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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1990)
—- - Neljrafekan SOOftS *1? Thursday, August 30,1990 ^ Coach, here’s how to beat the Buffaloes Pay attention Tom Osborne, I’m about to tell you how to win the Colorado game. “The CU game?,” you’re probably asking. “We have a tough non-conference schedule to get through before we can think about Colo rado. Why, we haven’t even taken care of John Payne Baylor yet.” True, except for that part about the Huskers’ non-conference schedule being tough. So why start talking about the Colorado game 10 weeks prior to its kickoff? Simple. Because Nebraska’s biggest game of the 1990 season will be won or lost not on Nov. 3, but rather Saturday against Baylor - and in the following games against perennial heavyweights Northern Illinois, Minnesota and Oregon State. Those games will decide Nebraska’s fate against the Buffaloes, and believe it or not, I have a sure-fire way to ensure a victory. And I’m about to share this wisdom with you, free of charge. Ready? OK: PASS THE FOOTBALL. It’s as simple as that. Pass. Now I know, Tom, that you’ve heard this advice every year for the past 17 seasons from those who would have you abandon your tried and-true run-orientated offense in favor of an NFL-style aerial assault. But I propose nothing of the sort Clearly, Nebraska won’t have to put the ball up even once in order to thrash most of the weenies on this year’s schedule. In fact, the Huskers could probably run to the same side of the field on every play and still win. A serious size and speed advantage would sec to that, so there’s no need to pass right? Throw it anyway, Tom. Because if Mike Grant and Mickey Joeseph get used to passing the football when the game isn’t on the line, they will be better prepared to pass it when the game is on the line. So pass it Tom, even when you don’t have to. If your quarterbacks are even halfway adept at completing passes in game situations by the time the CU game rolls around, they’ll be able to pick the Buffalo secondary apart. That should have been obvious to anyone watching the the Buffs play Tennessee in the inaugural “Pig skin Classic” last Sunday. To say that Colorado’s pass defense was a little suspect would be like saying that the Titanic experienced a few navigational prob lems on its maiden voyage. With just more than seven minutes to play, and a 31 -17 lead looking pretty safe, the Volunteers lore through Colo rado’s defense like hungry mice through Swiss cheese. In less than five minutes, Tennessee quar terback Andy Kelly took his team to the end zone twice, with a short, precise passing attack. He made it look pretty easy, throwing for 368 yards on 33 completions. Three-hundred sixty-eight, and we re not talking about Miami or Florida State here, we’re talking about Tennessee. Let’stake noth ing away from Kelly. He played well. He certainly deserved a win rather than the 31-31 tie, but Colorado’s futile pass defense made him look like Dan Marino. There’s no reason why Grant or Joseph shouldn’t be able to do the same thing come Nov. 3 -- if they start now. So remember Tom, the Baylor game may not be on the line Saturday night, but a confer ence championship will be. Now for bowl game preparation. Payne is a junior broadcasting major and Daily Nebras kan arts and entertainment senior reporter. NU lineman doesn’t want to set a trend of sitting out By Paul Domeier Senior Reporter Despite the absence of “big names,” the Comhuskcrs’ offensive line is not facing a crisis, according to one of its starters. But All-American center Jake Young and All-American tackle Doug Glaser have used up their eligibility. The vaunted Huskers arc short of superstars from the front five and some speculation says the team might not dominate the line of scrimmage. If that’s not a crisis, what is it? “Another year,” said Terry Ey man, a fifth-year senior left tackle. “I’m not worried. Everyone tells us, ‘You don’t have the big names.’ What’s the point of worrying?” This year’s line, he said, should be as good as last year’s. “It’s just a matter of gelling right now,” he said. “It will probably Lake us a couple weeks to gell. But we might gcll this week.” Eyman’s fall practice has been less gell than he would like, though. Viral pneumonia he contracted during the summer has taken some of his size and endurance, he said. He finally relumed to practice Saturday. He’s already improving, he said, working to get back to his form from 1989, when he was the primary back up for left tackle Tom Punt. Coach Tom Osborne has said Eyman may even gel in for a few plays in Ne braska’s opener against Baylor Satur day night. “I’ll sacrifice my body,’’ he said with a grin, showing that he mighi be speaking the literal truth. However, the illness has left him less body to sacrifice. The “before” Terry Eyman packed 265 pounds on a 6-foot-6 frame. The “after” Terry Eyman is down to about 250 pounds. He said that at Wednesday’s practice, he ran four consecutive plays, then sal out two. Doctors told him he caught the illness like he would catch a cold. He said he fell too tired to do anything. “The worst part is a cough that just takes your breath away,” he said. “I was up for three straight nights, gelling about two hours of sleep a night.” Eyman couldn’t run or lift weights or do anything else while he wasn’t practicing. “I basically salon my butt for five weeks,” he said. Thai’s what he’ll do for most of the ESPN-televised game versus Baylor. The line’s depth problems were eased Wednesday when guard Will Shields relumed lo practice. Eyman may be needed for a few plays, though, since temperatures on the Memorial Stadium field turf arc expected to push 1(X) degrees lor the 6:30 p.m. kickoff. Eyman thinks the no-name line will be fine. His testimony will be total yards, since that, he said, is as much or more the doing of the line as the skill positions. “As an offensive line, when we move the hall we think it’s our doing,’’ he said. —--—i Two freshman quarterbacks play waiting game By Todd Cooper Staff Reporter With four junior quarterbacks above them, Nebraska’s two 1990 freshman quarterback recruits will have to play a waiting game during the next two seasons. “That’s kind of our plan right now,’’ Turner Gill, junior varsity graduate assistant coach, said. “They’ll have a redshirt year and a year of playing freshman ball. With four juniors in front of them, they’re not going to get a lot of repetitions (with the varsity) for a while. Instead, Matt Jones, a 6-foot-1, 187-pounder from Michigan City, Ind., will get repetitions with the junior varsity team this season. That leaves 6-1,185-pound Todd Grag nano from Fountain Valley, Calif., with a year on the scout team as a redshirt. “Matt will probably redshirt next year, but by their third year, both guys will have a legitimate chance of starting,” Gill said. “It’ll be up for grabs.” Used mainly as passing quarter backs in high school, Gragnano and Jones will have to work on the finer points of the option, Gill said. “They’re both giving a good effort,” he said “They throw pretty well on the run and after dropping straight back, but they both need to work on the option and getting the reads down.” Learning to read defenses can be a long process, said Gill, a for mer three-lime All-Big Eightquar terback at Nebraska. “Each person is different,” he said. “I’d say it’ll take at least a year, this fall and next spring. “Personally, it took me a full two years of starting -- a lot of reps - to gel to the point where 1 thought 1 had everything down.” Gill has been sharing his knowl edge and experience of how ihc quarterback spot should be played at Nebraska. “He’s been giving lips on how to read the defense; mainly how to become a better option quarter back, ’* Gragnano said. “I just have to be patient, maybe get a couple of breaks. Just being around this pro gram with all the hype and success makes it easier. . . You feel like you’re part of the success, so 1 don’t think it’ll be hard.’’ Having Gill as a coach also helps, both players said. “He’s someone I watched as a little kid,” Jones said. “I mean, I never dreamed that one day he’d be my coach.” Gragnano said: “It’s great, almost unbelievable. You watch a guy on TV and now you’re stand ing beside him.” Being an effective option quar terback requires work on individ ual speed also, Gill said. “They both lack a little in quick ness and overall speed,” Gill said. That may be one of the few differences between Jones and Gragnano and last year’s starting quarterback Gerry Gdowski, Gill said. 4 ‘Gdowski probably didn’t have as strong of an arm as these guys but he was a lot faster,” he said. “It’s really hard to say, since I only saw him on TV, but Gerry put it all together his senior year.” ——■■ 1f Comparisons to Gdowski also arc an honor for both quarterbacks. “He had a lot of success last year,” Gragnanosaid. “I think I’m somewhat similar to him, I just hope I can be as successful or bel ter.” Jones agreed. Gdowski’s success in both run ning and passing alleviated any doubts about Nebraska’s passing game when he signed his letter of intent, Jones said. “If I could be as good as him, it would definitely be an honor,” he said. 4 4 He threw for over 1,500 yards last season. That only reinforces the fact that I think I'll see plenty of throwing. In a way, Nebraska’s strong running game opens up more opportunities for passing.” in■ m t i —— ii i .. Freshman quarterback Todd Gragnano eyes his target during junior varsity practice. mm---.. Freshman quarterback Matt Jones gets instructions from formerHusker quarterback and graduate assistant coach Turner Gill.
