tlsH'- _ _ ___
BY DAVID DEHL
After going 1-2 this past weekend against an
upstart Missouri dub, lS^-ranked Nebraska knew
that a little more would be demanded of it in its dou
bleheader against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on
Wfednesday.
After putting up just four runs in its two losses to
T7■. ■ ■.—r-r—j dose the Mizzou series, the
nvmi 16 Comhusker bats responded to torch
UWM 2 eight UWM pitchers for 32 runs in the
- Husker sweep.
Nebraska 16 Nebraska (19-7) used a seven-run
UWM 10 second inning in the opener with the
Panthers (9-7) to Witz UWM 16-2. In
the nightcap, NU limped toal6-10victory after build
ing an early 10-run lead.
Since NU dropped its last two games against
Missouri, Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said he had
talked a little to his players about how important it
was to respond against the Panthers, which came into
the day nding a nine-game winning streak.
“I was very concerned about this doubleheader,”
Van Horn said
NU freshman pitcher Jason Burch started NU off
on the right foot in the second game by tossing four
scoreless innings, allowing NUa KM) lead Then in the
sixth, with NU leading 10-1, UWM dropped in six runs
on the Papillion-LaVista graduate, only two earned to
dose the gap to 10-7.
Afterward, Van Horn admitted he may have left
Burch in an inning too long but only did so because of
NU’s large cushion. Overall, Van Horn said he was
pleased with Burch (1-0), who picked up his first
career win, pitching five and two-thirds innings and
striking out six.
“I thought he did a great job,” Van Horn said “He
was around the plate and had a lot of movement on
his pitches.”
Please see BASEBALL on 9
David Chstn/DN
Adam Stem tries
to steal a base
during the sec
ond game of a
doubteheader
withWisconsm
Mdwaukeeon
Wednesday.
Stem was
tagged out on
the play.
UU s best lifter
wants to see field
BYJ0HNQA3MN8
Ryon Bingham wanted to get
a leg up on his peers on the foot
ball fiekL He figured the best way
to do that was get stronger.
And so he did. Using his foot
ball genetics and encouragement
from his father, a former defen
sive end at Weber State, and prod
ding from his older brother, who
is now a defensive end at
Southern Utah, Bingham worked
himself to the bone.
He hit the weights, hard. He
wrestled with his brother con
stantly. He started working his
body to Hulkamaiyac propor
tions.
And that was just when he
was in the sixth grade.
Tve always prided myself on
outworking everybody else,”
Bingham said.
The hard work paid off so well
that Bingham earned Comhusker
football scholarship. Even at
Nebraska, where strength coach
Boyd Epley has turned body
budding in football into the stan
dard, Bingham’s Atlas-like
physique opened plenty of eyes
and sparked oohs and aahs.
Coach Frank Sowell's pants could
fit snugly around his neck.
At 6-foot-3,275 pounds and
carrying virtually zero body fat, it
is no secret why Bingham was a
finalist for last year’s Powerlifter of
the Year award and why his pres
ence makes a strong first impres
sion.
“He is Ml Weight Room,” said
fellow nose tackle Ion Clanton,
who, as one of the Huskers’
Performance Index champions of
2001, is no physical slouch him
self
Except when compared to
Bingham
“He takes everything so seri
ously,” said danton. “I just kind of
eat whatever, you know. I’m fat
He doesn't eat anything with any
fat It's aD nutrition crap.”
He doesn't eat
anything with any fat. •
It’s all nutrition crap.”
Job Claatoa
NU nose tackle on Ryon Bingham
“You don’t find too many peo
ple, if any, working in the weight
room harder than he does. He’s
one of the hardest workers on the
team.”
But lately, work has never
been so hard for Bingham. Ahigh
ly-touted recruit from Sandy,
Utah, who said he was “within
seconds” several times in his red
shirt year of 1999 from seeing
game action, Bingham was limit
ed to doing just about anything *
football-related last season with a
stress fracture in his foot
That included playing, run
ning and lifting in his lower body.
The result from all this was
that Bingham, who was whis
pered to be good enough to be
that rare true freshman to earn a
Blackshirt, never got the chance
to move up the depth chart He
returns this spring as the No. 4
nose tackle, behind senior Jason
Lohr, junior Clanton and fellow
sophomore Junior Tfigoa’i.
For someone who has quietly
and persistently labored since the
sixth grade to get where he’s at the
lack of action didn't sit well.
Already known as someone
whose personality wasn’t nearly
as imposing as his size and foot
ball ability, Bingham went into an
even deeper shdL
“He was really depressed all
year,” Clanton said. “He got real
quiet. He kept to himself. You
could tell it pained him because
you knew he wanted to be out
there so bad. He didn’t say much.”
Bingham said he was most
Please see BINGHAM on 9
David Cbsen/DN
Like he did in buhfing his imposing physique, nose tackle Ryon Bingham is working hard to battle back from last year* season
ending foot mjury.
Vaunted NU opponents gearing up during spring
Fighting Irish quarterback spot up for grabs
BY JOSHUA CAMEN3ND
Players on the Notre Dame
football team are placed under
one of the biggest microscopes
around when it comes to on- and
off-the-field activity.
The attention increases
twofold if a player is fortunate
enough to become the starting
quarterback of die Fighting Irish.
Welcome to the world of
sophomore-to-be Matt
LoVecdno.
All the freshman did last sea
son was step in the for the injured
Amaz Battle after the Nebraska
game and [day a big part in guid
ing the Irish to a berth in the
Fiesta BowL
hi the eyes of many, that was
n't good enough. Notre Dame got
waxed by Oregon State 41-9 in the
BCS bowl, and'Bob Davie’s team
was left struggling to explain a 9-3
finish.
But Davie contends that type
of experience was good for his
team and for LoVecehio.
“Part of becoming a success
ful team or successful quarter
back is to get your butt kicked a
little bit,” Davie said. “Certainly
we had it, and he had it in the
Fiesta BowL That’s got to be worth
DN fife Photo
Notre Danw^/fenaz tattle, last yeart starting quartabackbefcreawristi^ioy ended his
season, is one ot tire fim Irish qoarteft»dcs not batting for the starting job this year.
something. It is in my mind”
Still, Davie has left the quar
terback position open this spring,
hoping LoVecchio or Mow soph
omores Carlyle Holiday and Jared
. Clark will step up and take the job.
Battle won’t be competing for
the spot - last year's starter has
been moved to wide receiver:
ND’s early road schedule,
which includes a road opener at
Nebraska and later dates at
Purdue and Texas A&M in the first
four weeks of the season, makes
Please see NOTRE DAME on 9
j
Coming off title, Oklahoma
looking to sustain success
BY DIRK CHATELAIN
“Sooner Magic” is officially
back.
And the momentum from last
year’s national championship joy
ride isn’t fading.
Following die2000dream sea
son that saw Oklahoma dominate
Big 12 powerhouses Texas, Kansas
State and Nebraska, Bob Stoops’
Sooners shut down high-powered
Florida State in the Orange BowL •
ButOU didn’t stop there.
Somewhere between a Sears
Ttophy presentation and a White
House visit, the Sooners managed
to rack up a top-five recruiting
class.
With spring practice starting
Wednesday, the excitement sur
rounding Sooner football is the
highest it's been in at least a
* decade.
“There are a lot of Oklahoma
football fans right now,” said
Stoops, who was named AP Coach
of the Year in2000.
With the resurrection comes
expectations that OU hasn’t seen
since a guy named Barry Switzer
stormed the sidelines. Stoops said
he welcomes the pressure.
“We’ll expect to be in a posi
tion to challenge for a Big 12
championship and national
championship,” Stoops said.
“After winning both last year, it
would be a step backwards to
expect anything else”
In order to repeat, a replace
ment for Heisman Ttophy runner
up Josh Heupel must hie found.
The most prolific passer in
Sooners’ history, Heupel was per
haps the biggest key to the OU
turnaround. Just two seasons ago,
Oklahoma was a mediocre 5-6.
The leading candidate to suc
ceed Heupel is Georgia transfer
Nate Hybl. After sitting out last
season, the strong-armed junior is
expected to step into the starting
spot for the season opener against
North Carolina.
Stoops noted that while
Heupel may be the “most notice
able vacancy,” finding new bddies
to fill infer Orange Bowl MVP line
backer Torrance Marshall and All
Please see OKLAHOMA on9
Golf team
finally gets
outdoors
■While the lack of outdoor
practice isn't a major concern,
top golfer Sarah Sasse's back is.
BY UNCOLN ARNEAL
At long last, this week
marked the end of the women's
golf team’s extended hiberna
tion.
For the first time this season, ,
the Huskers emerged from their
indoor practice facility at die Bob
Devaney Sports Center to work
in the warmer spring tempera
tures.
Dwelling indoors hasn't hurt
the team as much as top golfer
Sarah Sasse
expected.
“With what “With
we’ve been able whnt
to do without
outside practice, VVeVe
it is kind of been
amazing,” the , ,
junior said. “We tWlB tO
shot our second do
best score of the
year last week. It Without
can only get bet- OUtSide
‘"'ihe Huskers P^CtlCe
will see if the it is kind
outdoor practice of
will pay off in the 1
four-day Liz UmUZinQ.
Mu'phy* shot
Invitational
starting today in
Athens, Ga. SCCOnd
Sasse said it
had been best
refreshing to get SCOKC of
outside to play in tup vt>nr
elements that , yfUd
can't be simulate lUSt
ed indoors, such week. It
as wind.
After one of CQfl Only
the longest win- g£f
ters in recent
times, Coach t/eiier.
Robin Krapfl
said the delay Sarah Sasse
will help the NU golfer
Huskers in the —————
long run.
“Not being outside will help
with freshness,” she said. “We
won't have those long practices,
and come the Big 12 regionals
and national championships, we
wiH be fresh and working hard."
However ready they are
come May, NU's amount of suc
cess will still fall on Sasse's back,
literally.
Sasse has been fighting prob
lems with her back for several
weeks. Although her condition
has improved with treatment,
she has yet to test it by carrying a
golf bag for 18 holes.
“I am anxious to see how it
goes,” Sasse said. “I have never
had an injury in my career, so I
don't know how it will respond.”
While Sasse said her back
hasn't bothered her in the first
day of multiple-day tourna
ments, the pain has flared in the
latter stages of those tourna
ments.
She was in fourth place at the
Midwest Classic but dropped to
14th in the last round. In the
Betsy Rawls Invitational, she fell
from first to a tie for forth after
shooting a 78 following her score
of 70 in die second round.
Krapfl said she thinks the
team will be able to have success
if Sasse doesn't perform at her
top level
“We don’t have to count on
our number one player," she
said. “I think we have enough
depth to counter.”
