The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 55

Sports SPORTSLINE 460,1212 Ai4 HOUR SERVICE OF THE 0KLAH0MAN AND TIMES THE SUNDAY OKLAHOMA SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 23, 1980 1C OU Does It One More Time! I game, bowed to a Switzer-coached Sooner team for the eighth time in nine, meetings. For Switzer, the victory ensured, at least a share of what will be his eighth Big Eight title in eight years as a head coach. The Sooners can clinch a second straight outright title next week with a victory next Saturday over" Oklahoma State in Norman. OU, must win that game to earn the conference's berth in the Orange Bowl, New Year's Night against Florida State.

A loss against OSU would; mean, a tie at the top of the conference standings, and Orange Bowl officials last week declared they would invite the Huskers in the event of a tie. But even the boldest Nebraska fan could not conjure hope for an OSU upset next week that would save their team from a consolation trip to the Sun Bowl to face Mississippi State. As they filed from the stadium, a few spoke the unthinkable word that now hangs over Nebraska's efforts to unseat OU: "Jinx." Once-beaten and fourth-ranked Nebraska was regarded locally as up to a 12-point favorite over the twice-beaten and ninth-ranked Sooners. "I'm not going to go through this again," said one fan, who then admitted relief that he is moving to By Al Carter Staff Writer Neb. In.asea of mis-placedcitrus, a homesick freshman halfback helped the Oklahoma Soohers peel off a stunning 80-yard drive Saturday that killed Nebraska's high hopes of an outright Big Eight Conference championship, in the final minute of the regular season.

Buster Rhymes, the celebrated freshman from Miami, set up two Sooner" touchdowns with long runs, the second a 43-yard dash with left in the game. just 56 seconds' left, Rhymes devastated a Memorial Stadium crowd of 76,322 with a one-yard leap into the end zone, securing' a 21-17: OU victory in another improbable finish to a Sooner-Cornhusker game. Just 34, seconds before Rhymes' key romp to the Nebraskal4, quarterback Jeff Quinn scored "on a one-yard sneak that had given the Huskers a 17-14 lead arid sparked a torrent of oranges from strong-armed fans, delirious over what looked like an Qrange Bowl-clinching victory. But the Sooners took over at their 20 with 3:16 to play and the oranges began to look like lemons, the better fruit to symbolize Nebraska coach Tom Osborne's luck against Barry Osborne, given a raise and a contract extension on the eve of the Texas. "This is like a morgue," said another.

And it was. Even after a goal line interception by sophomore Darrell Sohgy with two seconds left, most of the spectators' stood and stared as OU quarterback J.C.. Watts fell once on the ball to kill the.clock. There were no shock victims' on the OU bench. Sooner players erupted in jubilation.

Assistant coach Wendell Mosley cleared a path to the dressing room with a high-strutting victory jig. Rhymes, who rushed for, 85 yards on 10 carries in what' was his second collegiate start! was mobbed after the game by television crews" and writers from across the a free trip to the hous'eW he said, emphasizing that an Orange. Bowl trip means a trip home. 1 Rhymes' heroics left some with feeling of deja vu. His hometown hero, Elvis Peacock, starred fqurj years ago in a 20-17 Sooner upset here that featured another c'ome-i from-behind effort.

Rhymes Peacock carry similar builds Rhymes wears Peacock's old No.t 4 on his jersey. who has brought his freshman race horse along slowly! this season while another freshman! Georgia's Herschel Walker, has played his way into Heisman Trophy Sec Page 3C, Column lw. NUHauntm By Number 4 Once Again LINCOLN, Neb. Emotionally, it was the, kind of game in" which you die a thousand deaths. Th ebb and flow of the human spirit was so could be felt crawling up and down the neck like dozens of angry spiders.

God," said quarterback J.C. Watts, "youf whole body feels limp, like there's no life lefttin iu You almost feel like it's someone else inside you-doing it while you watch." i And make no mistake for the loser it was worse. i The Oklahoma Sooners wrote another chapter Saturday in What is becoming an incredible book. Each entry under their Nebraska diary becomes incredulous, than (jim Lassiter) the last. For long-suffer ing Nebraska fans SUH Phblot by Al McLaughlin OU's J.C.

Watts skirts the right side, then, with Nebraska defenders jdogging his every step, pitches to Buster who went 43 yards to set up the winning touchdown. Vanilla Words? Osborne Knew Michigan Uses Audible to Win Bowl Trip, Title fc" I WUIfVI! and especially for their coach," Tom Osborne it must annually'be like the Christmas morning you awoke at 4 a.m. to look for the pony that never camev r. It was a game the Sooners were out of early, trailing 10-0 after one quarter. Then it became a game the Sooners they shockingly scored two touchdowns in 2 minutes before the half.

Alas, it once again became lost when the favored Cornhuskers finally cashed a scoring, opportunity to post a 17-14 lead as the uncharacteristically warm November sun settled behind Memorial Stadium's gray walls, i With 3:16 to play and 80 yards to go, Nebraska's 14th largest crowd in history was trying to literai-ly shake the walls down. Much has been made of an Oklahoma "jinx" over Nebraska! Barry Switzer had beaten Tpm'Os-borne times in eight games. It's been OU over NU in nine of the last 10. But not this time. Not with just 196 ticks.of clock to go and Oklahbma's land rush offense, 80 precious yards away.

But it did happen. Some how, some way. Maybe it wasn't a miracle! such as the one in 1976 in this stadium WherTa receiver named Steve Rhodes caiighYa short pass over the middle and lateraled taciPto Elvis Peacock, whose red No. 4 was a bluKas'he streaked down the sideline to set up the winning touchdown. Perhaps not miracle-like, but consider whatthe Sooners overcame Saturday to make their 21-17 possible.

Consider and then decide whether a jinx exists. From the 20, freshman George "BusteV" Rhymes made two yards no way to begin an-80r yard march against the nation's second-best defense. But Derrie Nelson, the Huskers' All-Amerj-ca end who vows he "hates" Oklahoma, hits late, the Huskers' second defensive penalty of the game. The 15 yards move Oklahoma to the 37. On the next snap, Stanley Wilson, the sore-shouldered fullback, was crushed beneath several tons of Huskers and the football dribbled loose as gasped for breath.

With three Huskers around the football, offensive guard Louis Oubre, who twice had opportunity to recover OU fumbles and missed, covered the ball with his ample body. The Sooners get a six-yard gain. Still, from the-43 and the clock roiling past the 2:45 mark, the Sooners needed a big play, some-Sec Page 3C, Column 8 By Dean Bailey Staff Writer LINCOLN, Neb. For most of the week, Tom Osborne- had spoken in State Department language. He spoke vanilla words words, most felt, which masked his true feelings.

Inside, it was believed, Osborne had. to be able to see what was obvious to everyone else. In his eighth season as Nebraska football coach, Osborne finally had the team, at least in the national statistics and the national polls, to defeat Oklahoma. It was a different situation for Osborne, for in eight previous meetings with Oklahoma, his teams had won only once (1978), and that victory was followed just over a month later by a Sooner rematch win in the Orange Bowl. This time, though, the Cornhuskers had a chance, a good chance, to defeat the arch-villian Sooners in the game that annually decides the Big Eight Conference championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

The Cornhuskers were ranked third or fourth in the polls. Some thought they were the best team in the country. They were either first or second in the nation in rushing, scoring and total offense. They were either first or second in the nation in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense. Indeed, the Cornhuskers were coming to this one with cash in their pockets.

But after a 21-17 loss to the Sooners, it was obvi- COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Michigan's quarterback John Wangler said he called an audible that provided the lOth-ranked Wolverines with their decisive touchdown Saturday in a 9-3 victory over Ohio State for the Big Ten conference title and Rose Bowl berth. "The touchdown was an automatic. I called it on the line of scrimmage. I saw them playing man-to-mah coverage and Anthony (Carter) did a good job of getting open." Wangler, facing a third-and-11 situation at his own 13-yard line, found his sophomore wide receiver open just over the goal line in the third quarter. Carter's reception was the only touchdown of the game, handing Ohio State coach Earl Bruce his first conference loss in 16 games in his first two years as Woody Hayes' successor.

"It was one of those plays where he (Carter) got behind the linebacker and in front of the safety," Ohio State cornerback Ray Ellis said of Carter's big play. Michigan coach Bo Schemblecher says he is enjoying this championship more than any of the-previous eight he has piled up in 12 seasons with the Wolverines. "This team has come far beyond all our expectations," he said. "They gave us up for dead earlier in the season, but we vowed to come back and win the Big Ten title. Our defense was unbelievable." Bruce said the defeat keeps a fifth-ranked Ohio State from having what it considers a good year.

See Page 12C, Column 7 Staff Photo by Paul Soulharland carried onto the field as the ous the Cornhuskers had been able to buy only a Victorious Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer clock runs out of time on Nebraska. See Page 3C, Column Late OSU Bid Falls Short, 23-21 touchdown. And with the fumbles, the Cowboys, now 3-6-1 and their three-game win streak ended, offered a winning season to the Cyclones. They graciously accepted, snapping a five-game losing streak and closing the season 6-5. Even the three "gimmles" almost weren't enough.

The Cowboys turned to the unlikcliest of heroes third-string quarterback Jim Traber to make this one exciting for the few spectators who hung arounu until the fourth quarter. By Floyd Stanley Staff Writer STILLWATER The Oklahoma State Cowboys flirted with a bit of deja vu Saturday afternoon, but dream-come-true visions of recreating last year's dramatic victory over Iowa State literally fell short as did Colin Ankersen's last-minute, 42-yard field goal attempt. The Cyclones, who obviously hold little stock in psychic experience, withstood a furious fourth-quarter Cowboy rally to post a 23-21 victory before some 30,000 lonely Lewis touchdown catch and Ankersen's 51st consecutive extra point at 2:39 drew the Cowboys to the final margin. Ankersen's ensuing deep onside kick was downed at the 18, and three consecutive Dwayne Crutchfield carries were crunched for a total gain of one yard. With 1:39 left, Traber got the ball back.

The Cowboys were 62 yards away from a touchdown. When Traber hit Campbell for an 11-yard completion on the drive's first play, the Cowboys had to be thinking of last year's Iowa State game, which Ankersen won, 13-10, on a field goal with 58 seconds left. pletion to tight end James Cowins on the next play, an OSU victory looked possible. But Traber's next pass attempt, from the ISU 30, was spiked at the line of scrimmage. He hit halfback Ed Smith for a five-yard gain on the next play, and the Cowboys called their final timeout with exactly one minute remaining.

Fullback Ernest Anderson's third-and-ffve attempt was smothered at the line of scrimmage, however, and Ankersen trotted in to attempt a 42-yard field goal with only 27 seconds left. The swirling, unpredictable southwest wind may have been a factor as Ankersen fluttered and fell short at the goal line." Iowa State took over and ran out the clock on one play. Traber, a sophomore from Columbia, was summoned after, starter Houston Nutt suffered an injury and backupjJohn Doerner proved ineffective. He came injfacing a 23-14 deficit, and, considering his previous tendency to fumble the snap, an OSU win appeared out of the question. But Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson has often said that Traber has the innate capacity to move a team, and ISU's Donnie Duncan agreed after watching the Cowboys' bizarre fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

fa was cooler under pressure than most JV'v See Page 5C, Column 1 Traber. the third Cowboy quarterback of Stadium spectators. came in with 4:52 remaining and. Oklahoma State lost this one in the half, handing over the ball three times. Iowh fabquj directing a ntne-piay, 77j? iUfWhcn mad scramble boughtiVaJmed for the goal posts from the enough time for an improbable 21-yard Whatever the reason State promptly turned each fumble into a it'iuajyyui Giving, lu-yaro.