Wednesday, September 3, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
5 porta
Osborne says NU line, backfield solid;
Jones to replace iiywred DiaBose
By Jim Ballard
Senior Reporter
Despite the loss of senior I-back
Doug DuBose, Nebraska football coach
Tom Osborne said preparations for
Saturday's game against Florida State
have gone well.
"At this point of the season," Osborne
said, "we're tired of talking about play
ing and anxious to find out what kind
of team we have."
DuBose suffered a season-ending knee
injury during a scrimmage two weeks
ago. Osborne said junior Keith Jones
will start in place of DuBose and Jon
Kelly will back him up.
"Overall, we have a good backfield,"
Osborne said.
According to Osborne, Nebraska's
offensive line is also in good shape.
Osborne said he hopes the Huskers
will improve on defense.
Iowa State
Analysis by Tim Hartmann
Staff Reporter
Iowa State football coach Jim Criner
hopes to make something positive out
of a negative situation.
The NCAA is investigating 34 alleged
violations by the ISU football program,
but Criner and his team are not going
to let the investigation affect their
season.
"We don't even concern ourselves
with that (the investigation)," Criner
said. "We're concentrating on playing
football."
In fact Criner, who is 11-20-2 in his
three seasons as ISU's football coach,
is very optimistic about this year.
. "We have our best football team
since I've been here," he said.
It's also his most experienced team.
Iowa State returns 18 starters nine
on offense, eight on defense and kick
erpunter Rick Frank from last
year's 5-6 squad. Only a three-point loss
to Drake and a one-point loss to Mis
souri kept the 1985 Cyclones from
going 7-4.
If this year's Iowa State team hopes
to improve last year's record, Criner
said, they'll have to show consistency,
something the '85 squad lacked. At
times, last season's team looked im
pressive, such as their 15-10 upset of
Gator Bowl-bound Oklahoma State or
their 22-21 victory over Kansas. At
other times they looked poor, espe
cially in losing to 1-10 Missouri.
Another area the Cyclones will have
to improve on is offense, where they
finished 102nd out of 105 Division I
teams in total yards gained a year ago.
This year's offense will be led by
senior quarterback Alex Espinoza, a
two-year starter. In 1985 Espinoza passed
for 1,704 yards, which moved him into
third place on ISU's all-time passing
chart. As Espinoza goes, so go the
Cyclones.
"We need for Alex to have a good
year," Criner said.
Espinoza will have a much improved
group of receivers to throw to. Robbie
Minor, who caught 37 passes his first
two years, returns for his senior season
after missing last year with discipli
nary problems. Returning starters
Dennis Ross and Hughes Suffren will
be joined by junior college transfers
SF 49ers will rip NFC West title from Rams
Analysis by Rob White
Staff Reporter
The tale of how the west was won
was told in seven weeks in 1985.
While the defending Super Bowl
champion San Francisco 49ers struggled
to a 3-4 record, their National Football
Conference Western Division rival Los
Angeles Rams went 7-0. By the time the
'Niners recovered, the Rams had all but
locked up the division title.
This year, look for San Francisco
coach Bill Walsh's crew to get off to a
little more respectable start before
ripping through a, soft mid-season
schedule on the way to the Western
"We want to play a little better right
off the bat than what we did last year,"
Osborne said. .
Last season, Nebraska opened against
a Florida State team that already had
played a game. The result was a 1713
loss. The Huskers committed four
turnovers.
"I don't want to overplay that and
say that's why we lost last year. I think
t hey just beat us," Osborne said.
Osborne said the Seminoles' victory
against Toledo last Saturday would
help them this weekend.
"You always like to have a bit of a
shakedown," Osborne said, "and they've
had theirs, and we haven't had one.
We're hoping our players are mature
enough and have played enough foot
ball that they can gd out and play at
midseason form right off the bat, and
sometimes you do, and sometimes you
don't."
hopeful despite inquiry
Eddie Brown and Tom Schulting. Brown,
who will also be used on kickoff returns,
runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, while
Schulting set a junior college record
with 93 catches a year ago.
Omaha Central High School product
Tom Stawniak will start at tight end
and will be backed up by redshirt
freshman Marcus Lester.
In 1985, Iowa State finished 94th in
rushing offense. The Cyclones hope to
get more offensive production out of
their backs this year.
"We have four young men that can do
a very good job," Criner said of the
running back situation.
The leading rusher of a year ago,
tailback Andrew Jackson, returns after
gaining 415 yards last year. He will be
backed by JC transfer Curtis Warren.
Sophomore Joe Henderson and fresh
man Sylvester Nickerson should also
see time at fullback.
The backs will have an experienced
line to run behind, as all five starters
from last year return.
- '.
:
Espinoza
Division crown. San Francisco and Los
Angeles are head and shoulders above
division doormats Atlanta and New
Orleans, but San Francisco has the
upper hand at the quarterback position.
SAN FRANCISCO: Joe Montana
is coming back from shoulder surgery
and back spasms, but the 49er quar
terback should be in top form for the
season opener at Tampa Bay. Roger
Craig, the first back ever to rush and
receive for over 1,000 yards in the same
season, is one of the best. Ex-Buffalo
and USFL star Joe Cribbs will fill in
more than adequately for the injured
Wendell Tyler to round out the backfield.
Wideouts Jerry Rice and Dwight
at-. rvjs;
The nationally televised game is the
first night game ever at Memorial Sta
dium. Osborne said that he doesn't
think the lights will affect Nebraska's
play.
"It shouldn't create any problem,"
he said. "Most players have played at
night; it just depends on how they
play."
Osborne said he has a lot of respect
for the Seminoles, especially their
passing game.
"I assume they'll throw a great
deal," he said, "but you can't defend
against that with just the four deep
people. We feel the rush will be the
most important part in stopping them.
"We think we have some talent on
both sides of the ball, I guess we'll just
have to play to find out. We're obviously
going to be playing a team that will give
us a lot of information about ourselves,
and we hope we're not disappointed."
"Those five started as a group from
the fifth game on and showed tremend
ous improvement," Criner said.
The linemen will be led by honorable
mention All Big Eight pick Vince Jasper,
who is from Omaha Burke.
All the talk of Iowa State's defense
must begin with their linebackers.
"That's the strong point of our team,"
Criner said.
Weak-side linebacker Dennis Gib
son and middle linebacker Jeff Bras
well, the Cyclones' two leading tacklers
in 1985, both return.. The strong-side'
linebacker will be returning starter
Randy Richards, unless he is unable to
play due to a back injury. In that case,
sophomore Tim Niggeling will draw the
start. ; v
The defensive line will be strong at
the tackle positions with seniors Greg
Liter and Bill Berthusen returning, but
the defensive ends lack experience.
"That's our biggest area of concern,"
Criner said.
Sophomore John Cinefro, freshman
Don Edwards and junior Scott Benson
will fight for playing time at the end
spots.
In contrast to the defensive line, the
secondary is very experienced. Ter
rence Anthony, the team leader in
interceptions and passes broken up
last year, returns at right cornerback,
and senior Mike Pitts returns on the
left side. The free safety will be Brian
Reffner, who had 28 tackles against
Nebraska in 1985, while seniors Kevin
Colon and Terry Sheffey will share time
at strong safety.
Punting and place kicking duties
will be handled by Rick Frank, another
returning starter. Frank averaged 40.4
yards per punt last season, hit 11 of 16
field goals and led the Cyclones in scor
ing with 47 points. However, Frank is
being challenged for the place-kicking
job by Jeff Shudak, a freshman from
Council Bluffs.
"He gets the ball quicker off the tee
than anybody I've seen," Criner said.
With a relatively easy pre-Big Eight
schedule, Criner is hoping for a good
season. However, he's still not sure if
the Cyclones can defeat teams like
Nebraska and Oklahoma.
"I don't know that personnel-wise
we're as good as those two, but we are
better (than last year)," he said.
Clark give the 49ers the big play and
the possession reception, respectively,
though Clark can go for six as well. This
is the conference's best receiver tan
dem. The 49ers did lose hurdler-receiver
Renaldo Nehemiah to the track circuit,
however.
Without Howard Cosell around to
praise him as "All-World," Russ Francis
very quietly snared a career-high 44
receptions from his tight end post last
season. San Francisco's long-time of
fensive line of Bubba Paris, John Ayers,
Fred Quillan, Randy Cross and Keith
Fahnhorst returns intact.
See NFC WEST on 10
. "
' Nebraska's DeLisa DeBolt sets a ball during the Nebraska
volleyball team's match with UNO Tuesday night. UNO
won the match in five sets.
NU .volleyball team
ppset m 5 by UN
By Jim Ballard
Senior Reporter
The fourth-ranked Nebraska vol
leyball team got off on the wrong
foot Tuesday as they were upset by
the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Lady Mavs, 15-13, 8-15, 8-15, 16-14,
and 15-13.
The first game got off to a slow
start before Nebraska reeled off
seven straight points behind the
serving of senior captain Karen
Dahlgren to take an 8-1 lead.
From there, UNO chopped away,
and with the score 13-7, the Lady
Mavs scored eight points to come
from behind for the win.
In the second game, again the
Huskers jumped to to a quick 12-3
lead.
UNO climbed right back, but
Nebraska was too strong and held
on for a 15-8 win.
In the third game Nebraska
struggled, but still held on for
another 15-8 win. But, from there on
out it was all Lady Mavs.
Eighth-year UNO coach Janice
Kruger said she knew the Mavs
would have to give an all out effort.
"We knew we had to play with all
our intensity, and we just didn't
quit," Kruger said.
In the fourth game, Nebraska had
several opportunities to put the game
away with a 14-10 lead. Again UNO
T puftn 0fa. Q fict h t
By the Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, MO. Bo Jackson of
the Kansas City Royals beat out an
infield single in his first major-league
at-bat Tuesday night after hitting a
towering foul shot that missed being a
home run by inches.
In two other plate appearances, both
against Carlton, Jackson grounded out
to shortstop in the fourth inning and
barely missed hitting into a triple play
in the seventh. His hot smash was
fielded by Dave Cochrane, who stepped
on third and threw to second for the
N
Andrea HoyDaily Nebraskan
played tough and came back to win,
16-14.
In the final game, it was the
Huskers who had to come back.
Nebraska trailed the whole game
before taking the lead at 13-12. But
it just couldn't hold on as again
UNO finished out the scoring to win
thegame 15-13, and the match three
games to two.
It was the first time ever that the
NCAA Division II school has beaten
Nebraska, and it was possibly their
most important win ever.
"This is possibly the biggest (win)
ever," Kruger said. "It feels real
good to come out and play that
strong."
However, Nebraska was playing
without the services of their number
one server, Tisha Delaney. She has
to sit out the first three matches of
the year due to an infraction of
NCAA policy, when she posed for a
calendar last year.
"It gave us a shot not having
Tisha in there," Kruger said. "It was
tough for them having her out,
because she's the leader out on the
floor."
Nebraska will try to even out
their record tonight at the Coliseum
as they tangle with Missouri Valley
conference foe Wichita State. The
game is scheduled to start at 7:30.
It will be the last home game for
the Huskers until the Husker Invite
on September 12 through 13.
second out Jackson barely best Tim
Hulett's relay throw to first to avoid the
triple play.
In his first at-bat, Jackson, the 19S5
Heisman Trophy winner who spumed
professional football for baseball, hit a
2-1 pitch from Carlton 25 rows up in the
left field bleachers that third-base um
pire John Hirschbeck ruled fouL The
Royals estimated that the drive went
425 feet.
Jackson hit the next pitch to the
right side of the infield. It was fielded
by Hulett, but Jackson outran the 41-year-old
Carlton to the bag.
