The Miami News from Miami, Florida • 17

Mow about Arizona State tor football's No. By BILL BRUBAKF.R Miami Newt ReMrter Arizona State football coach Frank Kush has been relaxing this week at a Colorado ski resort eight miles south of snow-capped, mountain peak. If Kush believes In bad omens, he'd be wise to hurry home today; with a national championship at stake, who'd want to be near a place called Purgatory Peak? Arizona 'State's bid for college football's national championship began last night, hours after top-ranked Ohio State lost to UCLA 23-10 In the Rose Bowl, Kush and Arizona State athletic director Fred Miller say their football team Is unquestionably the best In America, Oklahoma's Sooners, 14-6 winners over Michigan In last night's Orange Bowl, say that's so much rubbish. "Frank (Kush) and I watched both bowl games to I Said Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer, "I'm hoping our football team will be rewarded with the national championship they deserve." Switzer believes only Ohio State, unbeaten until yesterday, will challenge his team for the final No.l rankings. Alabama (11-1), 13-6 winner over Penn State In Wednesdays Sugar Bowl, would like to think it has a chance, too.

"I hope the people around the country are fair In their voting," Switzer said. (The AP poll is selected by sports writers, the UPI poll by college coaches). "They watched this ballgame tonight," Switzer said. 'They saw our defense completely control at times the Michigan otfense. "What hurts Arizona State.

I think. Is that they haven't had to play the Nebraska, Michigans, Colora-dos and Missouris, like we "That's the test, when you can beat those people." Davis said he watched Ohio State lose to UCLA. His reaction: "I certainly don't think Ohio State could be the national champion. They choked It seems to i me they were embarrassed." tt. Arizona State was ranked No.

7 In the last AP poll Miller, the Arizona State athletic director, concede! Oklahoma may have played the tougher schedule. "Per haps," he said. "Yeah, some people look at the Western Athletic Conference as not being that competitive," Miller said. "But we beat everybody, didn't we? "We have a balanced offense and a strong defense. All things considered, we're national championship team." Ridiculous, says Joe Washington.

"You mean they (Arizona State) should be No. i Continued on SB, Col. 1 gether, and we have the same feeling," Miller said, by phone from the ski resort. "We feel our 12 0 record mukes us deserving of a national chumplonship." Oklahoma quarterback Steve Davis appeared disgusted last night when someone suggested that Arizona State, the nation's only unbeaten major college team, could be ranked No. 1 when the final AP and LTI polls are released.

"If they give it to Arizona State well, they Just don't deserve it," Davis said. "It'll make me real bitter if we're not No. 1 because I'll realize that people made mistake. "It shouldn't even be close. We should be No.

The national championship was much-talked about topic in Oklahoma's locker room after last night's game. The victory enabled third-ranked Oklahoma to finish Its season with an 11-1 record (the loss was to Kansas 23-3). Sports 4 Friday, January 2, 1976 Section Ob, Ok tin oma deli ehvers its kay punc XV r. 1 f. "I ...4 Sooner fullback Jim Culbreath rips Michigan for 14 yards in 3rd quarter JOHN CRITTENDEN Sporfs Editor Sooners' defense clear No.

1 is a By JONATHAN RAND Mtiml Ntwt RtMrter Jerry Anderson's shot to the head knocked dizzy the quarterback of a team that could not find itself all night. "He just got that licking and he couldn't take it," said Anderson, the Oklahoma defensive back. He hit Michigan's Ricky Leach near the end of the first half in last night's 14-6 Oklahoma victory before an Orange Bowl game crowd of 80,307 76,799 paid. The blow put Leach out of action until the fourth quarter. 'They were saying I got his facemask, but I just clotheslined him real good.

When I hit him he was in bounds. If he was out of bounds I wouldn't have hit him. I didn't think it was no cheap shot. It was what you call a kayo." Oklahoma finished its season as almost-certain" national champion because all year long it got a knockout when it needed it. The Sooners (11-1) were frequently on the ropes and even knocked down once, but in the end outpunched everybody.

Needing a victory over then-unbeaten Nebraska for an Orange Bowl berth, they gained a 35-10 rout. Given a chance for the national championship with UCLA's 23-10 upset of top-ranked Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, they came up with two big first-half plays to put them firmly in control over Michigan (8-2-2). Steve Davis' 40-yard pass to Tinker Owens on a second down and 22 play was followed by Billy Brooks 39-yard touchdown reverse that gave the Sooners a 7-0 halftime lead. It was increased to 14-0 early in the fourth quarter on Davis' 10-yard keeper that left Michigan little hope even when Gordon Bell scored after a fumble recovery at Oklahoma's two-yard line. Oklahoma showed plenty of skill last night, but needed some help from the Rose Bowl.

Said head coach Barry Switzer: "I guarantee you when NBC came on tonight they said, 'and now for the national As UCLA's upset became apparent some people must have wondered if Switzer was joking when he spoke of how well connected was quarterback Davis, a licensed Baptist preacher. "God didn't give a flip about who won that game," Davis said. "I did." The Sooners arrived at the Orange Bowl during the Rose Bowl's third quarter with UCLA ahead, 9-3. They were not just watching the scoreboard, they were avidly watching a nearby television set. "I thought we were getting a little hasty," said Anderson, "cause I was, worried we were more concerned about that game than this one." Anderson's worries proved unfounded.

After Switzer reminded his team the national title was suddenly on the line, Oklahoma took the field with its mind on Michigan. When the Wolverines reached Oklahoma's 33-yeard line and the 26 on first-half poses-sions, they were shut down. They reached Oklahoma's nine early in the second half, but tailback Gordon Bell's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Sidney Brown. Michigan did not complete a pass until the final minute when Leach gained his team's only two completions in 20 tries. Leach, who ran and passed for 95 of his team's 202 yards, suffered a slight concussion when hit by Anderson.

A constantly hard pass rush by linemen Dewey and Leroy Selmon and Jimbo Elrod plus tight coverage by the secondary left Michigan without big-play ability. "When we first got here our coach told us Michigan has got Continued on 5B, Col. 1 EIrod and the Selmon brothers, Dewey and Leroy. "We weren't very happy after Miami nearly beat us down here, in the third game of the season," said Lacewell, "although Miami scored on some wild plays. That usually doesn't happen to us.

But the next week we knew we were on the right track when we went out and forced Colorado to punt 10 times in the first half." When the polls come out next Continued on 5B, Col. 1 rfZTo yS V', ilii it i Nil twigs )mssmmssaama Saints deny hiring Clark as coach Associated Press NEW ORLEANS WDSU-TV said last night it had learned that Monte Clark, offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins, had accepted a job as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. "That's garbage," Saints vice-president Harry Hulmes told the Associated Press minutes later. "Monte is an excellent coach and he's one of a number of coaches under consideration," Hulmes said. "But we just haven't made up our minds yet." Sources had earlier said that for-mer Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram had the job, a report the Saints refused to confirm.

MmmmmmsmMKMMmm Miami News Staff Photos by CHARLES TRAUVOR TINKER OWENS beats Dwight Hicks on 40-yard pass play that brought Oklahoma from deep in its own territory in sec ond quarter last night. Sooners scored on next play. (. This is how important defense is considered at the University of Oklahoma: Larry Lacewell, who coaches the defensive team, has his own statewide television show once a week during football season. "I don't think I've ever seen a defense as good as ours on our end of the field," Lacewell said last night.

"Of course, we've had more practice than anybody. "How many fumbles did we have tonight? Four? Well, that gives us 62 for the season. That's got to be some kind of record. But our guys (the defense) are used to living with that. It's a way of life." Oklahoma didn't often look like a national collegiate champion in last night's 14-6 decision over Michigan in the 1976 Orange Bowl.

The SoonT ers fumbled four times and lost three, made clipping penalties all over the place and ran such a slipshod offense that one pitchout hit an official squarely in the face. 'That's nothing," said Lacewell. "That's the way we play. Sometimes we pitch out to the opposition, sometimes we pitch out and it goes out of bounds. Hitting the official just completes the cycle.

I'm surprised we didn't score on it." Oklahoma's offense looks like it might have to fight to make the Top 10, but calling Oklahoma's defense No. 1 is an understatement. The people who rate college football teams? ought to have a number higher than No. 1 for Oklahoma. Barry Switzer, Oklahoma's head coach, opened a telegram an hour after the game which read, "You are.

number one citizens of Norman, Oklahoma." Switzer shook his head. "Hope you're right, he said. "I just wish we could have shut them out. That would have looked better to the people who vote in the polls." "I think we did okay just to hold them to six points," Lacewell said to his boss. "How long was that Michigan touchdown drive, two yards?" Held to 12 first downs and 202 yards in total offense, Michigan's only score last night came after a fumble recovery on the Oklahoma two-yard line.

That's the way things have gone for the Sooner defense all season. Against Kansas, the Sooners turned the ball over to Kansas on fumbles or interceptions on eight straight possessions. Against Iowa State, Oklahoma fumbled 13 times and lost 11 of them. "Yeah, well, here's the way that happened," Switzer explained last night. "We had 12 fumbles and I knew we were one away from a record so I called our offensive team around me and told them and sure enough we went put and committed one more fumble." The Oklahoma defense was in a hole for most of the year, but, as Lacewell said, it became a way of life the players got used to it.

"Nebraka got the ball nine times 55 yards or less from our goal line," Lacewell said proudly, "and wound up getting just 10 points out of At the beginning of the 1975 season, Lacewell had only four returning defensive starters at Oklahoma but three of them were to make A 11 -America teams: end Jimbo Amazed UCLA becmes amazing charitable toward the Buckeyes. "I think that probably Ohio State is the best team in the nation over a 12-game schedule," he said. The 105,464 witnesses to yesterday's upset couldn't have agreed less. More on the Rose Bowl, Page 2B By DAVE NIGHTINGALE Chicago Daily Ntws Servici PASADENA, Calif. A funny thing happened to the UCLA football players on their way to the locker room yesterday.

In the first half of the Bicentennial Year Rose Bowl, they had been hammered from pillar to post by the nationally top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The Uclan defense had yielded 70 rushing yards to Archie Griffin and 85 more to Pete Johnson and Corny Greene. The Bruin offense? There wasn't any. UCLA gained only nine yards rushing and 48 over-all. It didn't make a first down for 26 minutes.

It managed 16 yards in its first four possessions. It didn't penetrate beyond the Ohio State 48 yard line. The funny thing? Oh, yes, the UCLA players looked up at the scoreboard and saw that it only read: "Ohio State 3, UCLA 0." Once assured it was not a typographical error, they became figuratively hysterical. "When we were only behind by three points at halftime, I knew we had them," said John Sciarra, the Uclans all-world quarterback, "We had total confidence," said Wally Henry, the flea-sized Bruin wide receiver who would later grab two Sciarra scoring passes. "The defensive team told us: 'We'll keep doing our job, you just keep doing said Wendell Tyler, the UCLA halfback caught a slant-in pass from Sciarra, faked Timmy Fox off his feet and outlegged Cassady to the goal for a 16-3 Bruin lead on a play that covered 67 yards.

Ohio State cut the deficit to 16-10 on Pete Johnson's 3-yard run with 11:46 to play and saw two other thrusts for the go-ahead score blunted by interceptions. But the issue still was somewhat in doubt until Tyler broke loose on a 54-yard scoring jaunt with 3:42 to play. "It was just a simple dive play," said Wendell, "but the 'defensive end (Bob Brudzinski) had penetrated too deep so I just cut to the sidelines and there was nothin' but daylight." Nothing, at least, until Fox materialized at the Ohio State 10. But UCLA's Rick Walker also materialized and rode Fox off the tackle. Tyler had" entered the game with a still-un-healed hairline fracture of his left wrist and a reputation for fumbling (after dropping the ball four times against USC in the regular-season He didn't fumble once against Ohio State.

"The wristr Well, it still hurts especially when ijland on it," he said. Considering that Tyler ran for 172 yards (79 more than Griffin), didn't land on it very often "I think the real reason we were able to beat them," Tyler concluded, "was that we were in better shape than they were. We kept coming at 'em in the second half and you could see them getting tired." coach Dick Vermeil was more whose 54-yard run with 3:22 to play sewed up the 23-10 victory over the Big Ten (and would-have-been national) champions. The winners took the second half kickoff and Tyler ripped off 13 yards on the first scrimmage play four more than UCLA had gained in the entire opening half. After that, Sciarra was off to the races, completing 13 of 19 passes for 212 yards and leaving the Buckeyes in his wake.

"It wasn't so much my passing," said John with undue modesty, "as the fact my receivers were wide open. And the Ohio State defense didn't seem to adjust to try and stop our passing. It wouldn't have mattered, I don't think. If they had spread out, we'd have killed them with the option play." Henry was the most amazed of the receivers. "(Craig) Cassady was giving me the short stuff all day," he said, "in order to take the deep stuff away from me." Henry beat Cassady to the end zone with a quick post pattern on the first UCLA drive but Sciarra overthrew him on third down and the Bruins had to settle for Brett White's 33-yard field goal, which matched Buckeye Tommy Klaban's 42-yard first half effort.

A few minutes later, though, Sciarra had the Bruins back at the doorstep and called the same play. This time, he didn't overthrow Henry and Wally grabbed the 16-yard pass for a 9-3 UCLA lead. Late in the 3rd quarter, Henry embarrassed the Buckeyes by "taking" the deep stuff that Cassady wasn't giving him. He Players shocked as Brown quits Associated Press CINCINNATI Paul Brown, whose coaching success during a 41-year career served as a hallmark of excellence, resigned suddenly last night as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. "It's unfortunate," said Bengals tight end Bob Trumpy.

"He's the last of the old line coaches. George Halas is gone. Vince Lombardi is gone and now Paul Brown." Brown, in a move that shocked both his players and assistant coaches, said that he was retaining his position as the team's general manager and named assistant Bill Johnson as his successor. "We had no inkling of his decision," said center Bob Johnson, who was the first player drafted by Brown when he took over the newly-organized Bengals in 1967. "He was one of the founding fathers of football.

He was one of the shaping Continued on 4B, Col. 1 4.