Sports
pjU’s Hughes prepared for starting role
By Scott Stream
Staff Reporter
Nebraska wingback Tyrone
Hughes will be seeing a lot of action
Saturday when the Comhuskers face
Iowa Stale.
Hughes, a freshman, and sopho
more Mark Dowse will be sharing the
starting duties against the Cyclones.
Dowse will be the actual starter, but
he and Hughes will alternate every
play.
“It really doesn’t matter who
starts, because we are in and out,”
Hughes said. “It’s just the principle
of the thing.”
Hughes is getting a chance for
extensive playing time because Rich
ard Bell and Nate Turner are injured.
Bell will not play Saturday because
of a hamstring injury he suffered
against Oklahoma State, while
Turner has missed the last three
games with a pulled leg muscle.
“It’s like I’m moving up through
the process of elimination,” Hughes
said. ‘‘I’m sorry that they got hurt
because that’s not the way I wanted it
to be. But now that I have a chance, I
can prove myself.”
Hughes said Nebraska won’t
change its offense too much to com
pensate for the loss of Bell and
Turner.
‘‘Most of the offense will be the
same, he said.
Besides playing wingback,
Hughes will return kickoffs and punts
against the Cyclones. He began re
turning punts against Missouri and
started returning kicks against Okla
homa State, he said.
Hughes, who is coming off of a
redshirt season this year, said that
sitting out helped him a lot because
he practiced with the second team so
he could learn Nebraska’s plays.
“I’m glad that I did redshirt, be
cause if I would have played last year,
I would have sat on the bench every
game, the whole game, no matter
what the score was,” Hughes said.
“I still have these three years left
here, so 1 think it will pay off.”
Hughes said he is happy with
Nebraska’s passing game so far this
season. The Huskers’ game against
Oklahoma State last Saturday was
their best passing game of the season,
he said.
Nebraska, behind a 170-yard pass
ing performance by quarterback
Gerry Gdowski, who completed lOof
24 passes, defeated the Cowboys 48
23 in Stillwater, Okla.
“Last week, we threw more than
we have all year,” Hughes said. ‘‘I
would like (the team) to pass more,
being a receiver, but it’s Nebraska.
Our game is power running and that’s
it.”
m m ^ --
Hughes said he expects Iowa State
to blitz in an effort to try to shut down
Nebraska’s running game.
‘‘I think they arc going to be pretty
tough,” he said. “It’s going to be a
good game. They will try to stop our
running game, but we should be able
to counter it.”
Hughes said he doesn’t think the
Huskers have played a complete
game this season. But, he said, the
team has improved each week.
“So far, we have been inconsis
tent throughout our games,” Hughes
said. “We still have a chance to get
better each week.
“I feel we can move up to No. 2
. nd No. 1.”
Columnist speculates on top rankings tor CU and JN U
Colorado No. 1 and Nebraska No.
2.
How does that look?
Kind of fun, I’d say.
It also looks like one of those
teams -- Colorado ~ is out of place..
. walking on foreign ground, not
softly but carrying a mighty big slick.
Actually, both are out of place.
But wouldn’t it be sweet if on
Monday, No. 3 Colorado and No. 4
Nebraska, could jump a couple spots
in the polls?
Just think of it. The Buffaloes and
Comhuskers in a Big Eight show
down to see who’s boss in Boulder on
Nov. 4.
Envision it. The “Game of the
Century III.”
Oops, wait a minute. It’s Colo
rado, not Oklahoma. Make that the
“Game of the Century I-A.”
Now, let’s see. What needs to
happen to make this a reality?
What can’t happen is Nebraska
losing to Iowa State and Colorado,
likewise with Oklahoma.
Let’s hope the Huskers won’t suf
fer such an embarrassment, and Colo
rado will forget that it’s not supposed
to beat Oklahoma.
But, boy wouldn’t CBS, which
will televise the NU-CU game, be
semi-peeved if one did lose? Ouch.
Two teams, No. 1 Notre Dame and
No. 2 Miami, also need to lose Satur
day.
The latest lines have Notre Dame a
10-point favorite against 7th-ranked
Pittsburgh, which is 5-0-1.
With Miami, the spread is even
against instate rival Florida State,
which is ranked ninth with a 5-2 rec
ord.
Notre Dame and Pitt will play in
South Bend, Ind., home of “Touch
down Jesus.” The Hurricanes will
collide with Bobby Bowden’s Semi
noles in Tallahassee, Fla.
Four teams have been close to
beating Notre Dame this season. But
it’s common knowledge that close
only counts in horseshoes and hand
grenades, not football.
Michigan, Michigan Stale, Stan
ford and most recently USC each
gave Notre Dame a gut check, this
season.
But, the Fighting Irish have the
tenacity and character inherent in
good teams, in championship teams
for that matter. Notre Dame knows
how and what it takes to win. It knows
how to Fight.
After Saturday’s challenge from
Pitt and its quarterback Alex Van
Pelt, smaller obstacles stand in the
way of the Fighting Irish until the
Nov. 25 showdown at Miami, both
teams’ regular season finale.
Fourteenth-ranked Penn State
could challenge the Irish on Nov. 18,
but it’s unlikely.
Van Pelt could prove just as troub
lesome as USC redshirt freshman
quarterback Todd Marinovich did
last Saturday, minus a couple inter
ceptions.
Granted, Pitt probably doesn’t
have a defense as strong as USC’s,
but maybe the Panthers will cheat.
Miami, with the exception of the
Michigan Stale game, has coasted
like Nebraska this season. Non-pow
ers Wisconsin, California, Missouri,
Cincinnati and San Jose State have
been equally unsuccessful against
the ‘Canes.
Florida State could be a problem.
Sure, the Scminoles don’t have near
the horses of the past two seasons, but
Bowden usually has a few tricks up
his sleeve.
Bui, tricks may not even be
needed. This is a rivalry. This is for
blood.
It’s as if Nebraska were to travel a
couple hours down 1-80 to play the
University of Nebraska at Omaha or
cross town against Nebraska
Wesleyan in a vicious slugfest with
the Plainsmen.
Well . . . maybe not. Poor ex
ample.
But, Miami-Florida State is a big
game locally - and nationally.
Anything can happen.
Florida Stale could beat Miami,
and Pittsburgh . . . well, let’s give
them a slight chance against Notre
Dame just to make Saturday interest
ing.
No. 1 Colorado versus No. 2 Ne
braska?
Now that would be fun.
Fowler is a Junior news-editorial major and is
a Daily Nebraskan senior reporter.
William Lauar/Dally Nabraskar
Nebraska’s Eric Piatkowski puts up a shot while Ray Richardson (back) rnd
Clifford Scales defend.
Coach Nee says basketball team
out to prove predictions wrong
By Cory Golden
Staff Reporter
Nebraska coach Danny Nee is out to prove
a lot of people wrong.
Nee said he would like to prove preseason
basketball predictions wrong because they
have not been kind to the Comhuskers this
year.
The Sporting News thought the lowest of
this year’s squad, placing it last in the Big
Eight.
The Big Eight Basketball Yearbook, Street
and Smith’s College Basketball Preview and
Dick Vitale’s Basketball pick Nebraska to fin
ish seventh in the Big Eight.
And Inside Sports predicts that Nebraska
will be sixth, beating out lowly Colorado and
NCAA probation-ridden Kansas for the cellar.
Nee said the team can’t pay attention to the
negative comments.
“I don’t worry about them,” he said.
“That’s one of our goals, we want to do much
belter.
“Magazines arc for the fans. If you believe
that (the predictions), you’re not going to win.
We’d like to prove them wrong.’’
The Sporting News added to its prediction
when it listed Nee among five coaches for
whom the “ honey moon’s over.’’
Joining Nee on the list were Stan Albeck of
Bradley, Murray Arnold of Western Kentucky,
Jim Brandenburg of San Diego State and Jim
O’Brien of Boston College.
“After generating rave reviews several
years ago when they were hired,’’ the article
said, “the second guessing has intensified for
these five coaches who seem to be falling from
grace.’’
Nee said he has read the comments, which
were written by Sporting News basketball edi
tor Mike Douchant.
“1 have no reaction,” Nee said. “I don’t
think (Douchant) knows what he’s talking
about. The last lime I talked to my bosses they
thought 1 was doing a good job. I feel I’m doing
1 a good job.
“Stuff like that really motivates me. I guess
I’ll have to prove them wrong.”
Nec thinks he has a team that can silence the
doublers.
This year’s squad returns seven players who
accounted for 69.6 percent of the scoring and
68.8 percent of the rebounding from last year’s
team, which finished 17-16 overall and 4-10 in
the Big Eight.
Nebraska adds three freshman recruits, jun
ior-college transfer Keith Moody and activates
three sophomores whodid not play last year to
assist returning starters Rich King and Clifford
Seales.
The Huskers also return forward Beau Reid,
who averaged nearly 12 points per game last
year. Reid will begin the season on the side
lines, as he is out indefinitely with a knee injury
he suffered last summer.
Whether Reid will play this season is debat
able, Nee said.
“He’s progressing,’’ Nee said. “He’s out
running around but I have no idea when he’ll
return. It’s way too early to tell.”
Nee said the old and the new will have to
blend together if the Huskers hope to win this
year.
“The new players have to come ready to
play,” he said. “The veterans have to give us
that leadership in close games and on the road.
“We’ll have to play to our potential every
night. If the vets aren’t playing to their poten
tial, we’re in trouble.”
Both experienced and inexperienced play
ers arc battling for positions„Ncc said.
The Nebraska team will hare more compe
tition among itself when the first red-white
scrimmage of the year is staged tonight at
Grand Island High School. The scrimmage
begins at 7 p.m.
Nee said the game is important because he
will take his pilch for fan support on the road.
The Huskers also will be gaining experience
with the team’s three scrimmages within the
state, he said.
While his pride was dented by the Sporting
News, Nee said practice has been injury-free so
far, with one exception.
“The only injury is Coach Nee - he got hit
in the finger with the ball yesterday,” Nee
laughed. “It had to be splinted up and iced.
“Thai’s the only major injury.”