The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • Page 21

CORNHUSKERS RNALLY After 50 Years, Another 23 Minutes SPORT SIGNALS ifr By Hal Brown Sports Editor, The Star Both Unbeaten In 1915 Much ado has been made over unbeaten team of 1915, the last for the Cornhuskers until this year. But Oklahoma also was unbeaten in 1915 and the two did not meet because the Sooners did not join the Missouri Valley until 1920. Football fans can talk about weak schedules, but let the old-timers tell you it was tougher in Good Old Nebraska rolled to its perfect 8-0 season with teams such as Drake. Washburn and Wesleyan on its schedule and Oklahoma had to whip such big names as Kingfisher College 67-0, Weatherford Normal 55-0, Alva Normal 102-0, with Henry Kendall giving them their toughest battle before losing, 14-13. Nebraska romped past Drake 48-14, Washburn 47-0, Kansas State 31-0, Iowa State 21-0, Wesleyan 30-0, Kansas 33-0, and Iowa 52-7.

The only toughie was Notre Dame, a 20-19 victim of the Stiehm-Rollers, the Husker name adapted from coach Jumbo Stiehm. A newspaper story prior to the Notre Dame game indicated the Huskers might have trouble. to reports which reach the Cornhusker camp, the Notre Dame squad has a set of foxy tricks that are apt to be demoralizing if not met in proper it said. When the Huskers completed the unbeaten season with the 52-7 win over Iowa, the newspaper lead read, most brilliant football season came to an end yesterday with the most brilliant win of the season. The huskers ground Iowa into the dust of Nebraska field with a score of 52 to And referee Walter Eckersall was deeply impressed.

seen Comeli and Michigan play and watched some of the Big Nine Eckersall commented. ranks right up with Cornell or any of the eastern teams. The men are powerful and speedy and have brains. The team undoubtedly is one of the best in the Four players from that team made the all-Missouri Valley Conference Chamberlain at left end, Tim Corey at left tackle, E. L.

Abbott at right guard and Dick Rutherford at left halfback. 95-Minufe Trip To Omoha A number of things have changed since that last Nebraska team went through an unbeaten season, in clothing, entertainment, prices, transportation, comics and other items. The week before Nebraska completed the unbeaten season, Charles Dawley drove a 1916 Light Six Buick owned by Lee Burroughs from 13th and in Lincoln to 16th and Farnam in Omaha in 95 minutes and 37 seconds, a record at the time. The attempt was made to settle a bet. You could go down to the Budd Shoe Store at 1413 0 and get a pair of Blue Gipsy Bootsfor only $3.

The advertisement read, one of those new glossy styles that are ordinarily sold for about Or you could go to the Boston Dentist shop at 1319 and get a 22-Karat Gold Crown for only $3.50 or a set of upper or lower teeth for $5. If you wanted a suit, you could get it for $10 at The Famous, 1118 Street. For the romantically inclined a diamond ring could be purchased at Hallett Jewelry, 1143 for $15. For entertainment, folks were going to the Oliver Theater at 13th and to see Seven Keys to Baldpate, a George M. Cohan mystery, for only 25 cents.

The Orpheum Theater offered Charlie Chaplin and Betty Nansen in Night In The for 15 cents or the Magnet had Bessie Barriscale in Cup of The Lyric was offering vaudeville and photo plays. Funny page readers were chuckling over The Colonel, Ginger Pop, Snapshot Bill and Mr. Tweedle Deedle. And farmers were getting $6.38 a hundred for pigs and $10 for cattle on the Omaha market. Were those Good Old By HAL BROWN Star Sports Editor The wait was a long 50 those 50 years were short compared to the 23 minutes and 31 seconds of football Nebraska fans had to endure Thursday afternoon while waiting for their favorites to get back on the tracks that led to the first unbeaten NU season since 1915.

The Husker gridders nearly played the good host role too role that made Oklahomans happy but must have left Nebraskans wondering If they have been better off at home with the pulling out a 21-9 win over the Sooners. But after playing Santa Claus one month early for 23 minutes and 31 seconds Thursday afternoon, Huskers finally showed the 52,865 shivering fans and a national television audience why they were able to go through the 10-game season unbeaten and why they were headed for Miami and an Orange Bowl date against New' Night. Viewers who missed the introductions may have wondered for nearly two quarters which team was the unbeaten Big Red since both OU and NU lay claim to Big Red symbols. Oklahoma came into the game with a history of presenting gifts to opponents this season, but Nebraska appeared ready to pay them back with interest through a quarter and a half. The Huskers lielped Oklahoma to a 9-0 lead by turning over three fumbles to the Sooners and only a tough NU defense kept the margin that close.

Until the second half, the only persons wearing Husker colors who were able to hold onto anything was Golden Girl Susie Kune, who handled the baton flawlessly in the halftime show, and the Pom pom Girls, who drop a single pom pom. But after spotting Oklahoma a 9-0 lead, the Huskers rode the quarterbacking of Bob Churchich and the running of Harry Wilson to their 10th straight win. Nebraska, the nation's leading rushing team, ified its hold on first place in that department with 334 yards on the ground and made a strong bid to overtake Tulsa for the total offense crown, adding 77 yards passing for a 411 total offense figure. But despite the wide superiority in statistics, holding Oklahoma to 156 rushing and 73 passing, the win did not come to NU generosity. Nebraska started its gift- giving siiree on the first of downs when the Husker line let Eugene Ross through to block Hon punt at the Nebraska 30-yard line.

From then until Charlie Winters decided the Huskers had carried their kindness too far. defense earned their right to be in the stadium Winters took a hand-off from at the Okla- home 29, shook off five potential tacklers and outran a sixth for the first touchdown. But even after Larry Wachholtz kicked the conversion, Nebraska still trailed, 9-7 with 6:29 left in the first half. The Huskers trailed cause of their own mistakes in the worst first half of the season for squad. Oklahoma take advantage of the blocked punt, but the next time Nebraska offered a golden egg, they grabbed it.

Fullback Frank Solich presented Granville Liggins with the football at the Nebraska 32 and Liggins accepted it. The Husker defense gave ground grudgingly, but a 15- yard pass from Gene Cagle to Gordon Brown put the ball at the four- yard line. After Ron Shotts gained one, Larrv Wachholtz and Ted Vactor stopped Larry Brown for no gain. Marv Mueller broke up a pass from Cagle to Shotts in the end zone to leave the ers three yards away from the goal line with a final down coming up. Shotts put the Sooners on the board with a field goal from the 11-yard line with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.

Starting quarterback Fred Duda gave the Sooners a fumble a couple of plays later at the Husker 39, but Vactor, feeling that the defensive team had seen enough action for a i 1 picked off a Cagle pass at the NU 11. Two plays later, Ron Kirkland got in on the fumbling act and OU recovered at the Nebraska 28. The Sooners took it in for a touchdown eight plays later. The big play was a fake to Stan Crowder who drew the Husker defenders to the center of the line while Cagle slipped around the left side for 15 yards to the three. Larry Brown scored on the neirt play for a 9-0 Sooner lead with 9:59 left in the first half.

placement attempt was wide. But this was the end of the NU generosity. The Huskers played the rest of the way without giving up a fumble or an intercepted pass. Nebraska took the ensuing kickoff and Kirklhnd ran it back to the NU 35 from where Churchich directed the attack 65 yards in 10 plays for crashing touchdown run. The only flaws in the drive were an illegal motion penalty and an incomplete pass from Churchich to Freeman White.

Churchich called on Wilson, Kirkland and Pete Tatman to eat up most of the yardage before Winters entered the game and took the ball from the NTJ quarterback at the 29 for his touchdown gallop. Wilson finally put the Huskers ahead early in the second half when he took the handoff from Churchich at the Husker 34, got a block from Kirkland at the 50 and raced 66 yards for the TD, a run that helped boost his yardage total for the day to 160. Wachholtz kicked his second of three conversions for the day and Nebraska was in control on the e- board for the first time with 10-14 left in the third quarter. Nebraska also scored its insurance touchdown in SEC Title At Stake Saturday STAFF PHOTO BY DICK COLE ONE COMING Devaney leaves shower. By A Lot Here Oklahoma Nebraska First downs 12 18 Rushing yardage 156 3.34 Passing yardage 73 77 Passes 6-15 3-13 Passes int.

by 0 1 Punts 8-34 6-37 Fumbles lost 2 a Yards penalized 33 23 Birmingham, bama and Auburn clash Saturday in a game which decides other things the Southeastern Conference championship. Fifth-ranked Alabama, the defending SEC champion coached by Paul Bryant, brings to Legion Field a relatively light, but typically swift squad both offensively and defensively. Auburn, off to a shaky start this year, is unranked but has found itself offensively and rolled over recent opponents, including a Georgia team that defeated earlier in the season. Both squads are bowl bound and would like to carry the SEC banner into their t- season clashes. Alabama plays Nebraska on New night in the 0 a Bowl at Miami.

Auburn meets Mississippi on Dec. 18 in the Liberty Bowl at Memphis. This is the rubber match for the two schools. The series stands 15-14-1. A crowd of 68,000 plus is expected.

One of worries will be Alabama quarterback Steve Sloan, who is expected to try to pick the pass defense apart with his deadly aerials. Sloan wants to mix up his attack he can hand off to such swift runners as half back Steve Bowman, the leading conference rusher, or fullback Leslie Kelley. Auburn, armed with a hard charging line, is first in rushing defense in the conference and will be ready for the running assault. Coach Ralph Tigers will carry a deceptive 5-3-1 record into the contest. They have been unstoppable since the Florida game Nov.

13, which they won. The Tiger offense came alive with the transfer of Tom Bryan from quarterback to fullback. Alex Bowden was moved to quarterback slot, and could give Sloan a challenge in the passing department. The Tigers have won only once in the past five outings against Alabama, a 10-8 conquest in 1963. Last year Alabama, ranked No.

1 rallied in the second half and downed Auburn 21-14. record this year is 7-1-1. quick fashion using only five plays to score after taking a Mike Ringer punt at the 50. After a three-yard gain by Kirkland and a nine-yard pickup by Wilson that put the ball at the Oklahoma 38, Churchich threw two incomplete passes. On the next play, Churchich, who had lost the signal-calling duties to Duda in the Iowa State game and had seen little action since then, spotted Wilson at the 15-yard line behind two OU defenders.

Churchich lofted the ball to the junior halfback, who outraced the defenders to the goal line with 4:52 still remaining in the third period. conversion kick was his 36th in 39 attempts for a .923 percentage mark for the season, an NU record. Oklahoma threatened twice after Nebraska took the 21-9 lead, but both efforts were thwarted by the Husker Black Shirts. The Sooners had a chance when Rodney Crosswhite returned a Ron Kirkland punt at the start of the fourth quarter from the Oklahoma 24 to the Nebraska 27. But an illegal procedure penalty shoved OU back to the 32 and after quarterback John Hammond picked up four yards, defensive end Jerry Patton pounced on a fumble by Crowder at the 33.

Nebraska then threatened to score itself, driving to the Oklahoma two-yard line before being stopped. Oklahoma had one final scoring chance blunted after moving from its own 20 to the Nebraska 10 and a first down. Tailback Ben Hart picked up two yards, but Patton tossed Hammond for an 11-yard loss, ending the threat. The Sooners put the ball into Husker territory on their own impetus only three times on punt return, and twice after Nebraska had taken the 21-9 lead. Oklahoma moved from its own 36 to the Husker 47 and from its own 20 to the NU 10, both in the second half.

The only way they got into NU country in the first half was on Husker errors. Bad Shot Is A Foozle New York (UPI) A badly missed shot in golf is called a it But Closer Here 0 How Scored Time Left First Quarter Shotts, 21 field goal 0:22 Second Quarter Etrown, 3 run 9:59 Winters, 29 run 6:29 Wachholtz, placement Third Quarter Wilson, 66 run 10:14 Wachholtz, placement Wilson, 38 pass from Churchich 4:52 Wachholtz, placement Nebraska ...........0 7 14 0-21 Oklahoma ...........3 6 0 0-9 Wilson Causes Shower Baths HARRY'S EFFORTS ACTIVATE DUNKINGS FOR COACHES By TOM HENDERSON Star Sports Writer on, lets go. You know what we gotta a smiling Husker yelled to his teammates as they entered the dressing room after 21-9 victory over Oklahoma Thursday. The Husker gridders grabbed trainer Paul Schneider and carried him into the showers. clothes and all.

Schneider was the first ol a long line of trainers, coach- es and other officials to take a bath. Head coach Bob Devaney and his entire coaching staff made the trip along with Schneider. Even sports information director Don Bryant got wet as the Huskers celebrated their first perfect football season since 1915. Devaney's NU Record Tops .900 FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD BIG EIGHT NEBRASKA 21. Oklahoma 9 OTHER COLLEGES Cornell 38.

Penn 14 Virginia Tech 44, Virginia Mihtaiy 13 Lenoir Rhyne 35, Middle Tennessee State 28, Tennessee Tech 21 Virginia Union 29, Hampton Institute 6 Tulsa 48. Colorado State Lniversity 20 South Carolina St. 12. Benedict 6 Texas 21, Texas 17 Tennessee State 46, Centnal Ohio, St 13 Newberry 6, Presbyterian 0 Montana 33. Portland State Earih.am 26, Maryville, Tenn.

54. Lincoln, Mo Hendenson Ark State 7, BaptLst 0 Alabama College 20, stilute 12 Southeastern Louisiana 54 Slate 6 NFL Baltimoie 24, IK-troil 24 AFL 30 lUel 17 18 Quachita Ark. Tu-skegee In- Appalachian When Nebraska coach Bob Devaney completed hk first unbeaten season in his collegiate career with win over Oklahoma, it boosted his NU record over the .900 percentage mark with 48 wins and five losses for a .906 record. His career record now stands at 73 wins, 15 losses and five ties for a percentage of .812. The scene could quite easily have been different, however, if it been for the efforts of Harry Wilson.

Wilson scored two of the three Husker touchdowns in the contest, one a 66-y a dandy in which he bounced off two tacklers and spun away from another. w'as one of coach (Mike) Wilson said of the spinning tactic which sprung him loose after he appeared to be down. called the 'rag You put one hand on the ground and just spin Another factor in the bruising scamper was the blocking of Ron lOrkland, Pete Tatman, and Tony Jeter. Each threw a key block in helping Wilson to shake loose. jiiiiimiiiiiiiifiiinniiinniiRmiiiiMiiifiiiiiiiiiiii'ii Janik, Solich Injured In Win Over Oklahoma Len Janik and Frank So-! lich suffered injuries in Ne-1 victory over Oklaho- i ma Thursday.

Janik suffered a badly bruised hana, while Solich re- iiyured his knee. SPORTS MiNU Friday Nothing scheduli-d. Saturday Nothing sfheduled. Sunday ItoUmis other touchdown of the afternoon was on an over- the-shoulder catch of a Bob Churchich pass on the 13 to complete a 38-yard scoring play. was a new play." Wilson beamed.

The pattern called for end Freeman White to go out about five yards drawing the defenders with him Wilson would then slip behind the defense. used it twice Wilson pointed out. the first time (quarterback Fred Duda slipped and fell. They were trying to keep two men on Freeman both In all Wilson rushed for 160 yards in the contest. Husker co-captain Frank Solich felt that the Nebraska offensive unit left a lot to be desired.

think we made a lot of Solich observed, citing tenseness and the cold weather as the reason. The mistakes the scrappy little offensive captain was referring to were the three fumbles and a blocked punt which kept the Huskers in the hole throughout the first half. guys have been thinking about the game, and I think they just got a little too keyed STAFF PHOTO BY DICK OOLC ONE GOING assistant coach George Kelly heads for shower. Ih.