Also-rans meet tomorrow
By JAY THOMAS
By JAY THOMAS Kansan Sports Editor
As everyone who has been listening to Spiro Agnew knows, tomorrow is Moratorium Day in the United States. As anyone who has watched KU football this fail can tell you, there should have been a moratorium set on this entire football season.
Not that things are bad or anything, but when a football coach starts talking about next year (like Pepper Rodgers has been doing) with two games left on this fall's schedule, well. . .
Of course, next to starting the season off against Wisconsin and Pittsburg, Oklahoma has not had a great deal to laugh about either this fall. Sure, Steve Owens has had a typically great year, breaking records, scoring touchdowns
also sit this one out.
All three are key players for the Big Red, particularly Pearce, a survivor of the Terry McMillan (44-10, Missouri) and Lynn Dickey (59-21, Kansas State) aerial bombardments that have soured the bowl scouts on the Sooners.
Nonetheless, with or without Pearce, OU's secondary will, on past form, be vulnerable and Kansas could exploit a defense that has given up more yards on the ground, in the air (except for Missouri), and altogether than any other Big Eight team. On top of this, teams are scoring at the rate of 29 points a game on the Sooners.
Still Oklahoma beats you with their offense and that's spelled with a big O. The biggest O is
ently tied with Army immortal Glenn Davis.
Needless to say, conference coaches will not be saddened by the graduation of the durable (averaging 34 carries a contest this year) OU tailback.
Super-soph Jack Mildren has not quite lived up to his preseason billing (who could?) but has directed the Sooner attack to 30.3 points a game and 404.1 yards per game in total offense.
umes, however; the simplest way of putting it is as Pepper Rodgers did: "To be honest, we're not very good."
But Rodgers is an optimist who sees something good in everything. Wednesday, speaking of the redeeming (?) aspects of the season, he joked, "I'd rather go 9-1 and then 1 and 9 than go 5-5 for two straight years." With any kind of luck, Pepper should get his wish.
But luck has been noticeably absent around Lawrence this fall, so maybe, just maybe. . .
Other familiar names include
Track Club needs $400
The Kansas Track Club, an independent organization, not affiliated with KU, has begun a campaign to raise $400 to compete in the National Federation cross-country meet at Penn State, Nov. 24.
The club is an AAU-sponsored organization under the guidance of coach Bill Easton.
If interested in making a contribution, please send your donations to the Kansas Track Club, care of the Douglas County State Bank.
Ken Mendenhall
Steve Zabel
Two all-Big Eight candidates, Zabel and Mendenhall along with all-league tailback Steve Owens have anchored the Sooner offensive unit this season.
and vying for the Davis Cup or Academy Award or whatever they give for getting your name on the sports page the most times in a leading role.
Still 60,000 dads, moms and other family and friends of the teams will pack Owen Field in Norman Saturday to see the defending Big Eight co-champions compare last fall's press clippings.
What else they will probably see are two injury-wracked teams who have both, at times, played some fine football. Still, just fine football does not take a team very far in the Big Eight this year and Oklahoma and Kansas have the records to prove it.
OU (2-2 in conference play, 4-3 overall) goes into the game with both wingbacks, Roy Bell and Geoff Nordgren, doubtful participants due to injuries. Starting defensive halfback Joe Pearce suffered a bruised shoulder last week against Missouri and may
Nov.14 KANSAN 7
1969
Owens, who has practically run right off the record book pages and is a legitimate All-American, not if heisman Troonv candidate
In fact, with Oklahoma not going anywhere, Saturday (and the rest of the OU season) may be devoted to winning Owens the Heisman and pushing him well over the two NCAA career marks within his reach. With even a sub-par day (which means less than three touchdowns and 141 yards rushing) Owens should topple Mercury Morris' three-year rushing record of 3,388 yards (he's 54 shy) and the touchdownmark of 51, at which he is pres-
BLACK LUNG
FRANKFORT, Ky. (UPI) Kentucky plans dust quality testing in coal mines in an effort health and mine officials hope will lead to control of black lung and other respiratory diseases.
Conducting the program will be the State Department of Health and the Department of Mines and Minerals. Kentucky is the first state to initiate extensive research on black lung.
tight end Steve Zabel, whose receptions the last two years have helped beat Kansas, All-Big Eight center turned tackle Ken Mendenhall, and fullback Mike Harper. The injured Bell leads the Big Eight in average gain per rush (€1.1) and is the Sooner's most dangerous breakaway threat.
Oklahoma starts 10 sophomores and has suffered from the same inexperience which has plagued Kansas.
Of course, more than inexperience has taken KU to the Big Eight cellar. A complete explanation would require several vol-
1300 West 24th Open 9 - 9 daily, Sunday from 1-6