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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1990)
Sports Cornhuskers’ bacon saved by strong defense By Paul Domeier Senior Reporter Nebraska defeated Baylor 13-0 Saturday in the Comhuskers’ football season opener at Memorial Stadium. That was no surprise. Nor was the play of the Nebraska defense, which held the Bears to 164 yards of total offense. But the game wasn’t a 70-0 rout to calm the Huskcr fans and guarantee another nine or 10 wins in 1990. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said the Huskers are better off this way. “We gained more by playing this game than a game that had been re ally easy,” Osborne said. The team also gained questions: How good is the offense? Is the middle of the defense soft? Did the Huskers beat an average team or an underrated team? The other Huskcr questions will have to be resolved in the rest of the season, but in asking ‘‘ How good w as the win?” the early answer is, “A lot better than a loss.” One missed tackle or tripping de fender could have provided that loss, for the first 59 minutes 38 seconds Nebraska’s offense threatened and sputtered and provided only six points. Nebraska starting quarterback Mike Grant took a helmet to the left knee with 2:03 left in the first quarter and had to leave the game. Mickey Jo seph, who w'as scheduled to play in the second quarter, made an early entry to replace Grant. In the second quarter, Gregg Bar rios kicked a 37-yard field goal. The key play in the drive was a 14-yard gain and 15-yard personal foul when Joseph sprinted to the left and was hit after running out of bounds. Baylor’s strongest chal lenge came at the start of the fourth-quarter. The Bears marched from their 31-yard line to the Nebraska 5, with many of the yards coming on draw plays up the middle. Running back Eldwin Raphel finished with 76 yards on 18 carries. The game turned on a pair of plays, one from the defense and one from the offense. On second-and-goal from the 5, Baylor’s Frankie Smith took the ball up the middle and linebacker Pat Tyrance took the ball away. Travis Hill recovered the fumble caused by Tyrancc’s hit at the 3. The Huskcr offense came in and gained three yards on two plays. Then came the second big play, a 23-yard pass from Grant to Jon Bostick for a first down at the 29. Second-string I-back Scott Bald win, who led the team with 92 yards on 14 carries, followed with a 53 yard run up the middle aided by full back Lance Lewis, who blocked a Baylor defender downfield into a backward somersault. Grant completed 5 of 6 passes for 86 yards in the game. Joseph threw one incompletion and one intercep tion. The Huskcrs didn't throw more, Osborne said, out of respect for Bay lor’s defensive backs. Nebraska totaled 335 yards against the Baylor defense, which Osborne predicted would be as tough as the Huskcrs will face. But the Nebraska defense was stronger. Baylor quarterback Steve Needham, playing in place of in jured three-year starter Brad Goebel, com pleted two of eight passes for 28 yards and one interception. “The defense has got to be the strong point of our football team, particularly early,” Osborne said, “and they saved our bacon tonight.” Osborne attributes low score to Baylor’s keep-away strategy «< i m — r li * By Vicki Burge Staff Reporter Not since the 1989 Orange Bowl against Miami had the Nebraska foot ball team scored fewer than the 13 points the Comhuskcrs managed Sat urday against Baylor. At his press conference Tuesday, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said the Bears were playing keep-away. i 1 iviusi ui vmi |;iuuiuin iiui auir ing and not gelling many yards were that we didn’t have the ball that much,’ ’ Osborne said. Baylor had the ball 33 minutes, 3 seconds, compared to Nebraska’s 26:57. The Bears ran 64 plays to the Huskers’ 57 and held a 36-24 play advantage over Nebraska in the sec ond half. See OSBORNE on 12 -i Nebraska's depth chart SE Jon Bostick 6-2 185 Jr LOLB Travis Hill 6-2 225 So. Mark Dowse 6-0 180 Jr. David White 6-2 225 So Dan Pleasant 5-9 175 Jr Dan Svehla 6-0 230 Sr. LT Tom Punt 6-8 285 Sr. LT Joe Sims 6-3 280 Sr. Terry Eyman 6-6 265 Sr. Le Andre Anderson 6-4 260 Sr. Brent Pick 6-5 265 Sr. Paul Brungardt 6-7 270 Sr. LG JimWanek 6-1 245 Sr. MG Pat Engelbert 6-2 250 Jr. Jett Chaney 6-2 250 Jr Greg Koellner 6-3 280 Jr. Scott Pedersen 6-4 245 So Mike Jefferson 6-2 280 Fr. C David Edeal 6-2 260 Sr. RT Kenny Walker 6-4 240 Sr. Bill Ziegel baum 6-5 240 Jr. Brian Brown 6-6 260 Jr. Terris Chomey 6-1 250 So. David Noonan 6-3 265 Fr. RG Erik Wiegert 6-4 270 Jr. ROLB Mike Croel 6-3 225 Sr. Will Shields 6-2 260 So Dan Svehla 6 0 230 Sr. Chris Zyzda 6-2 255 So. RickWendland 6-1 215 Sr. RT Brian Boerboom 6-7 285 Jr. SLB Mike Petko 6-2 230 Jr. Steve Engstrom 6-3 290 Sr. Matt Penland 6-0 220 So. Ray Riefenrath 6-5 290 Jr. Troy Branch 6 2 220 Fr. TE Chris Garrett 6-3 240 Jr. WLB Pat Tyrance 6-2 240 Sr. William Mike Anderson 6-1 230 Fr. Washington 6-2 245 So. PaulWightman 6-1 220 So. Daryl Leise 6-2 230 Jr. LCB Bruce Pickens 5-11 190 Sr QB Mike Grant 6-2 210 Jr. Jon Crippen 5 10 170 Sr. Mickey Joseph 5-11 180 Jr. Robert Hicks 5-10 185 Sr. Tom Haase 6-0 180 Jr. RCB Tahaun Lewis 5-11 170 Sr. FB Omar Soto 5-11 220 Jr Tyrone Logette 5-9 180 Jr, Lance Lewis 6-0 225 So Eric Anderson 5 8 175 Sr. TimJohnk 5-10 215 Jr SS Reggie Cooper 6 3 210 Sr ;B Leodis Flowers 5-11 200 Jr. Curtis Cotton 6-1 210 Jr, Scott Baldwin 6 1 200 So Brian Pollard 5 10 190 So Derek Brown 5-10 175 Fr FS Tyrone Byrd 5-11 165 So. WB Tyrone Hughes 5 9 175 So. Steve Carmer 6-1 205 So Brad Devall 5-9 180 Sr. „ Will Thomas 6-0 175 Jr. Kennv Wilhite_5.IQ.. .17IL-JI taMwaskn^klX^