The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • Page 9

sports THE LINCOLN STAR Saturday. 1177 Ferragamo, Berns kindle NU flames Nebraska regains throne T. Ttch Neb. 24 21 42-191 49-164 193 232 3 11 15-23-0 14-24-0 4-1 2-2 2-21 15 First downs Rushes-yards Passing yards Return yards Passes Punts Fumbles-lost Penalties-yards' By Virgil Parker Sports Editor Houston, Tex. The King regained his place on the throne here Friday night.

Nebraska's proud football program, which had its crown knocked askew during an 8-3-1 regular season after being tabbed the nation's No. 1 team before the campaign began, climbed back to the top of the hill with a heart-stopping 27-24 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Texas Tech in the Astrodome. Cornhusker coach Tom Osborne's troops, who suffered through fourth-quarter woes all year, again failed to maintain an earlier explosive pace in the final frame, but a determined band of defensive Black Shirts dug in to hold. Tech's Red Raiders to a scoreless standoff. The Huskers clung to the final three-point margin after Tech's Brian Hall, who booted 15 of 20 fielders during the regular season, missed twice from 32 and 37 yards in the fourth club has lacked the ability to come from The Huskers trailed, 24-14, in the third quarter, yet stormed to a pair of touchdowns in a two-minute span to record the final score.

Ferragamo finished bis two-year Nebraska career in super fashion. He connected on 13 of 23 aerials for 183 yards and two touchdowns -r-running his total to 22 TD tosses for the season. Malito was Nebraska's top receiver. He snared three aerials one a 49-yarder on a halfback option from Curtis Craig and ended with 107 yards to be named the game's most valuable lineman. It was right after Malito's catch of Craig's pass, that the Huskers nailed down the victory.

On the very next play, RichardBems, who became this bowl's seventh runner to rush for mofe than 100 yards he had 118 cruised 18 yards for his second touchdown. Despite Al Eveland missing the extra point kick, Nebraska had pulled within four, trailing 20-24. That's when the Black Shirts made their most important stand. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Tech was forced to punt from its. 19 yard line.

Nebraska put on an allout 10-man rush. Defensive backs Kent Smith and Ted Harvey both got a hand on David Kykendall's punt and Jeff Hansen recovered the fluttering ball at the Red Raiders' 23. It took Ferragamo and Malito just one play to produce the final score. 'Vince the Prince' found the 'Splendid Splinter' all alone in the end zone to cover the distance. Nebraska coaches felt the Huskers were as well prepared for this bowl game as any in recent years.

It certainly showed at the Outset. Nebraska took the opening kickoff and moved 80 yards on a sustained drive of 19 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Ferragamo was a perfect three-for-three in the initial march, and even more importantly, the Huskers converted on five straight third-down tests. The longest play in the drive was an 11-yard aerial from Ferragamo to Craig, Dodie Donnell and Berns sharing the bulk of the rushing load. The 48,618 fans, sitting comfortably in the Astrodome while it was unseasonably cold outside, could see they were in for quite a show.

Texas Tech took Nebraska's kickoff and Turn to: Nebraska, Page 1 1 Hall, who kicks with an artificial limb after losing his right leg in an accident as a youngster, booted a 28-yarder and three extra points before he started to miss the mark. A contingent of 6,000 Big Red fans on hand to cheer Nebraska weren't able to breath easi-lv, even after Hall's last miscue. The Huskers moved out of the shadow of their own goal posts on a Vince Ferragamo to Chuck Malito pass good for 35 yards, but the drive bogged down and Tech regained the ball on its own 31-yard line with just under two minutes remaining Would it be Oklahoma all over again? Would the Red Raiders somehow pull some trick Out of their hats' and gain a last-second triumph? Not this time! Defensive tackle Ron Pruitt crashed through to hit Tech quarterback Rodney Allison, who had given the Huskers fits all night, and Allison fumbled. It was the Raiders' only turnover of trie night. NU end Reg Gast bounced on the loose ball and Nebraska was able to run out the clock.

Nebraska's second-half play should quiet Husker critics who have complained Osborne's Nebraska's Rich Berns (35) tumbles his way to a first-quarter touchdown. Skeeter Malito named top lineman bring halt to Sloan's plans petitive desire. Malito, the Cornhuskers' senior split end, earned the lineman award after catching three passes for 107 yards. Two of those grabs were two minutes apart midway through the third quarter, helping Nebraska transform a 24-14 deficit into the final margin of victory. The most surpirsing was a 49-yard "dying quail" pass from wingback Curtis Craig.

It was the most effective new wrinkle in Nebraska's special Bluebonnet Bowl arsenal. "We put it in a couple weeks ago," Malito related. "I think if Curtis had thrown it a little earlier, it would have been a touchdown. The ball just kind of fluttered rnd I had to slow down." Malito looked like a centerf elder chasing a fly ball on the play. "Curtis got it out there.

That's the important thing." he said. "I just had to get under it. We'd been having trouble with that pass all week in practice because of the lighting in here." Richard Berns busted for an 18-yard touchdown on the play following Malito's clutch 49-yard reception. That moved Nebraska within 24-21. When Kent Smith blocked a punt shortly thereafter, Nebraska was in business again and Malito was the man quarterback Vince Ferragamo looked to.

Malito made it look easy on a 23-yard touchdown pass, giving the Huskerers their. 27-24 cushion with 7:01 left in the third quarter. Malito ran what's called a horn pattern down the left sideline. He runs down as Ferragamo starts to sprint out. Malito cuts 'toward the sideline as Ferragamo starts to pull up, then heads toward the goal again for the pass.

"The deep safety has to cover the deep half of the field." Malito said, "and he just couldn't get over there in time." Although not exuberant jn the lockerroom, Osborne looked like someone had lifted a weight off his back, having won a close game. "This is good for recruiting," he pointed out. "It's good for our seniors, too. It's been a long and tough year for them. We really needed to have this for next year's momentum.

"It's especially pleasing to beat a team like Texas Tech," Osborne said. "I think they can play with anyone in the country. Rodney Allison (Tech's award-winning quarterback) is the most complete quarterback we've played this season." Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin agreed with the assess- See Huskers, Page 11 By Randy York Staff Sports Writer Houston, Tex. There he was, the skinniest guy on the Nebraska football team, trying to throw the tallest coach on the staff into a post-game victory shower. Tom Osborne bit his lip and was determined to ward off Chuck Malito, who weighs 173 pounds dripping wet and with a bowling ball in each hand.

Malito, named the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl's Most Valuable Lineman in Nebraska's 27-24 victory over eighth-ranked Texas Tech in the Astrodome here Friday night, couldn't- handle Osborne physically. "I wasn't about to let Chuck Malito get the job done." a smiling Osborne said. "I'd never be able to live that Osborne finally relented when he saw Rod Horn (6-4. 247) head for his other arm. "I don't mind that so much," Osborne said.

"There's no way I can outscrap Horn." Osborne, of course, was kidding about Malito. "Skeeter" may not rank among the top.1,000 physical specimens to play for Nebraska. But he makes up for his physical stature with intense com three touchdowns, echoed Sloan's words. "I think we showed people" tonight that we are not a Cinderella team," Taylor said. "We knew we could play with anbody and we proved it" Slowly sipping on a coke as he leaned against the wall out- By Dave Sittler Staff Sports Writer Houston, Tex.

Steve Sloan never runs out of confidence, trouble is. sometimes he just runs out of time. Sloan, whose bubbling confidence has carried Texas Tech to great heights this football time factor side his team's locker room. catch up with him here Friday Sloan said, "give Nebraska great deal of credit. night as his Red Raiders lost a 27-24 thriller to Nebraska in "They made a great comeback when they were behind the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

24-14 (in the third quarter). 'I think we would have at least, tied Nebraska if we had which reflects good coaching and the character of their not fumbled or ran out of time there at the end," said Sloan of team." Sloan, the 32-vear-old former the hectic final moments when Tech's quarterback, Rodney Alabama ail-American Allison, fumbled. Nebraska's defensive tackle Ron Pruitt smacked the dangerous Allison, who won able players 1 quarterback, couldn't help but reflect on a couple of the big plays in the contest A blocked punt and two missed Tech field goals left Sloan shaking his head. "That was the first blocked punt I've had in four years of being a head coach," Sloan said of the third quarter punt which Nebraska's Kent Smith blocked. Nebraska scored on the next play.

"And Brian (Tech field goal kicker Hall) is usually pretty reliable from the distanced be missed from tonight But I told him if it wasn't for him. we wouldn't have gotten as far as we did this vear." Hall who booted 15 field goals this season, said of the 37-vard attempt that came with 4:30 left in the game, "I just screwed up on mat one. I Reg Gast pounced on the ball and the Cornhuskers sealed the win. "I really think we had a shot a tie up until then," Slaon said. "But of I'm paid to think that Allison, who sank to the floor of the astrodome and pounded his fists on his helmet after the fumble, regained his composure in the Tech lockerroom and recalled the bobble.

"Nebraska had a good pass rush and someone just reached in and pulled the ball out oi my hand," Allison said. The fumble didn't dim the admiration Sloan has for the gritty Allison, who is a 5-11, 186-pocnd jmuoT- F-'Bw ieliffcL Hi8 rMrJ 7 bbjiiH iSS. HVkVsJzkr4.JBfcjkt im BHi KJJjfl Hllllvll rS H'fl I. xSrir HkS pBofl aaKli-lafl thought had made it when Ifs all over but shoutin' Nebraska defensive players Mike Fulte (72), Jeff Carpenter (37). Reg Gast (82) and George Andrews (96) jump with joy and help the official signal that the ball is the Huskers' after NU recovered a Raider fumble with 1:40 left in the game and sealed the Huskers' victory.

think Rodney will be the first hit Then I coaldat look premier quarterback in the because I knew was going to country next star." Sloan said miss. I just blew it" of Allison, who rasbed for 89 Asked to mention a yards, passed for 1SS yards and Nebraska player who iro-h-d two toocbdown passes to pressed. Sloan said "they had capture the most valuable about 90 players who in-back honor. pressed roe. They are a team.

While the Red Raiders' And Tom Osborne is one of the dressing room was naturally class people in coaching 1 told subdued after the emotion- him after the game his team draining kiss, the team's pride deserved to win because they in ifs effort burned brightly, played so wen." Tve never been prouder of Allison, the electrifying UttJe a bunch of guys." said Sloan, field general, was more "They proved tonight fbey can specific in Ins praise of a play with the great teams in Rusher, the country, like Nebraska." "That number 61 (linebacker Billy Taylor, Texas Tech's Clete Pillen) was really I back who set a Astro- Bowl record with Tom ta Twch, Page 11 rRRCHIV ttflRCHIVI WSPA.PE.