The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 24

24 November 27, 1993 Nebraska 21, Oklahoma 7 Final Big Eight Standings Conference All Games Pis OP Pis OP Nebraska 7 0 233 109, 11. 0 42V 176 Colorado 5 1 1 180 109 7 3 1 327 220 Oklahoma 4 3 0 159 8 -3, -0' 317 176 Kansas St 4 2 1 150 142 8 2 1 288 210 Kansas 3 4-Q 142.133 "7. .0:242 256 Missouri 2 5 148 223 3 7 1 192 344 Iowa' St, 2 5 141 206 3 8 0. 251 324 Oklahoma St 0 7 76 185 3 8 174 236 a Game Facts Scoreboard Nebraska 21, Oklahoma 7 Oklahoma 7 0 0 0 7 Nebraska 0 7 0 1421 OU-NU How They Scored FIRST QUARTER 7-0 Dwayne Chandler 1 run at (Scott Blanton hick). 9:44 Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards.

Big plays: Cale Gundy 26 run to NU 37; James Allen 19 run to NU 7. SECOND QUARTER 7-7 Tommie Frazier 2 run at (Byrort Bennett kick). 5:38 Drive: 4 plays, 15 yards. Big play: Toby Wright 25 interception return of Gundy pass to OU 15. FOURTH QUARTER 7-14 Abdul Muhammad 11 at pass from Tommie Fra- Friday's Game Nebraska 21 Oklahoma 7 OU From Page 21 and in fourth place in the Big Eight, behind Nebraska (7-0), Colorado (5-1-1) and Kansas State (4-2-1).

Friday's game was clearly played in Nebraska, not Oklahoma, type weather: 19 degrees with a minus-7 wind chill factor thanks to north winds that ranged from 13 to 23 mph. Just as clearly, OU dominated most the game 13:20 zier (Bennett kick). Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards. Big plays: Muhammad 12 pass from Frazier on third-and-nine to OU 25; Frazier 4 run on third-arid-one to OU 16. 7-21 Scoring play: Calvin at Jones 20 run (Bennett 13:07 kick).

Drive: 1 play, 20 yards. Big play: Darrius Johnson's lost fumble on kickoff return at OU 20, caused by Mike Minter, recovered by David Seizys. Attendance: 75,674 Team Statistics though mistakes kept the Sooners from taking a lead after NU had used an OU mistake to tie the score 7-7. After one quarter, OU had 98 yards to NU's 18, but only a 7-0 lead. At halftone, OU had 200 yards to NU's 78, but the game was tied at 7.

After three quarters, OU had 231 yards to NU's 118, but the score remained 7-7. And the game turned and Nebraska dominated play in the first 1 minute and 53 seconds of the fourth quarter. First, after an OU punt of 29 yards, the Cornhuskers ended a nine-play, 38-yard touchdown when Tommie Frazier threw an 11-yard TD pass to Abdul Muhammad. Nebraska had its first lead, 14-7, with 13:20 left in the game. Moments later, NU had the football again, and a bigger lead.

Johnson fielded the ensuing kickoff at the OU five and returned it 18 yards. But NU's (and Lawton's) Mike Minter, who had recovered a fumbled OU kickoff earlier, stripped Johnson of the ball and teammate David Seizys recovered at the OU 20. One snap later, I-back Calvin Jones zipped 20 yards around left end and, just like that, NU had a 21-7 lead with 13:07 remaining. "Field position played a major role (the Sooners' final four possessions started at their 15, ou NU 10 6 4 0 42 137 IS 122 First Downs 14 Rushing 11 Passing 3 Penalty 0 Rushing Attempts 44 Yards Rushing 232 Yards Lost Rushing 23 Net Yards Rushing 209 NetYards Passing 85 Passes Attempted 22 57 17 Passes 8 5 Had Intercepted i Total Offensive Plays 66 Total Net Yards 294 179 Average Gain Per Play 4.5 3.0 Return Yards 81 70 Fumbles-Lost 3-3 l-l Penalties-Yards 7-51 3-26 InteVceptions-Yards 1-0 Punts-Yards 6-223 7-279 Average 37.2 39.9 Punt Returns-Yards 2-16 2-19 Kickoff Returns-Yards 4-65 1-19 Possession Time 32:23 27:37 Third-Down 2-14 6-16 Sacks-Yards 4-23 2-15 individual Stats Oklahoma Rushing Aft. Gain Lost Net TO Long Piaver 1 Staff Photo by Doug Hoko 21 81 22 81 32 28 6 0 26 4 Collier 7 Allen 10 Gundv 9 Chandler 8 Mills 1 OU quarterback Cale Gundy (12) is dragged down by Nebraska's Kevin Ramaekers in Friday's 21-7 Husker win.

6 24 6 0 4 71 75 Moore 9 35 209 TOTALS 44 244 Sooners Say Huskers Should Stay No. 1 Passing Player Aft. Com. Int. Yds.

TD Long 23 85 Gundy 22 8 1 Pass Receiving Cornhuskers' No. 1 ranking No. Yards Player Long 10 10 7 Warren 1 Collier 1 TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chandler 1 8 Penny 2 20 Mills 2 35 Brady 1 5 TOTALS 8 85 Punllng Long 44 Avg. 37.2 Player Blanton No. Yards 6 223 Field Goals An, 13, 1 and 1 yard lines) and then turnovers played a major role in the outcome of the game," said OU coach Gary Gibbs.

"Nebraska made the key plays when they needed to and got the turnover there that led to an easy score to wrap it up. "You can't turn it over and expect to win against a team like Nebraska, and you can't miss opportunities and beat Nebraska." "I wouldn't have given you a plug nickel for our. chances about the middle of the second quarter," said NU coach Tom Osborne. "It looked like we were being dominated on both sides of the ball. "To be tied 7-7 at halftime was kind of a major upset." OU's upset-ready defense played perhaps its best game of the season.

Nebraska, which had been leading the nation in rushing (304.5 yards per game), managed only 122 yards on 42 carries, or 2.9 yards per attempt. And the Cornhuskers' scoring machine, which had ranked fourth nationally with a 40-point average, mustered only 21 points on touchdown "drives" of 15, 38 and 20 yards. "Our defense played great and made plays," Gibbs said. "I don't think you can say enough about how our defense played." OU, facing an NU defense that lost All-America outside linebacker Trev Alberts (dislocated elbow) just 3:51 into the out-gained NU 294 to 179 and had 14 first downs to the Cornhuskers' 10. But the Sooners were only 2-of-14 on third down conversion tries and they did not score after their game-opening possession.

OU's All-Big Eight quarterback, Cale Gundy, completed only eight of 22 passes for 85 yards in the windy, passer-unfriendly conditions. Late in the game he suffered his second concussion of the season. "Offensively, we did a lot of good things there in the first half," Gibbs said. "In the second half turnovers continued to plague us and field position was a major factor." Tommie Frazier, NU's second-team All-Big Eight quarterback, was an outstanding athlete and outlandishly poor passer on this windswept day. Not including two sacks, the quick and nimble Frazier gained 52 yards on 13 carries but completed only five passes in 17 attempts for 57 yards.

Made Long a Player Blanton Klckofl Returns No. Yards 2 37 1 16 1 12 4 65 Long 21 16 12 21 Avg. 16.6 16 12 16.2 Player Johnson Collier Mills TOTALS Punt Returns No. Yards 2 16 Long 11 Avg. 8 Player Jollnson was senior wide receiver Corey Warren.

"The polls say they're No. 1, but after playing them I don't know where they rank," Warren said. "Maybe they shouldn't be No. 1, maybe they should They got a lot of breaks today, two kickoff return fumbles that we never have happen to us, and they took advantage." When freshman tailback James Allen was asked about Nebraska's ranking he sounded like a coach. "It's hard to say.

They're ranked No. 1, but they have a lot of improvement to do and so do we," Allen said, "Give them the benefit of the doubt. They beat us today, and they're ranked No. 1 so they deserve it." It might not be the most talented Nebraska team, but the Cornhuskers have found a way to win the close ones, having come up with big fourth-quarter plays to beat UCLA, Kansas State, Kansas, Colorado and OU, "Nobodv has beaten them," Interception Returns No. Yards Avg.

1 0 0 Long 0 Player Jonnson By Mike Baldwin Staff Writer LINCOLN, Neb. Even though Oklahoma players aren't convinced the best team won Friday afternoon, most agreed Nebraska deserves to be ranked No. 1. "You can't take anything away from them. They came in No.

1 and won so they should stay No. 1, but in our hearts we felt we were the best team today," said OU linebacker Mike Coats. "We dominated their offensive line and played our hearts out. We just didn't get the breaks." Many national observers have called this an average Nebraska team. Some writers and broadcasters have gone so far as to say the Cornhuskers don't deserve a shot at a national title.

Asked if Nebraska is No. 1, OU coach Gary Gibbs responded: "They're No. 1 in our league. They're an outstanding football team," Gibbs said. "They're relentless.

They stepped up and made plays. You have to give them a lot credit, their kids made plays when they had to." The Sooners (8-3) entered the game having committed just 12 turnovers but had a season-high four turnovers against the Cornhuskers (11-0). Nebraska Rushing Att. Gain Los Net TD Long 1 20 1 82 37 25 83 15 5 22 Player Jones Frailer Schlesinger TOTALS 1 21 0 3 2 21 3 ...2 3 145 23 122 Passing Att. Com.

Int. Yds. TD Long 17 5 1 57 1 26 Player Frailer Long 26 4 4 12 26 TD 0 0 0 1 1 Plaver Makovlcka JorWs Muriommod TOTALS Sooner Larry Bush (31) puts some pressure on Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier. teams because we haven't "We were definitely the best Long 51 Avg. 39.9 Player Bennett Pass Receiving No.

Yards 1 26 1 4 1 4 2 23 57 Punllng No. Yards 7 279 Klckofl Returns No. Yards 1 19 Punl Returns No. Yards a 2 19 iritmi tvio fuvviA'trai'c iiui- niavorf thorn hut thisv heat us said OU tight end Rickey Bra- said OU tl team Mm hurt nnrcolvoo Qflirl mi sfi. sn thev should be No.

1. ay. "Tneyre ii-u ana raniteu Long 19 Player Dlxoi Avg. 19 One of the few players who nior linebacker Aubrey Bea No, so that makes them the best team in the country," showed some doubt in the vers. "I can't speak for other Avg.

Long Player Mass Dixon TOTALS 11 11 11 9.5 Oklahoma-Nebraska Game Notes Interception Returns No. Yards Avg. 1 7 7 1 25 25 2 32 16 Long 7 25 25 Playor Jones Wright TOjALS One sign was much more accurate: Thanks Boston College. The most appropriate sign? ABC (Absolutely Bitter Cold). Keystone Cops Midway through the first quarter, Nebraska faced a 3rd-and-7 and appeared to catch the Sooners napping as five OU players hurriedly raced to the sidelines, Ironically, all five Sooner substitutes not only got on the field in time, the Cornhuskers' offensive line jumped early resulting in an Illegal procedure penalty.

the stands. Meanwhile, with the field covered by fans, the Sooners headed for the dressing room and, after the game officials huddled," the final 18 seconds were run off. Banner Politics Nebraska fans made it clear what they thought of the Cornhuskers' lack of respect in the polls. One banner blasted sports-writers who vote for Associated Press, which has NU listed No. 2.

Another said: AP Believe It, Cornhuskers for real. more," he said. "We hope the memories are a little more pleasant this time; we'll just have to see how this weekend shakes out. "I think one thing the coalition has done is it has made some sus- Eense right down to the end. The owls are not locked up.

The way it used to be, Bear Bryant would decide where he wanted to go about the fifth or sixth game of the season arm everybody else foil into line. "At this point, it's not that way. With today's performance it looks like we should have a chance to play for the whole ball of wax, ana I guess at this stage that's all you can ask for." The Missing 18 Seconds The game ended with Comhus-ker fans booing Cornhusker fans. When an Oklahoma fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 18 seconds left in the game, a few thousand Nebraska Tans poured onto the field, many of them attacking the goal posts. That brought a hearty round of boos from those who stayed in Good to the Last Drop Nebraska's 21-7 victory Friday over Oklahoma in Lincoln, settled nothing as far as determining the Cornhuskers opponent the Orange Bowl.

That will probably be settled elsewhere today. But coach Tom Osborne is enjoying being 11-0, despite his club's history of losing its last six bowl games. "Unfortunately in athletics you're only remembered for your last game, and there will be one 1993 Results Oklahoma (8-3) 3s; at TCU 3 44 Texas 14 41 Tulsa 20 24 i at Iowa Stata 7 38- i Texas (Dallas) 17 10. Colorado 27 38; Kansas 23 l' at Kansas Stats 21 42: at Missouri 23 31; Oklahoma Stata 7P at Nebraska 21 rfr..