Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 31

iiujumiu wip lHWIIIII pui UHHMM 'r, -lit li-ann I III IJI -i .4. 0 (TI)f (0irion-Xc(0c Daily News Page 7 I It'. i nrrsr- i- y. a I 111" AW'. IBimH 4pilWl-Wt.

I HIP 4. fi Hi 1 mi nuiiiumiim iiii.j iiiiiiiM mi i ilMiiirri-' i nili' i niMltiiiliIMHii-iir-fi StaH photo by David Frank 'i State coach Emory Bellard lectures quarterback John Bond after Bond threw an incomplete pass in the third period of the Sun Bowl. Comedy of Sun Bowl errors brings no Bulldog laughter -4 it 8 Orley Hood field to score and the defense stutls Nebraska, the Bulldogs try a trick play with Tim Paren-ton, a quarterback playing wingback, pitching the ball to George Wonsley. Unfortunately, the pitch is low and Wonsley has to try to catch the ball with his ankles. He isn't down to the task.

Williams who else? recovers for the Cornhuskers. And all ends badly that begins badly Bond throws an interception to Kris Van Norman on the the game's final play. Finis. It was a very tough day for Bond, the freshman quarterback who essentially transformed a talented 3-8 team into a talented 9-3 team with his lucid understanding of the intricacies of the triple option. He spent the final five games of the regular season spinning defensive ends on their ears with tormenting keepers and pitches.

But Saturday, Bond played the Janet Leigh part in Psycho. He was cut to the quick by While the Bulldogs plunged head-on into their task of becoming world class altruists, they didn't forget their imaginations. You will notice the variety as well as degree of foulness which turned the game into a tour de force of error-prone football. Maestro, from the top if you will: McDole offers the first sacrifice, fumbling Nphnska's first punt at his 23-yard line takes Vk Urnhuskers one to sccrt. Next up.

Moote fumbles the srro on first punt and Nebraska State roars into the second quarter with Bond throwing an interception to Ric Lindquist. That sets up a field goal. Givers 0, Receivers 10. Next, just before halftime, Donald Ray King fumbles and Nebraska's Jimmy Williams, the game's most valuable lineman, recovers. Midway through the third quarter, Bond messes up a pitchout and Williams recovers at State's 25.

Five plays later the Cornhuskers up the score to 24-3. as tense as a hangman's rope on a busy day. Thef passes sailed on him and Nebraska's brilliant is) defensive ends Williams and All-American Derrie Nelson made the pitches as danger- ous as tornadoes in Nebraska. There were bright spots. Donald Ray the unshakable fullback, rushed for 96 The defense was brilliant, holding the Conw'j huskers to 320 total yards, almost 200 under? their average.

Moore, who is an artist at the ball, averaged 50 yards on five punts andl' boomed a 47-yard field goal. But everything came back to the mistakes, j. "We gave them so many opportunities," Bel-v, lard moaned later, packing down his pipe and, 1 shaking his head. "Time after time after after time we gave them the big opportunity." Said Edwards: "If the fumbles hadn't been there it would have been a completely different story." Said McDole: "They're good at capitalizing on mistakes." This day, with CBS-TV's eye focused on them the Bulldogs were good at making mistakes. 3 Mama didn't say it'd be fun.

EL PASO, Texas Mama said there'd be days like this. when you catch a cold even though you remember your galoshes, dlfys when the tires go flat, days when the boss' good will towards men goes south with thebirg Mississippi State made more mistakes Saturday than a three-time loser at Parchman. The Bulldogs lost the Sun Bowl to Nebraska, 31-17, by playing offense with all the grace Don Knotts would use in picking up girls at a singles bar. Mel Brooks wrote the script and Sid Caesar played the lead. State was the comedian, Nebraska the straight man.

After a string of five rousing victories, the Bulldogs suddenly turned into the not-ready-for-prime-time players on national television. To err is human, folks, but this was ridiculous. State closed the season under brilliant blue skies the airy mountain-side stadium with "seven screw-ups six turnovers and a kicking-game goof. Seven. Count 'em.

S-e-v-e-n. The Bulldogs gave away more property than Andrew Carnegie, If it is more blessed to give than to receive, the Bulldogs have a mortal lock on sainthood. The post-mortems were unanimous: Head coach Emory Bellard "We flat out made too many mistakes." Quarterback John Bond mu h.nv gotten away with a couple of mistake, Lui made way too many." Offensive guard Matt Edwards "We haven't fumbled like that since the first of the year. If we cut out half un.t;les Tight end James OtLs Ds "Without the turnovers it could have been a completely different ballgame. We had our chances." Wingback Mardye McDole "I thought we were over that stage.

I thought we were coming back in the second half, but we kept on making those silly mistakes." Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne: "We felt we had a lot of breaks," Then, right after State drives the length of the "I dion eel tight," he said. But ne was strung i.