The Miami News from Miami, Florida • 18

i i.i. ty tt 4-B THE MIAMI NEWS Jan. 2, 1871 7 f'" Tagge tagged best, but he's dissatisfied 23 passes for 133 yards and directing Nebraska's game-winning drive in a 17-12 Or ange Bowl victory over Louisiana State, Tagge thought he should have picked LSU's pass defense better. "The delay patterns over the middle were working good," he said. "They tried to knock our receivers down when they missed we caught them in trouble and I should have completed more passes." But Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney was overjoyed with the performance of his 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior.

And even backup quarterback Van Brownson had no complaints at his token playing time, Brownson said, "I knew it By CHARLIE NOBLES Mliml Niwi Riporltr Nebraska has used a two-quarterback system through much of its season, but with the exception of one series last night it was Jerry Tag-ge's show. And Tagge came out with a Grade A rating: the most valuable back award. Still, it didn't cloud Tag-ge's own personal evaluation. "I thought I had a real poor game mentally," Tagge said with a straight face. "We had a lot of time to prepare for the game (Nebraska ended its regular season Nov.

21) and everything they did was no surprise our coaches had them figured beautifully." Despite completing 12 of Win mm -VI King Orange on Poly-Turf backgrounds LSU's end-around that mm. mm 7.: would depend on how things went. Jerry did a real good job in there and I didn't do very good (two completions in three attempts for eight yards, one interception) when I got in there. Long as we win, that's all that counts." Tagge felt that Nebraska's four-day layoff during the Christmas holidays hurt the team's timing, but the Corn-huskers were functioning on all cylinders In their winning 14-play, 67-yard drive, cli. maxed by Tagge's one-yard sneak.

He completed three passes for 32 yards, including a 17-yarder to halfback Jeff Kinney that set up Nebraska at the LSU five, and carried five times for 20 yards. "I thought the key play was when I hit Kinney near the goal," Tagge volunteered. It came on a third-and-seven situation at the LSU 22. But through the game, Tagge's running was a key Nebraska weapon. He darted for 65 yards (20 of that was taken off in the final statistics because of losses he suffered on passing attempts) in 16 carries.

A well-wisher approached him in the dressing room afterward and said, "That's the fastest I've ever seen you run." Tagge replied, "I was just scared to death." Maybe he was at that LSU's defense was the country's best against the rush entering the game and the Tigers thoroughly stopped Nebraska through the middle two quarters. LSU All-America defensemen John Sage (11 tackles, three assists) and Mike Anderson (eight tackles, one assist) lived up to their reputations, but then so did Nebraska All-Americas Jerry Murtaugh (nine tackles, one assist) and Ed Periard (seven tackles, two assists). Said Nebraska wide receiver Guy Ingles, "I think LSU is a great team and they play well together. I think anybody that can do the things we did on them should be No. 1 or nobody is." Someone suggested Nebraska might not have won without the added incentive of a possible No.

1 ranking, but Ingles balked at that. "I think we would have won no matter what happened, but that (the upsets of Texas and Ohio State) put it all in front of us. We just got more out of the ballgame this way." Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney acknowledged that this is the finest in his long list of outstanding Nebraska teams and revealed that he broke bowl tradition by working it extra hard during Orange Bowl week. "We worked them hard and longer than at home," he said. "We ran them 'til their legs were sore.

And they didn't complain they probably didn't like it, but they never complained. This team has done everything we've asked of them and thpv've parnprl the rioht tn ho j. t'. 4 11. -L.

if-' 4 1V.V LSU's Lee fumbles at his 15yard-line i i fit, 1 1 i Lijiim Xmmiti niwi-irr'll. Ihmw as Tigers' Al Coffee retreats after pitchout, seeks running room MWWM" "ft, T( i 5 1- Harper recovers to set up 1st Husker TD the nation's No. 1 team." If i 1j4 -f 4 1 $-h is clobbered by Harper (81), Adkins for 12 yard loss in 2nd period Nebraska now 4-5 in bowls half," said Coach Charlie have been tne highest-ranked teams to have won." Nebraska didn't show LSU anything it didn't anticipate from scouting reports and films. "I guess if there was anything of a surprise It was their going to their passing game as early as they did," said McClendon. Like the first play of the game.

Through a 9-2 regular season, LSU had returned four punts for touchdowns and 25 punts for an average of 9.4 yards. Nebraska punted six times last night and LSU's return yardage was zero. "We had a real rush on," LSU's McClendon said, "and the kicked real short. On one of them we had position back there but Craig Burns bobbles the ball, so we kind of hurt ourselves." he said modestly, "just semi-great." McClendon knew this game would become the Poll Bowl after No. 1 ranked Texas and No.

2 rated Ohio State both were knocked off in afternoon bowl games. That apparently left it up to Nebraska to win or lose the mythical national title in the Orange Bowl. "I said just before we went out that they (Nebraska) were blowing smoke over there right now they're so fired up," McClendon said. But McClendon was considering all the possibilities. "If we had won," he said, "it would have been a battle between LSU and Tennessee, because we would 1 Nebraska's bowl record is now 4-5, 4-3 under coach Bob Devaney.

Last night's game was the first between the two teams. Nebraska, after losing two straight years to Southeastern Conference teams (1965 and 1966) now has won two straight. Last year the Cornhuskers defeated Georgia, 45-6, in the Sun Bowl. Devaney's record against Southeastern Conference teams is 3-2. There was a white bed-sheet taped to the wall of the coaches' dressing room in LSU's quarters at the Orange Bowl last night.

"We used it as a screen to project Polaroid pictures up there at the was the first Orange Bowl Classic in 37 years to be played on synthetic turf, the Orange Bowl's Poly-Turf. "The ball takes some funny bounces on that young rug," McClendon said. On one particular third-and-one play we had a guy slip and fall. This turf is great for bad Monster Dave Morock thinks Nebraska ought to be as good next year as it was this season. "You guys aren't losing anybody great They are guys who can fill in." Nobody great? Dave, how about you? "I'm not great," The 17 points scored by Nebraska were the fewest the Cornhuskers had scored since their 10-7 victory over Kansas State, November 15, 1969.

Since losing to Missouri, 17-7, October 11, 1969, Nebraska has not been beaten in 19 straight games. LSU is now 8-7-1 in Bowl games. The loss broke a four-game Bowl victory streak. The Tigers are 1-2 against Big Eight teams in Bowl competition. They lost to Oklahoma in the 1950 Sugar Bowl, 35-0, and beat Colorado in their last Orange Bowl appearance in 1962, 25-7.

Nebraska's Jerry List (83) greeted after 17-jard cateh.