Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 32

1 ft TV Lincdn Journal Star HUSKER EXTRA 1UU Triday, November 26, 1971 SCANNING thewires ft 0 JOURNAL STAR LIBRARY Oklahoma quarterback Jack Mildren (1 1) is pressured by the Cornhusker defense. Game ft a IV 1 Continued From ID game-winner by rumbling over the left side of the line behind tight end Jerry List tackle Daryl White and guard Dick Rupert Rich Sanger's extra-point kick made it 35-31 with 138 remaining. "I felt helpless, Mildren said of his state of mind on the sideline as he watched Nebraska's decisive march. 1 thought we'd stop them one way or another," Kinney was a workhorse, carrying 31 times for 174 yards and four touchdowns, with a long run of 23 yards. Nebraska finished with 362 total yards, including 297 on the ground However, the Comhuskers managed only 91 total yards in the first halt "I think the adjustments we made at halftime were the key to the game," Austin said.

He said Nebraska changed how it ran isolation plays. Instead of Kinney running the ball "over the guards, he ran it over the tackles. "They (the Sooners) just never figured it out," Austin said. "It was so subtle. Maybe that's why it messed them up." Oklahoma the nation's rushing leader entering the game, finished with 279 yards on the ground and 467 overall Mildren carried 31 times for 130 yards and two TDs, with a long run of 13 yards.

The Comhusker defense, thanks mostly to end Willie Harper, was effective at taking away Mildren's outside pitches to halfback Greg Pruitt, who finished with 53 yards on 10 carries. He had been averaging 158 rushing yards in the Sooners' wishbone-T attack "Nebraska was determined to prevent the pitch at the expense of everything else," Mildren said. "Other teams tried to do that but it didn't quite work the same" Rodgers' 72-yard punt return sparked Nebraska's victory, though the play gets somewhat lost in a back-and-forth struggle that featured several key plays and outstanding individual performances. Devaney beamed with pride afterward. "The pnde the guys have in Nebraska football has been built up in the guys who have played for us for three years," he said.

"And the young kids who haven't been beat don't want to be beat" Mildren, though dejected, realized the significance of the game he had just finished "It was really the epitome of why men and boys go to schools like Nebraska and Oklahoma," he said. "It was truly a special day. The ending wasn't the way I wanted, but thaf the way life is sometimes." Reach Steven M. Sippto 4473-7440 or ssipplejojrnalstar.com. iv husker, you don't find com under-neath the husk, you find true grit Nebraska, finding itself behind by three points with 7:10 left in the game, showed its mtestinal fortitude and poise that makes a No.

1 team with a 74-yard drive that pulled out a 35-31 victory over the Sooners. BY NEIL AMOUR New York Tmes NORMAN, Okla. Unbeaten, top-ranked Nebraska scored a touchdown in the final two minutes Thursday to outlast Oklahoma, its national challenger, 35-31, in a college football classic that surpasses expectations for the Thanksgiving Day excitement The Orange Bowl-bound Comhuskers, who had never trailed through 10 previous victories this year, had to come from behind twice to register their 21st consecutive victory and their 30th without a It took a pressure-filled 74-yard drive that consumed more than five minutes of the final period for Nebraska to regain the lead from the aroused Sooners, who had trailed byasmanyasllpomtsmmeMd quarter before rallying. Jeff Kinney, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound running back who seems destined for greater achievements as a professional, carried the last four times and 15 yards in the drive, including the final two for the decisive touchdown through a hole opened by Dick Rupert, the All-American guard. BY HERSCHEL NISSENSON The Associated Press NORMAN, Okla Nebraska beat Oklahoma at its own game Not only did the Comhuskers defuse Oklahoma's volatile wishbone attack, but they out rushed the nation's best rushing team 297 yards to 279, and they did it on five fewer carries.

That was the story of Thursday's classic seesaw showdown, which wound up with top-ranked Nebraska's defending national champions turning back runner-up Oklahoma 35-31 on Jeff Kinney's fourth touchdown of the game, a 2-yard thrust off left tackle with 138 left to play, capping a 74-yard, S'z-minute drive. Nebraska's top-rated defense, although it was stretched for 467 yards by the nation's most offensive-minded team, never snapped, and in fact, took away the fuse that ignites the Sooner attack the end sweeps by speedy Greg Pruitt BY CHARLIE SMITH United Press International NORMAN, Okla P.T. Bamum and "Ben Hur" met on a football field Thursday; It was one of those rare occasions in sports when the product was as great as the promo-tioa No. 1-ranked Nebraska defeated No. 2-ranked Oklahoma, 35-31, but it was one of those games that had no loser.

The conflict transcended the victory. BYTOM WEtGEL Chicago Daily News NORMAN, Okla. Leon Cross-white is the fullback on Oklahoma's wishbone-T attack. And all week before the Sooners' "Game of the Century" with defending national champion Nebraska, a utile voice inside Leon was saying "Don't fumble on Thanksgiving, you hear?" It's too bad for Oklahoma fans that Leon's litde voice couldn't have played Jiminy Cricket for the other Pinocchios in the Sooner backfield. Because while Leon didn't fumble, quarterback Jack Mildren, halfback Greg Pruitt and substitute fullback Tim Welch did.

BY DICK WADE Kansas City Star NORMAN, Okla Proud and resilient Nebraska its back jammed to the wall for the first time this season, stormed 74 yards and scored with 138 left to knock back freewheeling Oklahoma 35-31. The victory kept Nebraska's reputation intact as college football's finest team but only after a stirring game that matched the nation's No. land No. 2 giants in all their glory. BY CLYDE BOLTON Birmingham (Ala.) News NORMAN, Okla Jeff Kinney, who runs the football for Nebraska, stood in the dressing room in the tatters Of a tear-away jersey and summed up the Cornhusker-Okla-homagame, "We knew before the game we had to score the last touchdown." BY DAN JENKINS Spats Illustrated NORMAN, OWa.

In the land of the pickup truck and cream gravy for breakfast down where the wind can blow through the walls of a diner and into the grieving lyrics of a country song on a jukebox down there in din-kicking Big Eight territory they played a football game on Thanksgiving Day that was mainly for the quarterbacks on the field and for self-styled gridiron intellectuals everywhere. Trie spectacle itself was for everybody, of course, for all those who had been waiting weeks for Nebraska to meet Oklahoma, or for all the guys with their big stomachs and bigger Stetsons, and for all the luscious coeds who danced through the afternoons drinking daiquiris out of paper cups. But the game of chess that was played with bodies, that was strictly for the cerebral types who will keep playing it into the ages and wondering whether it was the greatest collegiate football battle ever. Under the agonizing condi-tions that existed, it might well have been. Quality is what the game had more of than anything else There had been scads of games in the past with equal pressure and buildup.

Games of the Decade or Poll Bowls or whatever you want to call them. Something in a brimming-over stadium for limb, life and a national championship. But it is impossible to stir the pages of history and find one in which both teams performed so reputably for so long throughout the day. In essence, what won it for Nebraska was a pearl of a punt return in the game's first 32 minutes. Everything else balances out more or less, even the precious few mistakes Oklahoma's three fumbles against Nebraska's one, plus a costly Nebraska offside, NU's only penalty in the game.

There was an unending fury of offense from both teams that simply overwhelmed the defenses, maniacal though they were. But that is the way it is with modem college football. You can't take away every weapon. Both Nebraska and Oklahoma stopped the things they feared the most, but in so doing gave up practically everything else. BYWuJAMGIUKA The Washington Post NORMAN, Okla.

"This is the greatest victory of my career," Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney said. President Nixon tried to reach Devaney by phone just seconds after the final gun. It took the President 30 minutes to get his man in the center of the Comhuskers' tumultuous locker room celebration. Nebraska certified its No. 1 ranking and stretched its unbeaten streak to 30 Thursday by driving 74 yards in growing darkness to beat No.

2 Oklahoma, 35-31, in the final minute and 38 seconds. The winning march Med to diminish the valiant effort by Oklahoma, which rallied twice from 1 1-point deficits under the direction of quarterback Jack Mildren, who ran for two touchdowns and threw two touchdowns to split end Jon Harrisoa BY TOM WRIGHT Oklahoma Journal NORMAN, Okla The Big One was all it was billed to be. All those newspaper articles, magazine features and radio and television specials were not a lot of hogwash. The Game of the Decade was exactly that as the powerful, clutch-playing Nebraska Comhuskers proved their claim to the No. 1 ranking in college football with a 35-31 victory over Oklahoma Thursday afternoon on Owen Field.

BY VOLNEY MEECE Dairy Oklahoman NORMAN, Okla Nebraska's No.l But Nebraska won't argue if you want to rank Oklahoma No. 1 'a in theworid. Sometimes sensational and sometimes methodical but always relentless and always poised, Nebraska conquered explosive, but fumbling Oklahoma, 35-31, here this chilly Thanksgiving afternoon before a crowd that was 61,826 officially but 63385 counting newsmen and officials. BY LYNN GARNAUD Daily Oklahoman NORMAN, Okla The Oklahoma Sooners found out Thursday afternoon at Owen Field that when you try to shuck a Nebraska Com- MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD 3-: 3 Mabry Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers (20) sent a buzz through the crowd at Owen Field Thursday, weaving his way through the Oklahoma defenders for a 72-yard punt return in the first quarter of NU's 35-31 victory. Rodgers took Joe Wylie's punt at the NU 28-yard line, evaded Oil's Greg Pruitt (30), squirted around teammate Jim Anderson (18), got a key block from Joe Blahak (27) along the Oklahoma sideline, then raced into the end zone for a celebration with his teammates.

Continued From ID Rodgers, Jerry Tagge and Jeff Kinney stand up. Cool in the huddle as always, Tagge led the march that won it for the Orange Bowl-bound Comhuskers. But he couldn't have done it without Kinney and some beautiful blocking up front "All of us were like, "We've got to take this ball down and Kinney said Kinney finished the day with 174 yards and four touchdown runs, the biggest being ago-ahead 2-yarder with 138 left Kinney got behind fullback Maury Damkroger, and after Damkroger cleared linebacker Mark Driscoll out of the way, Kinney plowed into safety John Shelley on his way to the end zone Magical mission accomplished. Cmce the Comhuskers realized that they had JOURNAL STAR LIBRARY pulled out trie win, ft was an unbelievable "We were intent on basically vanning the Rodgers hauled in a towering 34-yard kick from Joe Wylie. Greg Pruitt was there to lay a lick on the Nebraska speedster, but Rodgers put his hand to the turf to regain his balance, retraced his steps before cutting sharply to his left and taking off down the sideline "That's a forever play," Blahak said.

"I was in front so I got to see the moves up until the block." After making the block, the junior from Columbus wasn't sure he wanted to look up, because of me reaction he was hearing from the Sooner sideline. "My first thought was Did they throw a flag? Blahak said. "Harrison was going to get Johnny, and so I peeled back and I thought I got him cleanly. When I look around and don't see a flag I'm saying to the (Oklahoma) players, "Well, then, I guess there wasn't a He's wrong about that you know. There was a clip.

It lasted 60 minutes and there's sure to be a special place reserved for it in Nebraska's history book. Reach Curt McKeew at 473-7441 or cmck8eveiOjaurnabtar.cam. RlcKeever Continued From ID soft-handed best With the Comhuskers feeing third-and-8 from the Oklahoma 46, quarterback Jerry Tagge sent his receivers out to run hook patterns. Tagge, however, had to elude a pass rush and nearly took off trying to run for the first down. Next thing he sees is Rodgers crossing the middle between two linebackers, and so he fires a throw that the 5-foot-10, 181-pounder needed to go to his knees to cradle for an 1 1 -yard gain.

Two plays later, Rodgers gained 7 yards on a reverse, and from there Kinney needed four bull rushes for the final 15 precious yards. His 2-yard burst off the left side of the line into the end zone left the Sooner faithful looking as if they had just relived Rodgers' dazzling punt return. "All I ever told my blockers was, 'Meet me at the goal Rodgers said. Just 332 into the game, they did. game and being undefeated," NU offensive guard Dick Rupert said.

"Emotionally, it was fabulous that we got the job done." Of course, a nail-biter like this one doesn't come without its share of what-ifs. What if lead coverage man Pruitt had wrapped up Rodgers when he had the chance on Rodgers' first-quarter TD return? What if Kinney had dropped the football on that pitch play when he started to lose the handle near the OU goal line? What if the officials called it a fumble on the next play when Kinney lost the ball as he hit the turf? What if Sooner aiarterback Mildren hadn't overthrown split end Jon Harrison on first down on Oil's final drive? What if we hadn't had the pleasure of seeing this incredible football game? "It was just a great great baHgame," Tagge said. "It was fun to play." And even more fun to watch. Reach John Mabry 473-7320 or jrrebryOjoumalstar.corn. ies VahlelM stock OPEU TUG GLOUE BOX is saturns In 15 Saturns In SURPRISE! Si SL1, SL2 Coupes, speeds Automatics.

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