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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1987)
Sports Buffaloes anticipate romp with Huskers By Tim Hartmann Senior Reporter Although Colorado will enter Saturday's game against Nebraska with a 7-3 record, the Buffaloes did not receive a howl bid. At least four bowl-bound teams have winning percentages lower than Colorado’s. Arizona State, 6-4, is going to the Freedom Bowl, 6-4 Flor ida is going to the Aloha Bowl, 6-5 West Virginia is going to the Sun Bowl, and 6-5 Tulanc is headed to the Independence Bowd. Colorado coach bill McCartney said his team is angry about being shunned by the bowls. But he said he is still happy to be playing 9-1 Nebraska at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo. The game will be televised by ESPN beginning at 3:08 p.m. “A lot of the players arc disap pointed, but 1 like the idea of playing Nebraska at home on national TV,” Fiesta Bowl tickets available Dec. 1 Full-time students may pur chase Fiesta Bowl tickets Dee. 1 -3 at the Athletic Ticket Office, 117 South Stadium. Each qualified student may purchase one ticket. Students can buy a second ticket for a spouse if they show a mar riage certificate. Current full-time IDs are required. Groups will be limited to six seats. Students wishing to sit to gether must all be present at the time of purchase. Tickets cost $30. Each student’s personal check should be made payable to the University of Nebraska and show a Lincoln address. Cash payments must be for the proper amount. The student allotment will be divided equally each day and will be sold from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until each day’s supply is exhausted. Met artney said. “It satisfies me.” The Ncbraska-Colorado game was originally scheduled for Nov. 14, but was moved to Nov. 28 for television. McCartney, who has designated Ne braska as Colorado’s official rival, said he likes ending the season against Nebraska. “I would prefer to play them last every year,” McCartney said. “I real ize that Oklahoma has a monopoly on that every year, and rightfully so. But il l had my druthers, I’d play them last every year.” The Sooners arc scheduled to be Nebraska’s last opponent through 1994. Schedules for 1995 and beyond haven’t been determined yet by the Big Eight. McCartney said he doesn’t think Nebraska’s 17-7 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday will take any luster off Colorado’s game against the Huskers. He said he was impressed with the play of Oklahoma and Nebraska. “Basically that was two great teams that played, and Oklahoma came up with the big plays,” McCart ney said. ‘‘Nebraska iscapableof making the big play, but it wasn’t in the cards.” McCartney said Colorado was able to capitalize on big plays last season as the Buffaloes used a 39-yard reverse by Jeff Campbell, a 57-yard field goal by Dave DcLinc and a 52-yard half back pass from O.C. Oliver to Lance Carl to post a 20-10 victory over Nebraska. McCartney said the victory, which was Colorado’s first over Nebraska in 19 years, was important to the Buffa loes. “It meant a lot to the people of our state,” McCartney said. “We realize that it was just one game, but it pro vided a great source of energy for our program.” Colorado has won four of its last five games, losing only to Oklahoma 24-6. McCartney said Colorado has improved the last five weeks while playing with a great deal of intensity. McCartney said Colorado may have to face Nebraska without sopho more quarterback Sal Aunese. Auncse, who has completed 23 of 51 passes for 522 yards while rushing for 612 yards and 6 touchdowns this sea son, separated his shoulder during the Buffaloes’ 41-0 victory over Kansas State last week. “He’s real sore,” McCartney said. “Hischanccof playing Saturday is not real good.” Rodgers remains optimistic after setbacks By Mark Derowitsch Senior Reporter While most of Nebraska’sredshirts arc busy impersonating the Colorado Buffaloes, Cornhusker running back Terry Rodgers said he won’t be prac ticing against the Huskers’ top defen sive unit. Rodgers suffered a knee injury in fall practice and won’t return until spring. “If my knee’s not 100 percent, then there’s no reason for me to practice,” Rodgers said. “Since it’s not healed all the way, I want to let the healing process run its course.” Rodgers said he wasn’t sure when he’d return, but said he should be ready for the Huskers’ winter condi tioning program. “I’d like to get a little bigger and stronger,” Rodgers said. “There arc plenty of things to do.” Rodgers said he didn’t think he would spend a year as a redshirt be cause he was challenging for playing time last season as a freshman. Rodg ers finished with 135 yards rushing and one touchdown as the Huskers’ No. 3 running back last year. “I went into last year challenging for playing time,” Rodgers said. “No one really established himself as the No. 21-back last spring so I knew there would be a lot of opportunity to play. Because of that, I hadn’t considered redshirting. But those things happen.” Rodgers said although he hasn’t played this season, he expects to be considered for the starting I-back job next year. “I came in last year as a freshman and worked my way up to No. 2 until I made some mistakes and dropped down,” Rodgers said. “I have the abil ity to start but things have to go right. I’ll go into the spring intending to win the No. 1 job since Keith (Jones) will be gone.” Nebraska running backs coach Frank Solich said Rodgers has a chance to earn the starting job. “He’ll be starling off in the spring like everyone else,” Solich said. “Since the starting job isopen, he’ll be trying to earn it.” Rodgers, the son of former Hcis man Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers, said he didn’t come to Nebraska to follow his father’s footsteps. “I fully intend to make my own footsteps here,” Rodgers said. “I can’t live in somebody clse’s shoes forever. “I don’t think I’ve made a name for myself just yet. But by the lime I leave, hopefully it will be the other way around; that I’ll be known as Terry Rodgers, not Johnny Rodgers’ son.” Rodgers said even though he hasn ’t played much yet he isn’t disappointed about coming to Nebraska. Doug Carroll/Daily Nebraskan Nebraska running back Terry Rodgers (No. 20) performs during the Cornhuskers’ spring game. Coach Osborne should update his recruiting philosophy There has been a lot of talk about the talent discrepan cies in the Big Eight, and unless things are changed sometime in the near future, it appears it could get worse. The Big Eight, which once pro claimed itself to be the premier con ference for college football, has been the brunt of a scries of claims that it is a two-team conference dominated by Nebraska and Oklahoma. _ £_ But the Sooners’ 17-7 victory over Nebraska Saturday shows that things arc different. Not only did Oklahoma humiliate the Cornhuskcrs before Memorial Stadium’s largcstcrowd ever, but I hey also showed that the Nebraska coach ing staff needs to change its recruiting philosophy if it is going to continue to be successful on the national level. The Huskcrs, who have prided themselves on the fact that they arc able to sell athletes on their program by emphasizing its superior weight room and winning tradition, need to catch up with the new recruiting tac tics that arc sweeping through even the country’s most conservative coaches. Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, when asked what he thought were the differences between him and Oklahoma coach Barry Swii/cr, re sponded by saying lliat Sw itzer enjoys more social activities while he prefers to do more things by himself. Osborne’s philosophy is fine, ex cept that it ignores the latest trend among college coaches — that is, the trend for them to st(X)p to the athletes’ level. Switzer has done this lime and time again by doing such simple tasks as handing Nebraska athletic director Bob Devancy a sack of tacos during a prediction show. He also has been known to appear on television with professional wrestler Steve “Dr. Death” Williams and allow college age women to appear as special guests on his weekly TV show. While all of these feats may seem meaningless, think of the impact they have on the athletes. A college coach who sells his program on national championships earned through hard work and fun, is bound to be more successful than one who is known as a strict disciplinarian who never walks away from the straight and narrow. Proof of this can be found in the Oklahoma-Nebraska scries, in which Switzer’s Sooners have compiled a 12-3 record against Osborne-coached Husker teams. Oklahoma also has won three national championships compared to none for Nebraska during the last 14 seasons, and Switzer has compiled a 148-25-4 record com pared to Osborne’s 146-33-2 mark. Further evidence of this can be found in the two school’s recruiting lists, which appear to be about as similar as night and day. Oklahoma, which prides itself on recruiting small, slick athletes who tend to get lost behind an enormous offensive line, traditionally raids Texas and the rest of the country in pursuit of the nation’s top prep play ers. If a player isn’t immediately sold on the Sooner program, Switzer or one of his assistants makes a recruiting visit and reminds the athletes that fur coats and gold earrings really are all right in Norman. All of these tactics, in addition to the fact that Switzer regularly makes public appearances that may seem a little bit out of the norm, help the Sooncrs to regularly compile a list of recruits that reads more like a blue chip list. Nebraska, meanwhile, immedi ately places itself at an instant disad vantage by not participating in any of these sometimes outrageous activi ties. Although the Huskersdo manage to sign some high school All America’s each year, it’s obvious that the Sooncrs are at the top of the peak in the Big Eight. Before the talent problems become worse, Osborne and the conference’s six other coaches should all consider changing their recruiting philoso phies in order to close the talent gap. Granted, Kansas State coach Stan Parrish and whoever coaches the Kansas football program now that Bob Valcscnte has been fired, will have trouble winning regardless of what they say or do. But Colorado coach Bill McCart ney, Iowa State’s Jim Walden, Okla homa State’s Pat Jones, and Missouri’s Woody Widenhofer all should realize the potential impact of such a move. It’s nice to see that some of the Big Eight conference’s basketball teams already have turned to such measures in an effort to compete with the big name schools of the East Coast. Kansas coach Larry Brown has built a program supposedly locked in a Midwest disadvantage into a na tional powerhouse by holding an annual “Late Night With Larry” and camping out with students waiting to buy season tickets. Even Missouri coach Norm Ste wart, who for years has been lagged as a strict disciplinarian who doesn’t know the meaning of the word fun, has gotten into the act. Stewart, whose Tigers also are mentioned promi nently in every pre-season poll, played the role of Dracula in a produc tion that also starred Missouri forward Derrick Chevious. All of these things, no matter how big or small they may seem, have an impact on athletes. And it’s an impact college coaches throughout the coun try should enjoy.