University Daily Kansan
Thursday, October 14, 1976
7
It's no secret: OU is after KU
By BRENT ANDERSON
Associate Sports Editor
The Oldahoma Sooners haven't forgotten—the University of Kansas Jaywunks are the only team that has beaten them in the last four years. Though the Sooners are still unbeaten, they've lost to Saturday, there is little doubt that Kansas is the team they want to beat this year.
Oklaahoma coach Barry Switzer is well aware that KU is the only team that has defeated Oklaahoma since he took over at OU in 1974. The reason for his defeat is, 12. He knows who caused that single loss.
"Every game is important in the Big Eight Conference," Switzer said yesterday. "But it's no secret that we'd like to beat Kansas."
either, though their grudge isn't a bitter one.
His players don't particularly like KU
"I HAVE A lot of respect for Kansas," defensive tackle Richard Murray said. "Their players showed a lot of class last season. We hope we have the same chance this time."
Cornerback Jerry Anderson, often mentioned as an All-America candidate, also said the Sooners wanted to beat KU, but didn't think of the game as a bait rivalry.
"For us, every game is a special game," he said. "We know Kansas is the team that beat us, but they didn't make a big deal out of it. I'm looking forward to the game." Free safety Zac Henderson, a junior from Burkertown, Tex., said playing Kansas would be a big challenge for the Sooners. But, he said, the great defensive game the
McRae breaks slump as Royals draw even
NEW YORK (AP)—They gave Hal Mrcae a glove and, all of a sudden, Kansas City's usual designated hitter discovered his bat.
Shucked by a slump that left him hitless in the first three games of the American League championship playoffs, McAe erupted for a double and triple yesterday leading a barrage of extra-base hits that carried the Royals to a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees in the fourth game of their best-of-five series.
That tied the playoffs at two victories apiece and set up the decisive game tonight. The winner will advance to the World Series. The winner will go back to the National League champion Reds.
Graig Nettles slugged on home runs for the Yankees, but the Royals survived shots by raking Catish Hunter and Michael Perry. The two doubles and triples. McRae had one of each.
Rarely used in the field this season, McKee got a start in rightfield as the Royals shuffled their lineup. It paid off at the plate with his two key hits.
"I had been swinging badly," said McAfee, who lost the AL. batting championship and was knocked out of fraction of a point on the final day of the regular season. "I was trying to find a stance and a bat that would work. I must have used five or six different stances in the game."
In his second swing yesterday, McRae found the formula.
"I was hunging," he said. "I wasn't getting back far enough, I needed around, I went back too fast."
The change paid off with the two extra-
base hits that figured in a pair of Royal rallies.
And when it seemed the Yanks might stage a comeback, Royals relief pitchers Doug Bird and Steve Mingoril silenced the Nets' bats, forcing the series into a fifth game.
New York's Ed Figueroa was named to start Thursday night's game. The Royals will host the Knicks on Saturday.
Kansas City Manager Whitey Herzog, facing a must-win situation, shuffled his lineup in an effort to awaken the slumbering Rovals' bats.
"We've got to hold Laverne Smith and Nolan Cromwell if we're going to win," he said. "They were able to score a lot of points on fumbles and mistakes last year. But we were harding all week and I think we're going to minimize our mistakes against them."
McRae, usually the designated hitter, started in the outfield in place of Jim Wohlfhof and rookie Jamie Quirk inherited the designated hitter role. Veteran Cookie Rojas, who had played in only 63 games, left the Nets to start at second base, replacing Frank White.
Sooners had against Texas made him more evident that they could stop Kansas' offenses.
The moves were drastic ones for the Royals, but their situation also was drastic. And when Kansas City was finished, each of his switchups had paid off handsomely.
Hunter, who had hurled a five-hitter in the opening game of this series, was a different pitcher yesterday. The Royals solved him early, getting three runs in the second innning and knocking him out when they added two in the fourth.
Mistakes, indeed, were what hurt the Sooners most in their 23-3 loss to KU last year. Oklahoma fumbled five times, losing to the ayahawks. Ku also intercepted four passes.
In the fourth, McKea drilled a leadoff double that reached the 385-foot sign in right-centerfield on one bounce. It was his first hit of the series. A moment later, Quirk had his first hit, a ringing triple up the gap with a scoreless pick-off. Rojas greeted reliever Dick Tudur with a sacrifice fly that scored Quirk and made it 5-2.
"THEY NEVER let us up." All-America
tissue tackle Mike Vaughan. "They
plank." (And they don't.)
"What I remember most about last year was our offensive mistakes and fumbles. They caused some of them but a lot of the trouble was ours."
Like Henderson, Vaughan said the game against Texas last week should give the defense a lead.
"We have a lot of reasons to win," he said.
"We have Texas out of our mind, but the tie isn't really what we were hoping for. We really want this one."
One player Vaughan remembers from last year's game is defensive tackle Mike Lauter.
"We've coached each other for three years," Vaughan said. "He's one of the most physical players I've gone against, and one he's best, he" said. "He does a lot of things well."
THE SOONERS give every indication that they are expecting a very physical presentation.
"Whenever two wishbone teams get together, there's going to be a lot of hitting," cornerback Anderson said. "I'm sure that will be the case Saturday."
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4. Is K-State permitted in the college assemblies?
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