Tuesday, September 10, 1985
Page 6
Daily Nebraskan
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By Jeff Apel
and
Richard Cooper
Staff Reporters
Forgive Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne
if he appeared a bit jealous following the Corn
husker freshman team's 56-0 victory over the
Iowa State junior varsity Monday at Memorial
Stadium.
Osborne, who was forced to watch a mistake
filled contest on Saturday by the Husker varsity
which lead to a 17-13 loss to Florida State,
looked on in envy as coach Dan Young's fresh
man team rolled up 515 total yards on offense
while holding the Cyclone offense to only 07 total
yards enroute to winning their season opener.
"Overall, I was pretty well pleased," Young
said. "Both of our quarterbacks (Steve Taylor
and Mike Preston) did a good job and we got
good play from all four of our running backs."
Husker Chris Drennan's opening kickoff was
the first of three to go through the end zone.
The Nebraska defense then set the tone for
the day when it held Iowa State to minus five
yards on its first three offensive plays.
Facing a fourth down and 1 5 from their own 1 5
yard line, the Cyclones elected to punt but the
snap was fumbled by Iowa State punter Chris
Zanders.
Linebacker Brad Ferguson recovered the loose
ball at the Cyclone eight and from there it took
the Husker offense only one play to score as
I-back Dave Clare scored on a perfectly executed
sweep play.
Drennan then added the extra point to put the
freshmen on top 7-0.
Iowa State then took the ball on their own
twenty and punted after losing eight yards on
four downs.
"We don't have the same advantage as these
guys because we only practiced for two days,"
ISU graduate assistant coach Jim Gush said. "All
of our guys were redshirts or freshmen and we
even had a lot of walk-ons, but we were still
expecting a closer game."
walk-ons, but we were still expecting a closer
game."
Following a punt by Zanders, Nebraska took
control offensively at their own 45-yard line and
needed only seven plays to reach the end zone.
The big play in the series was a 37-yard pass
from Taylor to split-end Chip Bahe which put the
Huskers at the Cyclone five-yard line,
line.
Taylor then raced into the end zone from the
one-yard line following a four-yard run by Clare to
stake Nebraska to a 13-0 lead with 7:41 left in the
first quarter. The extra point attempt by Dren
nan was no good.
"Steve (Taylor) looked sharp throwing the
ball, he's a good athlete," Young said. "We
played pretty intense the whole first half."
Iowa State then crossed the fifty-yard line for
the only time in the entire first half when
Cyclone quarterback Bobby Petersen hit tight
end Dave Benoit with a 23-yard pass play to the
Nebraska 46.
The Husker defense, which limited the Cyclone
rushing attack to just one net yard rushing, then
halted the drive as they sacked Petersen for a
seven-yard loss on a third and ten situation.
Following another punt by Zanders, Nebraska
took over on its own 35 and needed only one play
to increase their lead to 21 when Tyreese Knox
ran 66 yards for a touchdown. Knox followed with
a two point conversion run.
Things got worse for the Cyclones as running
back Paul Thibodeaux fumbled on Iowa State's
next possession and monsterback Tom Trueblood
recovered for Nebraska.
The Iowa State defense then came up with one
of their few big plays of the game when they held
the Comhuskers on a fourth and two conversion
from the nine-yard line.
On Iowa State's second possession, following
the goal-line stand, Petersen fumbled into the
end zone when Trueblood jarred the ball loose
after a bone-crushing hit.
Monsterback Ray Valladao then fell on the
loose ball and Drennan again added the extra
point to extend Nebraska's lead to 28-0 at the
end of the first quarter.
"Our kids were great, all throughout the
game," defensive coordinator Scott Downing
said. "They were ready to play today."
Reserve Cyclone quarterback Seth Ramsey
then took control of the Iowa State offense but
wasn't able to get the offense going as the
Cyclones netted zero yards on three offensive
series.
Young then inserted the second team and they
promptly drove 55 yards in seven plays to take a
commanding 35-0 lead with 12:47 in the half.
A Preston to tight end Bump Novacek pass
which covered 22 yards proved to be the big play
in the series.
Following the insuing kickoff, Iowa State
fumbled on its very first possession from scrim
mage and Dan McCardle recovered for Nebraska
at the Cyclone 19-yard line.
Back-up quarterback Jerry Mlinar then engi
neered Nebraska's final score of the first half as
he scampered 11 yards to the Cyclone six and
Clare then scored his second touchdown of the
game when he scampered three yards on an
option play from Mlinar to post Nebraska to a
42-0 half-time lead.
The second half proved to be nearly not as
exciting as the first half was for the 5,013
Nebraska fans on hand as the Comhuskers net
ted only two more scores to bring the game to its
final 56-0 outcome.
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"David CreamerDaiVebraska'n
Nebraska Frosh Tye Doll battles an Iowa State lineman during a pass rush
attempt Monday afternoon. The Husker freshmen defeated the Iowa State
junior varsity 56-0.
With its first team back in the game, Nebraska
scored a touchdown midway through the third
quarter when Taylor, who was four of five passing
for 89 yards while running for 19 yards including
a pair of touchdowns, directed a 10-play, 76-yard
drive to give the Huskers a 49-0 lead.
"We tried to get something out of the second
half which we did because we go to play
everybody," Young said. He praised the play of
Fryar, defensive end Broderick Thomas and line
backer LeRoy Etienne. "We had a couple of
chances where we could have easily given up a
touchdown but we came through."
Iowa State did mount serious scoring threats
at the end of the third and fourth quarters but
the Husker defense rose to the occasion and
stopped both drives on fourth down attempts.
Running back Ken Clark, who lead all rushers
with 1 19 yards on 14 carries, then closed out the
scoring for the game when he ran six yards for
the games final score which capped off an 11
play, 86-yard drive.
ISU hopes to bounce back from dismal season
By Patrick Wyatt
Staff Reporter
The Iowa State football team fin
ished with a 2-7-2 record last season,
with both wins coming from the non
conference part of the season. The 1984
Cyclones were the first ISU team in 20
years to fail to win a conference game.
The Cyclones could be much improved
in 1985. The team lost less than half of
their starters, returning six on offense
and seven on defense.
This year's Cyclone team could have
a powerful defensive squad. In 1983,
the Iowa State defense gave up an aver
age of 399 yards a game, 220.3 by rush
ing and 178.7 by passing. Last year,
however, improvement came as the
team gave up 297 yards a game, 160.9
on the ground and 136.1 through the
air.
Leading the defensive attack is senior
defensive end Lester Williams. Willi
ams led the Big Eight defensive ends in
tackles last year. Williams will be
assisted on defense by defensive end
Jerry Luebbers and middle linebacker
Jeff Braswell, a second team all-Big
Eight selection last year.
If the Cyclones have a problem fac
ing them this season, it's their offense.
Five of their six returning offensive
starters are linemen. Only one skill
position player returns to the lineup,
quarterback Alex Espinoza.
Controversy surrounds the absence
of one Iowa State player, receiver Tracy
Henderson. Henderson, an Ail-American,
was dismissed from the team last win
ter because of a series of personal
problems.
Henderson holds several records at
Iowa State, including most career
receptions (150) and most yardage
(2,048). He caught 64 passes for 941
yards and six touchdowns last season.
Last year Iowa State's 2-7-2 record
didn't reflect a true assessment of its
season. For example, it doesn't show
that Iowa State suffered a 23-21 loss at
Steelers
Colorado. It also doesn't show that they
lost 16-10 to Oklahoma after a possible
winning touchdown pass was dropped
in the end zone.
Iowa State had its share of injuries
last year and must be concerned with
staying in good health this season.
The Cyclones have eight home games
this season, including the first six at
home before they hit the road. They
travel to Oklahoma, Nebraska and
Kansas State. They open the season
Sept. 14 against Utah State.
lead weakfou
nch' of AFC
Analysis by Chuck Green
Staff Reporter
The Central Division of the American Football
Conference was, to say the least, the weakest1
bunch in the NFL last season. With a combined
season record of 25-39, the four-team disaster
became a disgrace to organized football.
Predicting the AFC-Central Division race is
similar to picking the Ivy League football cham
pion the team which isn't quite as bad as the
others will probably win.
AFC Central
Preview
Needless to say, the AFC-Central Division
teams have plenty of room for improvement.
If there is one team more capable than the
others of becoming the top doormat, it is the
Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have superior
talent, but more importantly, they have evil
loeking Uzck helmets.
J est kiddi cf course. The players in those
helmets will make the difference.
The defending AFC-Central champs have
quarterback Mark Malone; a Tom Selleck look
alike from Arizona State who, until last season,
spent most of his time holding down the bench.
But 1984 was a different story. The Steelers went
7-4 under Malone's leadership, advancing to the
AFC championship game, where they were blasted
by Miami, 45-28. Malone completed 20 of 36
passes for 312 yards in that game.
A small but effective offensive line, led by
perennial Pro Bowler Mike Webster at center,
will again open holes for Walter Abercrombie
and Frank Pollard. Pollard, a six-year veteran
from Baylor, rushed for 851 yards last season.
Defensively, the Steelers' old trademark
returns: linebackers. In 1984, two of them, Robin
Cole and Mike Merriweather, made the Pro Bowl.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Pittsburgh's
domination of the AFC-Central this year will be
coach Chuck Noll. His cool leadership and raw
determination may one day return the Steelers
to what they were throughout the '70s: the most
feared and respected team in the NFL Eut this
resurgence won't come in 1985.
Should the Steelers faulter, the Cincinnati
Bengals could capture the division title.
Ken Anderson, a 1 5-year veteran and the great
est quarterback in the Bengals' history, is back
at the helm. Anderson, who is 36-years old, will
probably be in fine form, despite comments from
his critics, who write him off every year.
Statistics also show that Anderson plays bet
ter football when Chris Collingsworth is in the
line-up. Last spring, the USFL's Tampa Bay Ban
dits decided that the all-star wide receiver
wasn't worth his price, a break for the Bengals'
offensive attack.
Cincinnati's offensive line will be one of the
biggest in the league as well as one of the most
experienced.
The Bengals stop-troops feature the best line
in the division. End Ross Browner tallied 48 solo
tackles in 1984 and should continue successfully
this season. There is also experience on the
linebacking roster with nine-year veteran Regsde
Williams.
The remaining two teams in the AFC-Central
are there only to serve as a lesson for future
recruiters. The Cleveland Browns and the Hous
ton Oilers both have strong and weak points, as
does any team. But in both cases, the weak
points undermine the strong points.
The Browns acquired former Miami University
sensation Bernie Kbsar, as well as Florida State
Ail-American running back Greg Allen. Trouble
is, Cleveland has the worst offensive line in the
division.
The Houston Oilers, however, have more
offensive linemen than they know what to do
with. They also have Warren Moon, one of the
greatest potentials at quarterback since Dan
Fouts. Add to this list Mike Rozier, who has a
chance to become the only player to rush for
1,000 yards twice in the same calendar year.
Rozier rushed for 1,381 yards with the Jackson
ville Bulls in the USFL last spring.
So what's wrong? Try to name one defensive
starter for Houston. If you did, give yourself a
gold star. The Oilers' defense is as unknown to
the world as their coach. (No, I dont' know who
he is, either).