERS at Cleveland Detroit at Houston Atlanta at Phoenix Boston at Los Angeles Buffalo at Portland (Only games scheduled) AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSN. Saturday's Results Virginia at Pittsburgh, PPD.

Tonight's Games Utah at Floridians New York at Kentucky Dallas at Denver (Only games scheduled). HOCKEY NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Saturday's Results Toronto 5 Montreal 2 Minnesota at Los Angeles, late night Cincinnati 4 Cleveland 3 Continued on Page 11, Column 1 PHASE II Shocks Michigan FG, 13-12 ing around on defense, guessing what they were trying to do in the first half. We guessed right, hustled, came off blocks and stopped the big play." Defensive tackle Jim Heller of the Lions said, "We were changing from a five- to a six-man line. Texas would have to adjust when they got to the line. They (Texas) took me out that fell short, Stanford's Jim Ferguson fielded the ball in his end zone.

He tried to run it out, but said later he ran to the wrong side of the field. He was tackled in the end zone by Michigan's Ed Shuttles-worth to put the Wolverines ahead 12-10 with the two-point safety. Stanford appeared through, but a Michigan drive stalled and the Indians got the ball again at their 22. Bunce hit his tight end, Bill Continued on Page 4, Column 1 ALEX KARRAS: pared" defense did was break the wishbone in half, holding the Longhorns to a pair of field goals. It was the first time in 80 games that Texas didn't score at least one touchdown.

Down here, some of the Texas press was referring to this game as the "Redemption Bowl" for Penn State following the Lions' 31-11 loss to Tennessee in their final regu Stanford On PASADENA, Calif. (AP). Stanford's Rod Garcia, the smallest man on the field and only a sophomore, calmly booted a 31-yard field goal with just 12 seconds left to bring the Indians a 13-12 upset over Michigan in the 58th Rose Bowl football game Saturday before a crowd of 103,154. "I was pretty confident, since I'd gotten one off well before," the 155-pound kicker declared in the jubilation of Stanford's dressing room. Garcia's second field goal of the game brought victory from defeat and handed Michigan's previously unbeaten Big Ten champions, the No.

4 nationally ranked club, nothing but disappointment. Garcia's kick won the game but it was the passing of quarterback Don Bunce, a never-say-die senior, that engineered the winning drive with less than two minutes remaining. FAKE PUNT WORKS And it was a fake punt pulled off beautifully minutes earlier that sent 16th-ranked Stanford en route to a touchdown. "The whole story is we didn't get first downs when we had to," said losing coach Bo Schembechler. "Stanford deserved to win, there's no doubt about it.

The fake punt was the big play. Michigan's offense ran it against our defense all week, but we didn't look for it when it came." BRILLIANT COMEBACK Bunce, named the game's outstanding player, declared, "We were really pulling some plays out of the air at the end. I was so excited I didn't even know what I was calling. All the plays on that last drive were audibles." ry and about his Sue, going to mass at St. Jude's Church in Dallas St.

Jude being the patron saint of hopeless causes. Saturday finally arrived, and from the way Paterno had built Texas up, you might have thought this Longhorn team was the most frightening creation since Frankenstein's monster. So all Penn State's "unpre AP Wirephoto Loves It victory in Cotton Bowl PRO FOOTBALL 1:30 P. M. San Francisco at Dallas, Ch.

10. 4:30 P. M. Baltimore at Miami, Ch. 3.

COLLEGE HOCKEY 3:30 P. M. Syracuse Invitational Tournament, Ch. 12. PRO BASKETBALL 7:30 P.

M. 76ers at Cleveland, Ch. 48. PRO HOCKEY 8:30 P. M.

Flyers at Chicago, Ch. 29. said repeatedly, didn't have enough practice time to prepare for the Texas triple-option offense. Furthermore, he said Friday night, he was afraid he may have worked his team too hard since its arrival in Dallas last Sunday. "We had so much catching up to do," he said.

At one point during the week, Paterno talked about needing a miracle for a victo and made Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan's passing ineffective until the game was out of reach. Mildren's touchdown runs of 5, 4 and 3 yards, a 4-yard lunge by Leon Crosswhite and a 71-yard punt return by Joe Wylie gave Oklahoma a 31-0 halftime lead. John Carroll's record-setting 53-yard field goal and a 2-yard run by Greg Pruitt completed the Sooner Continued on Page 12, Column 1 Jr Continued on Page 8, Column 1 Garcia's kick capped a brilliant comeback by the Indians, who had been in contention as much by their defense as by their offense. Bunce led a 78-yard drive that took eight plays. Five were passes good for 66 yards in all.

Until that drive, which began with just 1:48 to play, it appeared that some confusion by a Stanford sophomore would give the victory to Michigan. Late in the fourth quarter, after Dana Coin tried a 46-yard field goal for Michigan ALEX KARRAS Ik XMML Alex Karras, former All-NFL defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, correctly predicted the winners in three of four pro playoff games last weekend. This week he sticks with his original choices to win today's league championship games: Milton Shapp Is All Wet and Governor is dunked while celebrating Penn State Oklahoma Runners Crush Auburn, 40-22 Baltimore at Miami Dolphins by 1 "Really a tossup game as far as I'm concerned. The team that gets the first break will win. If there's any edge, Miami has it.

Although the Baltimore defense is a little better, I think Miami has the type of football team that if it is very hot can go against any defense in pro football. This will be a very defensive-minded game, one that won't be determined by the quarterbacks. In this respect, experience will help the Colts. Eventually, one defense or a break early in the game will determine the winner. It's a flip of the coin but I think Miami is going to winn by one point." S.F.

at Dallas Cowboys by 10 "This will be a real interesting game. San Francisco will be really up for this one. However, I don't see anyone touching Dallas. They have a little better personnel and should win here by at least 10. (John) Brodie? I am not so much concerned about Dallas stopping him but about San Francisco stopping (Roger) Staubach and Company.

He has the hot hand now. And he has those two running backs, the one guy who doesn't talk (Duane Thomas) and the other guy who talks to everybody (Calvin Hill)." Playoff Stories on Pages 2-3 NEW ORLEANS (UPI). Third-ranked Oklahoma's vwishbone-T offense overwhelmed fifth-ranked Auburn "with a Sugar Bowl record 439 yards rushing Saturday as quarterback Jack Mildren ran for 149 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-22 triumph. The Sooners put on a dazzling offensive show for a record Sugar Bowl crowd of 84,031 and the Oklahoma defense shackled Auburn's running game to only 40 yards.