Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 11

Pockctbook, 16-17 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1985 NCOWjNEJOJRNAL'J -j oskers rally for victory 2P r-T- ui in mi. II i i. Liu nl i.ii.hiiijh jiiiiiiiui i i i.i in ii. mtmmm i. 7 A t.

i Im mm By Virgil Parker Journal Sports Editor NEW ORLEANS Last season, Nebraska's defense was much maligned The "Scoring Explosion" offense got all the credit for the success of the Cornhuskers. Things were reversed this year. The defense, which finished the regular season No. I rated in the nation, received all the praise while the offense was continually compared unfavorably most of the time to last season's talented unit In the Superdome here Tuesday night before a crowd of 75,608 and a nationwide television audience, the offense got its chance to shine as Nebraska rebounded from a 10-0 deficit to claim a Bowl was named the game's Most Valuable Player. In addition to his three TD tosses, Sundberg tallied Nebraska's other touchdown on a 9-yard run.

The Lincoln senior, who was doubtful for the game because of a bout with the flu, wound up his college career with 10 completions in 15 attempts two were intercepted and 143 yards. "I'm really proud of Craig Sundberg," Osborne said "He exemplifies our group of seniors this year. They were overachievers and provided the leadership we needed for success." NU I back Doug DuBose was second in the MVP voting (67 votes for Sundberg to 48 for DuBose) after gaining 102 yards on 20 carries. Jeff Smith, who started and shared I- See GAME on Page 15 i as b2 UPI TELE PHOTO Nebraska receiver Shane Swanson pulls in a third-quarter pass for a first down, helping set up the Huskers' second touchdown. The Cornhuskers rolled over LSU, 28-10.

Husker Sundberg Tails down, gets back up' uncomfortable. But this was one time when everyone agreed that Sundberg's religious convictions reflected the reward he enjoyed. Elite list After throwing three touchdown passes and running for another in Nebraska's 28-10 win over LSU, Sundberg joined an elite list of the four previous Sugar Bowl MVP's Herschel Walker, Dan Marino, Todd Blackledge and Bo Jackson. "You couldn't have written a better script" said Turner. "You could see everthing that happened last night was the Lord's will" Sundberg was happy, but he was happiest for his coach and his teammates.

"Coach Osborne and I embraced after the game," he said Wednesday. "You could see the emotion in his face." Nebraska, college football's most consistent team in the last four seasons, finally won a major bowl game by a decisive margin. And the Huskers won it with Sundberg, the fifth-year player who started only five collegiate games in his career. Osborne, never one to confuse religion with successful results, could not the spiritual significance of this one. Rebuilt season He knew Sundberg had picked himself up and rebuilt the pieces of a frustrating seasoa And he knew Turner, the quarterback who replaced him, was the last player to leave the Sugar Bowl field Tuesday night He was the last to leave because he was the most exuberant celebrant Somehow, that touched Osborne and told him there was a message there.

"Both Craig and Travis are very committed Christian people," he said "You talk about this stuff. But they re ally are genuine people. It was pleasing for me to work through that situation because they were never once anything but supportive of each other or supportive of what I did" For Sundberg, it could not have been easy. "It was terribly hard for Craig as senior," Osborne said "He waited four years to get replaced and yet he han dled it in a way that I don't know if I could have." Critical factor Osborne's conclusion was obvious. Sundberg's "spiritual stance was a critical factor" in his climb up the mountain Tuesday night Osborne believes it Sundberg's parents, Dave and Linda, believe it His wife, Nancy, believes it Bill Weber, the best man in his wedding, believes it And Sundberg believes it "I dont think I could have gotten through the season without my faith," he said Wednesday.

Sundberg knows he could not have gotten through the Sugar Bowl without it From 10 p.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Tuesday, he estimates he lost seven to nine pounds from the flu. "Craig's eyes were so white. He had big black and blue circles around them.

He looked just like a ghtst," Nancy said Wednesday. "I kept thinking: Is this how it's all going to end? With the flu? I See SUNDBERG on Page 15 28-10 victory over the LSU Tigers in the 51st annual Sugar Bowl classic. 'Two games' Cornhusker Coach Tom Osborne called it "two different games. I wasnt very pleased with our performance in the first half." After falling behind 1(H), the Huskers pulled to within 10-7 at the intermission break. Several players claimed Osborne "raised his voice" at half time.

"I don't do that very often," Osborne said "When I do, I'm more likely to get their attention. We were getting out-hit in the first -half. They were pushing us around Nothing drives a coach crazy quicker than when his team is hot playing up to its capability." After the game, Osborne said he "didn't make any special adjustments for the second half. We just played harder and better and things started to fall in place." Wednesday morning he said one big change was made regarding pass defense. "We thought we could put some pressure on the quarterback by rushing four people," Osborne said "We tried that in the first half.

We not only didn't get to him, we couldn't get in there the few times we blitzed and sent six. So, in the second half we only rushed three since we weren't getting to him anyway and defended with eight We dropped a linebacker back into the middle zone and as a result picked off two or three passes." The game had been billed as a matchup between Nebraska's No. 1-rated defense and an offensive-minded Tiger team. In 11 regular season games, the Husker Black Shirt defense had given up more than 300 yards jast once 324 yards in total offense to Oklahoma State. Yet LSU amassed 404 yards.

Sundberg shines Although the Nebraska defense earned a big assist by intercepting five LSU passes tying a Sugar Bowl record in the process it was the offense, behind quarterback Criag Sundberg, which came through to earn the victory. Sundberg, who tied a Nebraska bowl record with three touchdown passes the mark was set by Bob Churchich against Alabama in the 1966 Orange Rose Bowl Tim Green threw 2 touchdown passes as Southern Cal surprised Ohio State 20-17. Page 14 game not to let the wagon on the field?" Switzer griped "That's tradition, We've always done that They didnt see a penalty. They saw them signal a field goal and out they went" "That's the first time we've ever been penalized" said Doug Madden, president of the sponsoring student group. "We cant turn it around very easily.

Once it got on the field that was as fast as we could turn it around" 144) lead Oklahoma's best turnaround came after Washington stormed to a 14-0 just 10:36 into the game on Paul Sicuro's 29-yard pass to Danny Greene following a fumbled snap by Oklahoma punter Mike Winchester and Robinson's one-yard run. "Evansville is a big, strong team and they present one of the bigger front lines well face this year," NU Coach Moe Iba said "We're going to have to play much smarter than we did against Santa Clara If we expect to win." Nebraska counted on 33 points from center. Dave Hoppen and 14 from guard Harvey Marshall in topping (Mfornia-Irvine, 7347,, in the first round of the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara last Friday. "I think we could have beaten Santa Clara if we played welL But we didnt play well enough to win," Iba said Evansville, 6-3 after a 71-63 victory at Florida Southern last week, has NU's defense back to basics By Mike Babcock Journal Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS The change was as basic as the black jerseys Nebraska's defenders wear during practice. The Cornhuskers didn't make dramatic defensive adjustments during Tuesday night's 28-10 victory over LSU in the 51st annual Sugar Bowl football game at the Louisiana Superdome.

It just appeared that way. Louisiana State rolled up 15 first downs and 291 yards of offense in the first half. By the intermission, Tiger quarterback Jeff Wiekersham had completed 17 of 25 passes for 212 of those yards. In the second half, LSU managed only four first downs and 113 yards of offense. Wiekersham was three-of-12 passing for nine yards.

He was intercepted three times for a total of four in the game. Nebraska didn't make wholesale changes in its defensive scheme. "We went back to our basic defense. We made 'em come at us," sophomore linebacker Marc Munford said During the first half, "we tried to mix in a few blitzes, but every time we did they ran the other way. That's how we got in trouble, when we were trying to blitz." Changes few At halftime, "we changed a few little things," said Chad Daffer, another Cornhusker linebacker.

Obviously, those basic, little changes made a big difference. So 'did LSU Coach Bill Arnsparger's second quarter decision to decline a successful field goal, in hopes the Tigers could come away with seven points instead of three. With 7:50 left in the first half, LSU's Ronald Lewis hit on a 28-yarder that would have given his team a 13-7 lead Nebraska was called with roughing Lewis, however, and Arnsparger See DEFENSE on Page 15 Fiesta Bowl UCLA rallied from a 12-point deficit for a 39-37 triumph over defending champion Miami. Page 14 The Sooners pulled within 14-7 on quarterback Danny Bradley's one-yard sneak and tied the score on the final play of the first half, a stunning 61-yard pass play from Bradley to split end Derrick Shepard Oklahoma had taken over at its 39 eith eight seconds left after Washington's Jeff Jaeger was short on a 61-yard field goal try. Shepard caught Bradley's pass at the Washington 47, pulled away from Peoples and won a foot race with comerback J.C.

Pearson to the end zone. The Sooners took their only lead at 17-14 when Lashar kicked a 35-yard field goal with 8:45 left to play. Switzer called Washington "the best team we played and they deserve to be No. 1. regroup won 11 of 12 non-conference home games over the past two seasons, including the last six non-conference home games.

Led by 6-7 junior forward Bobby Mukes, wno averages 20 points and five rebounds, the Purple Aces are expected to be one of the top teams in the Midwestern City Conference this season. "Nebraska Is very good and plays exactly the kind of game we need going into our conference opener Saturday," Evansville Coach Dick Walters said "We face a very good big man in Hoppen and that should, help prepare us for Oral Robert" because they have the best front line in our league." win, wait for final polls By Randy York Journal Assistant Sports Editor NEW ORLEANS The second play from scrimmage, Craig Sundberg tripped and fell down. Nebraska's senior quarterback from Lincoln Southeast lost five yards. But he didn't lose his spirit He got back up. He got back up and went on to win the Miller-Digby Trophy as the outstanding player in the Sugar BowL "He trips, falls down, then wins the MVP.

That's the Lord," Travis Turner said Wednesday morning as he packed his suitcase in the Hilton HoteL "It was all so planned that you could tell it was the Lord," Turner said. "It was the fitting end for Craig and for our team. "It symbolized the way the season had gone," Turner said "You get knocked down, but you're not out of it That's kind of the way life is, too. When you walk with the Lord, you can get knocked down, but you can't get knocked out. You're going to stumble and you're going to falL But that doesn't mean you're totally lost" Turner's analysis may make some i m-i-i -if" 'i Cotton Bowl Heisman winner Doug Flutie directed Boston College to a 45-28 win over Houston.

Page 14 ney's six-yard run just 54 seconds later. The game, often sloppy, included seven turnovers and one of the most bizarre penalties in the history of college football With the score tied 14-14, Oklahoma's Tim Lashar kicked an apparent 22-yard field goal early in the final period But Oklahoma was penalized five yards for illegal procedure and then socked 15 more for unsportsmanlike conduct When its mascot a miniature covered wagon drawn by a pair of Shetland ponies and known as the "Sooner Schooner," raced onto the field as it usually does when Oklahoma scores. The penalties forced Lashar to try a 42-yarder, which was blocked by Washington free safety Tim Peoples. "Why dont they tell us before the 0 uskies MIAMI (AP) Washington has proved beyond a doubt that it is in a class with second-ranked Oklahoma. Now, the Huskies are about to learn if the voters consider them in the same class with No.

1-ranked Brigham Young. "The way they (Oklahoma) advertised themselves, it was like they were supermen with a big 'S' on their chests," tailback Jacque Robinson said after Washington scored twice in the final six minutes Tuesday night and defeated the favored Sooners 28-17 in the Orange BowL "I wasn't surprised because I knew if we executed we could run on them. We ran a couple of traps that we'd never run before, but we didn't do that much different" 'No. When the final gun sounded the Huskies were no different than most teams after a big victory, running around with their index fingers pointed skyward and shouting, "We're No. Lonzell HilL a wide receiver, held up his jersey, displaying the numeral '1' to one andalL "I feel like we ought to be No.

said Robinson, who carried 28 times for 135 yards and scored on a one-yard plunge against the nation's top-rated rushing defense which yielded only 68.8 yards a game on the ground all season. "But I dont have any control over it now. I don't know any of the writers who are voting." The Associated Press will announce the 1984 national champion at 5:30 p.m., CST, Wwednesday. The champion is determined by total points in balloting by 60 sports writers and sportscasters, with a first-place vote worth 20 points, 19 points for second etc. Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer said his Sooners "obviously didnt play wel We had too many mistakes, too many turnovers, but the ballgame was really closer than the final score, more like 21-17." That was the score after Hugh MiUen came off the bench in the fourth quarter and lofted a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mark Pattison with 5:42 left to play.

Washington wrapped it up on Rick Fen- NU cagers hope to I Probable starters NEBRASKA (M) EVANSVILLE ((-3) Moor (6-4) Mukcs (4-7) Smith (6-9) McAdoo (4-7) Hopptfl (4-11) Johnson (64) Marshall (6-3) Scott (6-1) Corr(6-l) Massing (6-3) Tip-off: 7:35 p.m., Thursday, Roberts Stadium, Evansvillt, Ind. Broadcasts: Nebraska Basketball Network (KFAB in Omaha KFOR In Lincoln). EVANSVILLE, Ind Nebraska hopes to regroup and regain needed momentum in the final non-conference road game of the season Thursday night against the Evansville Purple Aces at Roberts Stadium. The Huskers, now 8-2, after a second place finish in the Cable Car Holiday Classic in Santa Clara, has never met Evansville and have only a S-10 record in games played in Indiana. AY 5 APWIHEPMOTO nnt im.mWmbwa wasningion oacque tiouinson player as he poured on the coals i teammates to defeat Oklahoma, 1 io; sic(js aiuunu a vruaiiunia and finished up the game with his 28-1 7..