Sports
[Offensive unit performs well Wednesday
By Nick Hodge
Senior Reporter
Nebraska’s top offensive units
jyjncd in their best performances of
•he spring during a scrimmage
Wednesday afternoon at Memorial
^Nebraska coach Tom Osborne
0jd the offense’s improvement can
t traced to the fact that the Corn
mskers have not added anything new
o their game plan for a week.
“Offensively, I think we executed
well,” Osborne said. “Maybe the
best they have this year.”
The No. 1 offense scored on its
nrsi possession of the scrimmage on
senior quarterback Gerry Gdowski’s
11-yard touchdown run. Reserve
wingback Mark Dowse then scored
on a 7-yard run, and the final touch
down by the top units came with
sophomore fullback Lance Lewis’
15-yard run.
Osborne said part of the offense’s
success was a combination of an
improved offensive line and the ab
sence of three top-unit defensive
players. Defensive tackle Kent
Wells, middle guard Mike Murray
and inside linebacker Chris Calicndo
all missed the scrimmage because
they were on a class field trip.
While the offense has been con
centrating on repetition, Osborne
said the defense had continued to add
new facets to its game plan.
“Defensively, right now, we’re
doing a lot of things -- looking at a lot
of things,’ ’ Osborne said. “TTiat may
have caused a little bit of a confusion
factor.
‘I think that may have caused a
little bit of a learning problem.”
Osborne said the Huskcrs are at
that time during spring practice when
injuries and lack of motivation tend
to hinder the team’s overall consis
tency.
“We’re just kind of at a bad point
in spring ball,” Osborne said. “It’s
kind of die low point. It seems like in
the middle of the third week, it still
seems like a long lime until the end.
Next week, I think things start to look
up because you start looking forward
to the spring game. You start getting
a few more guys healthy and a little
more excited.”
The Huskers opened spring prac
tice April 3. The annual Red-White
game on April 29 will conclude
spring practice.
Osborne said he’s pleased with
how players have responded as final
preparations continue.
“This is always a hard time, but I
think they have done pretty well,”
Osborne said. “They’ve hung with it.
Gave a pretty good effort.”
Osborne said that trainers have
decided to hold sophomore wingback
Nate Turner out of the remainder of ^
spring practice workouts because of a
nagging quadricep injury. Turner
was battling senior Morgan Gregory
for the top wingback position.
“I understand right now that Nate
Turner is done for the spring,”
Osborne said. “I don’t think he’s hurl
real badly, but he’s got that pulled
quadricep and they just think he
shouldn’t try it again.”
Next six games to be important
for rank status of softball team
By Darran Fowler
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska softball team has played 45
games this season, but none were as important
as the next six will be for the Huskers.
In a period of four days, un ranked Nebraska,
24-21, will play lOth-ranked Creighton, 17th
ranked Iowa State and top-ranked Oklahoma
State.
“There is no doubt about it,” Nebraska
coach Ron Wolforth said. “This is the biggest
weekend we will have all year. 1 think right
now that these six ball games are the six most
important that we will play the entire year,
because if we do well we’ll be ranked and more
than likely get an at-large bid if we don’t win
the Big Eight (tournament).”
Nebraska opens its challenge today when it
faces 32-12 Creighton in a doubleheader at the
Nebraska Softball Complex. The games,
which feature free admission for all University
of Nebraska-Lincoln students who present
their IDs, begin at 5:30 p.m..
The Huskers, 4-0 in the Big Eight, will play
a pair of single games Saturday and Sunday
against conference foes Iowa State and Okla
homa State at Jayhawk Field in Lawrence,
Kan. Nebraska plays Oklahoma State, which is
33-2 and 2-0, at noon both days, followed by
games with Iowa State, which is 26-11 -1 and 0
2, at 2 p.m.
Wolforth said the games are especially
important because the National Collegiate
Division I Softball Committee’s power ratings
come out Monday. He said the games that fall
directly on the weekend of the ratings have the
biggest impact on the voters.
He also said if Nebraska cracks the top 20
this weekend, it will be one of the 20 teams
selected for a regional berth for the College
World Series.
“I think this is really crucial,” he said,
“because if we don’t have a good showing then
people will tend to forget how well we did
against (19th-ranked) Florida State and (14th
ranked) Arizona State. If we do well, then
they’ll say that’sjust the beginning of how well
they’re doing.”
He said Nebraska cannot aliord to lose more
than two of the six games. *
‘‘Realistically we need to win four of six,”
Wolforth said. ‘‘I think that would be my goal.
In my mind if we go 4-2, we’ II be ranked in the
top 15 and that’s real important because there’s
only one ranking left.”
Wolforth said he has not counted out win
ning the conference tournament, which would
automatically put the Huskers in rcgionals. By
beating Iowa State, Nebraska could be placed
in a bracket opposite Oklahoma State in the
tournament pairings.
He also said Nebraska will not have any
problems getting psyched for rivals Oklahoma
State and Creighton.
“To me the two key ballgames will be how
we do against Iowa State,” Wolforth said. “I
think they’re two clutch games because 1 think
we’re a slightly better ball club and we’re
playing better right now. Iowa State is a pure
hitting ball club. They attack the ball and they
play average defense.”
He said beating Creighton will mean less
pressure for Nebraska.
“To me, it starts with (tonight),” Wolforth
said, “because if we win both then we only
have to win two of the four that’s left. Now if
we go 0-2 or we split, the pressure builds and
builds, and the harder it will become.”
He said Nebraska and Oklahoma State are
pretty even.
“I think out of those three ball clubs Okla
homa State has the best pitchers,” Wolforth
said. “I think Nebraska and Oklahoma Stale
are the two best defensive teams. If you take a
■ look at the entire year Nebraska is the least
offensive as far as hitting of the three. If we hit
like we’re capable of hitting I think we’re the
second best hitting team.”
Nebraska’s chances of winning at least four
games rests largely on two things, Wolforth
said.
“We’re gonna have to have decent pitching
and swing the bats,” he said.
William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska’s Ken Sirak slides under the tag of Kearney State’s Kyle Mabus.
KSC pitching decides NU game
By Steve Sipple
Suff Reporter
Kearney Slate scored nine runs Wednesday
in a baseball game against Nebraska - and lost
by 12.
The Antelopes’ offense showed up, but their
pitchers walked 16 batters, including eight in
the first two innings, in a 21-9 loss before 189
fans at Buck Beltzer Field.
“We really thought we could play with
them,’ ’ said Kearney State coach Guy Murray,
whose team dropped to 14-24.
“Hell, we scored nine runs. That ought to be
enough.”
It was apparent that nine runs might not be
enough after two innings, when Nebraska, 20
17, had parlayed eight walks and seven hits into
12 runs. Kcamey State starter Paul Feist,
whose record fell to 0-7, and Antelope reliever
Kyle Mabus combined to walk five straight
batters in the bottom of the first inning, helping
Nebraska to a 7-2 lead.
Nebraska’s Charlie Colon hit a two-run
single and Ken Sirak added a run scoring base
hit during the inning, in which Feist failed to
Knox will be waiting
gel an out. Feist gave up four runs and four
walks before Mabus entered.
Mabus completed two innings, giving up
eight runs on seven hits and four walks. Mabus
surrendered a two-run triple to Ken Ramos,
who was 3-for-3 Wednesday, and a run-scoring
triple to Shawn Buchanan in the second inning.
Nebraska coach John Sanders has seen
pitching problems like Kearney State’s before
- not too long ago, in fact. On March 21, the
University of Nebraska at Omaha gave up 18
walks in a 14-1 Nebraska win.
“Things like that can happen when your
pitchers have a bad day,’’ said Sanders, whose
team raised its home record to 15-5. “But you
got to give our hitters credit. They showed
discipline. That was good.’’
Nebraska finisned with 13 hits, including
freshman Frankie Jemigan’s fifth home run of
the season - a three-run shot that gave Ne
braska an 18-6 fourth-inning lead.
Jemigan’s tied with Bobby Benjamin for
the Huskcrs’ home run lead.
Nebraska freshman left-hander Jason
Abramavicius, 2-0, went three innings, giving
up three runs on four hits.
Columnist predicts larger-than-usual men as NrL picks
. ... . . ... . .a .L' J _ I II ill * 1
When the National Football
League draft takes place Sunday and
Monday, former Nebraska running
oack Tyreese Knox will be waiting
•or the phone to ring.
Knox, a hard-nosed runner who
^ever got a fair chance throughout his
career, said he wants to
ulfUl a life-long dream by being se
S**1 in this year’s draft. He said be
W{»tch the draft with particular
nterest because it could determine
ns future.
Knox said he wants his future to be
n football.
'b’s just a situation where I don’t
vant to work a9 lo5 oran 8 to4 job,”
^nox sa»d. “I want to be able to set
ny own work schedule.”
Knox said he i$ confident entering
the draft, which will be televised by
ESPN. He said he has talked to the
Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle
Spahawks, two teams that could use a
5-foot-10,215-pound back who aver
aged more than six yards per carry in
his Nebraska career..
Knox said NFL scouts have told
him that he could be selected any
where from the seventh to the 12th
round. But look for that prediction to
fall by the wayside, as Knox will be
the surprise pick of the draft.
That’s right, the Chicago Bears
will look past Nebraska’s mistakes
and draft Knox in the third round. The
reason: There’s a new move in the
NFL to employ big, physical backs,
and Knox fits that description per
fectly.
With his muscular frame and his
4.5 speed in the 40, Knox could have
the same type of impact next season
as Ickey Woods, a former University
of Nevada-Las Vegas back who pul
verized would-be tacklers while
playing for the Cincinnati Bengals
last season. . , ..
‘‘Everybody is getting a little big
ger, so l mink (my size; win oe an
advantage,” Knox said. ‘‘There’s a
lot of big backs in the NFL.”
1
‘It’s just a situation
where I don’t want
to work a 9 to S or
an 8 to 4 job. I
want to be able to
set my own work
schedule.’
-Knox
Knox will be the second Nebraska
player taken, trailing only All-Amer
ica Broderick Thomas. Thomas will
be drafted by Tampa Bay as the sixth
pick in the first round, and will be
joined by linebacker LeRcy Etienne,
who will be selected by the Bucca
neers in the seventh round.
The additional Nebraska players
who will be drafted include wingback
^ *
uana Brinson, wno wm oc uuccn oy
Pittsburgh in the fifth round, corner
back Charles Fryar, who will be se
lected by the New York Giants in the
sixth round, and middle guard Law
rence Pete, who will join Knox as a
steal when he is selected by Detroit in
the eighth round.
The mystery player from Ne
braska’s senior class is satuy Tim
Jackson, who impressed scouts with
his tremendous athletic ability.
Jackson is similar to UCLA quarter
back Troy Aikman - he could be
selected in the early rounds or be
ignored until later.
Aikman!* status was made uncer
tain when the Dallas Cowboys’ own
ership changed hands. Dallas coach
Jimmy Johnson wants io draft the
quarterback he coached in college.
Miami’s Steve Walsh, while NFL
scouts have tabbed Aikman as a fran
chise player.
When the draft begins on Sunday
morning, took for the Cowboy* to
draft Aikman, and for Walsh to be
selected as the second pick by Green
Bay.
I lit/ UIIIU |MLh UVUUII will UV/
Oklahoma Slate running back Barry
Sanders, who should help fill the void
created when Billy Sims retired.
Kansas City will then select Michi
gan State offensive tackle Tony
Mandarich, followed by Atlanta’s
selection of Alabama linebacker
Derrick Thomas, Tampa Bay’s selec
tion of Thomas and Pittsburgh’s se
lection of Miami fullback Cleveland
Gary.
The remaining players who will be
selected among the first 10 are cor
nerback Deion Sanders by San Di
ego, defensive back Louis Oliver by
Miami and ”'ide receiver Derek NiU
by Phoenix.
The one player who will not be
selected it uns first round is Okla
homa Slate wide receiver Hart Lee
Dykes, who earned a professional
level salary throughout his collegiate I
career. Although it may sound Hke .
Wishful thinking, it would be fantas
tic if NFL owners united and refused
to give Dykes a chance.
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