Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 24. — A good beginning and an aggressive, dashing ending more than made up for a flustered, thwarted interlude, and the Cornhuskers finished the autumn’s home exercises and their Big Six conference business Thanksgiving afternoon by spanking young Mr. Carideo’s Mizou Tigers, 21 to 6.
Fifteen thousand students of football appreciation saw Colonel Bible’s young men start their celebration of one more conference championship in a manner that indicated the Tigers’ strenuous protests were going to be completely ignored.
Then they saw the Tigers almost remove the Huskers from any consideration whatsoever and go whanging and flying down the lawn for six points that made the seven negotiated by Nebraska in the opening period seem emaciated indeed.
The victory gave Nebraska another undefeated season in conference play and leaves only Southern Methodist’s Mustangs in the way of the most impressive record in more than a decade.
Defeat kept the Tigers buried in fifth position in the Big Six rankings, with three losses, one tie and one victory.
During the latter minutes of the second quarter and almost throughout the third there was little that was impressive about the Huskers’ conduct in this holiday ceremonial.
But the Nebraska kids snapped out their lethargic helplessness in time to put on a demonstration that left no doubt as to the relative merits of the contending pupils. They presented a last quarter offensive that wiped away all the sad and soggy floundering of the mid-game moments and enabled six sweating seniors to record the contest as one highly creditable to themselves and their mates who will carry on next September.
It is true that this unusual gale from Kansas was of benefit to the warriors from the persimmon belt. It almost seemed to Nebraskans as if Doctor Phog Allen were standing high atop Mount Oread and blowing his big breath northward in the hope that it would help the Tigers do what Kansas had been unable to do — wallop Nebraska.
But just the same those Tigers didn’t need the help of the elements to make themselves pesky, pestiferous and a terrible bother in general.
They were primed for Nebraska and Nebraska had to attain a higher degree of football perfection than it attained last Saturday at Oklahoma in order to force them into submission.
Right after the opening kickoff the Huskers began swooping down the yard, with little Christopher Christian Mathis doing most of the swooping. Again and again the little rascal whanged his way through tackle or swept the ends for important yardage, and presently the Huskers found themselves three yards from a touchdown with the proceedings no more than five minutes old. The stubborn, desperate Tiger line held, however. Once a whole herd of them broke through to spill little Chris for a three-yard loss. This was a third-down play and it left six yards to go on the final attempt. George Henry Sauer threw a pass. Bernie Masterson scampered into the end zone to take it, but Frank Ross, a large young man who is surprisingly agile for all his largeness, crashed into the end zone, too, and he made a foolish looking dud out of George Henry’s pitch.
Standing on his own 42-yard line, Little Chris fielded it and began dancing toward the Tiger goal. Scarlet shirts running ahead of him knocked down one black shirt after another until Little Chris found himself all alone in very hostile territory with only three black shirts left to menace him. Little Chris halted for split seconds, swung his hips and one by one those three black shirts lunged in vain.
Then he put on full speed and crossed the goal line standing up.
It was a 58-yard run and it brought friend and foe alike to their feet, whopping.
On the very first play of the second period Jack Miller broke through right tackle for 22 yards. Tall Carl Johanningmeir forced him out on the Tiger 29-yard line. Mathis went through left tackle, a favorite spot of his all afternoon, and then cut back for 13 yards more. Sauer and Miller plunged within eight yards of six more points and then, on a fourth down play, Mathis was able to make only two yards before Missourians ran him out of bounds.
Despite this failure Steve Hokuf managed to keep the Huskers in an insistent role a while longer. He faked a punt and raced 33 yards, 10 yards into Tiger Territory.
Woodrow Hatfield, a long striding halfback, raced around right end for 33 yards. Jack Miller brought him down at the sideline.
Missouri had 33 more yards to go.
Aided by Clair Houston and this bothersome Mr. Johanningmeier, the Tigers managed to advance 25 additional yards by plunging and running.
No touchdown has been made through the Nebraska line this year. Every point scored against the Huskers has been achieved by passing. The Tigers must have reflected on this.
Johanningmeier threw to Charley Schiele, who was galloping into the end zone. Big Carl spotted his receiver well, doubly, well, for George Henry Sauer let Charley get behind him. It wasn’t much of a trick to make the catch. George Henry had a bad afternoon. He never seemed himself.
“Still tired from the Oklahoma game,” Coach Bible said.
Nebraska’s seven points must have looked small to the Huskers as the Tigers lined up to try the field goal. Lee Penny broke through and smothered the ball before it had traveled three feet.
The Tigers weren’t dangerous in the third quarter, but neither were the Huskers.
Now and then Mr. Johanningmeier or Mr. Stuber would complete a pass, but they didn’t mean much of anything.
Now and then Mathis or Fahrnbruch or Miller would slice through or dash around for encouraging yardage, but these efforts failed to piece together.
The final 15 minutes began with Sauer returning a Tiger punt. He kicked from his goal line, and there were cries of dismay as the ball sailed high but not very far forward. Then it kissed the sod and bounced nearer and nearer the MIssouri goal. Hokuf finally killed it on the Bengals’ 46-yard mark.
The Tigers began passing wildly — and without success. Gill had to punt.
Then Little Chris got going. In three plays he gained 26 yards, but the Tigers managed to spoil the drive temporarily when Staab failed on a lateral pass play and Sauer was forced to punt.
Then Little Chris did go.
Five plays, aided by a five-yard penalty, carried the battle zone seven yards from a score. Once George Henry plunged four yards.
On the four other plays Chris hit left tackle. Captain Kenneth Kerby was Tiger left tackle almost all afternoon. He was the Tiger left tackle until Little Chris had raced through him or over him for 13 yards on this drive, and then he withdrew in favor of Mr. Townsend Hader.
Mr. Hader was greeted with emphasis. At his expense Mathis put 10 more yards to the total that was beginning to look like something.
Then, with the ball seven yards out, Bernie Masterson fooled the Tigers. He didn’t call for Mathis to hit left tackle again. He called for Staab to take it and Staab did, on a sweeping run around right end that ended across the line, right smack against the sideline.
Bernie booted the placement again, and then Missouri’s passes did become wild. Jay Faurot had relieved Johanningmeier and Jay seemed willing to try anything. He passed from end zone, from his five-yard line, from desperation. Hubert Boswell took one of his rather aimless heaves 30 yards out. It was not possible to tell for whom the Faurot boy intended it. Hubert took it, without molestation, and ran straight ahead 30 yards to the third touchdown. Again Mr. Masterson bisected the crossbar with a perfect kick and as there were only about four minutes left nothing much happened thereafter except in the hyena cage, where Colonel Bible causes some consternation by his wholesome substitutions.
World-Herald post-game coverage (PDF)
Nebraska is 65-36 all-time against Missouri.
Iowa State | Oct. 8 |
Minnesota | Oct. 15 |
Kansas | Oct. 22 |
Kansas State | Oct. 29 |
Iowa | Nov. 5 |
Pittsburgh | Nov. 12 |
Oklahoma | Nov. 19 |
Missouri | Nov. 24 |
Southern Methodist | Dec. 3 |
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