Page 10
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, October 19, 1982
Tight defense needed to cut Tigers off at pass
By Larry Sparks
Missouri's defense may force Nebraska to resort to the
pass when the two teams meet in Saturday's Big Eight
football showdown in Memorial Stadium, Husker Coach
Tom Osborne said at Monday's Extra Point Club
luncheon.
Osborne said the Mizzou defense probably is as good
as it was last year when the Tigers shut out Nebraska until
the last minute of the game before the Huskers came
through with a 6-0 win.
"It may mean that we have to do everything we poss
ibly can to try to move the ball," he said.
The Missouri offense relies on a number of short
passes, similar to the kind of offense Colorado ran against
the Huskers, Osborne said. He said that makes the Tigers
the kind of team that could give Nebraska trouble.
Nebraska's pass rush will be vital to the Huskers'
chances of shutting down the Tiger offense, he said.
"If you don't get to their passer on those kinds of
plays, somebody is going to be open," Osborne said, "If
you give them four-and-a-half or five seconds to throw
those kind of passes, they're going to complete a good
percentage of them."
Osborne said a good defense is indirectly related to
having a good passing game. He said that if a team has
confidence in its defense, it won't be afraid to take a
chance on incompleted or intercepted passes.
Missouri confident
"Missouri does have a good enough defense that
I feel they will feel confident to put it in the air," he
said.
The Tigers still are in the Big Eight title race, and
ABC to televise game
ABC Television announced Monday that it will televise
Saturday's Nebraska-Missouri football game from
Memorial Stadium. The game will be one of five regional
telecasts carried by the network.
Kickoff time has been changed to 2:50 p.m. to accom
modate the broadcast, and ABC will begin its pre-game
show at 2:30 p.m.
ABC will pay for a portable lighting system to be in
stalled in case the game runs past sundown. The system,
similar to the one used earlier this year at the Penn
State-Nebraska game in State College, Pa., will be brought
in by Musco Lighting Co. of Oskaloosa, Iowa.
The temporary lights will be mounted on top of the
Memorial Stadium press box and also on hoists supported
by Musco trucks at various points around the stadium.
that should give them added incentive for Saturday's
game, Osborne said.
The Tigers are 0-0-1 in conference play with a 7-7
tie against Kansas State and a 17-17 tie with Iowa State,
but Osborne said Mizzou still could go to the Orange Bowl
if it defeats the rest of its opponents.
The Huskers could enter the game without their top
two running backs. Osborne said I-back Mike Rozier
and fullback Roger Craig both could miss the game.
Rozier suffered a hip pointer and a knee strain against
Kansas State, and Osborne lists him as "very questionable."
Craig sprained an ankle Saturday, and although Osborne
said his status still is uncertain, he is expected to be ready
for Mizzou.
Hurley sees pro strike nearing end
By Bob Asmussen
If Dan Hurley's thoughts on the National Football
League players strike turn into reality, the season may
not be lost.
"I have a feeling the strike will end a week from
Sunday," Hurley, a member of the New York Giants,
said in a telephone interview from Omaha. "I'm going
back to New York this week."
Hurley is in his rookie season in the NFL. The of
fensive tackle from Omaha is on the injured reserve
list after suffering a knee strain in training camp. .Hur
ley said he's ready to get back into action.
"I can practice right now," Hurley said. "The fact
that I'm on injured reserve is a good thing because I
understand we'll get back pay after the end of the strike."
Hurley said the strike is frustrating to him, but he is
totally supportive of the players' position.
"I'm all for the players," Hurley said. "I think we
deserve better pay and better pensions. The average
life of an NFL player is four-and-a-half years. After that
you have to find something else to do."
Hurley said compromise is the key to a settlement.
He said a big help toward a settlement was bringing in
federal mediator Sam Kagel to the talks.
Both sides losing money
"I think both sides have to give in a little bit," Hur
ley said. "I think they're working towards that. The
owners aren't stupid and the players aren't stupid. Both
sides realize that they're losing a lot of money."
Hurley said that during the strike he has tried to
keep in shape by running and lifting weights. He said
he is in good shape but probably not ready to play.
"I was in real good shape right before the strike,"
Hurley said. "It frustrates me not to play the game or
watch the game. Lack of money is another thing that
frustrates me."
The National Football League Players Association
started a series of all-star games featuring the striking
players. The players won the right to play in the games
in a court battle with the league. Ted Turner's WTBS
is televising the games.
"Some are playing for fun," Hurley said, "Some are
playing for money and some are playing because they're
tired or raking leaves in their backyards."
Big names oppose strike
Several big name players have come out against the
strike. Players such as Terry Bradshaw and John Stall
worth voiced their opinions that are counter to that
of the players' union. Hurley said he understands those
players' positions on the strike.
"I think if I was in their shoes I'd say the same things,
too," Hurley said. "They're part of the 3 percent of
the players making the big money."
Dave Jennings, the Giants' all-pro punter, also has
come out against the strike, saying the "whole thing
is ridiculous." Hurley said Jennings is the only one of
the Giants to come out against the strike.
"Butch Woolfolk is making good money but even
he's behind the players," Hurley said. "He realizes he's
got linemen up in front of him who makes his job easier."
Hurley said after the strike, it will take the players a
few weeks to get back into the swing of things. He said
the players will return to the fundamentals they leam in
the pre-season. If the strike doesn't end, Hurley said he
thinks the players might turn somewhere else.
"The USFL (United States Football League) is a
good possibility for a lot of the players if they close
up the season," Hurley said. i know some of my team
mates were talking about it. I'm planning on playing in
the NFL."
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The Nebraska football
team continues to rank as
the top offensive team in
the nation. The Huskers are
No. 1 in rushing offense
(404.2), total offense
(562.0) and scoring offense
(42.8).
The Cornhuskers also are
seventh in the nation in
scoring defense, allowing an
average of only 11.3 points
per game.
Safety Bret Clark suffered a bruised back against KSU
but probably will be healed in time for Missouri, Osborne
said.
Offense pleases Osborne
Assessing Saturday's 42-13 win against Kansas State,
Osborne said he was pleased with the offensive effort but
disappointed in the Huskers' four turnovers.
"I thought the strongest part of their (Kansas State)
football team was the defense, and I really thought we
might have some problems moving the ball but that
didn't prove to be the case. We moved the ball pretty
consistently," he said.
"I can't remember a game when we didn't have to punt
the ball," he added. "That was partly due to pretty good
execution on offense and also offensive ineptitude in that
we either scored or dropped the ball every series."
Osborne praised quarterback Turner Gill's 91.7 pass
completion percentage against the Wildcats and said he
had planned to pass more in the game. He said he chose
to keep the ball on the ground, however, because Ne
braska's rushing game was so successful.
Because of the turnovers, Osborne said the offense has
to shoulder at least part of the blame for 10 of the 13
points K-State scored Saturday.
.Osborne said the Blackshirt defense showed signs of
improvement Saturday and played with more confidence
than it had earlier in the season.
"I don't mean to say that we've got all of our defensive
problems licked, but we're getting a little bit better,"
he said.
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Staff Photo by CrJ Andrawn
Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill gets off a pass in
Saturday's 42-13 win against Kansas State in
Memorial Stadium. GQ completed 11 of 12 passes
Saturday for a 91.7 percent completion rate. That
broke the school and conference record formerly
held by Dave Humm, who completed 23 of 27
passes against Kansas in 1974 for an 85.2 percent
rate.
Mizzou team plagued
with 3 injured players
Missouri wide receiver Curtland Thomas broke his
right leg Saturday against Iowa State and will not play
for the rest of the season, MU Coach Warren Powers
said Monday.
Thomas likely will be replaced in Saturday's game
against Nebraska by Craig White, a 6-2, 187-pound junior
who caught two passes for 21 yards against the Cyclones,
Powers said.
Other Mizzou injuries include center Tom Hornof,
who probably won't play Saturday because of an ankle
injury, and running back George Shorthose, who is
doubtful because of a sprained knee.
Strong safety Kevin Potter, who missed the ISU
game because of a sprained right ankle, appear? healthy
and should be reaJy for Saturday's clash with the Hus
kers, Powers said.
