No. 1 v. No. 2

All the ingredients were there. Undefeated Nebraska v. undefeated Oklahoma. No. 1 in the rankings v. No. 2. Top defensive team (average points allowed per game: 6) v. top offensive team (average points scored: 45). Nebraska's Jerry Tagge, savvy field general and deadly passer (62% completions) v. Oklahoma's Jack Mildren. triple-option wizard and running threat (968 yds. rushing). Cornhuskers' Wingback Johnny Rodgers, explosive punt-return specialist (average return: 16 yds.) v. Sooners' Halfback Greg Pruitt, devastating speed merchant (average gain per carry: 9.5 yds.). Game of the decade? Maybe. Game of the year? Undoubtedly.

Beamed to millions of TV viewers in the U.S., Europe and the Far East, and covered by more than 500 journalists, the Thanksgiving Day classic in Norman, Okla., more than lived up to its billing. Minutes after the opening kickoff, Rodgers set the pell-mell pace for the day. Hauling in a punt, he stumbled, recovered, started to his right, cut to his left and then went lickety-split down the sidelines for a 72-yd. score. Oklahoma countered with a field goal, but then lost a fumble that led to another Nebraska touchdown The Sooners, using the Wishbone-T offense in an artful running attack, bounced back with a 70-yd. scoring drive. Then, with just five seconds left in the half, Mildren, who had completed only 22 passes all year, tossed a 24-yd. touchdown pass to Split End Jon Harrison to give the Sooners a 17-14 lead.

Behind for the first time this season, the Cornhuskers all but shelved their potent air game (Tagge completed six of only 13 passes for the day) in favor of a slashing ground assault headed by Running Back Jeff Kinney. Holding Pruitt to his lowest output of the season (53 yds. in ten carries) Nebraska outscored the Sooners two touchdowns to one in the wild third quarter to take a 28-24 lead going into the final period. Then Mildren, who ran the ball 31 times for 130 yds., grabbed the lead back with --surprise!--another touchdown pass to Harrison. Eating up the clock, Nebraska launched a 74-yd. drive climaxed by Kinney's fourth touchdown of the afternoon. Final score: Nebraska 35, Oklahoma 3 1. After receiving a congratulatory telephone call from Richard Nixon, Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney pronounced the game "the greatest victory of my 14-year career."

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