Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 26

9" 4C Oct. 28, 1973, Lincoln, Sunday Journal and Star i I fi 0 r7 1 Stanley: NU, OSU Still In Race Stillwater, Okla. Oklahoma State's dressing room, like Nebraska's, was not a joyous scene after the 17-17 tie here Saturday afternoon. But Oklahoma State coach Jim Stanley wasn't ready to count either his or the Huskers out of the Big Eight race despite each having one loss and one tie. "There's very little jubilation in our dressing room and there's none in my heart," Stanley exclaimed.

"But before you can win, you have to avoid losing. "I've said all along I believe a team can lose one and tie one and still win the Big Eight. 'Nebraska is a very fine team. They blocked and tackled as well as anyone in the country. I have a lot of respect for Tom Osborne." The Oklahoma State coach said he wasn't surprised when the Huskers chose to go for the touchdown rather than the field goal on fourth and inches at the OSU goal line with 2:23 left in the game.

"It certainly wasn't a wrong decision," he pointed out. "Tony Davis was running better than he had all season and Nebraska has a way of converting those fourth down and short situations." Neither was Cowboy linebacker Jesse Hudson surprised when the Huskers lined up to go for the TD. "That's what they've done in the past in similar situations," he said. OSU quarterback Brent Blackman agreed that neither the Cowboys nor the Huskers have been eliminated from the Big Eight championship picture by the tie. "I hate to see a tie," he explained.

"But I don't think either of us is out of the race. We plan on winning the rest of our games and I imagine Nebraska does too." Cowboy linebacker Cleveland Vann was philosophical about the tie. "We go out to win," he noted, "But a tie is better than a loss. We're still in the race." Hudson also agreed, "A tie is not like a win. But it's better than a loss.

Still, there's something missing." Nebraska employed a new, short-yardage running formation against the Cowpokes Saturday. Designed to produce more power up the middle, it involved the use of both tight ends, Larry Mushinskie (88) and Brent Longwell (86), drawn in close and both fullbacks, Ralph Powell (41) and Maury Damkroger (46) as blockers. The handofffrom the "power-I" formation went to Tony Davis (25). Huskers Get Within Inches Continued From Page 1C during three narrow victories, the loss and this tie. "I thought we ran better today, despite the one crucial play that didn't go," Humm said.

"But we've obviously still got work to do." After scoring 139 points in the first four starts, the offense has managed just 39 in the last three outings. The point-producers will have to get out of sick bay soon. Next up is Colorado. The Buffs dumped previously unbeaten Missouri Saturday, 17-13. And they'll stampede into Lincoln on Saturday.

sneak for a yard at the five. The only other scoring threats ended in a missed field goal try by each team. Daigle was wide left from 37 yards out and Sanger was short with a 46-yard attempt. One bright spot for Nebraska is that OSU gained just 17 yards passing. The Husker secondary thus improved its nation-leading average (33.3 yards allowed per game).

But the Big Red offense is still ailing. Though alive and well during romps over UCLA and Minnesota, it has sputtered I i Vf iVr 2 "till. A Humm said "this is going to be a long week coming up. But we'll stick together and get the job done. I just feel bad for coach Osborne.

We owe him and the other coaches a lot." The two teams traded field goals early in the first quarter. Sanger hit a 30-yarder while OSU's Abby Daigle boomed one through from 51 yards out. "That's another reason we wanted the seven points at the end instead of the field goal." Humm added. "It wouldn't take much for them to get back in field goal range. But a touchdown would have pretty well assured us of victory." Oklahoma State zipped to a 10-3 advantage midway through the first quarter when linebacker Cleveland Vann picked off a Humm pass intended for Davis and rambled 25 yards to score.

"The ref (umpire) got right in my way," Davis complained alter the game. "He stepped up right in my pass route just as the ball was coming. We bumped and Vann came in front to intercept," Davis was very critical of the officiating. "They watched them (OSU players) take cheap shots all through the game and didn't do a thing. And when I complained about him getting in my way on the pass play, he just laughed at me." The clash was hard-fought and rough, Starting I-back John O'Leary suffered strained knee ligaments and sat out the second half.

"I was stopped and a gang of guys bent me back. I've also got a bruise from an elbow to the nose. But I'll be back next week and so will Nebraska," O'Leary assured. The Big Red evened the count at 10-10 on a quick drive highlighted by 23 and 40-yard passes from Humm to sophomore split end Dave Shamblin with Davis blasting the final yard. It was a play just like the crucial one which failed at the end.

OSU took a 17-10 lead to the dressing room at halftime after scoring with 1:22 to play. But the second time Nebraska got the ball after intermission, the Huskers went 44 yards following a fumble recovery In 11 running plays to produce the final score. Humm made the last yard on that drive, having kept it alive with a fourth-down ment produced what was to be the final count, 17-17. Dave Humm (12) slips through an opening to score Big Red's second touchdown with 7:48 left in the third period. Rich Sanger's place i i 'r ik -M -ry "if lilllllllllS vt5 ffi -x hK4f After hauiing in Nebraska pass, wide, v' KV receiver Dave VsJX Shamblin (85) is hand-' VWi 5 Vsl V- i cuffed by Oklahoma1 Vm v''f i I State's Darryll, Stewart (28).

i y. A 1 wciWiwwWfAfliiMMriiiifi yimi mi iii 1 1 mi niilrtwmt-liirfr-ntM iiiii.i 1 Photos By Bob Corham Web Hay liar aid Dreimanis O'Leary Hurting Things started out well for John O'Leary (14) Saturday but didn't finish that way. O'Leary, getting his first chance to start as a Cornhusker runner, rushed for 26 yards the first four times he carried the ball but then a knee injury sent the sophomore to the bench where an ice bag treatment wasn't the most pleasant of experiences..