Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 34

sborne can understand writer picking Cowboys net of 43, including only seven by Thomas. Apparently, those numbers didn't he. This was one of the better games Nebraska has played in a long time," Osborne By Mike Babcock STILLWATER, Okla. Tom Osborne surveyed the media audience surrounding him after his second-ranked Nebraska football team's 35-0 victory over Oklahoma State Saturday. "Where's Herschel? Is he here?" Osborne asked with a smile.

Herschel is Herschel Nissenson, the college football editor far; the Associated Press. He predicted an Oklahoma State npset, 28-27. Nissenson covered Saturday's game, but he was not present yfcen Osborne asked (or him. In truth, "I felt the same way as ierscheV said Osborne. There was an excellent opportunity lor an upset today" Oklahoma State went into the game with a record, its best start since 1945.

The Cowboys had the leading rusher in the country, tailback Thurman Thomas; the No. 1 passer in the Big Eight, Mike Gundy; the conference's top pass receiver, Hart Lee Dykes; and a defense that had allowed an aver-age of just over two touchdowns per game, i What they didnt have was the strength to compete with Nebraska. "A big factor, which we hoped would be the case, was that We Were a little more dominant up front We weren't quite sure how strong they'd be from tackle to tackle," Osborne said, In short, the Cornhuskers were much too physical, a fact that explains the dramatic disparity in the teams' rushing yardage. Nebraska gained 466 yards. Oklahoma State had a Charlie McBride, the Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator, agreed.

In fact, the defensive effort was comparable to the ones last season against Oklahoma and in the Sugar Bowl against Louisiana State. "It was one of the best I can remember," McBride said. The defense played a super ball game," said Osborne. "We felt, again, the key would be up front When people cant run at you, it's tough to win." Players in the defensive interior tackles Neil Smith, Tim Bother and Lee Jones, and middle guards Lawrence Pete and Mike Murray "did a great job," Osborne said. The victory over a Cowboy team ranked in both wire service Top 20s should justify Nebraska's No.

2 ranking. At least, "maybe people win feel like we're a good football team after today," Osborne said. "I was really kind of proud of our athletes and the way they approached this game." Osborne was asked if be thought the Cornhuskers victory meant the Big Eight race once again involved only two teams, Nebraska and Oklahoma, ranked No. 1 in both polls. Colorado, which tost to Oklahoma State last week, shouldn't be ignored, he said.

"But it tends to throw it (the race) back into that u. -tA WW. 'M I i frr -V i I i 1mm si 'V 1 1 8 I 'i Mst jU i 'I I tf, "4 ST I JT. -v y'jMste vrw vl ry Tnniiii iiinmnnfiiTnuiiii i imf Huskers avoid a Nebraska rush that got to him four times. He completed 20 of 42 passes for 221 yards.

Oklahoma State got to the Nebraska 7-yard line late in the game, but the threat ended with a pair of incomplete passes, the first of which Broderick Thomas knocked down. Thomas, who regularly refers to Nebraska's Memorial Stadium as "our house," applied a similar metaphor to Lewis Field after Saturday's victory. This is our house, too," he said. "We just served the eviction notice." Washington, whose attempt to be friendly Friday night helped initiate the proceedings, was dumbfounded by the Cowboys' hostility in the theater. Sanders said he got an icy response when he tapped an Oklahoma State player on the shoulder and wished him good luck.

"It's just a game. You go out and play as hard as you can," said Washington, who smiled but wouldnt gloat after the game. He doesnt need a lesson in humility. "We try to be gentlemen," Washington said. Most of what Nebraska did was basic, and "we could go anywhere we wanted," the 290-pound Lightner said.

They, werent that big, and we knew if we1 could get locked on 'em, we'd kill if we could keep pounding on 'em, they'd get tired," Which, of course, they did. They were already hurting in the second quarter," said Lightner. That's when Nebraska scored 14 points, on a 28-yard touchdown run by Clark and a 5-yard run by Jones that capped a six-play, 62-yard drive with 33 seconds left in the half. The closest Oklahoma State came to scoring in the first half and in the game was a six-play drive that carried to the Nebraska 2-yard line, thanks to a 47-yard pass from Mike Gundy to Hart Lee Dykes, who pushed off on Comhusker safety Mark Blazek, On first-and-goal from the 2, however, Fryar intercepted a Gundy lob pass in the end zone. Gundy, the Big Eight's leading passer, spent most of the afternoon trying to eould have scored more than it did, according to Comhusker offensive guard John McCormick.

The reason? They were a little bit smaller, and we ran right at them," be said. "When It's big on small, the bigger guy usually Wins." Dominates might better describe What happened Saturday. The Cornhuskers gained a season-high 617 yards, including 466 on the ground I-backs Keith Jones and Ken Clark each ran for two touchdowns, with Jones carrying 21 times for 115 yards and Clark rushing for 83 yards on only nine carries. Wingback Dana Brinson didnt score a touchdown, but every time you looked Bp, it seemed Nebraska's No. 33 was doing something.

Brinson carried six times for 52 yards. He caught three passes for 55 yards, and be returned five punts for 31 yards. The key to the Comhusker offense was the line, according to quarterback Steve Taylor, who completed 7 of 12 passes for 140 yards, 29 of them on a touchdown pass to split end Rod Smith to begin the scoring assault with 5:48 left in the first quarter. Referee signals touchdown as Nebraska's Ken Clark crashes over the goal marker at the end of a 28-' yard run in the second quarter. Anticipation helps Fryar th Grmck ruin OSU9s holiday mmm I I 1 if I 5 'x si 4 Ir mti lA 1 By Ken Hambleton STILLWATER, Okla.

Charles Fryar said he couldn't describe his feelings about intercepting an Oklahoma State pass in the end zone. But taking the ball from OSU receiver Ronnie Williams had to be like taking the angel off the Cowboys' Christmas tree. "It's the same thing every time. A 64 receiver and a 5-10 coraerback. Who gets the ball? The guy who gets inside," said Fryar, whose first interception of the season ended OSU's only serious scoring threat Saturday.

Nebraska was playing man-to-man coverage and the Cowboys tried passing to Williams in the far comer of the end zone with lst-and-goal on the NU 2-yard line. "I didnt think they'd go to their favorite route on the first-down play, but I was ready," Fryar said. "I recognized the pattern, I ran the same route and I just played the ball and had my back to Williams. The thing is, if I dont intercept it, they score," the junior cornerback said. "He ran up into my back and kind of pushed me into the ball "I had just mentioned to the ref that Hart Lee (OSU receiver Dykes) pushed Mark Blazek (NU safety) on the long pass play right before and told him to watch the pushing.

"But I dont mind the push, if I get the ban." Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy connected on 20 of 42 attempts for 221 yards but was kept out of the end zone even though OSU has averaged almost 40 points a game this year. They got some deep passes on us. They always win get one or two, but the important thing is they didnt cross the goal line and Fryar made the big play of the game," said Charlie McBride, NU's defensive coordinator. Oklahoma State's running game was rendered helpless until the outcome was decided, and that put an the emphasis on the Cowboys' passing attack. The demise of Oklahoma State's ground game was evidenced by the struggles of OSU back Thurman Thomas.

"Thurman was kind of running tiptoe Fryar (10) celebrates the second-quarter interception that thwarted the Cowboys' only significant scoring threat. Jeff Jamrog (80) and LeRoy Etlenne (47) join the party. that worked and that helped, too." Fryar said that because the Cowboys couldnt run the ban, they had to throw it more. That's when we started laying the hat on them," he said, in reference to hard-hitting tackles. The best example of "laying on the hat" was on OSU's final play of the third quarter when Gundy scrambled backwards almost 30 yards and completed a pass to Williams, for a 2-yard loss.

"We were worried about his scrambling, but the guys kept rushing him and we had everybody covered and when he did complete the pass, we stuck them for a loss," Fryar said. "I think we showed we're for real and so we wouldnt catch him in fun stride. We knew they'd have to pass," Fryar said. NU defenders knocked down six OSU passes and had four quarterback sacks. "We expected more screens and we were ready for the draw plays because we were getting the good pass rush," McBride said.

"But the one screen to Thurman Thomas was brought to a stop quickly by (Jeff) Jamrog and the draws were stopped because we didnt overrun the quarterback. The biggest thing on the pass rush with a quarterback like Gundy is to stay underneath and not overrun him," he 6aid. "And yes, we had a couple of blitzes the 'Hen Raisin' Tour is just starting," he said. The performance of the Nebraska defense was expected, NU linebacker LeRoy Etienne said. "Aggression and good, sound defense is what it's an about," he said.

"We played better than in the past We have to keep improving, but I dont think this' defensive game was out of line with any other game we've played this year. "The pride factor in getting the goose egg (shutout) was important, but we've got to get better to play everybody left' on our schedule if we're going to get a' Big Eight ring," he said. 1 1 ill! I 1 1 1 1 1 NU's Charles Fryar (right) leaps high to intercept an OSU pass into the end zone Intended for Ronnie Williams, who is blocked from view in this photo by NU's Jeff Tomjack. Vermeil can't see anyone being as good as Nebraska "pick Vermeil, announcer on CBS' telecast of the NU-Oklahoma State football game, was impressed with Nebraska during its 35-0 victory Saturday. cant picture another college football team being as good as this Nebraska team," Vermeil said About I-back Keith Jones: "Keith Jones is running more physically than I've seen him.

He won't go down on the first hit On the size of the Nebraska team: They're bigger than it says in the program. They're bigger than some of my professional teams." Vermeil coached the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League. About OSU's missed chance to cut the lead from 144: "It's tough enough to play 'em (Nebraska) even, let alone play catch-up." Journal-Star Photos by Ted Kirk Harald Dreimanis Gail Folda What's this? Oklahoma Sooner backers gave their support to Oklahoma State..