The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • Page 25

SOONERS UPSET NEBRASKA SPORT SIGNALS By Hal Brown Sports Editor, The Star Who's On Top? Norman, of the was supposed to settle once and for all who the best team in the nation was, but thanks to Notre Ara Parseghian, the issue will always remain in doubt. Personally, rather have Michigan Bubba Smith serving as our doctor, or lawyer, or druggist, or company president than we would Ara. And not just because Bubba would make two of Ara in size. make two of Ara in most Could it be that Ara figures if you beat by 64-0. you might as well settle for a tie.

If Ara had been directing World War II, now be speaking German half of the day and English the other 12 hours. If Ara had been St. Pat, Ireland would still be infested with snakes. If he were your surgeon and cut into you. then found something he handle, stall until it was time for him to go home, then let someone else sew' you up.

If Ara were your attorney, he'd gel things delayed until the statute of limitations ran out on your crime. The football coaches voting on the United Press International poll proved they are a bit smarter than the football writer.s voting for Press by giving Michigan State the nod over the Fighting Irish, who turned into the I Give Up Irish against the Spartans. Bubba Wouldn't Fit The way Ara conducted things in the final two minutes of the game, they could have played it in a telephone booth. The groundskeepers wasted their time liming the entire field with chalk. The only trouble with that is that Bubba fit in a phone booth.

strategy reduced him to the point here he would fit in a match box. It had been Chief Sitting Bull when he surrounded General Custer at the Little Big Horn, have ordered his men not to fire their arrows because there would have been the danger that the arrow supply might run out. Ara hml the arrows Saturday, but he draw the bow Not Always Willing To Tie Dame loachcs of days didr'f in ties Take the case ot Frank I.eahy when he wa.s fnach- Ing at Boston College before going to Dame. Boston College team was tied 7-7 with Auburn in the closing moments of the game w'hen he ordered a pass from his own 15-yard line. The pass went for a touchdown and a 13-7 victory.

When Leahy was asked if the pass play were not a bit risky, he back, get anywhere in life asking far a Ara got a No. 1 ranking for his team by beating helpless foes, 64-0. It seems that once that top spot is reached, everything should be done to prove that you belong there. want to risk an Ara weakly rationalized. kid.s had fought too hard for 594 minutes to lose it in the final .30 second.s one fights hard for soiiiethiiig, he the chance to win? Ara gise young Coley that chance.

They may to change that slogan from one for The to one for the Bubba certainly came out much taller than Ara and his b-7 frame has nothing to do with it. Late Oklahoma FQ Ends Bid For Perfect Season By HAL BROWN Star Sports Editor Norman Big Red has been that everywhere gone in the past three years except in Oklahoma where another Big Red is still king and the Sooners were the bigger Red here again Thanksgiving Day. Oklahoma won the battle of Big Reds by one point, 10-9, on 21- yard field goal with 48 seconds left in the nationally televised game, keeping Huskers, the northern version of Big Red, from an unbeaten regular season for the second time in three years. The successful field goal took the goat horns off Vachon, who had missed one from the 1.3- yard line earlier In the final quarter. It also took the second guessers off Oklahoma coach Jim back, after the freshman Sooner coach had chosen to go for a first down on a fourth- and-one situation rather than the field goal deep in Husker territory in the second quarter.

decision made by the Sooner coaching staff to receive the kick at the beginning of the second half also played a key role in the final outcome. strong 21-mile-pcr-hour wind with gusts to 35, typical of Oklahoma, blew throughout the day and the Huskers, who won the toss, elected to take that wind ill the first quarter. Oklahoma, getting the choice at halftime, decided to receive, giving Nebraska the wind in the third quarter, but taking it away from them in the final 15 minutes. meaning Vachon, the top place kicker, would have the aid of that wind in the final quarter. Nebraska, which moved the football as well as it had at any time this season with the exception of the Missouri game, still made a valiant effort to preserve a second straight unbeaten season in the final 48 seconds.

Quarterback Bob Churchich passed the Huskers from their 35 to the Oklahoma 44 in 38 seconds, but Rodney Crosswhite made his second pass interception of the day by picking off a Churchich pass at the oil 10 with two seconds remaining. The interception ending hopes was the third of the day thrown by Churchich. who owns 12 NU passing records. Both teams moved up and down the field with ease and if the gridiron had been 20 yard.s shorter, the score here might have approached the 49-35 contest between the two teams a decade and a half ago. The Huskers rushed for 238 yards and completed 7 of 13 passes fm- another 76 yards.

Oklahoma moved as well with 194 yards on the ground and 104 in the air on a perfect four of four passes. But despite the offensive statistics, the game was decided by the toes of Vachon and Larry Wachholtz. The contest could have had more turning points than a zig-zag ride through the mountains. A key turning point was a mishandled snap from center after the only Husker touchdown. That lei to the conversion attempt by Wachholtz being blocked by Bob Stephenson.

Had that 2 attempt been suc- cessful, the Huskers would have owned a 10-7 advantage and Mackenzie would have been left with the decision of going for the tie with the field goal or the win with a touchdown when defense finally stopped the Sooners with a fourth and four the NU four-yard line. But instead the Huskers enjoyed only a 9-7 advantage when OU reached that juncture with 48 seconds left and the decision for was an easy one. Each team led twice in the tightly contested game but OU led when it no time left on the scoreboard clock. defense learned Thursday how defenders must have felt during that Husker drive four games ago that overhauled the Buffs in the final seconds at Boulder. Just as the NU offense had done in that game, offensive unit did here Thursday, coming up with successful plays on three crucial third-down plays to gain the long yardage that kept the drive alive and set up winning kick.

The Sooners began their successful drive when they forced the Huskers to punt into the wind from their own 35 with 8:27 left in the game. Oklahoma started at its own 24 and appeared to be in trouble with a third and eight at the 27. But Bob Warmack, failing to find a receiver, got outside the NU defenders and scampered 10 yards for a first down at the Oklahoma .36. The Sooners were faced with another third and eight four plays later. This time Warmack found 6-2 end Ben Hart with a 12-yard pass that put the ball at the NU 31.

For a third time in the drive, the Hu.skers had apparently stopped OU. confronting them with a third and nine at the Husker .30. Warmack handed off to fullback Gary Harper this time and Harper caiTied for 20 yards to the NU 10. Three plays brought Oklahoma to the NU four and Vachon trotted onto the field for his third fieM-goal attempt. When the hands went into the air signaling the kick was good.

hopes for an unbeaten season dropped and the official plaque from Sugar Bowl representative Dr. Fred Wolfe in the Husker dressing room inviting the Huskers to New Orleans was little consolation. Nebraska drove 80 yards in 18 plays to set up successful field goal attempt from the 18-yard line into the teeth of the gusting winds for a 3-0 lead with 9:55 left in the second quarter. lead in the third quarter. The big plays in the drive were an 11-yard run by Ben Gregory, who gained 109 yards for a Nebraska high this season, a nine-yard and a 19-yard pitch from Churchich to Tom Penney and another 23- yard gallop by Gregory.

Dick Davis finally rammed the ball over from two yards away with Harry Wilson, who rushed for 79 yards, wiping out Crosswhite with a block at the one- yard line. HANDOFF Churchich hands off to Tatman as NU backs swing into action. field-goal attempt, alio into the wind in the first quarter, from the Nebraska 34 was short, giving the Huskers the ball at their own nine to start the march that was capped by the Wachholtz field goal, his eighth as a Husker for a school record. Oklahoma rilckly to take the lead late in the rrat half, moving 66 yards in three plays after taking a Joe Armstrong punt at the OU 34. Halfback Ron Shotts, missed the last three Oklahoma of them lost by the for 17 yards to put the ball at the Nebraska 48.

Warmack then hit Eddie Hinton at the 15 with Hinton bowling over Wachholtz and scampering into the end zone. kick as good to give the Sooners a 7-3 margin at the halftime break. Nebraska drove 80 yards to take the This gave the Huskers the 9-7 lead with 4:29 left in the third quarter and then came the mixup on the conversion attempt, leading one press-box occupant to crack, probably wind up the best prediction of the century. that the Huskers get into Oklahoma territory until the last-ditch effort after OU had taken the 10-9 lead. The loss only the second in regular-season by NU in the last three cl them coming here.

It also was only the fifth regular-seasoii loss for Husker eoaeh Bob Devaney since coming to of them coming here. The win could liave put another Big Eight team into a bowl game with the Sooners a likely entry in the Liberty Bowl against Miami of Florida Dec. 10. The Huskers have already accepted a Sugar Bowl invitation to play Jan. 2.

HUSKERS OFFER NO EXCUSES Sooner Jinx Continues By HINES Star Sports Writer Norman Okla. Owen Field remained an unconquered obstacle to coach Bob Devaney and his Corn- huskers for the third straight time but the Huskers refused to offer any excuses after going down to their first defeat in 20 reg- HUSKER GLOOM NU's Stilb hides fate in hands. uiar-season games. Almost to a man, the Huskers gave credit to Oklahoma and said that as far as they were concerned they had played well enough to win in most games. thought our team played well but that Oklahoma played an obviously disappointed Devaney said quietly.

Three times they made a first down on third and long yardage and certainly those plays were very important. think that our running the football with Wilson (Harry) and Gregory (Ben) worked well for us and that we gained a lot of yards with our ground game. The first time we moved the ball so well and score certainly was one of opportunities we missed. had a I i 111 tougher defense than we expected. We thought we could control the ball against them better than we did.

That Warmack has a lot of poise In tough situations and a lot of their boys came through with the big plays when they needed them. think we came ready to Devaney concluded. Inside the Husker dressing room, players grimly kept their emotions hidden behind stolid faces as they piled their equipment into duffel bags, had trainers cut their tapes and hurriedly showered, dressed and departed to join friends and pile on the buses. After a few moments the players began to talk about the victory snatched from them in the final moment of play. Some of them, such as Wayne Meylan, still eould not get over shock.

just know what to say. We just lost Wayne said as he finished tying his shoes. went over two key plays for Oklahoma, plus another Sooner play that gave the home club a deep advance which Nebraska repelled. They were, in order, a 43- yard pass from quarterback Warmack to split end Ben Hart, the 48-yard touchdown pass from Warmack to Eddie Hinton and the blocked Husker extra point. Thoreli (other safety) and me were covering Larry said.

overran the play and Hart just reached up between us and grabbed the ball. puss to Hinton was on a pattern we expected. In practice we had worked on it where Oklahoma would line up with two siotbacks and an end and Hinton would flare out. But today he went straight out as I was watching the end and caught the ball. know if the snap was bad or what on that extra point of ours.

The holder had it down and I started to kick but had to stop when that guy Stephenson) came through. hey had a few big plays but other than those we held them pretty well. I know on some of runs our guys would hit him but he would go on for more. We locking our arms. We all wanted to win Big Bob Pickens said, excuses offered.

The team we played against was a fine team. You win it or else you lose it and sometimes the best team win. (Bob) called a good game and I thought our ground game was going a little bit better. I will say, though, that I thought the guys Oklahoma had built up would be a 1 rougher than they were. defense was good enough to hold they just went out and played a fine tackle a inmate on the lelt side of the Gary Brichacek, said, coulda broke it open every time we had the ball.

On our touchdown drive we were right up middle and everything was going right that Harry Wilson also agreed that the job Oklahoma did on passing attack (three interceptions was decisive. thought at first when we were driving that our running game was working extremely well. OU did an extremely good job of defensing our passing game, though. just came out and played hard-nosed football. Warmack did a nice job of progressing the ball and Jackson and Hinton really helped their Looking ahead, Wilson said, think a lot quicker than Oklahoma was and going to have to work on that quite a How They Scored Time NL OU Lcsft Second Quarter 3-0 Wachholtz.

field goal 9:55 48 pass from 3-7 Vachon placement Third Quarter Davis, 2 run 4:29 Wachholtz kick blcM'ked Fourth Quarter 9-10 Vac hon. 21 field Nebraska 0 3 6 Oklahoma 0 7 0 (liiHiNHMiimminiinnimmniiniiRiiittiHiHitK SPORTS Friday BASKETBALL Cerahing Colby. Tourney; Wahoo JFK at Clarinda. Iowa, lournameni. add ipoi-ta menu atar tuea S-5-S Saturday KMVI'BALL luwa Stale at CoUwatJo Siajf.

IKHKKV MeinpbU at Omaha, Ak-Sar- Bfii HAShl TBALL Fershing Oiliege at TournameiU Wahoo JFK at lovta, Touniament. Sunday -UtiaJNI LION ACROBATICS Halfback Bob 45 1 tries to iliti Sail UTancisco line. Story page 26..