Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 34

6D 19, 1978 Lincoln, Sunday Journal and Star From the very first snap, it was Richard Berns' day in Memonal SUto. The senior I-back broke the Nebraska career rushing record, owermg way to 255 yards rushing. He also caught three passes for, 34 yards Jhe game was only 18 second old when Berns brought the seUout crowdta ds feet as he romped 82 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. He broke the rushing mark before halftone and pushed the Husker lead to 24-14 early in the third period with his second touchdown, a two-yard run. 1 iX' 4 I Wit t4v(MU 0 yyX' il t'i I 7 1 1 lv Mil 14 IT' 1 -Av v-'-.

rvs: la I 111 For Richard Berns, a team man, Saturday was a By Randy York Staff Sports Writer Richard Berns sat on a bench with the hood on his raincoat still pulled over his helmet. Ills hands were bleeding and his eyes were vacant. For almost 10 minutes, he stared into his locker, losing himself in the privacy he deserved. Richard Berns had just beaten two of the most important individual records at a fabled football school which has a galaxy of storied heroes from the past. lie had just passed Jeff Kinney and Tony Davis to become the Comhuskers' all-time leading career ground gainer.

And he had just passed teammate I.M. Hipp for Nebraska's single game rushing record with 255 yards on 36 carries against Missouri. ended at the Missouri 26 with 5:59 remaining. "I don't even remember why I wasn't in there," Berns said, trying to rehash the painful ending. "Oh," he said, "I had to get a new jersey.

That's why I wasn't in there." Occasionally, Berns' mind would flash back to the frustration, but he punctuated the pain with a smile. "What a tough way to go out. It certainly is anticlimactic. We sort of planned a victory party, but there isn't much to party about now," he said with a chuckle. Then Berns caught himself.

"We're not losers by any means," he said. "Missouri had no right coming in ed. "My wife is the only one who ever sees them. "I've never set my goals higher than I did this week two touchdowns and 200-plus yards rushing. But I'll trade everything for the touchdown we didn't get.

I had something to shoot for in writing, but I consider it a breach of contract. The No. 1 priority was to win and we didn't get that done." Berns felt let down, but he hadn't let down his coach, Mike Corgan. "He had some violent yardage out there today," Corgan said. "He had great determination.

I don't remember one play where he gave anything less than a hell of an effort." Corgan included Berns' 82-yard touchdown sprint on the game's first play in that statement. "It was a well-blocked 49 pitch," he "i i T'sifV said, "but he had to work at the foot race after he cleared the early traffic. He was always hammering, always working." "We never let down, never, and we weren't overconfident," Berns said. "I love pressure situations. They've never bothered me.

Losing never entered my mind. I could never see it happening until it happened." On a third and three situation at the Missouri 32 in the closing minute, Berns was stopped for a one-yard loss, his only loss in 36 rushing attempts. "Tom (Sorley) automaticed into a draw," he explained. "They blitzed a linebacker and guessed right. They got us.

They beat us, flat out. There's not much more you can say." Berns wasn't in the lineup on Nebraska's second to last offensive series, which Miller's catch not enough Except for a touchdown reception that was nullified by a penalty, Husker tight end Junior Miller (89) didn't have much running room Saturday. Miller was wide open in the third period for that Tim Hager pass. But the 45-yard play was cauea oacK oecause oi a motion penalty. Miller caught three passes totaling just 14 yards.

This fourth-quarter reception results in a 4-yard gain be- fore satetv Larrv Lauaer- makes the tackle, the ball to the Tigers downs at the MU 26. defending is left end Petersen (88). Trad ing the play is Rick Berns (35). I 1 M-Petersen yHmri V-. 'iLAlt' nightmare here and beating us like they did, but they did and there's nothing we can do about it now.

"We can do something about the Orange Bowl, though. We can screw our heads back on, settle down, regroup and bounce back with the character I know we have. "Everyone thinks that Oklahoma win was a fluke," he said. "It wasn't. We're -for real, even if we didn't prove it today." Richard Berns, a man who had every -reason in the world to say "I proved myself," wouldn't give himself the credit.

One of Nebraska's best ever is a team player first and last For him. there is no in between. pp I), But Berns was a loser and that's all that seemed to matter. "The teeter totter doesn't balance out," he said. "They (the records) don't even strike a feeling.

They don't even put a dent in me. Football isn't an individual sport like track or anything. This is a team sport and this team's nightmare is my nightmare. We're all stunned." Berns, though, showed his usual class. "It's an old cliche," he said, "but we're going to bounce back and show what we're made of.

This team is still full of young, intelligent leaders." Saturday's disappointment was hard for the Texan to swallow, but he did, even after realizing the highest goal he'd ever set for himself. "I set individual goals for each game and put them in a drawer in my study before I leave home Friday night," he relat N-Cotton yV 1 wi ffertfl tri-wi Trm7mmtmrt VYYxT, I tt A y'4 r'v Tfij Jiiii A.x.Y s. jtWwv'A I dale (27) i s.if I giving I WiK-llfri i Kurt Former Nebraska player and assistant coach Warren Powers has made two return trips to the Cornhusker State and and been victorious both times. Powers received a triumphant ride to the locker room on his players' shoulders. SX YWi.

NSmith 1,,1 iyyx- 1VY a -s 3 Wei: A yx (jX 5V X4 -Wright N-Sorley HVIj jT N-Franklinrjy, titf tii fm ttmiTiiftii'Taii iiii'i nnniiffiii 'Tr inrftr rnnrTr rrr Trrr Husker split end Tim Smith (84) set up Billy Todd's second-quarter field goal with this catch to the Tiger 1-yard line. It wasnt a simple catch, in fact, it possibly was the most spectacular of the Nebraska seasoa Quarterback Tom Sorley (12) releases the ball (1) from the Missouri 46 behind blockers I.M. Hipp (32), Barney Cotton (54), Andra Franklin (39) and Tom Orht (74). But the pass takes a slight detour before reaching Smith, who has run a down-and-in pattern, Sophomore defensive back Eric Wright (21) tups the ball (2), lifting it over defensive mate Johnnie Poe (S). Smith runs under the ball (3), juggles it momentarily (4) and finally latches on (5), losing his balance and falling at the MU 1..