Saturdays decider.The Bulldogs will be the first AFL grand-final team since St Kilda inn 1997 with no prior experience in the big game.ddddddddddddBut Beveridge is more interested in the massive rew

Forty years ago to the week, the Red River Rivalry reached its acrimonious apex.In the days leading up to the 1976 game, Darrell Royal, who had dropped five in a row to the Sooners, publicly accused Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer of spying on his practices. Royal was so mad, he challenged Switzer, assistant coach Larry Lacewell and the alleged spy, oilman Lonnie Williams, to take lie-detector tests to prove their innocence. If they passed, Royal offered to donate $10,000 each to the charity of their choice.Switzer initially called the challenge ridiculous. Then the day before the game, answered it was worth more money to me to have [Royal] look for ghosts.Switzers dismissive response further exasperated Royal, who blurted out to AP reporter Robert Heard, Why those sorry bastards, I dont trust em on anything.The rancorous exchange, between legendary coaches in their final clash against one another, set the stage for one of the bitterest battles in college football history.Darrell made it known he didnt care much for us, Oklahoma and our staff, Switzer said. And I understood it. Darrell had every reason to be upset.But the reason he was upset was because he was getting beat.Turned out, Royal had good reason to believe the Sooners were spying on his practices.Because they were. Four years earlier.But first, the charactersIn 1957, after a 1-9 finish, which included a 45-0 loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, Texas called on a Sooner to save its floundering football program.Born and raised in Hollis, Oklahoma, Royal arrived in Norman in 1946, the same year as Bud Wilkinson. With Royal becoming an All-American and one of his first key players, Wilkinson rapidly whipped Oklahoma into a juggernaut, highlighted by a famed 47-game winning streak through the 50s.Royal followed in the footsteps of his mentor to become a coach, which brought him back to the other side of the Red River Rivalry. In his second season, Royal stunned Wilkinsons Sooners with a two-point conversion, which proved to be a turning point in the rivalry.With Royal at the helm, the Longhorns returned to dominating in Dallas.For Oklahoma, following two mediocre seasons under Wilkinsons right-hand man Gomer Jones and eight consecutive losses to Texas, the Sooners were on the hunt for a coach again in 1966. After an unsuccessful attempt to lure Royal, Oklahoma settled on Arkansas assistant Jim Mackenzie, who brought with him a promising offensive coach named Barry Switzer.Behind Switzers speed-oriented version of the wishbone offense that Royal assistant coach Emory Bellard had invented, the Sooners reclaimed control over Texas.In 1972, with Chuck Fairbanks leading Oklahoma following the death of Mackenzie, both squads entered the season with national championship aspirations. Texas boasted a terrific team headlined by the backfield duo of Alan Lowry and Roosevelt Leaks. The more-talented Sooners countered with star halfbacks Greg Pruitt and Joe Washington and a defense anchored by the venerable Selmon brothers.And a little-known tackle named Derland Moore, who came to Oklahoma as a shot-putter, but would go on to produce the play at the center of the controversy between Switzer and Royal four years later.The undercover agentRoyal understood that, though talented, his offense would have a difficult time moving the ball on the stalwart Sooners that season.We werent quite on the level they were then, said Spike Dykes, then an assistant on Royals staff. They were a little more pronounced.So the week of the 1972 game, Royal installed a quick kick. If Texas ran into a third-and-long, Royal would call for Lowry to punt the ball way, eliminating the possibility of a turnover or return while giving the Longhorns an upper-hand in field position.Turned out, the Sooners were watching.And waiting.Darrell four years later in 76 accuses us of spying, Switzer said. There are semantics involved here. When I said me and my staff never spied on Texas, I was telling the truth. Because the spying actually happened in 72 when Chuck Fairbanks was the head coach.That week of the 1972 game, Lacewell, the Sooners defensive coordinator, suggested to longtime friend Lonnie Williams that he go to Austin and report back on the Longhorns. Posing as a construction worker, the perfect disguise with Texas stadium under renovation, Williams covertly took note of everything the Longhorns practiced -- including the quick kick.During a Friday walkthrough before traveling to Dallas, Lacewell brought the defense together to briefly practice one last thing.Coach Lacewell said, in case Texas tries a quick kick, this is how were going to line up, Moore recalled. We hadnt practiced against the quick kick in years. Then [Lacewell] walked by casually and said to me, Derland, move to the gap between the tackle and guard. ... You might have a chance to block it.As Royal had predicted, the game turned into a defensive struggle. Trailing 3-0 in the third quarter and facing a third-and-long, Royal called for the quick kick.But as the Longhorns broke the huddle, the Oklahoma defenders began hollering quick kick to Royals disbelief.Lacewell already knew they were working on that because he got it from Lonnie Williams, Switzer said. Well, we had our tackles, Raymond Hamilton and Derland Moore, inside the B-gaps to rush the punt. We had our 9-techniques hold their ends, who were going to be covering from a tight formation. And we had our safety run back to be able to return. So were holding up coverage and we put a block on. When they came out and shifted to quick-kick formation in the end zone, well, our guys told everybody what the hell to do.We looked like the best coached team in the world. ... But we wouldnt have known about the quick kick unless Lonnie Williams had seen the practices and told Larry about it.At the final second, Moore remembered what Lacewell had told him, and took a step to the inside. Moore barreled through the Texas line to block the punt, end Gary Baccus cleared out Lowry, and Lucious Selmon pounced on the ball for a touchdown.Whether Derland had an inside secret, I dont know, Selmon said. But I was sure glad he did what he did.The defensive touchdown catapulted the Sooners to a 27-0 rout, which proved to be Texas only loss of the season. And cost Royal the shot at a fourth national title. Instead, USC captured the national title, and the Longhorns finished third in the polls, a spot behind the Sooners.It seemed like one of those freak things that happen in a game, Leaks said.Royal was dumbfounded by the block. I know a lot of folks who paid $7 will question the quick kick, he said afterward. I didnt think it would be expected.Moore, however, began to get curious when he said Oklahoma defensive line coach Jimmy Johnson instructed him to say nothing about the quick kick to reporters.Something felt kind of suspicious about it, Moore said, but you really didnt have much time to dwell on it because here came the reporters.Moore only confirmed his suspicions much later while reading about it in a book.Royal, however, would find out much sooner.The spy comes in from the cold cocktail barFor years, Royal has been suspicious that Oklahoma had been spying on his practices. But he never had any proof -- until the fall of 1976.Tony Herry, a Houston businessman and Texas booster, was having drinks one night in Houston in December of 1975 with Lonnie Williams. As Herry told it, Williams, after a few cocktails, began boasting of the time when he pretended to be painter working on Texas stadium to spy on the Longhorns practicing on the quick kick.Herry relayed the account to Texas assistant David McWilliams, who passed along the information to Royal.It took three years for this to get back to Darrell that had happened because Lonnie Williams kept bragging about it, Switzer said.Royal believed he finally had his proof. And the week of the 1976 game, he charged Switzer with spying, bringing the rivalry to an unprecedented level of animosity not even the leader of the free world could smooth over.Moments before kickoff, President Gerald Ford, who was there for the coin toss, stood between Royal and Switzer in the tunnel.[Ford] was trying to carry on a conversation, and Darrell and I werent having it, Switzer said.As the three walked out to the south end zone, one Sooner fan cut the tension. Or maybe added to it.This damn redneck from Oklahoma, Switzer recalled, stood up and screamed, Who are those two a--h---- with Switzer? Of course, everybody started dying laughing. It wasnt funny to me, though. It made me feel like two inches tall.Fittingly, perhaps, that game ended in a 6-6 tie, as Oklahoma flubbed what wouldve been the game-winning extra point.The best defensive game Ive ever seen, Dykes said. Just an all-out fight.Afterward, Royal said the game felt more like a loss than anything.I wouldnt be sitting here with my belly about to throw up if I thought we had won, he told reporters. I dont feel too good.The spying controversy didnt die after the game.Lacewell joked that he would take the polygraph for $300,000, which didnt amuse Royal, who said that was Lacewells price to get out of coaching.Because thats what hed have to do. 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Madrid is third in the Spanish league, six points behind leader Barcelona, going into Saturdays game against Valladolid.The only weight of history that interests Luke Beveridge is what it would feel like to hold up the AFL premiership cup.The Western Bulldogs coach is brimming with confidence and faith ahead of Saturdays grand final against Sydney, certain his team can handle the pressure one more time.Beveridge said his team had already achieved some milestones in their outstanding finals series and were determined to win the clubs second flag.The Bulldogs only premiership was in 1954 and they are in their first grand final since 1961.(Theres) not a weight - its exciting that we can possibly put the second cup in the cabinet, Beveridge said at Fridays grand final media conference.Theres a bit of room.Were looking forward to that challenge and, if anything, weve got a couple of gorillas off our back.Winning our first final together was a great milestone against the Eagles and ... the last two finals have been significant.So far in this finals series, the Bulldogs have beaten West Coast in Perth, then ended Hawthorns premiership streak and, last Saturday, they upset the Giants in Sydney.There were wild scenes in the Bulldogs rooms after the Giants win, prompting some observers to wonder about their mindset heading into Saturdays decider.The Bulldogs will be the first AFL grand-final team since St Kilda inn 1997 with no prior experience in the big game.ddddddddddddBut Beveridge is more interested in the massive reward if they win again.This is just, obviously, extremely unique and we have to keep it on an even keel emotionally, he said.But theres no doubt, how can you not consider it exciting, the prospect of taking that (the premiership cup) home?Thousands of Bulldogs fans watched their training session on Thursday and Beveridge revelled in their passion.The hysteria and emotion and our fans and the support is the dimension that we were exposed to yesterday and it was brilliant, he said.Our players soaked it up - how could you not have a warm heart?Beveridge liked hearing his team described as undaunted, given their repeated injury problems during the season.They are also the first team to make the AFL grand final from seventh place.We feel like weve come to the last game of the year still with a lot left, he said.Were fortunate enough that we have some boys back in recent times from injury and our performances have given us a little bit of a kick.We go into the game with some momentum, but understanding that were up against a formidable outfit in the Swans. 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