El Paso Herald-Post from El Paso, Texas • 26

CL PASO HE RALP-PQST Monday December Win Ffesta Bawl Olcla Sooners see 77 national title TON MICE DEFJIl SEDUCE Specialising In ReLumr snf WMML 751-7797 SS37 Dyer betveei Mart I Seers spare trudx should be an Mt truck "BUt this is such a young football team that it be the last time folks hesr about the Cowboys" LATRAIL JONES Wyoming's leading rusher with 68 yards also saw better things ahead for tbe Western Athletic Conference co-champion "We have a lot of players coming back next year" he said "We should be back for Fiesta Bowl VII" The game was decided in the opening minutes when Oklahoma scored on its first two possessions and had 133 yards total offense to only three yards for the Cowboys With 16 Sooner backs carrying the ball for 415 yards Elvis Peacock was the only OU player to score a pair of touchdowns on runs of 3 and 15 yards By DAVID HURLBERT TEMPE Aril (UPI) It was only minutes after the final gun in the Fiesta Bowl that Oklahoma began talking of a national championship in 1077 The Sooners had just demolished Wyoming 41-7 to complete a 02-1 season when sophomore quarterback Thomas Lott named the top offensive player declared "I can't watt until next season" Junior cornerback Terry Peters recipient of tbe Defensive Player of the Game trophy added "We are really going to be something We're gonna be out for the national PETERS HAD two of the Sooners Fiesta record five interceptions Sooner Coach Barry Switzer agreed that the victory following three straight Big Eight Conference wins that gave Oklahoma a three-way share of the league title will give his team a good "carry-over factor" the fact that we have so many players coming back is really what's super" added Switzer who will have 10 of 22 starters returning The Sooners were ranked 13th going into the Fiesta Bowl but Switzer said he did not feel his team would move up much in the final poll after all the bowl games WITH BOTH TEAMS running the wishbone offense Switzer said there was only one factor that made the difference "personnel" "People make things happen" he said "We were just stronger than they Wyoming Coach Fred Akers who now moves on to Texas to succeed Darrell Royal said his squad had "too many mental mistakes and as the game went on the load got heavier Steelers hurt Harris Bleier loss is blow Owning on extra truck tt a pretty expensive proposition So if you need a truck for occasional extra loads or as a spare when you have a break down maybe it's time you considered renting From us Avis We're there when you need us 1 And only when you 1 need us 779-270652CoiiYaiiv GEORGE ATKINSON of the Oeklend ed for Lynn Swann (68) In the third Reidere (43) fella to hie knees after quarter of their game at Oakland The deflecting a Pittiburgh paia from Raiders won 24-7 and earned a Super quarterback Terry Bradahaw Intend- Bowl trip Stigma is erased wmwD tfEB HURinr! SUE ENDS fmimt socse SIZES Hit BE UHTED ID QUAKTITT IEKKT30 00(011 1011 735-14 535-14 175-15 WfoMtthfofUpw at 20 his teeth from the hit but he will be in good shape by the end of the week "I COULD HAVE stayed in and played" said Stabler whose 27 TD passes during the regular season was tops in the NFL "I'll be ready for the Super Bowl don't worry about that a second" Earlier Stabler had thrown a four-yard scoring pass to Warren Bankston Clarence Davis had dived a yard after a fumble recovery and 25-yard run by Willie Hall and Errol Mann had booted a 36-yard field goal to account for the other Raider points Harris and Bleier who had rushed for more than 2000 yards between them didn't play a single down because of injuries suffered the last two weeks Without them the Pittsburgh offense was stripped of its fuse and Terry Bradshaw had his hands full trying to generate a serious drive He did once though moving the Steelers 75 yards in eight plays with Reggie Harrison going the last three to make the score 10-7 in the second quarter But then Stabler went to work "I'm sorry we have all the weapons in our Noll said "If we had Franco and Rocky we would have won the game As it was we had to play with our offense at 50 per cent" (Continued From Page 1C) whom they beat 34-10 in an exhibition and 24-16 in the regular season three years ago AFTER BEING frustrated so many times in the past while playing for a spot in the Super Bowl the Raiders were almost business-like following their victory over the Steelers Outside of (me emotional outburst on the field after the final whistle and another in the dressing room when they shoved Madden into a shower fully clothed the Raiders kept things pretty much in perspective "Our defense kicked the hell out of them" said quarterback Ken Stabler who threw two touchdown passes "This game should shut up a lot of those who said we would lay down when we played Cincinnati so that we wouldn't have to face the Steelers and those who said we played dirty football This team doesn't alibi We proved we are good" Stabler was knocked flat by Pittsburgh middle linebacker Jack Lambert seconds after he had floated a five-yard scoring pass to Pete Banas-zak in the third quarter The TD accounted for the final Oakland points and sealed the Steelers Stabler suffered rib and hip bruises a slight head injury and lost a cap on one of II 45 19 44 pm i By GORDON SAKAMOTO OAKLAND (UPI) Even if the Super Bowl-bound Oakland Raiders insist the presence of Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier would not have made any difference Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll begs to disagree In the bedlam of the Oakland dressing room Sunday after their 24-7 victory over the two-time defending world champion Steelers John Madden said "I don't think their playing without Harris or Bleier made a difference" Noll however took exception to that statement "I'm sorry we have a few more weapons (namely Harris and Bleier who play because of he said 50 per cent of our offense "Their absence put a lot of pressure on our defense because our offense moving the ball well" Then without any hesitation he cryptically added "If they were in we would have The loss of the 1000-yard rushing tandem ended what could have been a Cinderella season for the Steelers After getting off to a wretched 14 start they stormed back to win their final nine games to take the AFC Central Division title "I will remember this football season Noll added "It is a lousy end coming back as we did from the start we had It's a shame it has to end this way It tears you up" But without Harris and Bleier the usual Pittsburgh ball-control game plan of 70 per cent run and 30 per cent pass was drastically altered Even No 3 running back John Fuqua was severely limited because of a calf muscle pull As it turned out Terry Bradshaw wound up passing 35 times compared to only 21 rushea The quarterback completed 14 throws for 176 yards but the ground game was limited to a far below par 72 yards "Franco could hardly move and Rocky was having problems Noll said "We tried to mix it up but we use French (Fuqua) too much cither because he too was nursing an injury And we couldn't go with one running back all day Our running wasn't working and we had to throw and we didn't do too well" With only a week before the Oakland game to install a new offensive alignment Noll said "Obviously we didn't have enough time to Pittsburgh came out and lined up with an offense that had a single back and two tight ends with a wingback had to come up with the double tight end offense and try to read them (Oakland's defense) on how they'd react" said Bradshaw "We went both sides and it didn't work kept our fingers crossed that Franco and Rocky would be available but there were hurt pretty bad" got to think that we would have won the game (if Harris and Bleier were available) but I'm not going to say it" said All-Pro defensive tackle Joe Greene "We were on the field all the time There was pressure on us the whole way We simply didn't meet the challenge We're capable but we did not do it" In supporting the statement of Noll and Greene the Sleeler defense which led the NFL in nine categories including five shutouts during the nine-game streak held for awhile but eventually snapped The Raiders whose mode of attack is the passing of Ken Stabler continually worked on the right side of Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" and breached it for 157 yards (71-14 77114 07514 5 G7S-1I ATI-11 0fo Utmd 1175 IB 52 pm tow Mb-iMfew 5300 pm NFEMIL MM! KL1D Rams beaten on blocked kicks By JOHN KNUDSEN BLOOMINGTON Minn (UPI) The blocking of kicks and special team heroics anticipated but not always programmed proved the margin of victory Sunday to launch the Minnesota Vikings into a record fourth Super Bowl appearance The Vikings converted a blocked field goal by Los Angeles' Tom Dempsey into a 00-yard touchdown In the first quarter and turned a blocked Rusty Jack- son punt into a field goal by Fred Cox in the second quarter "The trouble was with our kicking game" said Rams Coach Chuck Knox whose Rams lost 24-13 their third straight National Football Conference championship game loss "If our kicking game would have been all right it would have been a different game I thought our defense played excep- tionally well Vikings only earned seven points We gave them 10 points with our poor kicking game They got their final touchdown but that was only because it was set up by an unbelievable catch and run by Chuck Foreman You do have to give the Vikings credit they never once let down" MINNESOTA RIGHT cornerback Bobby Bryant who broke his arm two years ago against the Green Bay Packers and then broke it again this year in the pre-season ran for 90 yards with a loose ball after Nate Allen blocked Dempsey' field goal try to give -the Vikings a 74 lead "The blocked kicks were just breaks in the game" said Allen who made the big special team plays for the Vikings all season "You can say it was luck because they are not prorammed but not to say that we expect any blocks We work hard nn blocking kicks and trying to come up with the big plays" Bryant said the kick Allen blocked took the best bounce he had seen in his eight-year professional career MADE A beautiful block on the play and the ball just bounced up to me" said the 32-year-old defensive back just bounced right up into my hands and I took off That's the first time I ever had a bounce like that The big question then was whether I was going to make it 90 yards down the field without collapsing what happened to me earlier this year I'm just lucky I'm healthy enough that I was able to play today Getting to the Super Bowl was the big thing for all of us and I'm just glad I could help get us there" Early in the second quarter Minnesota linebacker Matt Blair blocked a punt by Jackson who had dropped the snap from center and rookie Sammy White returned the ball two yards to the Los Angeles 8 Four plays later Cox made it 104 with a 25-yard field goal 30 171-15 N71IS G71IS NT-I4 075-14 FTt-14 17114 C79-14 DU-14 A75-I1 C7B-I1 UMbRb Ins SI 75 DM pm fo4h Ari 11 pm liw Bowls bomb out TIRE CENTER AT BASSETT 6201 EDGEMERE AT GERONIMO 77052227724162 aoauua mmumwomd Mam maaoi mwcwdvms Justin Kolas 1 9 (Continued From Page 1C) (Chuck) of the Los Angeles Rams it would be on the team's lack of a good kicking game The Rams couldn't keep their kicks from being blocked in their last two games beyond comprehension that a school with as big a name as Kentucky could have had so many violations of NCAA rules Among the things dug up by NCAA sleuths was the fact that an athlete was entertained at a Kentucky race track (Churchill Downs) and given tickets on horses in races In ano-other instance it was found than an athlete at Kentucky was transported to Las Vegas and given free alcoholic drinks and money to gamble with Every time he pulled the handle on a alot machine it cost the school money The school didn't get any of his winnings if be had any Good name for a basketball tourna- NEW 'n MORZA TOWN CPL Martin doesn't get goal Hawaii looks outclassed ment: The Cable Car Classic in San Francisco And the story is told about the players of the four teams in a Los Angeles basketball tournament visiting a Hollywood jnovie set Mae West was being filmed for a picture It was late and she'd been on the set for hours but she was still gracious to the 50 or so players: "There's nothing I like more than wall-to-wall she said I've had a hard day One of you men will have to go" Real Madrid' cage winner MADRID (UPI) Spanish champion Real Madrid knocked off Tennessee 113-103 Sunday night to win its own Christmas round-robin basketball tournament for the ninth time in the 12-year history of the competition Tennessee led by as much as 10 points throughout much at the first half But Real Madrid led by American players John Coughran and Walter Szczerbiak closed the gap and led at the half by 57-53 The leading scorer for Tennessee was Mike Jackson with 35 points Bernard King who poured in 55 on Saturday night could not maintain that pace Santa Anita track opens 40th season ARCADIA Calif (UPI) Santa Anita will launch Us 40th thoroughbred racing season tomorrow with a field of 13 sprinters entered in the 540000-added Palos Verdes Handicap at six furlongs Carrying highwelght of 121 pounds will be Ancient Title with Angel Cordero up while Messenger of Song with Jerry Lambert in the saddle has been assigned 124 pounds All-time riding champion BDl Shoemaker will be aboard Stardust Mel which will carry 121 pounds Also in the field are American Trader Sure Fire Ben Uniformity Happy Randy Crafty Native' Money Lender Ezequiel Maheras and Tiltin Milton game Lee Fogolin and Fred Stanfield scored 40 seconds apart to hightlight the outburst Andre St-vard and Brian Spencer also scored in the period IN OTHER GAMES the New York Islanders edged the New York Rangers 2-1 Chicago downed Colorado 5-3 Pittsburgh defeated Toronto 4-2 and Boston beat Cleveland 03 In the World Hockey Assn Calgary beat Cincinnati 6-3 Birmingham topped Houston 02 Quebec routed Winnipeg 103 New England defeated Minnesota 02 and San Diego edged Indianapolis ISLANDERS I RANGERS I Garry Hewatt pitying with a ipaclal faremaak to prelect a fractured cheakbane icareda breakaway goal at J-Slat Hit Ihtrd parted to give the 9015 Tinted Blass wheel opening mouldings 4 speed transmission white tires air flow heater heavy duty radiator 23 litre engine cloth bucket seats lalandert their victory Bab Nyilrem tut Itw lalandara ahead 1-B to the a parlod bafora toy Rangerv Bill GataiuerWiy Had the game at at aw aac- FUTMrnug S3MMS OUR PRICE 3697 By GREG AIELLO UH Ipoiti Writer Everyone it seemed thought Rick Martin had scored a goal in the first period of the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 victory last night over the Washington Capitals Everyone that is except the goal judge and the referee So Martin's apparent tally didn't count and it became the biggest topic of discussion following his victory "The players thought it was a on both said Sabre Coach Floyd Smith "At the time it could have been important" The Sabres were leading 14 on Jim Lorentz' goal at 6:54 of the opening period when Martin slipped a shot from three feet out past Washington goalie Ron Low at 12:10 of the period But neither the goal Judge nor the referee saw it go in A television replay appeared to show the puck going into the goal and sliding out under the net PRETTY SURE it slid underneath" said Martin who had two assists "Lorentz thinks the goalie lifted the crossbar The goal Judge said I shot tt wide but I saw it go in know it was in they knew it was in and even their guys fold me it was The goal Judge must have had real niee Christmas Somebody must have given him a bottle of whiskey" I wind up with 40 goals this year somebody will get little visit" added Martin who had 49 goals last year and 52 goals In each of the two sea-sms before that The goal that wasn't became less important than it seemed at the time when Buffalo scored four goals in the second period to break open the 1-1 HONOLULU (UPI) For the first time in six years the University of Hawaii looks outclassed in its own tournament the Rainbow Classic which opens today The Rainbows three-time winners of the tournament title since 1070 and second third and fourth-place finishers the other three years enter the eight-team tourney with a 24 record (heir worst in eight years for the first eight games of the season OF LITTLE consolation to the 'Bows Is the (act that they play WU-Uam Mary which lost by Just four points 50-55 4o UCLA last week but are 4-3 for the year on opening night The Hawaii-Wllliam Mary fame will be preceded by a confrontation between Houston 7-1 and Illinois also 7-1 Tuesday's first-round matchups will have tournament favorite San Francisco 12-0 and ranked third in the nation going against a team that made it to the NCAA playoffs last year St John's (0-1) The evening opener wiU have Arizona State 44 locking horns with Temple 0-1 LACK HAWKS fc ROCKIES I JP Bardal aau tetrad too goala Including the game-winner to Bit attend period and goalie Tany Eipaelto playad a atrenggame at Chicago brahu a llgamt wUiwm atraak and gava new haad caack Bill WMto Mt Hni victory Tht nay wae Catorada'i IlHti ttrvlght and algnth gamy wlltiam victory PENGUINS MARIE ISAM Pat Bavtofto-a goal tarty to tot llnyt partod BrgagM Taranto to wIIMn bat Piarr LaRaaclw and Rk Kahae acarad gaato to give PUtoburah a t-1 toad Jaan PrtMvatl 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