Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 53

Monday Journal-Cfar NOVEMBER 23, 1988 eira 4 mimnmteg doom Huaskerg i 1 1 f-, If fi 11 i( fill 1. 6 iff 1 fed oki By Mike Babcock Everything just wasn't enough. That's what the Memorial Stadium scoreboard said, with numbers. Prior to Saturday's game with third-ranked Oklahoma, Nebraska head football Coach Tom Osborne told his players wanted them to go out and play as best they could tor 60 minutes, give all they had, and they did that "You've got to be willing to live with the result," Osborne said. What the Comhuskers must live with is the frustration of a 20-17 loss and the thoughts of what might have been.

Take away the final four minutes or so, and Nebraska had an upset victory. But those last four I.None of the Comhuskers had the words to express what happened. Junior defensive tackle Neil Smith, who was credited with 10 tackles, described them as "just weird." A bit of nostalgia Nebraska lapsed into the Twilight Zone of late-game losses to Oklahoma. It could've been 1980 or 1976. But it was 1986, just as plain as the maroon No.

88 on Oklahoma tight end Keith Jackson's white jersey. And it hurt, A lot. We weren't hurting just for ourselves. We were hurting for each other," said Cornhusker linebacker Kevin Parsons. "I don't think I've ever been that emotional about a football game.

took everything' we had in our guts and put it on the field today." Jt was almost enough. Almost Nebraska led until 1:22 remained in the fourth quarter. That's when a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jamelle Holieway to Jackson and a Tim Lashar extra point tied the game at 17. The pass, which capped an U-play, 94-yard drive that began with 4:10 remaining, was one of only six the Sooners completed on Saturday. The sixth pass completion was equally dramatic.

Tie was imminent Oklahoma faced a third-and-12 from its own 45-yard line with 18 seconds remaining. A tie seemed imminent, at least to anyone unfamiliar with Nebraska's 1980 and 1976 losses to Oklahoma. Holieway and Jackson teamed up on a 41-yard pass play that took the ball to the Nebraska 14-yard line. "Nine seconds remained. With six seconds remaining, Lashar kicked a 31-yard field goal The game ended on the next play from scrimmage, from the Oklahoma 42-yard line.

Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor was sacked for an 8-yard loss by Sooner defensive tackle Steve Bryan. The final play was hardly indicative of the Cornhusker3' effort Saturday. "I really think they played well enough today to at least be Big Eight co-: champions," Osborne said. Instead, Nebraska finishes third in the conference, behind champion Oklahoma and second-place Colorado. As a consolation, the Comhuskers will play in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, against the Southeastern Conference champion, LSU or Alabama.

OU representative Oklahoma will represent the Big Eight in the Orange Bowl for the third SeeHUSKERSonpage6E RANDY HAMPTONSUNDAY JOURNAL-STAR Nebraska defensive end Broderlck Thomas (89) grabs ahold of Oklahoma quarterback Jamelle Holieway (4). Sooners earth explain Sooner magic Quote of the game NU senior linebacker Kevin Parsons: "We took everything we had in our guts and put it on the field today." KM. WMMMMiUM Scoring, team stats Oklahoma 7 0 13 20 Nebraska 7 3 7 0 17 NO Jones 2 run (Klein kick) OU Holieway 4 run (Lashar kick) NU FG Klein 32 NU R. Smith 25 pass from Taylor (Klein kick) OU FG Lashar 22 OU Jackson 17 pass from Holieway (Lashar kick) that we had to score the last-second points to win. Ill remember this forever." But Holieway rushed three times, including a 5-yard run on fourth down and one on the Oklahoma 15 with 2:53 left to keep the Sooners alive despite a 17-10 deficit The fourth-down run around the right end concluded with a face mask penalty on Nebraska and the ball rolling away.

"I was down, but they said the penalty made the bail dead before it rolled away anyway," Holieway said. "It was pressure and it wasn't pressure," he said Holieway finished with 75 yards on 25 carries and hit 6-oM2 passes for 147 yards, his best passing game of the year. "I knew we'd get at least a tie and I felt good when we got that I felt better about the win though," he said. "The offensive line gave me more time than ever be fore on those last two drives and there's no better receiver anywhere than Keith Jackson." Jackson was just as considerate of Holieway, and both players were impressed with the Nebraska defense. rf "Jamelle got us out of the hole and got us going," Jackson said.

"He deserves a lot of credit "Look who we had to overcome, too. Nebraska has a great defense. They shouldn't feel bad. Nebraska played a great game," he said. "That was even tougher than Miami (which beat OU 28-12) played us.

We messed up and had a lot of turnovers against Miami. We didn't give Nebraska anything and they didn't give us anything." By Ken Hambleton Nothing up my sleeve. Presto. Pick a card. Any card.

Magic always appears as though the magician is defying the laws of gravity and those of nature itself. It's considered a law of football that wishbone teams cannot come from behind. It's also considered a law of football that a team ranked 105th out of 105 teams in passing cannot pass itself out of trouble time and time again. For the Oklahoma wishbone offense to grind out 13 points in the final quarter for a 20-17 victory over Nebraska was nothing less than astounding. "We have the Sooner magic," said Keith Jackson, the Oklahoma tight end who caught a touchdown pass to tie the game and then grabbed a 41-yard pass to set up the winning field goaL "I can't explain what happened," he said.

OU quarterback Jamelle Holieway, who Coach Barry Switzer claimed was a magician, was just as mysterious. 1 "It's just a football sense. I know where and when he's going to break in and break out He (Jackson) knows when to break in and break out It's just a football sense," he said. Play descriptions vague Consider Holieway's description of the pass that set up Tim Lashar's 31-yard field goal that won the game. "We had a Z-route called.

I'm supposed to throw to a spot on the sideline and Keith is supposed to be there," he said. "I threw the ball and just as I let it go, I saw that Keith had stopped. Then, he got to the spot and made a great catch. "I don't know how he got there. We may never know the route he ran, but he was there," said Holieway.

Jackson said he asked for the play that is designed to throw the pass behind the defender so he can't see the ball coming. "He (Broderick Thomas) was right with me and I couldn't see the ball So I acted like it was going to be high and then reached back and got it "Thomas is the best defensive end I've played against "I never thought I'd catch that one. As soon as I saw the ball, I tipped it with my right hand and caught it with my right hand," he said. "But I can't even picture the play in my mind. I don't know everything that happened on the play." The touchdown pass, just over a minute earlier, was 'similar it "That one, he (Brian Davis) got his hand on it too," Jackson said.

"There was kind of a fight for the ball; I just wrestled it away and dragged it down. I couldn't see Jamelle and I don't know if he could see me. "I just stopped and stretched and got the ball away from the cornerback and we got the tie," he said. Exciting game Jackson ripped through the Nebraska defense on an 88-yard reverse and set up two other touchdowns in last year's 27-7 Oklahoma victory, but he said this year's feats were more exciting. "When we had 96 yards to go it was so long.

It was such a long, long way down the field, you almost couldn't see the other endzone from where we were," he said. "And this is the first game I've ever played in ou fg Lashar 31 First downs Rushes-yards Passing yards Total yards Return yards Passing Punts Fumbles-lost Penalties-yards Time of possession Third-down conversions OU NU 18 16 64-224 44-101 147 131 371 232 23 61 6-12-1 9-20-1 8-2 5-2 7-65 9-79 33:09 26:51 5-14 5-14 On the inside NU defensive end Broderick Thomas apologizes for loss. Page 6E. Probable bowl pairings Huskers' loss wasn't sweet at allr but they'll get taste of Sugar Bow Dec. 13 Dec.

31 All American Bowl at Birmingham, Ala. Florida State (6-3-1) vs. Indiana (6-5), 7 p.m. Bluebonnet Bowl at Houston Baylor (8-3) vs. Colorado (6-5), 2 p.m.

Peach Bowl at Atlanta Virginia Tech (8-2-1) vs. North Carolina State (8-2-1), noon Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl at Dallas 1 Ohio State (9-3) vs. Texas A8.M (8-2) or Arkansas (9-2), 12:30 p.m. (CBS) Florida Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

Auburn (8-2) vs. Southern Cal (7-3), 11 a.m. (ABC) Orange Bowl at Miami Oklahomo (10-1) vs. Arkansas (9-2), Texas A8.M (8-2) or Penn State (11-0), 7:30 p.m. (NBC) Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.

Arizona State (9-1-1) vs. Michigan (10-1), 4 p.m. (NBC) Sugar Bowl at New Orleans Louisiana St. (8-2) or Alabama (9-2) vs. Nebraska (9-2), 2:30 p.m.

(ABC) Jan. 2 Sunklst Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Ariz. Miami, Fla. (104) vs. Penn State (11-0), Texos A8.M (8-2) or Arkansas (9-2), 8 p.m.

(NBC) Note: If Miami loses to East Carolina Nov. 27, Penn State could play in the Orange Bowl. If so, the Sunklst Fiesta Bowl would revert to Jan. 1. California Bowl at Fresno, Calif.

San Jose State (9-2) vs. Miami of Ohio (8-3), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Dec. 20 Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La. Texas Tech (7-4) vs.

Mississippi (7-3-1), 7p.m. (USA) Dec. 23 Hall of Fame Bowl at Tampa, Fla. Boston College (8-3) vs. Georgia (7-3) Dec.

25 Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas Washington (7 31 vs. Alabama (9-2) or Louisiana Slale (8-2), 1:30 p.m. (CSB) Dec. 27 Aloha Bowl at Honolulu Arizona (8-2) vs. North Carolina (7-3-1), 3 p.m.

(ABC) Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla. Clemson (7-2-2) vs. Stanford (7-3), (CBS) Dec. 29 Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn. Minnesota (6-5) vs.

Tennessee (5-5), 7 p.m. Dec. 30 Freedom Bowl at Anaheim, Calif. UCLA (7-3-1) vs. Brlgham Young (7-3) or Air Force (6-4), 7 p.m.

Sea World Holiday Bowl at San Diego Brlgham Yobng (7-3), Air Force (6-4) or San Diego State (-3) vs. Iowa (8-3), 8 p.m. By Virgil Parker Nebraska is headed to the Sugar Bowl not a bad consolation prize. It's an honor most schools in the country would love to receive. But the Cornhusker coaches and players found it to be a difficult pill to swallow after a last-second, 20-17 loss to Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium Saturday.

"Nebraska certainly shouldn't be ashamed," said Sugar Bowl President Judge Thomas C. Wicker, Jr. "Nebraska has a great football team. That was a tough game to lose. Nebraska played its heart out and we're just thrilled to have a team like Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl again." The Huskers' opponent won't be known for another week.

"Alabama and Auburn meet next Saturday afternoon and LSU (Louisiana State) plays Tulane that night" Wicker said. "If Alabama beats Auburn, the committee will meet to make its decision next Sunday morning as to whether it will be Alabama or LSU. If Auburn beats Alabama, then it will automatically be LSU. That would make LSU the Southeastern Conference champion." LSU, which beat Alabama 14-10 this year, has completed its SEC schedule. LSU's only league loss was to Mississippi The Tigers did not play Auburn.

If both LSU and Alabama win, as expected, and tie for the league title with one loss each, it is presumed the Sugar Bowl officials will go with the higher-ranked team. LSU was eighth and Alabama ninth in the latest wire service polls. In his official invitation announcement after the Wicker told Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne that "you have marvelous football team. It has a great tradition. And it is indeed our privilege to have Nebraska back in our annual classic.

I know that you are disappointed, but your disappointment is our gain." It will be Nebraska's fourth trip to the Sugar BowL By coincidence, the Comhuskers lost to Alabama 34-7 in their first ap-: pearance in 1967 and beat Louisiana State 28-10 in their latest appearance in 1985. In Its other Sugar Bowl game, Nebraska, beat Florida 13-10 in 1974. r- Nebraska Athletic Director Bob Devaney said it probably makes no difference to Osborne which team his Comhuskers play. 4- "I don't really think he has, at this time, given it any thought" Devaney said. "We're just very glad to accept an invitation to a great bowL" JFyson youngest heavyweight champ now LAS VEGAS, Nev.

(AP) It took Mike Tyson a little more than 5 minutes Saturday night to become the youngest man to win the heavyweight boxing championship. He overwhelmed Trevor Berbick, knocking him down twice and stepping him at 2:35 of the second round of their bout It was a devastating performance that left a crowd of about 8,800 at the Las Vegas Hilton I told everybody I expected an early knockout be school inmate. The man who guided Patterson's career watched Tyson spar and said that if he listened and worked hard, he would become a world champion. "I'm sure he was up there watching," Tyson said of D'Amato, who became the fighter's legal guardian in 198L Asked if he recalled his thoughts when D'Amato said he could be a champion, Tyson said: "I thought he was a crazy ol white dude." Tyson threw 106 punches and landed 59 while Berbick landed only 13 of his 38 punches. After the first knockdown in the second round, Be bick tried to clutch and hold Tyson, but he simply didn't have the artillery to hold off the challenger.

The 6-foot-2 Berbick, who weighed 218', had a seven-inch reach advantage over the 221-pound Tyson, whose height is listed at 5-11 but appears to be closer to 5-9. "As far as being intimidated, no one intimidates me," said Tyson, who now has scored 26 knockouts in winning all 28 of his fights in a 21-month pro career. seconds into the second round, and then late in the round he dropped him with a crashing left hook to the jaw. Berbick tried to get up, but fell into a comer. He tried once again to rise, but once again felL Finally, be gained his feet at the count of nine.

But he was wobbling like a drunk and staring blankly. Referee Mills Lane stopped it "I'm the champion of the world. Ill fight any man alive," Tyson said. "I refuse to get hurt, to lose. They will have to carry me out" The next man who will get a chance at beating Tyson, something no one has done in his 21 months as a pro, will be either Tim Witherspoon or Tony Tubbs.

Witherspoon will defend the World Boxing Association title against Tubbs on Dec. 12 at New York's Madison Square Garden. The winner of that match will fight Tyson at the Las Vegas Hilton on March 7. After his stunning victory, Tyson said he dedicated it to the late Cus D'Amato. D'Amalo, who died last year, first met Tyson when he was a 13-year-old reform Michigan quarterback Jim Changes In the 1986 Schuy- Harbaugh makes good on ler team pierces the nostal- guarantee to beat Ohio State.

I gia of the 1976 football Page2E. champions. Page 9E. l. The Lincoln city storm tewtr No.

2-ranked Penn State 8y8tem is a 237-mile long ar- does its part to keep national tjfcia cave that home t0 championship date with thousands of animals. Pag Miami by beating Pittsburgh 10P 7v 34-1 3E. The Bowlers Victory Legion Texas loses five turnovers In Fund tournament collected a 18-13 loss to Baylor, but record $2,780.56 and will re- Longhorns will still have say turn a record amount to the In Southwest Conference. Veterans Administration hos- Pa4E. pital In Lincoln.

Page 12E. '7" v' 1 cause I believe in myself," Tyson said. Doubters of Tyson's ability might be very hard to come by. "It's the moment I waited for all my life," said Tyson, whose life Saturday night had spanned 20 years, 4 months and 22 days. -The previous youngest heavyweight champion was Floyd Patterson, who was 21 years, 11 months when he knocked out Archie Moore to win the undisputed title ton Nov.

30, 1958. kijocked down Berbick with a right hand IS if 0 9.