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Photo by Kmiin Highly
John Lee (69) puts a stop on Miami's Tim Morgan (27) during the
Huskers 31-16 win last Saturday.
Photo by Td KM
Junior Mike Fultz had another good day against Miami as above he
stops Hurricane fullback Otis Anderson (47).
w
alkons need extra confidence
By Scott Jones
Eight players who had less than average reason to be
confident in their ability started for Nebraska's freshman
football team in their season opener.
Yet these same eight players needed confidence more
than most of the other freshmen players.
The eight players were walk-ons-players not deemed
good enough for one of 30 available scholarships but who
came out for the team anyway.
Fortunately, Nebraska's walkon starters didn't let the
absence of a scholarship offer deflate their confidence.
"If I had any doubts I wouldn't have come," said Keith
Steward, who gained 27 yards on six carries in Nebraska's
30-0 opening game win over Kansas State's junior varsity.
Indecision on schools
Steward, from Steubenville, Ohio, said Nebraska would
have offered him a scholarship if not for his indecision.
"Nebraska contacted me and I hadn't made up my mind
yet (on other schools) so I waited a little too long," he said.
Steward is now happy to be at Nebraska "because it's
the best.
"Everybody up here is really friendly. I wanted to play
the best football I could and get the beat opportunity to
play I could and so far I have."
Steward made his decision to come to Nebraska with the
help of his cousin, Tony Jeter, an all- American tight end for
the 196S Husker team. Another ex-Husker from die
Steubenville area, Harry Wilson, also "had a lot to do with
me coming out here," Steward said.
Prove ability
Linebacker Tom Vering wanted to prove his ability
by wal king-on.
"I don't know if I should say this but 1 don't think the
coaches want to be proved wrong and I wanted to prove
them wrong," the former Fremont all-stater said.
Vering said he has been given an equal chance with
scholarship athletes to offer such proof.
"People say they don't give walkons an equal chance,
but they do," he said.
Vering and another walkon, Doug Long, from Alma,
were the starting linebackers against Kansas State.
More doubts
Being from a small community may have caused Long to
have mors doubts than teammates from larger towns.
"I was pretty leery about coming down here the first
week after the Shrine Bowl because I didn't think I was
playing that well," said Long, a pre-medicine major.
"Doane was really recruiting me hard after that and I
almost went there," he said, "but now that I've done it
(walked-on) I have no regrets."
I-back Isiah Hipp also has no regrets, especially after
leading the Husker backs in rushing with 82 yards on 14
carries against Kansas State.
Hipp was all-state at Chapin High School in South
Carolina for three successive years. Still, he received few
scholarship offers, even from schools in South Carolina.
"What really bothered me were the schools in my state,"
Hipp said. He wrote to Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne
and decided to walk-on.
Iowa State
Tim Hager, all-state quarterback from Lincoln South
east, almost decided to attend Iowa State.
"I was thinking strongly about going to Iowa State but
they didn't come through," Hager said. The Cyclones had
offered Hager a full ride scholarship but reneged at the
last moment.
"Some guy called who they didn't think was coming and
they said they were committed to him," said Hager, who
completed four of six passes and scored on a one-yard run
against Kansas State.
Hager said he almost received a scholarship from
Nebraska. "They said if I'd been bigger, or I'd been the
am si? but rn V 40 faster th?y would hv? 'Yf n m a
scholarship. I was just on the borderline," he saidr
Continued on p.3
S 1 I i i
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PhetebyTwiKIrk
Huskers Jim Burrow (2) and Dave Butterfield
(4) on tn wnt. m s . t--n
Morgan rushed for 42 yards against the
Huskers.