Page 10 THE BATTALION
Football game with world-wide appeal
Horns prepare
for OU firepower
PT
United Press International
AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns
have been the leading defensive
team in the nation, but Coach Fred
Akers said there is little chance the
Longhorns will be able to shut down
the powerful rushing attack of top
rated Oklahoma Saturday at the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
“When you’re looking at a team
like Oklahoma, you think in terms of
slowing them down rather than
shutting them down,” said Akers,
whose team has given up only one
touchdown in three games.
“We haven’t faced anyone that
has come close to the firepower that
Oklahoma has. Of course, this time
a year ago we hadn’t faced anybody
like that either,” he said, recalling
the Longhorns 13-6 upset of the
Sooners.
The Horns’ sputtering offense
showed improvement in a 24-7
Southwest Conference victory over
Texas Tech Saturday, but Akers said
it still lacks consistency.
“We’ve got to have a better ba
lanced offense than we had a year
ago,” he said. “We don’t have any
one individual that is as overpower
ing as Earl Campbell was last year,
so we must be consistent, and to do
tbat we have to avoid errors.
Akers sidestepped questions
about how much he plans to use
freshman quarterback Donnie Little
against the Soonexs, but said Little
is tbe Horns’ No. 2 signal caller and
he wouldn’t hesitate to call on Little
at any time.
The Texas coach said Oklahoma is
running a more varied offense this
year, utilizing more passes, an unba
lanced line and more power plays.
“But when the ball is snapped
they do the same thing — here they
come,” he said.
Asked if he planned any special
tactics to defense against the Sooner
speed on outside plays, Akers said,
“What we always try to do is defend
the field.
“When they go outside, you hope
they don’t outrun you; when they
come up the middle you hope they
don’t overpower you; and when
they throw a pass you hope you have
somebody back there with him.”
He cited halfback Johnny “Ham”
Jones as the team’s outstanding of
fensive player in the win over Texas
Tech. Jones’ 128 yards rushing was
the best of his career at Texas.
The nationally televised contest
against Oklahoma, the 73rd meeting
of the two teams, is a classic.
“This thing goes beyond Dallas
and Austin and Norman, this thing
has world wide appeal,” he said.
“It’s a classic and one of those games
where, whether you’re a coach or a
player, you look forward to playing
in it.”
Sooners respect
Erxlebens kicks
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COTTON BOWL
I! 11
*1*\ ' 1
United Press International
NORMAN, Okla. — It will be
Oklahoma’s freewheeling offense
against a stingy Texas defense in the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas Saturday, hut
the kicking game is what worries
Sooner Coach Barry Switzer most.
“I expect it to be a lowscoring,
defensive, kicking game, as it always
is,” Switzer predicted Monday at his
weekly press luncheon.
Switzer said the Longhorns’ Rus
sell Erxleben, whose booming punts
kept the Sooners pinned deep in
their own territory in the 13-6 loss
to Texas a year ago, would play a
vital role again Saturday.
“He will be the most influential
weapon in this ball game, Switzer
said. “His presence will have more
influence on the game than anything
else.”
The kicking game will match Erx
leben against Oklahoma’s Uwe von
Schamann, an adequate field goal
kicker who holds the NCAA record
of 93 consecutive points after
touchdown and has a 42-yard punt
ing average, hut lacks Erxleben s
power.
Switzer said Erxleben still would
be a threat from any place on the
field in a tight game, despite a new
rule that returns the ball to the line
of scrimmage instead of the 20 yard
line on long field goal attempts that
miss.
“I doubt they would try that 64-
yarder that he hit last year
a chance on giving us thel^
middle of the field,” Swit f
"But if it’s a win or losei
they have nothing to lose.’
Switzer said Texas, |
couple of years, has been™
defensive team in college!
"What they have accomp
almost unbelievable,” he sa_
Texas will go into the gam
2 in NCAA statistics in
fense, with an average yiel
points per game; third in
fense, at 102.7 yards, and
rushing defense, 62 yards.
Oklahoma ranks first
major offensive categories
ing, 439.5 yards; total offen.
yards, and scoring, 49.5 po
Switzer said Texas probil
as strong offensively this ye,
because of the loss
Campbell, who scored
touchdown for either te<
1977 Texas victory.
''Anybody will miss,
Campbell, " he said. "Farlf
may be the best football pi
ever seen. For doing even
don’t think there’s a better™
suited up.”
The coach indicated he
surprised at his team’s offen
formance, which netted &
per rush.
"I thought we’d move
ball,” he said.
Hunter sorry he took job with Hangers
Top 20
United Press International
ARLINGTON — Billy Hunter
says he is sorry he ever took the job
as manager of the Texas Rangers,
and he vows his firing has ended his
baseball career.
Conference notes
United Press International
WACO — Baylor coach Grant
Teaff Monday expressed disap
pointment for running back Greg
Hawthorne, whose college football
career ended last Saturday with a
hip injury suffered against Ohio
State.
“It hurts when you lose a player of
Greg’s ability,” said Teaff. “I am
mostly concerned for him because
he wanted badly to excell and make
a contribution to this team.”
And Teaff called the Houston
Cougars — Baylor’s foe this week —
the darkhorse team in the South
west Conference.
FORT WORTH — Texas Chris
tian coach F.A. Dry said Monday
the Horned Frogs would be without
the services of starting noseguard
Fred Williams for the remainder of
the season.
Williams, a 6-4, 230-pound
junior, is out with a knee injury. He
was the foux th leading tackier on the
squad with 19.
Both he and Ranger officials have
acknowledged his poor relationships
with players led to Sunday’s an
nouncement, just before the
season-ending game against Seattle,
that Hunter would be replaced by
third base coach Pat Corrales.
Hunter, the third manager fired
by owner Brad Corbett since he
gained controlling interest of the
team in 1974, talked to reporters at
the Dallas-Fort Worth airport after
arriving from Seattle, where the
Rangeis won their first game under
Corrales, 9-4.
The 50-year-old Hunter said he
met with Eddie Robinson, the
team’s executive vice president,
Saturday night and “he told me the
bad news, the good news or what
ever you want to call it.
“I’m out of it, period,” Hunter
stated in what he said was a retire
ment announcement. Asked if he
would take another manager posi
tion, he said, “I wouldn’t. ”
The only baseball job he would be
interested in, the longtime Balti
more Orioles coach said, would be
Towson State University near his
home in Lutherville, Md.
Asked if he was sorry he had ac
cepted the Rangers job in 1977,
Hunter said, “Yes.”
Corbett, known for his impetuous
personnel moves, friendships with
plays and free-spending ways in the
free agent market, has put together
one of baseball’s most expensive
teams during the past two years and
the Rangers were considered one of
the league’s most solid clubs this
season.
However, several key players had
sub-standard performances in 1978
and the team was a disappointing
second in the American League
West with an 86-75 record. Hunt
er’s Rangers compiled a total record
for IV2 seasons of 146-108.
Hunter has said he was aloof from
his players and was considered
somewhat strict. Most theories say
Hunter’s problems became serious
in May when pitcher Dock Ellis, a
Corbett favorite, encouraged other
players to disobey the manager’s
ban against, drinking on airplanes.
“I’m sure that had something to
do with the situation that later de
veloped,” Hunter said. “And I agree
that there were communication
problems. But the problems weren’t
goirig to be here next year. At least
that’s what I was told (by Corbett).
But they were also going to get rid
of him (Ellis) after the incident in
May. But he’s still here and I’m
gone.
“I might be pleased about this in
the long run,” he said. “I was only
going to manage one more year
anyway. I hope the fans aren’t
pleased with it. But all I can say is
that I am not unhappy about my ef
fort. Evidently someone else was.”
“Dock said enough and did
enough at that time,” said catcher
Jim Sundberg, “where no one
would have been surprised if he had
been cut loose immediately. Then
when nothing was done — maybe
because Hunter’s hands were tied
— he let Dock get away with it and
he lost the team.
Corbett maintains Hunter’s de
sire to coach only one more year was
an important factor in the firing. At
mid-season Hunter rejected a five-
year contract and later turned down
a three-year deal before orally agre
eing to a one-year pact.
“If he signed that contract fox-
three or five yeaxs then none of this
is done,” Corbett said Sunday. "But
when he only wanted the one-year
deal, we knew that he’d be with us
for just one more year. That being
the case, we didn’t think it wa§
worth gambling over what might
barmen next vear
“Actually I started feeling some
pressure at mid-season to fire him.
That came from a couple of other
(Rangers) owners, and some players
were also grumbling.
“But there’s no way I’m going to
sit here and blame what happened
on Hunter. The fault rests with the
team, the players on. that team. But
the communications problems and
the apparent personality conflicts
between Hunter and many of the
players was so strained that we
didn’t feel we coidd start another
season like this.”
Several other players, especially
third baseman Toby Harrah last sea
son and shortstop Bert Cam pane ris
United Press Internitia
this year, have criticized the man
ager openly. Campaneris, who was
benched by Hunter late this season
after hitting less than .200 and ap
peared destined for a reserve role
next year, criticized the manager’s
tactics last week in a newspaper re
port.
Including two interim managers,
Corrales becomes Texas’ ninth man
ager in seven years.
T think he’ll be a fine manager
and able to relate better to our
younger players,” said outfielder
Richie Zisk. “I’m sorry for Billy
Hunter because some of us didn’t
perform the way we were expected
to. But I’m happy for Pat Corrales."
1. Oklahoma (29) (4-0)
2. So. Calif. (II) (4-0)
3. Michigan (1) (3-0)
4. Penn St. (1) (54))
5. Arkansas (3-0)
6. Texas (3-0)
7. Texas A&M (3-0)
8. Alabama (3-1)
9. Pittsburgh (3-0)
10. Nebraska (3-1)
11. LSU (3-0)
12. Colorado (4-0)
13. Maryland (4-0)
14. Ohio St. (2-1)
15. Iowa St. (4-0)
16. UCLA (3-1)
17. Houston (2-1)
18. Stanford (3-1)
19. N.C. State (44))
20. Auburn (3-0)
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