Wednesday, October 13, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Experience is
as KSU meets Buskers
Page 12
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By Cindy Gardner
When Kansas State Coach Jim Dickey
matches the fruits of a trial redshirt season
against Nebraska's crop of tradition, it
will be a game abundant in experience.
In fact, Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne
said the Huskers have never faced a more
experienced team than the one Dickey
will bring with him Saturday.
Kansas State's wealth of experience
comes after a year when Dickey chose to
begin a redshirt program by holding over
16 players, including eight seniors. The
result is a Wildcat team loaded with players
who have starting experience. But more
than the numbers, Osborne said, it is the
quality of the players that sets this year's
team apart from K-State teams of the
past.
After finishing with a 2-9-0 mark last
fall, Kansas State opened this season's
campaign with three wins before losing
to Arizona State and tying Missouri.
This defense is coupled witli what Os
borne described as a capable offensive
unit. In addition to throwing the ball
against the Huskers Saturday, Osborne
said he expects the Wildcats to warm up
their ground game and run against the
Husker defense, too.
Kansas State's experienced ranks have
been thinned by injuries in the past weeks,
particularly on offense. Quarterback Dar
rell Dickey suffered a mild concussion
against Missouri last week. Dickey's con
cussion left Kansas State without a first
string player in the backfield for the rest
of the game. Tailback Mark Hundley is
expected to be ready for Saturday's game
but the status of the rest of the backfield
is not yet known.
Nebraska continues to nurse a few
injuries of its own. Center Dave Rimington
missed practice for a second day Tuesday
with a bruised right hand. Osborne said
Rimington is expected to practice today.
Tight end Mitch Krenk missed Tues
day's practice with the flu, while split
end Todd Brown returned after missing
Monday's workout with a charlie horse.
Irving Fryar, starting wingback who
missed last Saturday's Colorado game
with a sprained ankle, apparently aggra
vated that injury at yesterday's practice
and went in early. His status for Saturday's
K-State game could depend on whether
he practices today, Osborne said.
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Harriers outrace ISU, Missouri
The Nebraska men's crosscountry team
swept four of the top five places in up
ending Missouri and defending Big Eight
champion Iowa State at Pioneers Park
Saturday.
The Huskers tallied 27 points to ISU's
33 and MU's 61. The Cyclones' Joe Kip
fang ran the five-mile course in 25:32
lo take first, the Huskers Tom Hoffman,
Marc Adam, Gerard O'Callaghan and Mark
Gokic filled the next four places.
Coach Mark Fluitt said he was pleased
with the team's performance despite the
poor weather conditions.
ISU was without its top runner, Bob
Verbeeck, who finished third in the con
ference meet last year. Had Verbeeck
run, Fluitt said, the results would have
been closer.
The Huskers, who have won all team
competitions they have entered this
season, are preparing for a Saturday
meet in Des Moines with Drake. They
travel the following weekend to Bro
okings, S.D., for a dual against South
Dakota State.
Fluitt said Nebraska will host the
Big Eight Conference meet Oct. 30 at
Pioneer Park. He said he is hoping his
team can go into the conference meet
undefeated.
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Staff Photo by Craig Andresen
Husker quarterback Turner Gill (12) gets ready to take the ball from center Dave
Rimington (SO) in Saturday's 40-14 win at Colorado.
Huskers' Johnson accepts backup center role
By Bob Asmussen
The Nebraska football team has always been known for
its depth. Two seasons ago, Roger Craig was known as
"the best third-string running back in the nation," backup
players Monte Johnson and Brett Moritz were both
high draft choices by National Football League teams
and former Nebraska quarterback Ed Burns made it
in the NFL after taking only a few snaps at Nebraska.
This year's outstanding reserve player may be Brad
Johnson. In any other season, Johnson, a senior from
Harvard, might be Nebraska's starting center, but this
season he is playing behind Nebraska's All-American
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Photo courtesy UNL Sports Information
Nebraska center Brad Johnson
player and Outland Trophy winner, Dave Rimington.
"You can't really dispute being second team when
you've got somebody of that caliber playing ahead of
you," Johnson said. "When you play with a person like
that you don't want to be selfish."
Johnson has seen a good deal of playing time this
season, giving Rimington a rest. He said he doesn't mind
his role as long as he gets some playing time.
More work
"I was told before the season that they (the Nebraska
coaches) were going to work me in a lot more than last
year," Johnson said. "I played a lot as a sophomore but
last season I felt I was wasted."
When did Johnson realize he'd be spending his varsity
career behind Rimington? It wasn't before last season
or even the year before.
"It was the first day," Johnson said. "They had him
sharing second team with the varsity and I was with the
freshman team. I've known all the way through that I
was going to be behind Dave."
The Nebraska press guide says Johnson could start
for a lot of teams. Johnson said he thinks about that
from time to time.
"I guess there's periods where you get down and start
to think about it," Johnson said. "It wouldn't have
meant the same to play somewhere else."
Johnson said he received scholarship offers from
smaller schools in Nebraska such as Hastings and Kear
ney State, but he said there was no question that he
wanted to walk-on at Nebraska.
"Someone who grows up in i small town dreams
about playing at Nebraska and that was the way it was
for me," Johnson said. "Once I decided on coming here
I just concentrated on making the team."
Pro football is a consideration for Johnson.
Pro prospect
"There was a time that I never thought about it,"
Johnson said. "I've been told by a couple of teams that
getting drafted is a possibility. It might never happen."
Johnson said he would enjoy the opportunity to try
pro football, either in the NFL or the United States
Football League.
Snapping the ball on punts, field goals and extra
points is something that Johnson said he wishes he had
learned to do. He has tried long snapping this season
and has had some problems.
"I skipped one back at Penn State but we made it,"
Johnson said. "I'd rather not do it with my present con
fidence. It's a pressure snap that takes a lot of skill."
Despite playing his entire career in the rather large
shadow of Rimington, Johnson said he is happy with his
decision to come to Nebraska.
"Despite everything that's happened I never considered
transfering," Johnson said. "Coming from a small school
I'd say I had a pretty good career. It could have been
better but it could have been a lot worse."
Sports Shorts
The Nebraska men's tennis team will meet Keafney
State Saturday at 9 a.m. The match has been scheduled
for the varsity courts, located behind the UNL Coliseum.
In case of inclement weather, the Huskers and the
Antelopes will square off at the Bob Devancy Sports
Center.
Kansas devensive end Tim Friess was named Big Eight
defensive player of the week for his performance in the
Jayhawks' 24-24 tie with Oklahoma State.
Friess ended up with 10 tackles, including two for 14
yards in losses. Linebacker Steve Damkroger was Ne
braska's nominee for the honor. Damkroger picked off
two passes in the Huskers' 40-14 win against Colorado
Saturday at Folsom Field.
The Nebraska junior varsity football game scheduled
for this Friday at UNO has been rescheduled for Nov. 5.
The Nebraska women's golf team will compete in the
Missouri Invitational Saturday through Monday at
Columbia, Mo.
The 1982-83 edition of the Nebraska men's basketball
team will open practice Friday. The first practice will be
at Mabel Lee Hall because of a concert scheduled in the
Bcb Devaney Sports Center.
