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daily nebraskan
monday, aprll 9, 1079
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Cornhuskers9 first NCAA title earned by gymnasts
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Daily Nebrasknn photo
Athletic Director Bob Devaney congratulates NU gymnast Jim Hartung on leading his team to Nebraska's first
NCAA championship. Hartung arrived at the Lincoln Municipal Airport Sunday evening ahead of the rest of the
team which was delayed.
Scrimmage lacks intensity-Osborne
By Jack Shockley
After a week of practicing in snow, wind and unseason
ably cold temperatures, springlike weather greeted Nebra
ska's football team for its first spring scrimmage Saturday.
The temperature was a balmy 75 degrees and sunny
skies prevailed throughout the afternoon in Memorial
Stadium.
But Coach Tom Osborne said he detected a lack of
intensity among the players and said the sudden warming
trend may have been partly responsible.
"I didn't feel the hitting was really all that good, but I
hope it will improve and get sharper," he said.
The temperature, which was about 30 degrees warmer
than the day before, might have "had something to with
us being so lethargic," he said.
Still, a number of good things emerged from the scrim
mage, Osborne said.
He said the quarterbacks played well and, although the
hitting could have been better, "it wasn't a bad scrim
mage." No injuries
"There didn't seem to be any serious injuries," he said,
"and there were a few decent players even on the fourth
and fifth units, which I was pleased to see."
The top three units worked against each other for the
first half of the three-hour scrimmage, with the lower
units finishing up.
In early spring practices, the defense usually dominates
but that didn't happen Saturday.
Lfter a slow start, the offensive units piled up four
touchdowns. One of the touchdowns was by the number
one offense, directed by Jeff Quinn, against the number
one defense.
I-backs Isaiah Hipp, Craig Johnson and Jarvis Redwine
accounted for the biggest chunk of the rushing yardage.
Hipp was the afternoon's leading rusher with 75 yards
on 10 carries. Johnson carried 13 times for 64 yards and
Redwine gained SI yards on seven attempts.
Johnson, playing with the first unit, also scored one
touchdown on a one-yard run against the number three
defense.
Short runs
Fullbacks Jim Kotera, Brent Evans and Dave Zobel
produced the other touchdowns by scoring on short runs.
The longest run from scrimmage was by fullback Mark
Moravec, who gained 38 yards on his only carry.
The day's longest pass play came when wingback
Anthony Steels made a leaping catch of a Mark Mauer
pass for an 1 8-yard gain .
"We were a little better offensively than in a lot of first
scrimmages,'' Osborne said.
"A lot of players did some good things today. Of the
quarterbacks, Jeff Quinn seemed to have a good day. Hipp
did a good job as I-back and Redwine did some things
offensively, so did Junior miner."
Quinn, who is tied for number one with Tim Hager,
completed only one of six passes for 10 yards, but ran for
20 yards on four carries and led a pair of scoring drives.
Hager was the afternoon's most effective passer, with
three completions in six attempts for 29 yards. He also
directed a touchdown drive.
Good plays
Miller, an All-Big Eight tight end, caught three passes
for 33 yards to lead the receivers.
Defensively, first unit middle guard Kerry Weinmaster
and second -team tackle Bill Barnett, "made some good
plays," Osborne said.
Other defensive gems were turned in by defensive end
Derrie Nelson, safety Russell Gary, who recovered fumbl
es, and cornerback Ric' Lindquist, who intercepted a pass.
The Huskers have 16 practices remaining in their 20
practice spring schedule, which ends with the annual Red
White game May 5.
Osborne said that in the meantime, his major assign
ments will be to resolve the unsettled offensive line and
quarterback situations.
"We've really got to get settled up front (the offensive
line) and at quarterback," he said. "It's probably going to
take us all spring and part of the fall to get it settled."
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Photo by Msrfc Bniingstcy
I. M. Hipp, the leading rusher In Saturday's football
scrimmage, makes his move through the Nebraska
defense.
The Nebraska Comhuskers won their first NCAA
championship in any sport Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.,
and Francis Allen's gymnasts had to come from behind to
knock off a twice defending national champion for it.
Ironically enough, the two-time champion was Okla
homa, who has been the Husker's football nemesis for
years. And although the Nebraska football team won nat
ional championships in 1970 and 1971, they were not
NCAA titles since the football titles are determined by
Associated Press and United Press International polls.
For the record, Nebraska totaled 448.275 points to
446.625 for Oklahoma. Indiana State was third with
441.300.
Awesome performances by senior Larry Gerard and
freshman Jim Hartung sparked the Nebraska effort Satur
day, after the Huskers had found themselves trailing OU
Friday following the optional rounds.
Gerard fell off the pommel horse in the first event dur
ing the championship session and scored a 7.8. But he
followed that with a 9.6 on the rings, 9.55 on the parallel
bars, 9.5 in the floor exercise, a 9.4 on the high bar and a
9.35 in valuting.
Hartung's gems included a 9.7 in floor exercise, 9.65
on rings. 9.55 on the parallel bars, 9.5 on the pommel
horse and vaulting and a 9.4 on the high bar.
But it took depth to overtake the Sooners and Nebra
ska was loaded with it.
Freshman Steve Elliot, who doubles for the NU swim
team, averaged 9.55 on the floor exercise and 9.775 In
valuting. Chuck Chmelka scored nine plus in every event
but the floor exercise. Richard Brindisi scored 9.2 or
higher in three events. And Terry Nowels, Steve Todd,
Kirk Fridrich, Kevin Dunkley and Mark Williams each
scored over a nine in at least one event.
Allen said he couldn't believe his team could hit so
many routines for three straight days. Looking back at the
scores, Allen said they made up three points difference -and
that was the difference between winning and losing.
After being named Midwest Regional Coach of the
Year by the National Association of College Gym Coaches
earlier in the week, Allen was automatically named Nat
ional Coach of the Year after Saturday night's finals.
Now Francis Allen knows the good feeling after a long
season. But, Allen admitted, he and his assistants, Jim
Howard and Jim Gottschalk are already thinking about
next year. To him, that means just as much.
The Nebraska baseball team took a doubleheader from
Colorado, 7-5 and 4-1, Saturday in Boulder to open the
Big Eight Conference regular season.
In the opener, Gary Nolting pushed his record to 3-0 in
relief for starter Jim McManus.
Colorado led 54 entering the seventh inning, but the
Huskers rallied for three runs When Pete O'Brien drew a
bases-loaded walk to score John Russo, and Steve Oakley
singled in Jeff Hunter and Val Primante .
Tim Burke upped his record to 4-1 with a three -hitter
in the nightcap. Burke got all the support he needed in the
second inning when Stan Haas singled, Bob Gebler
walked, Russo doubled in Haas and Scherger singled in
Gebler.
Nebraska added single runs in the sixth and seventh
innings as Oakley singled in Primante and Scherger, who
had four hits in four at bats, singled in Gebler again.
The wins moved Nebraska's record to 194 overall and
2-0 in the Big- Eight while Colorado fell to 4-14 and 0-2.
The Huskers were scheduled to meet Kansas Sta:e in a
doubleheader Monday in Manhattan. Wednesday, the
Huskers travel to'Omaha to meet UNO.
Kansas won the final event- the mile relay-to edge
the Nebraska women's track team 147-144, Saturday in
the second annual Husker Invitational track meet at Ed
Weir Stadium.
Entering the final event Nebraska led 140-139, but
placed fourth in the mile relay and lost the lead.
Nebraska freshman Sharon BurrUl set meet records
while winning the high jump (5-11) and the long jump
(194). Other Nebraska firsts were Janet Bates in the 400
meters (:S722), Sue Kobza in the discus (143-0), and the
? two-mile relay team of Cindy Vickers, Julie Seaton, Lisa
Kramer and Janet Bornemeier (9: 14.02).
Nebraska Coach Carol Frost said the team is still suffer
- ing from injuries to distance runner Carol Schenck, sprint
er Cindy Tatum, pentathlete Nancy Kindig, hurdler
Cheryl Zajic and middle distance runner Tami Essington.
Tm really tired of making excuses,' Frost said, "but
we've got as much as 40 points sitting out. Second place is
nice but it's hard to live with when you know you're a
more superior team than that." . ,
Lincoln High won the high school portion of the
invitational with 121 points. Class C Hastings St. Cecelia
unisnea second witn 86 points.
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