The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 239

'ft- Tin: MIAMI llfRALD Sun Nov 21 1971 Widuul Fans ISim Out of Smtoriaiives Pruitt Will Pit Speed A gainst Nebraska BvROBIRT MOORE Attocuttd Pri Wrtltr NORMAN Okla Greg Truitt is a guy who likes to advertise Pruitt who skyrocketed out of nowhere to become one of the most awesome runners football history wears a T-shirt which savs on the front On the backside the lettering spells "Goodbye" Nothing could be more appropriate for Pruitt because the way it has been most of the season for the sizzling Sooner nicknamed the "Wicked Midget" by teammate Roy Bell the chance to demonstrate his blinding speed here Thuisday when the second-ranked Sooners bid for No 1 in the nation against top-ranked Nebraska The Oklahoma faithful think Pruitt may be the dilference "Nebraska is a great team" says Pruitt "However if they play us without any tricks and we play them without any tricks beat them" Pruitt has a rushing average of 9 5 yards The major college record is 9 62 set by Leon Burton of Arizona State in 1977 Three times Pruitt has broken the 200-yard mark rushing in a game this season He got 294 against Kansas State for what then was a Big Eight Conference record In all nine Oklahoma games Pruitt has gathered 1423 yards for an average of 148 1 yards a game He has scored in eight of them tor 90 points The big thing about Pruitt as his statistics indicate is that he carry the ball as much as some players who collect huge hunks of yardage in a game He has rushed only 150 times OKLAHOMA Coach Chuck Fairbanks and opposing coaches have jiM about exhausted their supply of superlatives to describe the little Texan who weighs only 176 pounds stands five feet nine inches and is only a junior Fairbanks has summed up his appraisal of Pruitt by saying "He has to be classified as one of the great backs in the era of football We knew toward the end of last season and this was strengthened during spring practice that he was going to be a great back" Tommy Woodard Texas defensive rover said after victory over the I onghorns thit Pruitt "turns the corner and gets you one-on-one and you might as well put up six points" Coach Vince Gibson of Kansas State: "I believe Pruitt is the best ever time we thought we had Truitt stopped fora six-yaid gam and he ran across the field for the touchdown BARRY Switer the Oklahoma backfield coach savs Pruitt "is the best blocker on the team Heattuks people he pros have been here and they know thit he's got great hands He would be a gieat split Almost overnight Pruitt has become the idol ot the students on the Oklahoma campus and of the people throughout the state Pruitt himself is modrit about his sudden rise to stardom although he talks of his speed and ability to outfox would-be tacklers "I try not to walk around with my head real high and my chest out" he says think I have 'to prove mjself' that we have to prove this team every week So I foigt last week think about this week Next Nebraska" seen Coach John McKay of Southern California: "One Oklahoma Duel I 1 8 Titles No 1 V- -i-1 i' 4 fj1 rrvs -V SF 'S t'L jV -A fip 4W a feh'fV been no al less than sensation- PRUITT has gained 1423 yards rushing and Mildren 968 Mildren has thrown only 45 passes but completed 22 for 646 yards Rodgers possibly the best all-around player in the country has done virtually everything for the Cornhuskers caught 45 passes 10 for touchdowns and leads the Big Eight Conference in receiving punt and kickoff returning He and Pruitt each have scored 15 touchdowns Tagge has completed 619 per cent of his passes for 1706 yards and 14 touchdowns He leads the Big Eight in passing and total offense DEFENSIVELY Nebraska 1 (V ft1 Volunteers are the prospective opponents in 1975 HAWAII and Nebraska have met only twice previously The Cornhuskers bound for the Orange Bowl in 1954 closed out their season by romping over the Rainbows here 50-0 Greg Pruilt Models Popular T-Shirt on Campus but opponents mainly see the igoo(lby' written across his hack For By CHARI IE SMITH UnUed Prest International Writer NORMAN Okla Color Nebraska and Oklahoma red Not with anger but with determination And while at it color Owen Stadium red too Because the panorama of 61-826 fans will be nothing but red Thursday Add that to the green tartan turf and it'll look like a giant commercial for Christmas The Thanksgiving Day football game has been building for six weeks when Oklahoma defeated Texas and moved up in the national poll to No 2 right behind Nebraska which has been No 1 since the season began LUCKILY for the football fans ABC-TV scheduled the game for television last summer There will be no hassle with the National Collegiate Athletic Association to televise this one as there was with the Texas-Oklahoma game The game itself figures to be a classic Already it has overshadowed any possible bowl match-ups Nebraska which has gone 29 straight games without a loss has mowed down 10 straight foes this season The closest score was 31-7 over Colorado an- NORMAN 0la results for Nebraska NEBRASKA (104) (UP!) 1971 and Oklahoma OKLAHOMA (94) 34 Ore9on 35 Minnesota 34 Texas Utah State 36 Missouri 55 Kansas 41 Oklahoma St 31 Colorado 37 Iowa State 44 Kansas State 389 Totals 30 SMU 55 Pittsburgh 33 Southern Cal 48 Texas 45 Co orado 75 Kansas St 43 Iowa State 20 Aissouri 56 Kansas 0 29 20 27 17 28 12 3 10 405 Totals 146 Computer Gives Nod To Nebraska NORTH PLATTE Neb (AP) Nebraska 31 Oklahoma 21 the projected score of the Big Eight clash between the Huskers and the Sooners Thursday as provided by a Nebraska computer Computer Utilities of Western Nebraska conducted a program in response to a prediction earlier this week by a Tulsa Okla computer that Oklahoma would defeat Nebraska 39-33 on Thanksgiving Day James Connor vice president of the firm said used anything we could get our hands on which related to both teams coming up with the HE SAID the computer was fed game statistics comparisons of common opponents average yardage per game amount of time played each game by first-string players and other data In its 20-minute calculation the computer projected that Nebraska would gain 231 yards passing and 223 yards rushing for a total of 454 Rainhoivs Eye Gold In Cornhuskers Battle 1 4 vv iHS i "I i i mA NX I 't Press Wirephot The following year Hawaii traveled up to Lincoln and opened their intercollegiate season with a stunning 6-0 upset over the Cornhuskers But this season Nebraska is No 1 in just poll while Hawaii considered a small college has a 7-2 record and even ranked in that division Chuck Nemas "Earlier the network (ABC-TV) would have agreed to an earlier starting time but after the research it believed to be College football games counting halftime shows generally run between 2'2 and three hours Should there be any delay starting the game or should the halftime show run longer than 30 minutes the contest could go beyond 5 pm If that happens television viewers as well as stadium spectators will have difficulty seeing the action The four banks of lights are scheduled to be turned on at halftime The veteran coach departed the Ivy League because "I just coaching any more I was all caught up in other responsibilities" BESIDES Odell said he found that the job of attracting top scholar-athletes to Penn competition with the other Ivies Yale Harvard and Princeton among them had taken all the fun out of coaching for him "I think enjoyed this jearmore than the former coach at Yale Wiscon ft ter Doug Dumler are the Nebraska luminaries ONLY two college footbalt games in recent history havff approached the public impact that this one has That would be the 1966 Notre Dame-Michigan State contest which ended in a 10 10 tie and the 1969 lexas-Arkansas game which Texas won 15-14 Neither of those games however had the six-week build-up of expectation thi4 one has And neither of tho4e pitted the No I offense against the No 1 defense Add that to the holiday atmosphere the national 1-2 rankings and the pride of both teams and it seems impossible to dream up a better football game Fuqua Flashy Fullback By IRA MILI ER United Press International Writer PITTSBURGH John Fuqua the Pittsburgh fullback likes to be noticed both on and off the field To do one he buys the flashiest clothes he can get his hands on To do the other he hopes to lead the NFL in rushing not trying to make people notice me as much as trying to stand Fuqua says wardrobe might be the most distinctive in the NFL It includes things like a purple jump suit a flowing cape a big top hat and a glass walking cane "I think clothes have something to do witn youc he says got to be yourself to express your emotion Your clothes reflect just about how a guy To the Steelers Fuqua regardless of what he is wearing represents something of a steal Pittsburgh a team long accustomed to making bad trades got Fuqua and linebacker Henry Davis from the New York Giants before the 1970 season in a trade for quarterback Dick Shiner LAST YEAR Fuqua led the American Conference with a 5 0 rushing average and set a Steeler club record when he ran for 218 yards in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles This year he has gained 487 yards in nine games but his rushing average is down to 3 8 yards a carry because says Coach Chuck Noll other teams are setting their defenses to stop him Today Fuqua gets his first chance to play against his former mates when the Steei-ers tied for the lead in the AFC Central Division meet the Giants here not really a matter of revenge he says I just want to do something myself to beat them It would make me feel a little bit better if we beat them and I scored maybe once or twice or even three HARDLY anyone topk Fuqua seriously w'hen he announced before the start of this season that he planned to lead the league in rushing But now that the goal is almost out of sight he admits he did not set a timetable until my junior year in college that I even got to thinking about being a good runner In the pros recalls Fuqua a third-year pro until then I had plaved guard in high school and I have any fame or an thing except maybe knocking four men down at one is anchored by middle guard Rich Glover tackle larry Jacobson and end Willie Harper The secondary of monsterman Dave Mason halfbacks Joe Blahak and Jim Anderson and safety Bill Kosch is second to none Oklahoma will rely on a heavy pass rush by end Raymond Hamilton and tackle Luscious Sclmon and the fine linebacking of Steve Aycock and Mark Driscoll Safety John Shelley heads the secondary The offensive lines are extraordinary Both coaches Bob Devaney of Nebraska and Chuck Fairbanks of Oklahoma call them the best ever had Center Tom Brahaney and guard Ken Jones are the Oklahoma leaders while guard Dick Rupert and cen- Press Wirephoto finest running hacks schools had it" been there and In the meantime Odell will have the large majority of his varsity starters back next fail plus the recruits from a 5-1 freshman squad that should give his second Williams club a little more depth that experienced success and gotten the confidence we reeded in the kids this is it for me Coaching is fun again after 25 other top 10 team Okalahoma has wmn nine in a row The shortest margin was 33-20 over Southern California BUT only half the story Oklahoma has run for more yards than any college football team in history 4333 And the Sooners have averaged 45 points a game Nebraska is scoring 38 9 points a game but has yielded only 64 compared to 162 The mighty defense has yielded only 1717 yards per game total offense best in the nation Individual stais will be plentiful Offensively Greg Pruitt and Jack Mildren and Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers and Jerry Tagge have -i'ti 4 Mod Steeler John a linebackerto quarterback and another to fullback Though they were still pretty green in the new spots Williams got by Trinity lost to Rochester and then reeled off six straight victories Included in the string were triumphs over both Wesleyan and Amherst Little Three rivals Williams been able to beat since 1967 kids were a really good Odell enthifees over his first Williams pro duction had been well Darkness Could Mar Sooner-Husker Clash w- NORMAN Okla (UPI) It would take an unusually long game but there is a chance football game between unbeaten Nebraska and Oklahoma will be finisned darkness The contest is scheduled to begin at 1:50 pm (CST) Sunset is due here at 5 19 according to the National Weather Service Oklahoma City ONLY lights at Owen Field are four banks which are used for night practice sessions but give enough illumination for satisfactory playing conditions "The University of Oklahoma is aware of the said Big Eight Commissioner HONOLULU (UPI) Almost every football fan in the nation knows that Nebraska and Oklahoma meet in the big shootout for No 1 on Thanksgiving Day But not very many fans know that the powerful Cornhuskers close out their season here against the Hawaii Rainbows Dec 4 While some consider the game a mismatch others feel that this would give Hawaii a good chance to show how they fare against a major college opponent THERE are some like Hawaii Athletic Director Paul Durham who look upon this game as a financial boom to the athletic program been a standard policy at the school Durham said to close out the season against a major college With Nebraska on the schedule season tickets reached 6000 Durham said the most in the school history bringing a record $200000 It also means a lot to the whole schedule especially in recruiting Durham says "It helps when we can show a top athlete the fact that we play some top IN 1967 Hawaii closed its season against Utah losing 25-20 to the Redskins in the last quarter In 1968 the Rainbows took on California and lost a hard-fought 17-12 contest to the Bears in a sea of mud The following year Oregon came into town and rolled over Hawaii 57-16 after a close first half Last season the Rainbows schedule a major college opponent but make up for it this year Hawaii has already played Montana beating the Gnzznes 25-11 They still have New Mexico and Nebraska with California State at Long Beach this Saturday Next season Hawaii is scheduled to close against Stanford and will finisn against Utah In 1973 In 1974 the Rainbows have tentatively scheduled Arizona State while the Tennessee (Frenchy) Fuqua Sharp On Off Field ascends to status as one of Af fIore Personally Involved Willi Kids Ex-Penn Coach Bell Found Utopia at Williams drilled and were really hungry for success We just kind of pointed them in the right direction said and they WHILE Odell realizes he and his staff sit on our after a big first season he finds the competition much more balanced at the Little Three level than the Ivy League far as concerned this is it very dcfimtplv stay away from any big sin Bucknell and Penn said became more directly involved in actual coaching more personally involved with the kids Of course winning is bound to make you happy But it was a lot moie than Odell was blessed with 28 lettermen in his first time around at Williams and was admittedly fortunate to get through his first season there with very few injuries HE DID some personnel switching including moving By DICK DEW United Press International Writer WILLIAMSTOWN Mass After 25 years in football coaching Bob Odell says found the place he wants to stay Odell created something of a fuss in the venerable Ivy League several months ago when he resigned at Penn He landed at tiny Williams and has just finished piloting the Ephmen to both the Little Three championship and their best record in four jears a 7-1 mark -M 'Z -'V'.