Shutout psychs Huskers for OU classic
By Jeff Apel
Senior Reporter
% _
The abundance of media hype that
will surround this week’s Nebraska
Oklahoma game will not affect Corn
husker linebacker LeRoy Etienne.
Etienne said after Nebraska's 7-0
victory against Colorado Saturday at
Memorial Stadium that he can not
afford to let his emotions get swept up
by the hype because a sky-high inten
sity level affects his play. He said his
emotions plagued him by causing him
to miss tackles and make other mis
takes during the first half of
Nebraska’s win against the Buffa
loes.
Etienne said he does not know
what he can do in order to control his
emotions this week. He said he needs
to find a solution because making
mistakes rips him apart.
“You try and knock someone’s
head off and come up empty handed,”
Etienne said. “I practically almost
erv ”
Elienne said the Nebraska defense
pumped itself up by recording a shut
out against Colorado. He said the
shutout could not have come at a
better time because next week’s game
in Norman, Okla., will determine
who this year’s Big Eight champion
is.
“Yes indeed we needed it,”
Elienne said. “All we’ve got to do
now is maintain our poise and play
some good football.”
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said
he hopes the shutout motivates the
defense to play even belter next week.
He said he hopes the intensity level
established by the Huskcr defense
carries over to the offense.
Osborne said Nebraska is looking
forward to its annual clash against the
Sooners. He said he expects to sec a
great game Saturday.
Osborne said Colorado gave Ne
braska a good preview of what to
expect from Oklahoma because the
Buffaloes and the Sooners possess
big, physical lines and excellent,
skilled people.
“Colorado has a very good team,”
Osborne said. “They played a great
game. They played excellent defense
and played very hard.”
Osborne said strong defense, a
northwest wind that gusted up to 31
mph, turnovers and penalties all con
tributed to the lack of scoring. The
two teams combined for nine turn
overs while piling up 95 yards in
penalties.
“It was kind of a hard day to do a
whole lot because of wind and be
cause of field position,” Osborne
said.
Nebraska quarterback Steve Tay
lor said he was glad die defense over
came the tangibles cn route to posting
its first shutout of the season. He said
the defense made up for an uncharac
teristic performance by the offense by
holding Colorado out of the end /.one.
Taylor said he was at a loss to
explain Nebraska’s low offensive
output. The Huskcr’s gained 2%
yards of total offense while gaining
15 first downs.
sometimes we aon t get tnc-joo
done,” Taylor said, “at least not like
we’re accustomed to.”
Nebraska running back Ken Clark
said the Huskcr offense overcame
stalled drives early in the game by
wearing the Colorado defense down.
He said the Buffaloes’ defense was
“getting a little soft” toward the end of
the game.
Clark said Nebraska’s perform
ance against Colorado will serve as a
confidence builder for the Oklahoma
game. He said the Huskers refuse to
be intimidated by the Sooners.
“Oklahoma ain't no different than
any other team .’’Clark said. “They ’re
not a real dominating team this year.”
Clark and Nebraska All-America
outside linebacker Broderick Tho
mas refused to make any predictions
about the Husker-Oklahoma clash.
Thomas said he is going to spend
the six days leading up to the game in
a laid-back fashion. He said he plans
on letting the media do all of the
predicting.
Thomas said Nebraska will have to
improve in order to beat Oklahoma.
He said his only regret about the
shutout was that it didn't happen ear
lier in the season.
“Like we say, ‘offense wins ball
games. Defense wins champion
ships,”’ Thomas said. “Our defense
played a great game.”
Thomas said he could not describe
a second-quarter fumble by Colorado
halfback J.J. Flannigan because "ifs,
ands and buts don’t count.'' Flannigan
burst up the middle for a 24-yard gain
on a third-down-and-thrcc play, but
blew an apparent touchdown w hen he
fumbled in the open field. Flannigan
recovered his own fumble at the
Nebraska 19-yard line, but the drive
stalled when Colorado wide receiver
Jeff Campbell was tackled for a 19
yard loss on a reverse.
Clark and Etienne said they were
glad when Flannigan dropped the
ball.
“I was happy,” Clark said. “I'm
glad he dropped it because that was a
big break.”
Colorado received an equally Dig
break early in ihe fourth quarter when
Taylor fumbled at the Buffalo three
yard line following a 25-yard gain.
The fumble was recovered by Colo
rado nose tackle Tom Reinhardt.
“I was just trying to gel every yard
I could get,” Taylor said. “It was an
unfortunate thing because that could
have been the go-ahead touchdown.”
Nebraska scored its only touch
down when Clark scampered in the
end /one on a two-yard run with 4:35
remaining in the third quarter. The
play was set up when, following runs
by Taylor, fullback Bryan Carpenter
and a nine-yard pass from Taylor to
tight end Todd Millikan, Clark
rambled 10 yards on a fourth-and-lwo
play from the Colorado 17-yard line.
Clark said the biggest obstacle he
faced on the play was hearing the
pilch audible called by Taylor. He
said he often can’t hear the audibles,
so he has to wait and sec which direc
tion the Nebraska fullback goes.
“It’s hard to hear sometimes,”
Clark said, “so you’ve just got to see
Doug Carroll/Dally Nebraskan
Colorado fullback Erich Kissick is stopped by the middle of
the line during Nebraska’s 7-0 victory against the Buffaloes
Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
things.
Clark, whose 165 yards against
Colorado gave him 1,330 for the sea
son, said he credits his success to an
elusive running style.
“The big thing for me right now is
just making people miss me,” he said.
Clark and Thomas said the only
disturbing aspect about the game was
the tactics used by Colorado. They
said Colorado coach Bill McCartney
has resorted to desperate tactics in an
attempt to beat Nebraska.
“They just don’t like Nebraska,”
Clark said. “If they don’t like me I’m
not going 10 like them.
Thomas said he exchanged words
with McCartney after he spotted the
Colorado coach on the field.
“The guy is silling on the field
coaching,” Thomas said, “that’s not
his place.”
Thomas said he can’t understand
McCartney’s tactics against Ne
braska. He said the tactics include a
variety of vocal insults.
“It’s not our fault,” Thomas said.
“I don’t know what McCartney is
telling those guys but it’snot good for
the blood."
Husker volleyball team hopes to clinch conference tie
by Kyle Thurman
Staff Reporter
Nebraska moved within one win
from capturing its 13th-straight, regu
lar-season Big Eight volleyball
championship by defeating Missouri
15-2,15-3,15-6 Saturday night at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Coliseum.
The Comhuskers, who are now 22
4 overall and 9-1 in the Big Eight, Can
clinch a tie for the conference title
with a win in either of their final two,
regular-season matches — Tuesday
at home against Kansas or Saturday at
Kansas Slate.
Nebraska volleyball coach Terry
Pettit said he thought the Huskcrs
played very well against Missouri,
but he does not think his team is
peaking yet.
“We’ve got a lot of things to do
yet,” Pettit said. “We’ve got a lot of
things to work on.”
The Huskcrs did not have long to
work on their game during the Mis
souri match. Nebraska disposed of the
Tigers in 48 minutes, which included
seven time outs, and the Huskcrs
never trailed.
Missouri’s 11 points were the sec
ond-fewest the Huskcrs have allowed
this season. Nebraska allowed 10
points during a 15-4, 15-2, 15-4 win
over Missouri in Versailles, Mo.,
earlier this season.
Nebraska had its highest hitting
percentage, .507, of the season
against the Tigers. Sophomore
middle blocker Linda Barsness, who
was last week’s Big Eight player of
the week, led the Huskcrs with 11
kills.
Pettit said senior setter Lori Endi
cott helped the Huskers earn their
high hitting percentage by contribut
ing 30 set assists.
Pettit said Nebraska did a good job
of playing at its own level against
Missouri. The Tigers made the same
number of attacking errors and kills.
Petti t said the H uskers d id not have
any trouble preparing for the match
because they were at home. The loss
dropped Missouri to 13-18 overall
and 3-8 in the Big Eight
Nebraska moved to 12-1 at home
this season, and the Huskers have
never lost a home match during the
regular season to a conference oppo
nent. With the straight-set win over
Missouri, Nebraska nas won 13 con
secutive sets aga ist conference op
ponents.
The Huskcrs did not show any
signs of fatigue against the Tigers,
despite playing a match at Colorado
Thursday night. Pettit said Nebraska
did not return to Lincoln from Boul
der until 1 p.m. Friday, so the team did
not practice Friday. He said he
thought the day off made Nebraska
sharocr acainsl Missouri.
Fumbles, collapses cost Buffs game, McCartney says
By Nick Hodge
Staff Reporter
Colorado coach Bill McCartney said you
cannot make mistakes like the Buffaloes did in
their 7-0 loss to Nebraska Saturday in Memo
rial Stadium and expect to win.
McCartney said great football teams like the
Comhuskers do not beat themselves, so Colo
rado could not afford to have fumbles and
mental breakdowns at critical times in the
game.
“I feel like it was a ease of shooting our
selves in the foot,” McCartney said. ‘We had
some opportunities, we just didn’tcapilali/.c on
* them."
The first Colorado error happened with 6:40
remaining in the second quarter. Colorado
halfback J. J. Flannigan burst through the
middle of the Husker defense for what appeared
10 be a 43-yard touchdown run.
But with no Nebraska defenders within 10
yards of him, Flannigan lost control of the
football at the Husker 20-yard line. He recov
ered the fumble at the Nebraska 19-yard line.
McCartney said Flannigan was attempting
to switch the ball from his left to his right hand
when he dropped the football.
“He said he tried to switch the ball. 1 don’t
know why he would do that, but 1 guess it’s just
second nature,” McCartney said. “Obviously,
when you’re that wide open and going to score,
there’s no need to be switching the ball. He
made a heck of a run to gel that far, so I can’t
fault him.”
Four plays later, including a holding penally
and a 19-yard loss on a reverse, the Buffaloes
were faced with a fourth and 34 at Nebraska’s
43-yard line— the original line of scrimmage
before Flannigan’s run.
Colorado, which fell to 7-3 overall and 3-3
in the Big Eight, was forced to punt the ball to
Nebraska.
McCarUiey said the reverse play was the
same play wide receiver Jeff Campbell scored
on in Colorado’s 20-10 upset of Nebraska at
Boulder, Colo., in 1985.
“Our ‘famous’ reverse play didn’t work,”
McCartney said. “The ‘famous’ Broderick
Thomas stopped our ‘famous’ reverse play.
This time he stayed home and read it.”
On the Huskers’ ensuing drive, Colorado
comcrback Keith Pontiflet recovered a fumble
by Husker fullback Bryan Carpenter at the
Nebraska 39-yard line. Two plays later, Husker
safety Tim Jackson recovered a fumble by
Colorado halfback Erie Bicnicmy at the Ne
braska 12-yard line with 1:46 left in the first
half.
McCartney said he didn’t believe
Bicnicmy’s fumble was a legitimate call by the
officials.
McCartney said Colorado wasted another
opportunity when Buffalo nose guard Tom
Reinhardt recovered a fumble by Husker quar
terback Steve Taylor at Colorado’s 3-yard line
with 13:55 remaining in the game.
After Colorado drove 70 yards in seven
plays to the Nebraska 27-yard line, the Buffa
loes were faced with a fourth and one. Colorado
quarterback Sal Aunese fumbled the snap from
center for a 3-yard loss. The Husker* took over
on downs with 9:43 left.
McCartney said the fumble happened be
cause the noise level of the Memorial Stadium
crowd of 76,359 hampered his team’s ability to
hear Auncsc’s snap count.
‘‘I wish Sal had turned around and asked the
official for quiet,” McCartney said.‘‘It was real
loud and there was a mix up in the snap count.
That was really a critical opportunity for us.”
The Colorado defense forced the Huskers lo
punl on their next drive.
The Buffaloes were again faced with a
fourth down situation. This lime it was fourth
and five at the Colorado 43-yard line with 2:26
remaining.
Aunesc’s pass attempt lo halfback Mike
Pritchard fell incomplete to give Nebraska the
ball. The Huskers ran out the remainder of the
clock lo preserve the win.
McCartney said his team doesn’t pass very
well and it hurl Colorado in a clutch situation.
He said wind gusts of 35 mph hurt both teams'
passing ability.
McCartney said the outcome of the Ne
braska game reminded him of Colorado’s game
against Oklahoma earlier this season. The
Sooners defeated Colorado 17-14 at Boulder,
Colo.
'We had our opportunities in both games,’’
McCartney said. “We’re gonna look back at
both of these games. They’re both great teams.
They’re not going to beat themselves.”
McCartney said despite mistakes, he
thought his players gave a great effort and
played hard.
“1 just feel real proud of our kids,” he said.
