Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 31

rrrrr Wi1 ii i T9V rf i Lincoln, Neb. Journal 31 ir" 1 4 1 N-Redwine ifl -1 A 1 0 Elston opts for bullpen, not fBama ning and passing," John New-house said. "He gives us a lift." Newhouse and Hodge had another reason for being happy to see Elston. It was called hope. Newhouse had lost two fumbles, the first resulting in a missed Nebraska field goal and the second a Husker touchdown, and Hodge had missed a defensive signal on the play that was converted into the fourth quarter score following the Newhouse fumble.

"We felt like we had let the team down," Hodge said after the touchdown. "The part that really hurt is that we missed the defensive call that could have stopped the score. By Chuck Sinclair Staff Sports Writer DALLAS With a little different set of circumstances, Terry KLston could have been playing for a national championship New Year's Day. But the Houston junior quarterback who came off the bench to spark the Cougars to a 17-14 come-from-behind Cotton Bowl triumph over Nebraska Tuesday couldn't have done it with Houston and probably not as a quarterback sff il just didn't matter anymore. To be playing for a national championship, the 64, 210-pounder would have had to sign with his native Alabama, a school where he was recruited, but nothing was ever said about playing quarterback, so he opted for Houston.

By the cheers from the Houston crowd when Elston replaced starter Delrick Brown, it was obvious Cougar followers love to see him in action at quarterback. But it's been a strained love relationship since the only time those fans get to see the replacement is when the Cougar offense is sputtering, or Brown loses his tearaway jersey. It's a bull pen situation that Elston has accepted, coach Bill Yeoman has insisted upon and his teammates understand. Those teammates were happy to see him in his earliest performance of the season when he came off the bench early in the first half and remained with the exception of a few plays when Nebraska players destroyed his tearaway jersey. A little more planning, and the Huskers might have assigned one player each down to do nothing but go after Elston's jersey.

After all, he was the one who inflicted the greatest amount of damage in the loss by scoring one touchdown and passing to Eric Herring for the clincher with just :12 remaining. "We love to see him coming in," linebacker David Hodge said. "It's nothing against Delrick, but I Uiink the offense really gets a spark when he comes in. He's a winner." "When Terry comes in, he poses more of a threat for run- Individual Statistics 1 "We were confident when the offense got back on the field," he added. "Either confident, or just hoping." The one person who was confident was Elston.

"I'm always confident when I go in the game," he said. "We knew we had to get the ball into the end zone. We all got to-. gether as a team and said we needed some points, and we gotthem." What the game accomplished for Elston and the Houston Cougars couldn't be measured by the scoreboard alone. "Houston wants to build a football tradition like Nebraska's," Elston said.

"This is Brown 1 J.Miller 1 Steels 1 Hager 1 Johnson 2 3 1 0 5 14 3.0 1.0 0.0 5.0 7.0 Passing No. Co. Yds Quinn 19 10 78 PI 1 scored Time left 8:25 2:10, :12 Nebraska Offense Rushing No. Redwine 17 Franklin 12 Hipp 3 Quinn 3 Yds. 58 40 8 7 Ave.

3.4 3.3 2.7 2.3 Scoring Story NU-HU How they FIRST QUARTER 7-0 Redwine 9 run 5:13 Drive: 85 yards In 14 plays. Drive included four Quinn passes, the longest a 14-varder to Miller, the only play of a sustained drive to gain more than nine yards. Conversion Sukup kick. SECOND QUARTER 7-7 Elston 8 run 12:17 Drive: 71 yards in 7 plays. Elston passed to Phea for 27 yards, the big play.

Conversion: Hatfield kick. 'A FOURTH QUARTER Hatfield 41 field goal Drive: Houston moved 59 yards In 12 plays before stalling at the NU 24. Elston passed to Phea for 20 yards, the longest gainer. Hatfield's field goal barely skimmed the crossbar. Finn pass from Quinn Drive: 31 yards in 6 plays following Barnett recovery of Newhouse fumble.

Nebraska appeared to score on a trick "swinging gate" play which was nullifed by a penalty against each team. The TD pass immediately followed. Conversion: Sukup kick. the only way to do it. We want to be known.

It was a hard loss for Nebraska, but it was a big one for us." "Nebraska is a great football team," kicker Kenny Hatfield said. "Our offense just rose to the occasion at the end. I know what the Nebraska people are going through. We had it last year: They hadn't had the same thing pulled on them that we did last year losing to Notre Dame. "I know it hurts it hurls bad," Hatfield added.

"But it's something the juniors can feel right now and set their goals to make sure it doesn't happen again." Redwine 1 J.Miller 1 1 13 0 0 0 0 Hager .1 0 0 0 Pass Receiving No. K. Brown 5 J.Miller 2 Quinn 1 T.Smith 1 Finn 1 Redwine 1 Yds. 30 26 13 10 6 6 Punting No. Yds.

Ave. T.Smith 10 406 40.6 Punt Returns No. Liegl 3 Kickoff Returns No. Steels 3 Yds. 58 Yds.

44 Defense Linemen UT AT TT Weinmaster 2 2 4 Horn 4 1 5 D.Clark 3 0 3 Cole 1 2 3 Nelson 5 5 10 Pensick 1 1 2 Barnett 3 6 9 Linebackers Baker 9 3 12 Vering 7 3 10 B.Williams 6 3 9 Ruud 0 1 1 Backs Gary 1 4 5 Lindquist 5 3 8 Means 2 0 2 LeRoy, 7 1 8 Houston Offense Rushing No. Yds. Ave. T.Clark 19 44 2.3 Newhouse 14 61 4.4 D. Brown 6 14 2.3 Elston 22 87 4.0 Passing No.

Co. Yds PI Elson 16 9 119 0 3 0 0 0 Pass Receiving No. Yds. Herring 5 51 Phea 2 47 H.Miller 1 18 T.Clark 1 3 Punting No. Yds.

Ave. Ford 7 294 42.0 Punt Returns No. Yds. Phea ..3 18 Kickoff Returns No. Yds.

Wright 3 64 Interceptions No. Yds. Bradley 1 0 Defense Linemen UT AT TT Redmon 0 1 1 Proctor 3 1 4 Oglesby 5 0 5 H. Taylor 0 2 2 Wllkerson 2 4 6 Monroe 1 0 1 Linebackers Hodge 3 5 8 Turner 6 6 12 Backs Cook 2 0 2 Hatfield 5 3 8 Chumchal 2 0 2 Bradley 3 2 5 Ebner 5 3 8 D. Love 6 2 8 Staff photos by Bob Gorham Randy Hampton Harald Dreimanis Humberto Ramirez 7-10 14-10 14-17 Nebraska hit the scoreboard first Tuesday with this Jarvis Redwine first-quarter run.

Redwine (12) took the pitch (1) from quarterback Jeff Quinn (11) and searched for an opening in the line (2). Redwine dodged (3) between blocks thrown by guard John Havekost (69) and Junior Miller (89) on Cougars Elvis Bradley (20) and Sam Proctor (80) to break into open territory (4) and them out-raced Robert Oglesby (83) into the end zone (5) for the nine-yard score. Herring 6 pass from Elston Drive: 66 yards in 13 plays, Including seven Elston passes. Touchdown pass came on fourth down and was caught after being tipped by Nebraska defender Lindquist. Conversion Hatfield kick.

Nebraska 7 0 0 7 14 Houston 0 7 0 1017 Attendance 64,017 Cougar Quotes- o't i tip i ji -tii fJ 'J $fj 1 1 "4MMWMC split End Eric Herring "The scoring play was an R-f lex, 333 hook where I curl in on the weakslde linebacker. They put a lot of confidence in me on important first down passes on the drive, and that's why I instilled in myself to come on through and catch the ball at all costs." Was It the biggest catch of his career? "it's close with the catch that got us within a couple inches of the goal-line and we scored two plays later. I didn't score on that, but that was the play that got us here. Terry and I need to get us a name like the Spoilers." Houston Coach Bill Yeoman "The kids ployed all' the way. I was really, really pleased.

They asked what I thought of the team half way through or three-quarters of the way through the season, now that they've finished the year and done what they've done, there's no question this Is the best football team we've had In 18 years at About the Houston fumbles "We dropped the thing down there and Nebraska is the kind of team that vou lust can't do that against. They recovered one and took it in. They're fust too good to do that against." About the trick plavs "We were alerted to them, the swinging gate, the guard around and the halfback pass, but they still got away with them. On the halfback pass to the quarterback, we brought our end instead of dropping him. It was lust a chance you take.

They had the right play called and executed it." On why Elston was used instead of starter Brown "Elston is a stronger kid, and the things that were open are the things he is more gifted running with his size. He's a very fine quarterback, he executed well." Fullback John Newhouse On losing two fumbles "I'm glad he showed confidence in me and kept me in. It's all a percentage game. When I fumbled near the end, the Initial feeling stuck with me for lust a minute or so, then I lust concentrated on getting the lob done. "This wos lust like last year's -Notre Dame game In reverse." Safety Tommy Ebner "During the discussion on Nebraska's touchdown that had been called back, I went over to the sideline.

They gave me the defensive call to give to David Hodge. It was to be a safety blitz. But David kept looking to the sideline and we finally settled on a standard defense. I should have stayed home. I didn't and the receiver was wide over." The third quarter of Tuesday's Cotton Bowl game was controlled by the defense with no first downs recorded until the final minutes of the period Nebraska's defense was put to the test since the Husker offense was detained deep in its own territory and always punted to near midfield.

Husker safety BasseH Gary (S) nearly intercepts a pass as linebacker Kim Baker (41) stands guard. Don't look know, but Rod Horn (55) is ready to pounce. tackle, put up as much obstruction as his 6-3, 254-pound ton quarterback Terry Elston (7) went back to pass. Horn, Nebraska's defensive frame would allow as Hous--.