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Daily Nebraskan
Friday, October 15, 1982
Nebraska faces toughest defense yet in Wildcats
By Cindy Gardner
Kansas State would like nothing more than to ruin
Nebraska's 70th annual Homecoming Saturday and
Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said the Huskers are
well aware that this Wildcat team has the potential to
do just that.
"I don't think we've had any problems with over
confidence on either side of the ball," Osborne said
after Thursday's practice. "We feel we're going to be
in a tough ball game." .
For the first time since 1970, Kansas State comes
into the Nebraska game sporting a winning record. That
year the Wildcats were 7-3 when they met the Huskers.
Nebraska won the game 5 1-13.. This year, K-State comes
to Lincoln with a 3-1-1 record and the hope of ending
a string of 13 losses to the Huskers.
"We're going to have to get some breaks if we expect
to beat Nebraska," K-State Coach Jim Dickey said after
the Wildcats' 7-7 tie against Missouri last Saturday. "But
I've been coaching long enough to know there are upsets
every week."
In preparing for the upset-minded Wildcats, the Husker
Softball team boosted
by second-place finish
in OSU tournament
By Jack Denker
The Nebraska softball team ended its fall season
last weekend with a 12-10 record, winning second place
at the Oklahoma State Invitational.
The Huskers won three games at the invitational
before losing to the host team in the championship
game 3-2.
"We played our best softball all season," Coach Nancy
Plantz said of her team's performance at OSU. "We're
real confident in ourselves because we ended the season
on a good note and we feel good about that."
Plantz, who coached Nebraska to its first Womens
College World Series appearance last spring, said this
fall season wasn't as successful as she had hoped.
"We would much rather have had a 16-6 record instead
of 12-10," Plantz said. "But I think we're going into the
spring real optimistic."
Plantz said the Huskers need to improve their hitting
before next spring, despite the fact that the Huskers'
.235 team batting average was better than last year's.
Shortstop Denise Day was Nebraska's offensive punch
this season as she led the team in every hitting category,
including a .352 average and 10 RBIs in 22 games. Day
also hit safely in every game but three this year.
Newcomers Marty Pump, with a .271 average, and
Shelby Mertins, a pleasant surprise according to Plantz,
were also proficient at the plate.
"As a team we were a little disappointed in the hitting
category," Plantz said. "We didn't get enough power
from our first and second hitters. We didn't have people
hitting consistently."
Rhonda Revelle was Nebraska's most successful pitcher
as she earned a 4-2 individual record with a 0.50 ERA.
Two-time 20-plus game winner Sandy Wolterman ended
the season with a 6-7 record and 24 strikeouts.
Revelle was also the team's defensive standout as
she only committed four errors in 169 fielding attempts.
However, Plantz said, the Huskers' 45 errors were a
deterrent to the squad's success.
Nebraska scored 50 runs this season for an average
of 2.3 runs per game, while their opponents scored 36
runs, which is a 1.6 average. Plantz said the tough level
of competition her team played this fall had something
to do with the close scores and the team's disappointing
overall record.
Huskers lead in 4 categories
Nebraska leads in four categories of the Big Eight team
football statistics released this week. The Huskers lead the
conference in rushing offense, averaging 408.2 yards per
game; total offense, averaging 575.2 yards per game;
scoring offense, averaging 43 points per game; and scoring
defense, allowing 1 1 points per game.
The Huskers are third in passing offense, fourth in
rushing defense, eighth in passing defense, fifth in total
defense and fourth in net punting.
offense has readied for what it considers its toughest
defensive test so far this season.
Defense features Singletary
The K-State defensive unit features right tackle Reggie
Singletary and the linebacking dual of Dan Ruzich and
Will Cokely. Osborne said Singletary is a quick and
aggressive down lineman much like Nebraska's Toby
Williams.
While names like Singletary, Ruzich and Cokley
stand out, Osborne said the Huskers respect the entire
Wildcat defense which last week held Missouri to just
10 first downs. Nebraska will concentrate on defensive
formations rather than individuals on Saturday, he said.
"I think they've got a lot of good football players
on defense and it would be kind of foolish at this point
to say we're going to try to stay away from him or try
to figure out where he is,' " Osborne said.
In Osborne's decade as the Husker's head coach, he
said he can recall only one or two games in which he has
consciously tried to avoid one player.
"Quarterbacks just aren't brought up that way here,"
Osborne said. "They look more at spacing and defenses
rather than individuals."
Defense thin
Nebraska's own defense will be a little thin at the
cornerback spot in Saturday's game. Starters Neil Harris
and Allen Lyday are available along with back up Dave
Burke. Cornerback Jim Murphy is still weak after a bout
with pnuemonia and will miss the Kansas State game as
will Jeff Johnson who has a knee injury.
To fill in the void left by Johnson and Murphy, Os
borne said safety Pat Larsen has been practicing at the
cornerback position. Freshman Gary Schneider also will
suit up with the varsity Saturday.
Freshman Charlie Cartwright, another cornerback who
has been working with the varsity, may seek a hardship
ruling Osborne said. Cartwright has been kept out of
practice with a knee injury that hasn't responded to
treatment.
The Husker offense is healthy with the exception of
wingback Irving Fryar. Fryar is- still bothered by an
ankle sprain suffered in the Auburn game. Osborne
described Fryar as "marginal" after Thursday's prac
tice. He said Fryar should be available for at least some
limited playing time Saturday.
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Daily Nebraskan file photo
Nebraska gymnast Phil Cahoy performs on the pommel horse at last yearfc Big Eight championships in the Bob
Devancy Sports Center. Cahoy returns to the team this season and will try to lead the Huskers to their fifth straight
NCAA title. Nebraska's season opens Nov. 5 with the Big Eight Invitational in Lincoln.
v irst gym meet to test JMeforas&a
By Patty Pryor
Nebraska men's gymnastics Coach Francis Allen is
looking at the Big Eight Invitational in November as a
good indicator of things to come this season.
"Whoever wins this you know is going to be tough,
because the Big Eight usually dominates at nationals,
anyway," Allen said. "Thisll show who's going to kick
booty, and we want to be that kick-booty person."
Teams from Iowa State, Oklahoma, Northern Illinois
at DeKalb and Southern Illinois at Carbondale will partici
pate in the meet Nov. 5 and 6.
"We set a scoring record at this meet the last two years,
and then ended up breaking it at nationals both times,"
Allen said, "so we've got a lot of pride riding on this
meet."
This year's meet, however, may end that tradition, he
said. With the loss of two sure scorers in Jim Hartung
and Steve Elliott, the Huskers could face a little stronger
competition this season.
"We know we're going to miss those 9.9s (from
Hartung and Elliott)," Allen said. "Besides their scoring
ability, though, their leadership is really going to be
missed."
Allen said he's not yet sure who will comprise the
lineup for the Big Eight meet.
"At this point, we have four scores, but I don't really
know who our fifth scorer is yet," he said.
Those four "scores" are all-arounders Phil Cahoy,
Scott Johnson, Jim Mikus and Chris Riegel.
Allen said the Huskers are "a little more hurting"
in floor, high bar and rings. "By hurting, though, I
just mean that we don't have guaranteed 9.5s or better
in every event.
"We've got some weak spots, but we'll be able to put
out a 9.0 in every event, I think," he said.
Allen said the Huskers' toughest competition will
come from Oklahoma and Iowa State, although Southern
Illinois "could move up fast" with Brian Babcock back
on the team, he said.
Looking ahead, Allen said UCLA still poses a consider
able threat, with all-arounders Mitch Gaylord, Tim
Daggett and Peter Vidmar, last year's NCAA champion.
The Huskers meet the Bruins twice before nationals
this year.
Nebraska also will go against the U.S.S.R. and Japan
in a December meet, which Allen said is going to be
"quite a match."
Allen still has a number of seasoned veterans on the
squad, too, who will help fill the void left by Hartung and
Elliott.
Both Cahoy and Johnson are "bona fide studs" who
can do 9.5 or better in every event, he said, and Riegel,
although only a freshman, has plenty of experience
behind him.
"Fromthe standpoint of maturity, well go further
this year," he said. "Last year, we started out a barn
burner and ended a bam burner, but this year, I think
well have to go a little slower. They're not going to just
give it to us this year.'