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University Daily Kansan Monday, November 6.1961
Experience, All-around Play Contribute to Kansas' Win
By Bill Sheldon
A thoroughly out-coached and overpowered Nebraska Cornhusker team was run through and around, passed over and defensed tenaciously Saturday as the Kansas Jayhawkers methodically moved to their fourth consecutive win of the season. 28-6.
The decisive experience of the winners was apparent to the 33,000 chilled Husker Homecoming fans from the first as KU used its superior ability to its best advantage, employing the pass, trap, backback counter, and varying defenses to thwart their hosts and advance their own record to 4-2-1 and 4-1 in The Big Eight which leaves them in a second place tie with Missouri and still in contention for a championship and bowl bid.
WITH THE LOSERS ENTRENCHED in Coach Bill Jennings' unchangeable six man defensive line for the entire game, the Jayhawkers took advantage of the easy-to-clear holes over center, off tackle and around end. Eight ball carriers churned for 274 rushing yards, a new season high that surpasses the 253 aggregate of the previous week's manhandling of Oklahoma State, 42-8.
Coach Jack Mitchell called upon fullbacks Ken Coleman and Jim Jarrett to sever the Husker defensive center consistently on a well executed counterplay behind precise blocking from a quick striking forward wall.
Coleman totaled 61 yards on 14 carries to follow teammate Tony Leiker as the leading rusher for the game.
ALTOUGH QUARTERBACK John Hadl carried for only 36 yards, all off the option, his play consistently befuddled the less experienced Nebraska forwards. This enabled the brilliant Hawk leader to throw seven completions in 10 passing attempts for 113 yards.
This offensive show was two yards better than against O-State, Hadl's best game of the season to that point
Mitchell mentioned, following the win, that the greater experience of his linemen was a major factor. Frequently Kansas caught the larger Nebraska linemen out of position; but the reverse was almost unnoticeable. Proof of this is the mere 90 yards rushing which the losers were able to get.
THE COMBINED PASSING and throwing of the Jays proved to be their best offensive show of the campaign. Mixing these two weapons with care and timeliness, the Hawkers got results to the tune of 387 yards. This surpassed the 255 season ceiling amassed against O-State.
The Kansas defense was more than equal to the task of thwarting the Husker offensive jabs and feints but there remained the problem of pass defense.
Nebraska, due mainly to inept throwing, completed only nine of 23 passes.
BECAUSE OF THE KANSAS defense, a 6-1-4 designed to prevent the long pass which wrote the KU epitaph in the loss to Colorado but allows for the shorter completion. Nebraska's aerial effectiveness was limited to only occasional success. Nebraska made gains of more than 20 yards on only two instances.
One of the two longer passes, from Ron Meade to Jim Hueg, was good for 30 yards and set up Bill Thornton's 6-yard right end sweep for the first ground score against the KU's starters in 10 games. The score came early in the final period. This was the only genuine thrill for the fans, who sat under leaden skies in 36 degree weather facing a 20 mile per hour northwesterly wind.
The only harmful Hawker mistake offensively was the loss of three fumbles. Twice scoring marches were halted by KU losing possession inside the Nebraska 20.
NOT A HINDERANCE thus far in the season, Coach Mitchell discounted the fumble problem to the cold weather, the first for the Hawkers in two seasons.
The elusive Leiker again provided one of the big thrills of the game as he shook loose for an untouched score with 1:16 remaining to play.
Leiker, a speedy sophomore who has come to the fore in the last two games with long scoring runs off identical plays late in the game—an inside double reverse executed to perfection—scampered for 74 yards on six tries.
IT WAS LEIKER'S 35-yard flight down the east sideline (last week he went for 53 yards) which Coach Mitchell said "iced the game."
Leiker had another sure score literally slip from his grasp. On KU's second possession of the game he took the lateral on the option right and Nebraska's Daler Dyer slapped the oval from his arm on the Husker eight with open field ahead.
Kansas' methods in its first two scores were very similar. Both featured a well-balanced offensive
Coleman opened the scoring on a one-yard dive after KU had pounded 80 vards in fourteen plaus.
display which out-manned the Huskers with no apparent trouble.
Ken Tiger pounced on a Dennis Claridge fumble late in the second stanza to give the Jayhawkers possession on the Husker 22. From there, Kansas rolled in seven plays to a tally by Hadl on a two yard keep.
The third touchdown came midway in the third quarter on one of the more exciting plays of the afternoon.
Hadl rolled left, got a key block from Curtis McClinton and threw a running pass to Rodger McFarland who was closely defensed. The nimble junior out-fought a Husker back and pranced into the end zone for the score. The play went 29 yards with McFarland covering the final eight.
Wichita U. a Bowl Possible
Dean Barnes kicked all four of the extra point attempts for Kansas.
By United Press International Wichita's Wheatshockers are being mentioned prominently as a possible post-season bowl team.
Coach Hank Foldberg's crew reportedly is being sought by the Aviation Bowl at Dayton, Ohio, and the Sun Bowl at El Paso, Tex. The Shockers are two-time Missouri Valley Conference champions.
They turned in one of their most impressive showings of the season
last week in beating Oklahoma State of the Big Eight Conference, 25-13. The 25-point outburst was one of the biggest of the season against Oklahoma State.
The defensive-minded Cowboys have won only two games, but never were beaten badly—other than a 42-8 lacing by Kansas a week ago. Wichita, which has been hot and cold offensively all year, streaked to its seventh win in eight outings.
By Bill Sheldon
To walk up to Coach Jack Mitchell after KU's one-sided win Saturday, one might expect him to be happy, if not over-joyed. But, the first thing the affable Jayhawker mentor did was to complain. It was not with the play of his charges that the easy-to-smile, hard-to-please coach was in a rage over, but a decision of the officials which actually had no effect upon the outcome of the game.
Late in the game the officials claimed "coaching from the sidelines" on reserve quarterback Brian Palmer.
PALMER IS FREQUENTLY USED ON THE SIDELINES BY Mitchell to relay plays and defensive formation from the coaches in the press box to the players on the field.
On the situation in question, Palmer was using a card to tell the Kansas defenders how to line-up, which is what, according to Mitchell, the officials complained about.
"I've never heard of such a call." raged Mitchell.
"We use signals all the time. And, I can't see how a player can be accused of 'coaching.'"
"THEY (NEBRASKA) ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH. They have a lot of young players who need experience. Our guys just reacted better in the line which was a factor.
After calming down, Mitchell had high praise for the Nebraska team.
Mitchell said he had visions of another Colorado game, when the Buffs opened up with a torrid passing attack in the final 13 minutes to erase a 19-point Kansas lead, as the Huskers began throwing with some success in the final period. Mitchell said he didn't feel Nebraska was really out of the game until Tony Leiker sprinted 35 yards for the final score.
"NEBRASKA'S LOOSE DEFENSE HELPED OUR OFF tackle and counter. Also, this eight man front (two linebackers playing virtually in a 6-man line) made our option play effective. But, they had to play that way to stop our wide stuff," said Mitchell.
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