1- Sports
I Huskers’ Joseph plans to redshirt
I By Mark Derowitsch
and
Kyle Schurman
Staff Reporters
Nebraska freshman quarterback
Mickey Joseph solved a quarterback
dilemma Thursday when he an
nounced he will redshirt this season.
Nebraska football coach Tom
Osborne said Joseph made the deci
sion on his own. He said he told
Joseph and fellow quarterback Gerry
Gdowski that one of them needed to
redshirt.
Joseph and Gdowski were both
listed as Nebraska’s No. 3 quarter
back behind Steve Taylor and Clete
Blakeman.
“He (Joseph) just feels that (red
shirting) would be best for him
right now,” Osborne said.‘“He would
have been third (string) at best,
therefore there might be some ad
vantage to redshirting.”
Joseph said he chose to redshirt
because he isn’t learning the Ne
braska offense as fast as he would
like. He said he is using his athletic
ability to overcome his mistakes.
“I get disgusted with myself
sometimes,” Joseph said. “I’m not
learning (the offense) quickly enough
to please myself. I need to learn
more of the system.”
Nebraska freshman coach Shane
Thorell agreed.
‘‘He has a lot of talent, but he is
still a freshman and he still has a
long way to go,” Thorell said.
Joseph said the redshirt year will
also be beneficial because it will
allow him to start for the 1988
freshman team. He said he plans on
starting for the Husker varsity after
that.
‘‘I want to start three years here
after Steve (Taylor) leaves and play
a lot as a freshman next year,”
Joseph said. ‘‘I also want to win a
national title. 1 think Steve will win
one this year and probably next
year, too. 1 want to continue that.”
But Osborne said Joseph doesn’t
have any future starting position
assured. He said Nebraska has good
quarterback prospects in Gdowski,
Keithen McCant, Jeff Miller and
Jerry Dunlap,
‘ Nobody’s got anything locked
up," Osborne said.
Joseph, a Parade magazine high
school All America from Marrero,
ha., rushed for 947 yards and 14
touchdowns to lead New Orleans
Shaw High School to an 11-1 record
last season. He also completed 62 or
115 passes for 1,135 yards and 12
touchdowns.
Joseph finished his high school
career with 2,432 yards passing and
2,609 yards rushing. He said he
chose Nebraska over Oklahoma and
Notre Dame because of the Huskers’
honest recruiting approach.
"Nebraska did what they said
they would do,” Joseph said. "Almost
everyone lies to you; they tell you a
lot of fibs. With Oklahoma, many
things didn’t go the way they said
they would.”
In a related matter, Osborne
announced that Dante Wiley would
not play this season because of
grade problems.
Osborne said he and Wiley "parted
company” because the junior from
Jeanette, Pa. went home for two
weeks instead of completing cor
respondence work.
"I told them all (players) to stay
here until they got theirwork done,”
Osborne said. "If he (Wiley) stayed
here, he probably would have fin
ished before we started practice. So
I felt that since he did that, I would
not let him play.”
Osborne said even if Wiley were
allowed to practice, it is unclear if
he would be eligible for scholarhsip
because he needs six hours of B plus
work.
I don t whether he’s got it (six
hours of B plus) or not,” Osborne
said. “So I couldn't tell you whether
he’s got what he needs to stay in
school or not.”
Wiley could not be reached for
comment.
Practice Notes:
Osborne said five walk ons were
awarded scholarships either at mid
semester or this fall. The five include
tight end Keith Neubert, lineback
Doug Welniak, center Mark Anto
netti, defensive end Jon Marco and
offensive lineman John Nelson. He
said the Huskers had to give Neu
bert a football scholarship because
the former Nebraska center lost his
basketball scholarship.
Osborne also said center Jake
Young, offensive lineman Andy
Keeler, wingback Hendley Hawkins
and 1 back Terry Rodgers missed
Thursday’s practice. Young is suf
fering from a sore ankle, Keeler and
Rodgers have knee strains and
Hawkins has a pulled muscle in his
back.
Nebraska freshman quarterback Mickey Joseph.
Quarterbacks never safe, players say
By Tim Hartmann
Senior Reporter
As the three freshman football play
ers of 1983 can attest, quarterback is
not the safest position.
“You’re never safe,” said Jeff Taylor,
one of the quarterbacks that season.
They’re always bringing someone in
behind you, and just because you are
older doesn’t mean the job is yours.”
Taylor alternated at quarterback in
1983 with McCathorn Clayton and
Hendley Hawkins.
The trio combined
to lead the Husker
freshmen to a 5-0
season.
This season, as
they enter their
senior year, none
of the three are
still quarterbacks.
“It just shows Taylor
how competitive
the position is,” said Dan Young, Ne
braska’s kicking and offensive line
coach who coached the freshmen in
1983. “There’s always someone coming
up behind you.
1 • t* t r 1 « " t ‘ * '
“They were very good players,” he
said. “We had four good quarterbacks
that year, including Clete Blakcman
(who was injured and did not play),
who still plays there (at quarterback).”
Clayton, Hawkins and Taylor all said
the move from quarterback has helped
them in the long run. Clayton shares
the No. 1 spot at
cornerback with
Lorenzo Hicks, Haw
kins works with the
No. 1 offense at
both split end and
wingback, and Tay
lor has made sig
nificant contribu
tions to the base- —1
ball team the last Clayton
two years.
In fact, Clayton said he wishes he
had made the switch earlier in his
career.
“If I had a chance to do it all over
again, I probably would have played
cornerback, because as quick as I’ve
learned it and with my athletic ability,
it seems like the position for me,” he
said.
Clayton redshirted after, his fresh
man year and then played quarterback
as a sophomore and junior. Steve Taylor
took over thequar
terbacking duties
last fall, so Clay
ton decided to
switch to defense
in the spring. Clay
ton said the tran
sition was not easy,
but he did it to
help the team and
himself. Hawkins
“All my life I’ve
been a team-oriented player, and right
now I’m happy with the way things are
going,’’ he said. “1 have no regrets
about choosing Nebraska over any other
school. Things are going really good for
me.
"1 knew I was a pretty good athlete
coming out of high school, so I would
say whatever fits the team and what
ever fits me, that’s what I will play.’’
There is another advantage to play
ing defense, Clayton said.
“I definitely don’t like being hit, but
l ei\joy hitting the guy with the ball,’’
he said. “It’s a little excitement, it gets
your eyes red right before you hit him
1 < M ( . I ■ » i lll.l ' , !ll
and gets a little aggression in you.
“Growing up in high school 1 never
thought I was a soft quarterback any
way,’’ Clayton said. "1 always lifted
weights and tried to be pretty aggres
sive, so making the transition to aggres
sive is no factor to me."
Hawkins said his experience at quar
terback helped him switch to receiver.
“It’s gone pretty good, and by play
ing quarterback, it’s easy to pick up,"
Hawking said.
Another benefit from his move, he
said, was that now he can concentrate
on his own game.
“I’m pretty happy at split end and
wingback,’’ Hawkins said. “It takes a
little pressure off you not having to
worry about everybody else and just
worrying about yourself.”
Taylor said he wishes he had had
more chances at quarterback, but he’s
happy with the vay things worked out
in baseball.
“Sure, I’m disappointed,” he said. “I
had a lot of confidence, and I really
thought I could do the job once I
learned the plays.”
After his freshman season Taylor
joined Hawkins and Clayton as a red
shirt. He said he "really didn’t get
much of a chance” after that.
During the spring of his sophomore
year, Taylor said he decided to give
baseball a chance.
"The first year it was hard to get in
the swing of things,” he said. "I did get
to play a lot and I ended up hitting
around .250. Last season I got that up
to about .315 and I was named to the
all-tournament team. I hope this year I
can continue to improve."
Both Clayton and Taylor said they
would like to try professional sports
next season.
“If I had a good year this season 1
may get drafted and have a shot at
professional baseball, which I would
never turn down," Taylor said.
"Every amateur at hlet e want s to be a
professional," Clayton said. "Every high
school player wants to play in the NFL,
and that’s one of my dreams. I’m just
going to do the best I can. Right now if 1
stay healthy and have a good senior
year, I may have the possibility of being
drafted.
"I really would like that, but if not
I’ll have to fall back on my degree,"
said Clayton, a speech communica
tions mqjor.