Blue White Illustrated

bone. "I don't believe anyone can stop the wishbone," Paterno had said. "Of course, we'd like to contain it, but we haven't had much luck at that even in practice." Paterno continued that refrain at a news conference, saying, "It will take a miracle for us to win." Texas coach Darrell Royal replied, "I think Joe's peeing on my leg." Texas was favored by six points and kicked off on a rainy, 50-degree afternoon before an announced crowd of 72,000, including former President Lyndon John- son. The Lions drove to the Texas 37 before a penalty hin- dered their momentum and forced them to punt. The rest of the first half was a defensive battle, although the offensive units of both teams reached the other's red zone at least once. With 1:15 left in the first quarter, Texas took the lead on a 29-yard field goal by Steve Valek. Early in the second quarter, linebackers John Skorupan and Tom Hull forced a fumble that fellow linebacker and co- captain Charlie Zapiec recovered at the Longhorns' 20-yard line. The Lions reached the Texas 6, and Vitiello booted a 21-yard field goal to tie the score. With less than 30 seconds remaining and Penn State driving at the Texas 32, the Long- horns intercepted a Hufnagel pass at the 17 and returned it to their 40. On the last play of the half, Valek kicked a 40-yard field goal, giving Texas a 6-3 lead and the momentum for the second half. The Penn State locker room was calm. No panic and no fiery speeches. As Pa- terno walked by co-captain Dave Joyner, the All-America tackle smiled and told him, "We got 'em where we want 'em." The players were confident. Texas had used its famed wishbone offense to con- trol the ball for 17 minutes and picked up nearly 200 yards. But as the first half pro- gressed, the Lions had throttled the wishbone, just as they had learned to do in the TCU game. With Texas getting the second-half kickoff, the partisan crowd anticipated a rout. Moments after the kickoff, three plays changed the game. Texas quarterback Eddie Phillips fum- bled the wet ball at midfield, and Penn State defensive end Jim Laslavic inadver- tently kicked it downfield, with Zapiec recovering at the Longhorns' 41. Penn State quickly took the lead, 10-6, on a 1- yard touchdown by Mitchell. The Texas team and its fans were stunned. The Lions' defense forced Texas to punt on its next possession. On the first play from the PSU 35, Hufnagel found junior split end Scott Skarzynski in the clear, 15 yards behind the Longhorns' safety, and hit him for a 65-yard TD and a 17-6 lead. Skarzynski said later, "I was so far open... my grandmother could have made the play." It was the play of the game and the end for Texas. Vitiello kicked a 37-yard field goal later in the quarter and added a 22- yarder seven minutes into the fourth pe- riod, setting a Cotton Bowl record with three. The Lions controlled the ball for nearly 13 minutes in the final quarter, scoring another TD on a 64-yard drive, with Hufnagel going the final 4 yards on a fourth-down keeper. Penn State won, 30-6, becoming the first opponent in 80 LION LEADERS Dave Joyner (left) and Lydell Mitchell both played key roles in the Nittany Lions' victory over the Longhorns. Photo courtesy of the Pattee & Pa- terno Library Archives C O T T O N B O W L P R E V I E W

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