Sports
UCLA’s Ball shreds shadows, Nebraska
By Mike Kluck
Staff Reporter
PASADENA, Calif. — Eric Ball, an explo
sive running back who has lived in the shadows
of two Heisman Trophy candidates, found life
in the twilight has a sunny side Saturday during
UCLA’s 41-28 win against Nebraska.
Ball, who has toi led in the shadows of UCLA
quarterback Troy Aikman and running back
Gaston Green throughout his four-year career
with the Bruins, shredded the Nebraska defense
for 148 yards to lead UCLA past the Com
huskers before a Rose Bowl crowd of 84,086.
Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie
McBride said he was concerned about Ball
entering the nationally televised game because
of the senior running back’s physical style of
play. He said Ball’s presence concerned him
more than Aikman, who passed for 205 yards
and three touchdowns while completing 13 of
22 passes.
“Really, Aikman wasn’t my biggest con
cern,” McBride said. “My biggest concern was
Eric Ball. We don’t have a very good defensive
line right now. They’re all young kids, they’re
not very strong and they haven’t played very
much. So I’m more concerned with shutting
down the run. We didn’t do it.
“We knew they were a better football team
and I think that Ball, the physical back that he
is, is the difference in their team over last year.”
UCLA coach Terry Donahue said the Bruins
created a balanced offensive attack in the first
half by mixing the running of Ball with
Aikman’s passing. Aikman finished with 183
yards passing in the first half, while Ball tallied
75 yards rushing.
who broke free from Nebraska linebacker
LeRoy Etienne’s grasp on the way to the end
zone.
McBride said it wasn’t hard to understand
why Arbuckle broke free for the touchdown.
MmM Mi HIM i M
‘Really, Aikman wasn't my biggest concern. My
biggest concern was Eric Ball. We don't have a very
good defensive line right now. They're all young
kids, they’re not very strong and they haven’t
played very much. ’
— McBride
“It was important for our offense to be
balanced, with Eric and Troy Aikman,” Do
nahue said. “We tried to get Eric to run well and
then go ahead and utilize Troy Aikman’s tal
ents. I thought our offensive line did a nice job
of keeping pressure off Troy. We’re quicker
than last year’s line, although we are not quite
as big.”
The Bruins erupted for 28 points during the
first quarter.
UCLA took the opening kickoff and went on
a four-play, 74-yard drive that took 2:21 min
utes. The drive was capped by a 57-yard pass
from Aikman to tight end Charles Arbuckle,
“We just flat missed him and the thing that
was discouraging is we had a couple of guys
back there in the secondary that couldn’t catch
himhe said. “We got some pretty good speed
back there so maybe that tells us something.”
Aikman said he was surprised to see Ar
buckle score on the play.
“He should have been tackled for about a 3
yard gain,” Aikman said, “but he made a big
play out of it.”
Nebraska retaliated by driving to the UCLA
38-yard line on its first possession, but the drive
stalled when Nebraska split end Morgan Gre
gory dropped a pass from Husker quarterback
Steve Taylor.
On the third play of UCLA’s second posses
sion, Ball then broke up the middle for an
apparent 54-yard touchdown run. A Bruin
holding penalty nullified the touchdown, but
freshman tailback Shawn Wills gave UCLA a
14-0 lead three plays later when he raced 50
yards for the score.
UCLA, 2-0, needed only seven plays to
increase its lead to 21-0 when Aikman hit
Arbuckle with a 3-yard touchdown pass. The
drive was set up when Bruin comerback
Marcus Turner recovered a fumble by Ne
braska wingback Dana Brinson.
The Bruins then increased their lead to 28
0 when UCLA senior comcrback Darryl Hen
ley took a punt and raced 75 yards for a touch
down.
Aikman said he was amazed by the number
of points the Bruins scored.
“Nebraska is a great team,” Aikman said.
“It’s rare that a team comes out as strong as we
did and scores 28 points in the first quarter. We
felt we had something to prove. We are always
being told that we can’t hang with the big boys,
but we came out and proved we can be physi
cal.”
The Huskers’ first score came in the second
quarter when safety Mark Blazek intercepted
an Aikman pass and rambled 75 yards for a
touchdown. After Blazek caught the ball, he
See BRUINS on 12
1 ■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■ ..■ - ...
inu gets closer
to baseball lights
By Steve Sipple
Senior Kdilor
Nebraska’s baseball team moved
one step closer to night baseball
Thursday when the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln Central Planning
Committee approved plans for lights
to be installed at Buck Bellzcr Field.
The 12-mcmbcr committee ac
cepted a UNL athletic department
proposal that would make the Com
huskers thebth Big Eight team to have
lights at its home field.
Chancellor Martin Masscngalc
still must give final approval for the
project. He is expected to make his
decision early this week, said Robert
Furgason, UNL’s vice chancellor for
academic affairs.
“I assume he will find the project
acceptable,” Furgason said.
Masscngalc couldn’t be reached
for comment
Furgason said the committee’s
vote wasn’t unanimous. A few mem
bers voted against the project, he said.
Furgason, the chairman of the
committee, said he voted in favor of
the project. But he and other commit
tee members expressed concern
about the “visual impact” the light
standards would have on the area
surrounding the field.
He said that placing galvanized
steel light posts around the field
would have an adverse effect on the
surroundings.
“I’m in favor of (the project), but
with reservations,” Furgason said. “I
support the fact that we should have
lights, but we need to take every
measure to reduce the visual impact. ’
Coaling the steel posts would be
one way to reduce the effect on the
area, he said.
Nebraska baseball coach John
Sanders said athletic department
plans call for eight light standards to
be built around the field.
Two light posts, he said, would be
placed around the seating structure
behind home plate. One would be
installed down each foul line, and
four more would surround the out
field, he said.
Sanders said he is optimistic Mas
sengale will grant final approval.
“It’s a project that has some merit
and there’s several people who have
shown interest in the project through
donations,” he said. “It’s a project
that will have a positive impact on the
program.”
Decision doesn’t leave
NU’s Frese out in cold
By Lori Griffin
Staff Reporter
Nebraska left fielder Jancllc
Frese had to make a tough decision
when she chose to become a Com
husker, but it has paid off.
Frese said she has no regrets
about making the 1,400-mile trip
from her home in La Palma, Calif.,
to Lincoln even though she chose
to play collegiate softball for a
team she didn’t know much about.
“I was attracted by the people,”
Frese said. “I fell a real sense of
welcome when I came here. I also
felt that I could make a name for
myself and I think I have been
pretty good at it.”
Frese said she didn’t know
where Nebraska was when former
coach Wayne Daigle recruited her.
She said she learned all about the
stale and Nebraska’s strong soft
ball tradition during her recruiting
trip.
“I learned that Nebraska was a
top quality, highly reputable uni
versity,” she said. “I saw the soft
ball team play and I learned about
its success during my visit. I
learned that Nebraska was almost
always a top contender tor post
season play.”
Frese said she w'as originally
recruited as a catcher by Texas
A&M, Cal-Bcrkeley, Oregon
State, Indiana and Nebraska. She
said she narrowed her choices to
“ Texas A&M, Cal-Bcrkley and
Nebraska before making her final
decision.
Nebraska softball coach Ron
Wolforth said Frese has made a
smooth transition from being a
catcher to the outfield.
‘‘Janellc has a strong defensive
arm in the outfield,” Wolforth said.
‘‘She has one of the top 10 defen
sive arms in the outfield in the
country.”
Wolforth said Frese has learned
to use her arm to her and
Nebraska’s advantage.
“Janellc has learned how to use
her arm effectively,” Wolforth
said. “She has learned to keep the
ball down and hit the right bases
instead of throwing behind the
runners.”
Frese said she hasn’t been dis
appointed with thechangesshe had
to make at Nebraska.
“At first it was kind of a disap
pointmcnt because I was recruited
as a catcher, “ Frese said. “When I
came to Nebraska I thought I could
be starting as a catcher and con
tinue at that role.
“But the change did not bother
me. I’m just happy that I’m playing
and that I’m a central factor in the
success of the team. That’s what I
want to be.
“Wherever my team wants me
that’s where I’ll play.”
Frese said the change was made
easier because she suffered from
shin splints and Catapartmoth
Syndrome. She said the disease,
which is also known as Mary
Decker Disease, is caused by fluid
that gets trapped in the legs.
7 was attracted by
the people. I felt a
real sense of wel
come when I came
here.'
—Frese
In addition to improving as an
outfielder, Frese has become a
better hitter, Wohlforth said. He
expects Frese to hit .260or .265 this
season after recording a .225 bat
ting average last season.
“The way that Janclle has pro
gressed, she just might have a
possibility of reaching these big
goals,” Wolforth said.
Frese said her biggest goal en
tering her senior season is to win
the Big Eight championship for the
4th-consccutivc year.
‘‘My goal since my freshman
year has been to win the Big Eight
title and so far we have done it,” she
said. ‘‘My other goal for the team
would be that we all do well in both
academics and on the playing field.
I would like us to carry the reputa
tion of being good athletes as well
as good students.
“I would like to portray a posi
tive and inviting image for future
athletes.”
Frese said she hopes to make a
return trip to the Women’s College
World Series, which will be held in
San Jose,Calif. She said San Jose is
an eight-hour drive from La Palma.
The Huskers finished tied for 5th in
See FRESE on 12
Doug Carroll/Dai!y Nebraskan
Nebraska softball player Janelle Frese works on her pow
erful throwing arm during practice Friday.
