Quarterbacks sneak through Baylor defense
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Michelle Paulman/Daily Nebraskan
Center David Edeal watches the ball bounce out of quarterback Mike Grant’s hands during the
Baylor game. “I thought the ball was in, but my body definitely wasn’t,” Grant said of his touch
down attempt Saturday.
By John Adkisson
Staff Reporter
Nebraska’s quarterback tandem of
Mike Grant and Mickey Joseph ran
into a buzz saw on Saturday night, but
escaped unscathed.
The two quarterbacks led a Ne
braska offense which only managed
to score 13 points against Baylor, a
team which was ranked fifth in pre
season Southwest Conference ballot
ing.
Despite the lack of scoring, Grant
and Joseph said they were relatively
happy with their performances.
“We knew they were going to be
one of the best defenses we faced all
year,” said Grant.
Grant, starting his first game as
quarterback, threw for 86 yards with
out an interception. He also ran for 16
yards in the game.
Grant said he knew that the Ne
braska offense, which scored its only
touchdown in the final minute of the
game, eventually would cross the goal
line.
“I knew that if we would keep
wearing them down that we would
get there,” Grant said.
Grant threw two crucial strikes to
wide receiver Jon Bostick. In the first
half, Grant hit Bostick along the side
line for a 34-yard gain which set up a
field goal. In the fourth quarter, Grant
again hooked up with Bostick for a
23-yard gain on third down.
“He (Bostick) tells me to pul it in
the area and he’ll get to it,” Grant
said. “I guess he did.”
Grant was also involved in a con
troversial fourth-quarter play. Grant
appeared headed for a touchdown w hen
he fumbled near the goal line. The
referee ruled the fumble a touchback
and gave Baylor the ball.
“I thought the ball was in, but my
body definitely wasn’t,” Grant said.
Joseph entered the game for Grant
in the first quarter after Grant went to
the turf with a knee injury.
“When I saw Mike take that hit, I
knew that he’d got stung pretty good,”
Joseph said. ‘‘I just readied myself to
do the best 1 could do.”
Joseph, who played less than Grant,
rushed for 27 yards, but threw the
game’s only interception.
“I hung the ball a little too long
and made the wrong judgement on
the interception,” Joseph said.
Joseph said that he wasn’t upset
with his lack of playing time.
“It’s just the way tilings happened,”
Joseph said. ‘‘You’ve just got to be
ready. If you’re sent in to play just a
minute, you’ve got to put everything
you have into that minute.”
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said
the two played well in the opener, and
that the two are still battling for the
starling spot.
But no matter w ho the starter, both
quarterbacks were happy to gel the
first game out of the way.
“It was a good challenge to get a
game like that under our bells,” Jo
seph said. ‘‘Now we can go on and
learn from that experience.”
Grant agreed.
‘‘I won’t have those jitters when
the game starts next time,” he said.
‘‘I feci pretty confident now.”
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Osborne
Continued from Page 10
As Osborne noted, the average game
has about 140 plays from scrimmage;
this one had 121.
Osborne said Baylor’s game plan
was to keep the ball out of Nebraska’s
hands and stay as close as possible.
With that strategy, Nebraska led only
6-0 going into the last minute of the
game.
“The whole script went just about
the way it had to for them to win the
game,” Osborne said.
And in mentioning the number of
plays in the game and the time-of
possession statistics, Osborne wasn’t
just defending his offense.
“The reason 1 bring this up: North
ern Illinois is going to try to run the
ball,” Osborne said.
The Huskcrs w ill play the North
ern Illinois Huskies at 1:30 p.m. Sat
urday at Memorial Stadium. North
ern Illinois primarily runs the wish
bone and has quarterback Stacey
Robinson, who rushed for 1,443 yards
and 19 touchdowns in 1989. On Sat
urday, Northern Illinois rallied from
a 10-0 halftime deficit to beat Eastern
Illinois 28-17.
Last year Nebraska defeated North
ern Illinois 48-17 after being tied 17
17 at halftime. The Huskies finished
the season 9-2 and were disappointed
that they did not receive a bowl invi
tation.
Know ing now how tilings worked,
they could have had our place in the
Fiesta Bowl,’’ Osborne said.
Nebraska might be going with a
first-time starter at quarterback for
the second game in a row. Starter
Mike Grant missed practice again
Tuesday with a bruised knee but should
return today. Osborne said he is not
sure if Grant w ill play Saturday.
II Grant doesn’t start, Mickey Joseph
will. Osborne said he was planning on
playing Joseph, who played Satur
day, anyway.
Comcrback Bruce Pickens also
missed practice Tuesday with a
sprained ankle. Wingback Tyrone
Hughes is suffering from a bruised
shoulder but practiced and left tackle
Terry Eyman, recovering from viral
pneumonia, joined in the full-pads
workout.