The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 57

THE SUNDAY OKLAHOMAN Section November 23, 1980 "'3 Sooners It One More Time: 21-17! NU HaunteSk By Number 4, Once Againir From Page 1C to eat up the yardage. hi3 And Nebraska was determined to stop it. The Husker defense, bit to the quick by Wafts' and Rhymes in the second quarter, had bepf i) grudgingly this final half. A 14-yard run was allowed. The ends, Jimmy Williams and Nelson, had shut off the Oklahoma option plays'by," refusing to get blocked.

But the Sooners had to try. Watts rolled to the right, the short side of Ihe'-'j 1 field, and saw the safety fly for him. He knew he was going to have to pitch the football. The ques- I tion then became, could Watts make a good pitch and could Chet Winters block Jimmy Williams? J.C. could and Chet did.

7 "When I saw the block, I knew we were going to make yards," said Watts. "I was just praying. Buster didn't run out of bounds." "I don't know why we hadn't been able to blocic their ends on that play," said Winters. time, I knew I had to get him down." "Hey," said Rhymes, "I knew when I saw CKefH block that I was going to do some running." The freshman ran all the way to the Cornhuskf fense sparkled thereafter, holding Nebraska, the nation's top rushing team, to just one first down in the second quarter. The Sooners made what appeared to be an early break when Scott Dawson made an excellent play to kill Reeling's punt at the NU one.

It only forced the Huskers to drive 99 yards with their first possession. An offsides penalty against OU on a successful third-down stand enabled Quinn to pick up the first down, by two inches. On second down, Jarvis Redwine, the Huskers' flashy I-back, took a pitch from Quinn on a delayed counter option and blazed down the right sideline 89 yards for a touchdown and the day's first shower of Forced by NU's Andy Means (34), J.C. Watts pitches quickly to Buster Rhymes. 14, a lightning-like 43-yard scamper.

And to Hi! er fans, it must have been like a bad dress Rhymes, No. 4, running like No. 4 did in '76 to them. To Sooners, it was like seeing a tint come to life. From Page 1C contention, may be hard-pressed to understate Rhymes' abilities in the future: Even Switzer's tongue slipped slightly.

'That's what can happen," Switzer said, "when you get the ball pitched to a great back, I mean, a great speed back." In the other locker room, Nebraska players sat dazed and disappointed. "I always felt that we could win," Osborne said. "We just didn't win." The winning Sooner drive was a mirror of some of the misfortune that has haunted Nebraska teams the past nine years. Starting from their 20 after Quinn's score, the Sooners got only two yards from Rhymes on first down, but Nebraska defensive end Derrie Nelson was flagged for a late hit. On first down from the 37, fullback Stanley Wilson fumbled after a short gain.

The ball eluded a pair of Husker pursuers and Louis Oubre, OU's All-America tackle, recovered it at the 43. Then, with 2:45 remaining, came OU's biggest play of the season. Watts optioned, to the right. Halfback Chet Winters took out defensive end Jimmy Williams with a lead block. Wilson, in motion to the right from his fullback spot, shoved cornerback Rodney Lewis to the sidelines.

When strong safety Sammy Smith came up to take Watts, the senior quarterback dumped the ball to Rhymes, the trailing halfback. The run was really less perfect than the execution. Rhymes had a chance to cut back and go the distance, but stumbled slightly and was hauled down at the NU 14. Recalled Rhymes: "I just kept telling mself, "No fumble! No With just 2:32 left now, Wilson picked up three to the 11. But Nelson and Sims got the yardage back, dropping Winters after an option pitch.

On third-and-10, the Sooners had the perfect play. Bobby Grayson ran an out route from his right split end position and Watts, playing with an injured throwing hand, drilled him at the one. Grayson toppled out of bounds with a first down and 1:20 left. 'That play was open the whole gameV-Grayson said. "Their corner-back "was playing me heads up and wouldbackpedal about five or six yardsHt gave me an advantage on the stop route and the out route.

Rhymes was walled out on the nextplay. But on second down, right behind an unbalanced line stacked to the right side. Oubre and tight end Forrest Valo-ra sealed the interior and Winters made the lead block for Rhymes, who dived head-long over the goal. MiketKeeling's extra point made it just 56 seconds left. Excellent kickoff coverage left Nebraska with 86 yards to cover in the remaining time.

Quinn completed two passes for first downs, but was tripped up for no gain at his 39 whiletrying to scramble. With 24 seconds left, Quinn was on the lam again. He finally hurled a desperation bomb for tight end Steve-Davies at the OU two. Davies, Songy and safety Jay Jimerson leaped for the pass. The ball deflected offthelr hands and Songy finally grabbed it with two seconds left.

The Huskers jumped to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, but the OU de With 2:32 to play, the Sooners suddenly the time in the world. Then, suddenly, they wgfsM on the hook again, squirming. It became third-and-10. This time a pitch prob0 ably wouldn't have worked. Yet J.C.

Watts 6aSS throw. He injured his hand on his very first carrSEK of the game and it was swolen now, fat and ugly. -rC-; "I just couldn't grip the football when I trie'oM-throw it," said Watts. "I was bouncing the ballSntfe front of the receivers. It was terrible.

I finally coach (Galen) Hall (offensive play caller) thatfJ he called a pass, to call an option, somethinfH-K could run with." Into the huddle sprinted Bobby Grayson. junior receiver was carrying the play. He was rying his own number. Inside the five, Grayson made his cut. He turne3 back and Watts, rolling that way, unleashed a peESSS-feet pass.

Grayson caught the football slidingrdjlt'p of bounds at the one. Rhymes couldn't make that last yard over the middle, but he could sprinting likeTa-greyhound around end. "Oh, boy, it's so sweet," said Barry Switzer, whjprffi will win his eighth straight Big Eight title if the Sooners whip Oklahoma State next week. "There were so many big plays on that final drive. The fumble, Grayson's catch, J.C.'s Rhymes' big run.

This is one of the great victo-ries." Someone wanted to know if perhaps it mightbe THE biggest, since the Sooners were admittedly giving the talent edge to Nebraska. And since the Sooners lost two of their first four games. And since the Orange Bowl committee had made no secret it preferred No. 4 Nebraska over No. 9 Ok-See Page 8C, Column 1 Scoreboard OKLAHOMA 21, NEBRASKA 17 Oklahoma 0 14 0 7 Nebraska 10 0 0 7 OU-NU How They Scored who gets a great block from Chet Winters (40) on Russell Gary (9).

Sooner safety Steve Haworth was late to cut Redwine off on the boundary and Redwine's speed was too much for strong safety Ken Seibel's kick put Nebraska on top with 8:43 left in the opening quarter. Redwine finished the day with 152 yards on 21 carries. Fullback Andra Franklin added 122 on 20 carries. A 17-yard pop by Franklin and 13-yard pickup by Redwine helped Nebraska drive 48 yards later in the quarter. Seibel arrived to boom a 47-yard field goal and the Huskers led 10-0 with 0:43 on the first period clock.

OU claimed an advantageous south wind for the second period and stormed back to take the lead with two touchdowns in the final 4:17 of the first half, the second score set up on an incredible option pitch from Watts to Rhymes. Rhymes started a. 68-yard march with a 13-yard pickup and Watts connected with Steve Rhodes on a comeback pass for 13 more to the NU 38. Watts worked the option to convert a short third-down play to the 24. Wilson then caromed off an obstruction in the line, broke outside and rolled 20 yards to the four.

The sophomore, who sat out last week's victory over Missouri with a shoulder injury, finished with 91 yards on 19 carries against the Huskers' nationally ranked defense. The Sooners needed three plays to reach the end zone for the first time, the last a three-yard run by Watts behind a line unbalanced to the left. A pair of key stops by defensive end Orlando Flanagan helped the Sooners get the ball again with 2:17 left. Starting from the OU 45, Watts picked up six yards, and then 15 more when defensive tackle Tody Williams was flagged for a questionable facemask grab. From the NU 34 came the most beautifully executed play of the day.

Watts cut upfield on an option keeper around right end and picked up a screen block from Wilson. Still standing at the 21, Watts la-teraled to Rhymes, running open throttle down the sideline. Rhymes took the ball off his shins, never breaking stride, and streaked to the three, a combined 31-yard gain. "I had run a play like that earlier," Watts said, "and I noticed that when I got upfield, everybody would come at me and leave the pitch open. But I looked around at nobody was there.

So I told Chet and Buster anytime I turn up, stay with me for a few more yards." Winters got the call on the next play, carrying a Watts pitch three yards behind a seal block from Rhodes. Keeling kicked the Sooners See Page 8C, Column 1 0-7 FIRST QUARTER Jarvis Redwine 89 run Drive: 99 yards in 8 plays. Kevin Seibel kick. 0-10 FG Seibel 47 lift Drive: 78 yards in 9 plays. SECOND QUARTER 7-10 J.C.

Watts 3 run Drive: 68 yards in 10 plays. Big Play: Stanley Wilson 20-yard run. Michael Keeling kick. 14-10 Chet Winters 3 run Drive: 55 yards in 3 plays. Big Play: Buster Rhymes 31-yard run.

Keeling kick. FOURTH QUARTER 14-17 Jeff Quinn 1 run Drive: 17 yards in 4 plays. Big Play: Redwine 10-yard run. Seibel kick. 21-17 Rhymes 1 run Drive: 80 yards in 8 plays.

Big Play: Rhymes 43-yard run. Staff Photo by Al McUughllr and crashes into the end zone for the winning touchdown. Vanilla Words? Osborne Knew the Situation Playat Wilson 19 91 Rnymos 10 85 Walls 25 73 WlnWfi 8 0 PASSING Plsysf A Yds. Wnlli 7 2 26 PASS RSCEIVINO Ptaysf Yds. Grayson 1 13 Rhodes 1 13 PUNTINO PUy Avg.

Keying 8 42.8 Nebraska RUSHING P1y Yd. Redone 21 152 Franklin 20 122 Ouinn 11 25 McCrady 2 7 Cra.g 3 5 Johnson 1 3 PASSING Player A Yda. Ouinn 13 7 76 PASS RICErVlNQ Player Yda. Sit 3 40 Finn 1 13 Noonan 1 12 McCrady 1 7 Johnson 1 4 PUNTINO Plays Avg. Genw 7 27.7 Osms in figures From Page 1C few moments of glory.

And they were unable to survive on those meager crumbs. The red-haired, boyish-faced Osborne, who appears to have been brushed into this world by Norman Rockwell, appeared in a hallway outside the Nebraska dressing room following the game and said, "It's a tremendous disappointment, not so much on my part, but for the players. "They wanted to win this game more than any team I've had has wanted to win a game. They feel very bad. Oklahoma played well.

They did a great job. I knew they had a great team, and they always play well in the big games. There were breaks here and there, both for and against us. It was very close, a hard-hitting, clean game. I hope our players will come back and play well in the Sun Bowl, although It's not what we had in mind." The scene in the Nebraska dressing room had changed.

Two years ago, after the Cornhuskers had defeated Oklahoma, 17-14, there was a mob scene with Husker fans bulling their way inside to join the wild celebration. It was so packed reporters could barely raise their arms to write down what players had to say. It didn't matter. One couldn't hear what was said anyway. Saturday, running back Jarvis Redwine.

who, despite Osborne's conservative approach had made bold statements during the week, was sitting facing his locker, quietly answering Redwine was the star of the Cornhuskers' first big moment of the game, he broke down the right sideline for an 89-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He was assessed a 15-yard penalty on the play for turning around 20 yards from the end zone and taunting an Oklahoma defenseman in pursuit. "It wasn't an intentional kind of thing," he said. "I just looked behind and pointed. It was a flagrant call.

I don't think it was taunting. I just wanted to know who was behind me. I do remember pointing, though, and maybe it was because we were going ahead early in the game." Later, in a interview on a Nebraska radio station, Redwine was overheard to say, "They (the OU players) were doing too much talking out there. They were doing a lot of talking." Noticing that a newspaper reporter had taken note of his statement, Redwine approached and said, "Don't use that In the newspaper. If you use that, I'll (he didn't finish the statement).

I said that for the radio, not for the newspaper." Redwine, the game's leading rusher with 152 yards on 21 carries, was asked if the game plan had called for Nebraska to run so much and pass so little. "I'd say it was. We felt like we could run against Oklahoma. We didn't want to run around them, we wanted to run at them. Andra (Franklin, who rushed for 122 yards) was trappin' 'cm.

He was running at em good. Then ever once in a ivhile, we'd throw a 10 or 12-yard pass. "When we caught their defense in certain alignments, we could run around them. But it was only in certain situations. My run (the 89-yarder for the touchdown) was one of those situations.

It was just a play we ran at the right time. I had Andra in front of me and got a good block." Quarterback Jeff Quinn, sitting dejectedly next to Redwine, tried to figure it out. "They have a super defense," said Quinn. "They played our options pretty well. I was forced to pitch, but there wasn't any room.

We couldn't get it going. It was a great effort on their defense's part. They may have played inconsistently throughout the year, but they rose to the occasion. The wind was a factor (in the Nebraska passing game). It may have been the biggest factor all day.

That's the reason we didn't throw." Across the locker room, defensive end Derrie Nelson, who was credited with eight unassisted tackles and seven assists, was taking part of the blame for the 43-yard run by Buster Rhymes down the right sideline which set up the winning touchdown for OU. It was an option play, quarterback J.C. Watts tossing the ball to Rhymes, who streaked around right end down to the Nebraska 14. "We had a great scheme working all day," said Nelson. "We just had that breakdown at the end.

I thought I was gonna get Watts. I was only two yards behind him, and he's not that fast. But I've got a hamstring (muscle) bothering me. It ham-Mr') pered me all day. I could tell what they were gon5f.

na do, but I needed one or two more yards. I couldn't get it. I could tell (the muscle) was going--to pull, and I couldn't catch him. "I could see the whole play, though. They gofa great block outside and sprung him Things like that happen." Two plays prior to the run by Rhymes, Cornhuskers were called for a late hit.

The result-" ing 15-yard penalty put the Sooners at their 37 rather than their 22. Osborne said it was one of the costliest plays of the game. "I take compliments for that (the late said Nelson. "The refs were slow again, but wo were taught to hit until the whistle blows. Maybe, 1, was just a little over-anxious.

But I thought we really shut them down in the second half, all ex: cept that one spring." Nelson said the 1980 Sooners are far from the-1978 team that Nebraska defeated. "In my three years of playing them," said Nelson, a "they're not even close to the "78 and '79 teams with Billy Sims. Today's game was just like the -1978 game. They had a better team, but we got the-' -big break. It was just the opposite today.

Sims was a big asset to those teams. Watts, if gets outside, can pitch as good as anybody. But the backs are not as experienced. They're not-nearly as snecdv. but thev can still lv." Firtt i 62-240 Rushing yardage 58-314.