Big Eight Roundup : Nebraska Gets Back on Track

Paul Miles rushed for 189 yards Saturday--including a 59-yard touchdown--to power No. 13 Nebraska to a 38-7 win over New Mexico at Lincoln, Neb.

New Mexico (1-3) shocked Nebraska when fullback Willie Turral raced 29 yards on the sixth play of the game to give the Lobos a 7-0 lead.

Nebraska, a 45 1/2-point favorite, tied the score about six minutes later when fullback Tom Rathman ran 23 yards to the New Mexico one-yard line, and quarterback McCathorn Clayton ran for the touchdown on the next play to cap an 80-yard drive.

Nebraska (3-1) scored again just before halftime after cornerback Mike Carl intercepted a pass from Lobo quarterback Ned James and returned it 23 yards to the New Mexico 45.

Clayton passed to split end Robb Schnitzler for a 37-yard gain and then scored on a two-yard run two plays later. Through the first half New Mexico’s defense and Nebraska fumbles shackled the Cornhuskers’ offense. Nebraska fumbled six times in the first half, losing two. New Mexico gained 229 yards to Nebraska’s 200 in the first half.

“We traded lick for lick with them for a period of time,” New Mexico Coach Joe Lee Dunn said. “We had the upper hand for a while. A couple of big plays and it could have been a different ball game.”

Said Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne: “We probably played our worst game of the year. We’re awfully beat up right now.

“We were not emotionally ready to play. But we had enough tenacity and playing power to win.”

An apparent New Mexico touchdown was called back midway through the third quarter with Nebraska leading, 21-7. James hit halfback Terrance Mathis on a 79-yard pass play, but the officials ruled Mathis stepped out of bounds before he caught the ball and nullified the touchdown.

Oklahoma State 25, Tulsa 13--At Stillwater, Okla., Thurman Thomas, the nation’s second-leading rusher, ran 54 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and gained 157 yards in 14 carries for No. 6 Oklahoma State before leaving the game at halftime with a thigh injury.

Quarterback Ronnie Williams returned to action for the first time since breaking his jaw in the season opener at Washington and guided the undefeated Cowboys to their fourth win of the season. Tulsa fell to 1-4.

Oklahoma State trailed, 10-0, in the first quarter before Williams entered the game in place of Rusty Rankin. The Cowboys moved 79 yards in seven plays for a touchdown, with Thomas going 54 yards.

Thomas broke gains of 26 and 20 yards in a second-quarter series, but the drive stalled and Joey O’Donnell kicked a 25-yard field goal.

Oklahoma State trailed, 13-12, at halftime but took the lead at 8:47 of the third quarter when tailback Mitch Nash scored from 11 yards out to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game.

Williams, who was 13 of 26 passing for 142 yards, later hit tight end J.R. Dillard with a nine-yard pass to make the score 25-13.

Tulsa got a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Steve Gage and field goals of 40 and 44 yards by Jason Staurovsky.

The Oklahoma State defense played another outstanding game, intercepting two Gage passes and scoring a safety.

The safety came in the second quarter when tackle Leslie O’Neal blocked a Richie Stephenson punt out of the end zone to cut Tulsa’s lead to 10-9.

Kansas 44, Eastern Illinois 20--Mike Norseth passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another at Lawrence, Kan., as the Jayhawks improved to 4-1 and dropped the Division I-AA Panthers to 2-3.

Norseth engineered touchdown drives on Kansas’ first three possessions of the third quarter and completed 20 of 38 passes.

The Jayhawks started slowly and led, 13-12, at the half. Norseth seemed to have trouble finding his receivers and did not look sharp.

The Jayhawks played like a different team in the second half, scoring 28 consecutive points to turn what had been a close game into a rout.

With Norseth in command, the Jayhawks opened the second half by breezing 80 yards in 10 plays to take a 20-12 lead. Fullback Arnold Fields ended the drive with a five-yard run.

Following a punt, Norseth directed the Jayhawks into the end zone again with a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior Sandy McGee.

Norseth then threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Richard Estell.

Drake 20, Iowa State 17--Drake tailback Tim Ray dived one yard for a third-quarter touchdown at Ames, Iowa, and from then on the Bulldog defense kept Iowa State at bay.

The Cyclones (2-2) made a last-ditch drive with two minutes left. But Drake safety Tom Hamilton picked off an Alex Espinoza pass at midfield and returned the ball 23 yards to the Cyclone 39 with 1:08 to play. The Bulldogs (3-3) then ran out the clock.

The game’s leading rusher was Iowa State freshman Marques Rodgers, who rushed for 127 yards in 28 carries, the first time in two years that any Cyclone running back has had more than 100 yards in a game.