friday, October 6, 1978
page 10
daily nebraskan
sports
ISU conquests over NU
intensify game excitement
By Brad Horky
"You've gotta be kiddin'! This one has
been sold out for months."
That's what the Cyclone press release
had to say on the availability of tickets for
this Saturday's Nebraska-Iowa State foot
ball game in Ames.
The contest will be the conference
opener for both schools. Iowa State boasts
a 4-0 record with wins over Rice, San
Diego State, Iowa, and Drake. The Huskers
are 3-1 after an opening game loss to Ala
bama. The past two seasons the Cyclones have
beaten UNL. In 1976, Iowa State downed
Nebraska 37-28 in Ames, and last season
they turned the trick again, defeating the
Huskers 24-21 in Lincoln. If ISU should
win Saturday, it would be the first time the
Cyclones have defeated Nebraska three-in-a-row
since 194346.
Senior fullback Rick Berns said he feels
the previous two Cyclone wins will add
excitement to thii year's game.
"It will intensify things," Berns said.
"We want to win this one bad, but we can't
be after too much revenge and forget our
assignments. We just have to go out and be
aggressive."
Indiana gave lift
"The Indiana game gave us reinforce
ment," Berns said. "It showed we do have
a good offensive team. And the defense is
getting stronger. They don't have any
breakdowns anymore."
Iowa State head football coach, Earle
Bruce, also thinks the Husker's offensive
unit is a good outfit.
"There's no doubt that Nebraska is
much improved since it's opening loss to
Alabama," Bruce said. "They've really
put it together. They run I.M. Hipp with
the quick pitch, and they mix it up with
some very fine passing from Tom Sorley.
"Their offensive line has jelled and they
are blocking well. They're just a complete
football team right now in every facet of
the game," Bruce said.
Quarterback Tom Sorley said he feels
the Huskers are now on their way to a
winning season.
ISU punch
The thorn in the Husker's side the past
two seasons has been ISU's Heisman
Trophy candidate Dexter Green. Green
rushed for 109 yards in '76, and 139 last
season against Nebraska.
Green isn't all the Cyclones have for
offensive punch. ISU quarterback Terry
Rubley doesn't go to the air much, but
when he does, he's accurate. Rubley has
completed 15 of 23 passes for 197 yards
and four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Cyclones are strong.
Iowa State is giving up an average of 9.7
points a game.
"We've faced some strong defenses
this year, and Iowa State is no excep
tion," Sorley said. "They're probably the
best weVe gone against."
On hand for the battle in Ames will
be scouts representing the Sun Bowl and
the Hall of Fame Bowl.
IF i&r? rk 0
Photo by Tad Kirk
Quarterback Terry Rubley (11) wfll lead Iowa State against UNL in Ames on
Saturday.
Osborne's optimism challenged by Iowa State
Predictions by Rick Huls
Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne's
pre-season optimism surprised many
Husker fans. It just wasn't like Osborne to
make, anything but average comments
about his team, especially before the sea
son had started.
After the Huskers' lackluster perform
ance against Alabama in the season opener
on national television, fans had reason to
question Osborne's optimism.
Two home victories over California and
Hawaii regained some confidence, but the
players still lacked the intensity of past
Husker teams.
Osborne's unusual optimism turned into
reality last week in the Huskers' 69-17
humiliation of Indiana. Not only did the
win confirm Osborne's expectations, it
renewed optimism among Big Red fans.
Motivation should be no problem for
Nebraska this week against Iowa State,
which pulled off 37-28 and 24-21 wins
over the Huskers the last two years.
The problem is which Nebraska team
will take the field Saturday in Ames; the
one who was embarrassed by Alabama or
the team who, in turn, embarrassed
Indiana?
After picking the Huskers by five last
week and missing by 47 points, the best
idea might be to throw the scores in a hat
and come out with . . . Nebraska 31, Iowa
State 14.
In games involving other Big Eight
schools:
Kansas at Colorado-The Buffs remem
ber, all too well, last year's 17-17 tie which
started their season-ending slide of three
losses in five games . . . Colorado 3 1 , Kan
sas 10.
Illinois at Missouri-The Fighting
Mini beat Missouri twice during the roller
coaster years of Al Onofrio. It shouldn't
happen to Warren Powers' squad, even
after last week's trouncing by Oklahoma
. . . Missouri 27, Illinois 7.
Oklahoma State at Kansas State -This
one's a toss-up. K-State's victories usually
don't come in succession but the Wildcats
will be trying to break a 21 -game losing
streak in Big Eight play. Kansas State's
offense is more explosive than the inept
Cowboys . . . Kansas State 21, Oklahoma
State 17.
Oklahoma at Texas-The Longhorns' de
fense is among the nation's best. The
Sooners' offense is the same. When the two
meet, the state of Texas is bound to
tremble . . . Oklahoma 24, Texas 14.
Last week's record was 34-8-1 for an
.809 percentage, leaving the season mark at
124-384 for a .765 percentage.
Football maneuvers make game rough on weak-kneed
It was 1 :30 p jn. Wednesday after-noon-the
usual starting time for UNL
football practice. But, isolated from the
lifting of weights or cracking of pads,
Randy Poeschl quietly sat in the shade
on the east stadium's top row.
His eyes were fixed on a group of fourth
graders chasing a football on the artificial
turf. Paeschl was the only spectator. He
was a loner, away from his teammates
in his last year at UNL.
Poeschl arose and began to walk side
ways down each step favoring his right
leg. It took him about five minutes to
reach the bottom and about the same
amount of time to walk up the steps.
Poeschl was giving his left knee a work
out, something a football player must
do to rehabilitate a torn ligament.
Torn ligament
Last spring, Poeschl tore his interior
crucial ligament, which is vital for support
ing the knee. Two weeks ago, Poeschl was
chasing a sweep play in practice when the
knee popped out again.
Since then, the status of Poeschl's pro
gress is undetermined. The team's surgeon
and trainer are putting Poeschl through
therapy-trying to avoid surgery.
The knee injury is common among UNL
football players-some recovering instant
ly, some playing with heavily taped knees,
and a few, like Poeschl, not playing at all.
For coaches, the knee injury can create
nightmares; for trainers and surgeons, it
can create a stiff challenge; and for the
players, the knee injury is only part of the
game.
Game Vorth' die pain
Starting quarterback Tom Sorley had
knee surgery while playing high school
football at Big Springs, Texas. With only an
occurrence of strained ligaments at UNL
much less severe than Poeschl's torn liga
ment -Sorley knows there is a chance of
severe injury.
"Knees are just part of the game,"
Sorley said. "The game is well worth
the time and pain I put into it."
With no previous experience of knee
problems until the Hawaii game, junior
third string center Paul Potadle has under
gone vital rehabilitation treatments.
In the Hawaii game, Potadle twisted his
knee slowing down for a Hawaii fair catch.
The knee gave out without even being
touched.
Potadle's knee was immediately iced to
avoid swelling, which is an important first
step, according to UNL trainer George
kevin schnepf
Sullivan. After two weeks of hot and cold
whirlpools, walking stadium stairs, and
doing leg lifts on a machine called the cy
bex, Potadle was playing again.
Technology aids knee treatment
The cybex machine examines the
injured knee's efficiency compared to the
player's healthy knee. The machine, in
it's second year of use at UNL, is one of
the technological advancements in the
treatment of the knee.
"If the human mind has something to
compare the knee with, the easier it will
be to build it back up," Sullivan said.
Potadle's knee was 86 percent efficient
according to the machine, so he returned
to practice last Monday. Feeling no dis
comfort and displaying complete
maneuverability, Potadle once again
twisted his knee on punt coverage.
Potadle is back on the treatment again,
but he is confident that hell be back on
the field in two weeks.
"I have a lot of faith in Dr. Clare and
the whole training staff," Potadle said.
Dr. Pat Clare, one of UNL's athletic
surgeons, said Potadle experienced a mild
tear of one of the knee's cartiledges.
Through a process called the isogram, Clare
put dye in the knee joint to produce
clearer X-rays.
Knee 'exploded'
In Poeschl's case, an instrument called
an arthroscope was used to determine the
extent of the injury. The instrument, three
millimeters in length was placed in
Poeschl's knee last spring to take pictures
of the injury.
"Randy's knee literally exploded when
he injured it," Clare said. "The torn liga
ment looks like two ends of a mop. The
interior crucial ligament (operation) is the
biggest single knee surgery in the world."
Dare called Poeschl's case unpredic
table. He said there is no evidence of torn
cartilege-only a multitude of torn liga
ments. "This weakens other structures of the
body, especially the muscle development
in the thigh," he said.
With Poeschl standing 6 foot 8 inches,
and weighing 260 pounds, the knee is tak
ing a lot more stress than other players
feel.
Not for contact sports
Sullivan said he could go through a
whole list of players who have had knee
problems. Barney Cotton and Rod Horn
have had knee surgery, Jeff Hansen and
Dan Steiner wear preventive wraps while
playing, and George Andrews is playing
with a history of strained knees.
"The knee wasn't built for contact
sports," Sullivan said. "It is only supposed
to move in one direction and football is a
game with many different movements."
Many studies have been done on the
effects Astroturf has on the knee
Although the answers are not in from all
the studies, Dr. Clare feels Astroturf is
safer.
"All Astroturf did was create a different
type of injury," he said. "There is a lot
more traction and stronger impacts on
Astro-turf, but on grass the high ligaments
of the knee are affected more. The cleats
getting caught in the grass, for instance, is
a big cause tor injury."
Mystifying
Dr. Clare calls the knee a very mystify
ing part of the body. The knee needs to
be stable, withstand pressure and if it
doesn't, knee injuries will reoccur, Clare
said.
Poeschl's problem is especially mysti
fying to Clare.
"Randy had a good summer and we
thought he was on his way," Gare said.
"Now, since he is a senior, well ride it
out as long as we can."
With this year being Poeschl's last
season at UNL and with a possible pro
fessional football career in the future,
Poeschl is in a difficult and disappointing
situation.
Poeschl has talked with Dr. Clare about
the possibility of another arthroscope,
meaning no playing time for UNL and no
chance to impress the pro scouts.
"We made it clear to him (Poeschl) that
waiting it out could wipe him out of his
football career," Clare said.
So, Poeschl, one of the few unlucky
ones, sits and waits.
Dressed in his sweats, watching the foot
ball squirt loose from a four-foot -tall boy,
Poeschl studies his swollen left knee. He
glances at the empty Memorial Stadium
steps he must walk -"a boring exercise,"
he says.
"There's just not a whole lot I can do
about it right now."