Nebraska 20
Kansas 0

Nov. 16, 1918
Lincoln, NE
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swanson_jobes_howarth (11K)

Nebraska 20

Kansas 0

Nov. 12, 1918
Nebraska Field | Lincoln, NE
 
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Huskers out-muck the Jayhawks

Nebraska dominated the second half, turning a slim 2-0 lead into a 20-0 Homecoming win over Kansas on a field of slime and ooze in Lincoln.

The Cornhusker yearbook said of the two teams: “Like a couple of eels, they swam, skidded and floundered in a drizzling rain. When they dug the gumbo out of their eyes, they found the score to be 20 to 0 in Nebraska’s favor. It was one of the worst games ever attempted on the Husker gridiron. Within ten minutes after it started, the players were so completely smeared with slime that neither side could be distinguished from the other.”

A safety on a Kansas punt attempt accounted for the only scoring in the first 30 minutes as players did their best to hang on to the slippery ball. Early in the second half, halfback Raymond Jobes’ touchdown run made it an 8-0 game, and end Clarence Swanson added a touchdown 10 minutes later and again in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Harry Howarth’s punt returns helped provide the Cornhuskers favorable field position throughout the game.

Chalk lines were obliterated in the sea of mire, turning the referees’ jobs into guesswork when it came to spotting the ball. At halftime, the Huskers changed out of their mud-caked, soggy uniforms and into fresh gear from head to toe, which probably contributed to their second-half success. Exaggerating or maybe not, the University Daily Kansan reported: “After the game, a Kansas player’s suit weighed forty pounds more than it should have.”


More coverage: Omaha World-Herald | Nebraska State Journal: 1, 2 | Lincoln Star: 1, 2 | Daily Nebraskan: 1, 2 | University Daily Kansan: 1, 2 | Yearbook


1918 schedule & roster


1918 Timeline: War, influenza and football


swanson_jobes_howarth (11K)