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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1990)
Sports Osborne: Academics, kicking game improving »y unrts noptensperger Senior Reporter Nebraska coach Tom Osborne took some lime away from football to talk about academics at Tuesday’s weekly press conference. Osborne said he is pleased with the programs of Roger Grooters, director of academic programs, and Keith Zimmer, athlctic/carcer counselor. “We feel we have good students here,” Osborne said. ‘‘I know a lot of people from lime to time maintain you can’t do well academically and participate in college athletics.” Only two of this year’s 156 foot ball players had a grade point average below 2.0 and both were borderline, he said. Twelve players had GPA’s above 3.55 and the team average is a 2.72. “The overall program is really where I would like to see it,” Osborne said. "Of course nothing is perfect, but it’s coming along pretty well.” Another aspect of the football program that is coming along is the kicking game, Osborne said. “We’ve been fairly dominant on both sides of the ball, but the thing that jumps out at me more than any thing else is kicking,” he said. Nebraska’s return teams are aver aging 12.5 yards a punt return and 35 yards on kickoffs. The opposition is gaining 16 yards on kickoffs and the punt average is nil. Osborne said he also is pleased with the Huskers’ low number of penalties. In the first three games Nebraska has been flagged for just 60 yards in penalties. That is highly unusual, Osborne said. “I can’t ever remember when we’ve averaged that few,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had well over 60 yards in a half.” Several injuries that have been bothering the Huskers in past weeks are beginning to heal, he said. I-backs Lcodis Flowers and Scott Baldwin, and quarterback Mike Grant all have practiced this week and, Osborne said, they all have improved. ‘ ‘Out of those three, the only one I would say might still be a little bit uncertain as to how well he will be will be Grant,” he said. “He can play, there’s no question about it. The question is whether he will be fall speed. “If he can be close to 100 percent by game time than we’ll start him and 1 play him a good deal. If he’s not we won’t” One player guaranteed to return is wingback Nate Turner. Turner broke his collarbone in the second day of fall camp. ‘‘Nate Turner will play some,” Osborne said. ‘‘I think there’s still some apprehension (from the train ers). He needs to get hit a couple of times.” Besides Grant, Osborne said an other player who may be question able is middle guard Paul Brungardt, who woke up with a swollen knee on Sunday after the Minnesota game. ‘‘We’re probably in a little better shape physically than we have been at any time this year,” Osborne said. Nebraska leads the Big Eight in yards per pass attempt. In fact, in a rating done by the Big Eight, Husker quarterback Mickey Joseph is first in passing efficiency. ‘‘That’s the key thing to me,” Osborne said, (is) what happens when you throw it?’ ‘‘I know I’m a minority of one in the slate that believes that’s at all important.” Nebraska’s depth chart SE Jon Bostick 6 2 105 Jr. Dan Pleasant 5-9 175 Jr Mark Dowse 60 100 Jr. LT Tom Punt 60 285 Sr. Steve Engstrom 63 290 Sr. Brent Pick 65 265 $r. LG Jim Wanek 8-1 245 Sr. Jeff Chaney 6 2 250 Jr Scott Peterson 6-4 24$ So C David Edea) 62 260 Sr. Bill Zieqelbein 65 240 Jr Terris chomey 61 250 So RG Wifi Shields 6-2 260 So Erik Wiegert 6-4 270 Jr Chris Zyzda 62 255 So RT Brian Boerboom 67 285 Jr Terry Eyfnan 66 265 Sr. Bay Riefenrath 65 280 Jr TE Wm Washington 8-2 245 So Chris Garrett 6-3 240 Jr Daryl Leise 6 2 230 Jr. QBMjke Grant 62 210 Jr W6ckey Joseph 611 180 Jr Tom Haase 60 180 Jr FB Omar Soto 5-11 220 Jr Lance Lewis 60 225 So TimJohnk 610 215 Jr IB Leodis Flowers 611 200 Jr Scott Baldwin 61 200 So Derek Brown 610 175 Fr. WB Nate Turner 8 2 225 Jr. Tyrone Hughes 5 9 175 So Brad Devall 5-9 180 Sr LOLB Travis Hlfl 62 225 So. David White 62 225 So Dan Svehla 60 230 Sr. LT Joe Sims 6 3 280 Sr. Lb Andre Anderson 6-4 260 Sr. Paul Brungardt 67 270 Sr. MG Pat Engelbert 62 250 Jr. Greg Koallner 63 280 Jr. Mike Jefferson 62 280 Fr. RT Kenny Walker 6-4 240 Sr. Brian Brown 6 6 260 Jr. David Noonan 63 265 Fr. ROLB Mike Croel 63 225 Sr Dan Svehla 6-0 230 Sr RickWendland 61 215 Sr SLB Mke Petko 6-2 230 Jr. Matt Peniand 6-0 220 So. Troy Branch 6-2 220 Fr. WLB Patty ranee 62 240 Sr Mke Anderson 61 230 Fr. PaulWightman 61 220 So. LCB Bruce Pickens 5 11 190 Sr JonCrippen 5-10 170 Sr. Robert Hicks 61C 185 Sr. RCB Tahaun Lewis 611 170 Sr Tyrone Legette 69 100 Jr Eric Anderson 68 175 Sr SS Reggie Cooper 6 3 210 Sr Curtis Cotton 6-1 210 Jr Brian Pollard 610 190 So. FS Jyrone Byrd 611 165 So. Steve Carmer 61 205 So Will Thomas 60 175 Jf John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan Osborne says team needs to improve in some areas From Staff Reports Nebraska held a two-hour con trolled scrimmage Tuesday in prepa ration for the Oregon State game this Saturday, Coach Osborne said. I-back Scott Baldwin reinjured his toe and left practice early. Offensive guard Dave Jensen missed practice with a sore leg. The Huskers are guarding against any concentration gaps with the pos sibility of another big scoring gap this week, Osborne said. “It (the concentration) has been pretty good,” he said. Despite a near-perfect perform ance against Minnesota Saturday, Osborne said the Huskers could do better in some areas. “We hope to sec the turnovers diminish, the blocking improve, the throwing improve,” he said. Nebraska’s first two quarterbacks, Mickey Joseph and Kcithen McCant each threw one interception Satur day, though Joseph was 7 for 11 pass ing.. Quarterback Mike Grant probably will start this Saturday to make up for lost playing time. He was held out of the Northern Illinois and Minnesota f;ames because of a sore knee suf cred in the Baylor game. I-back Leodis Rowers should re turn for Saturday’s game after miss ing last week. Wingback NateTumcr also practiced the entire scrimmage. Osborne said the Huskers may not have the fortune they enjoyed against Minnesota. “It may not go as well,’’ Osborne said. “We had a lot of good field position Saturday. “What we’re going to look at is effort and execution.’’ rettit: ratigue trom tournaments contributed to Huskers’ loss NCAA Volleyball T°P20 Record 1 Nebraska 2 UCLA 3 Pacific 4 Texas 5 Stanford 6 Cal-Santa Barbara 7 Hawaii 8 Ohio St. 9 New Mexico 10 Penn St. 11 San Jose St. 12 Texas Tech 13 Brigham Young 14 Illinois 15 Long Beach St. 16Pepperdine 17Lousiana St. 18 Pittsburgh 19 Kentucky 20 Southern Cal John Bruc«/D«iiyNebraaknn rrom oiarc nepons Nebraska’s volleyball team dropped to No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 20. But in the season’s first NCAA poll, which was released Tuesday, the Comhuskers were voted No. 1. Saturday, the Huskers lost their first matchof the year to No. 3-rankcd Pacific in the Illinois Invitational, after rallying to beat No. 14-ranked Illi nois the night before. Nebraska coach Terry Petlitcalled the Illinois match one of the most emotionally draining Nebraska has ever played and the critical match of the tournament. * ‘Our preparation was pretty much limited to Illinois prior to the tourna ment,” Pettit said. “I really feel that personnel-wise and talent-wise we’re in pretty good shape against Pacific, but they were in a situation where they could spend the week preparing for us.” Last week, the team began to feel the fatigue of having played in three tournaments against six top-20 teams, Peuit said, but he doesn’t regret sched uling such powerful competition. "1 figured if we could win a ma jority of the matches against top-10 teams on the road that would be great,’ ’ he said. “But that wasn’t the reason we did it.” |-- if mammti'm*, A1 schaben/Oaily Nebraskan i-back Derek Brown is Nil’s leading rushing with 192 yards after gaining 120 yards against Minnesota on Saturday. I-back’s first day is full of yards By Paul Domeier Senior Reporter Starling as Nebraska’s I-back is something to call home about. So when Derek Brown found out Fri day after practice that he would be starting Saturday against Minne sota, he did. ‘‘At first I was nervous and I had to give a call to my mother,” Brown said. “She helps make me relax.” Brown, a freshman from La Habia, Calif., who had to sit out a year because of Proposition 48, relaxed enough to gain 120 yards rushing and score three touchdowns in the Comhuskcrs’ 56-0 victory over the Golden Gophers. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne gave Brown plenty of chances to get rid of his butterflies. Brown returned the opening kickoff, had five carries in the first six plays and ran the ball 13 times in the first quarter. In fact, Brown had a lot of work for a 5-foot-10,175-poundcr, even one so muscular. He had 21 carries and two receptions, hurled himself through the air for one touchdown and even recorded a tackle after an interception. Yet Brown said playing against the Gophers wasn’t as rough as he expected. “I thought they’d come out a little more aggressive than they did and be a lot tougher than they were,” he said. Not bad for a third-string player who became the first freshman to start as I-back for Nebraska since Monte Anthony in 1974. Brown was starting in place of injured backs Lcodis Flowers and Scou Baldwin. Fourth-string I-back George Achola followed Brown over the century mark with 123 yards. “For us lo come in and make oul 100 yards looks good for (run ning backs) coach (Frank) Solich," Brown said. Osborne said the Minnesota game doesn’t give Nebraska an exces sive number of I-backs. “You don’t ever have loo many 1-backs,’’ Osborne said. “You can lose two or three in a quarter.” But if Flowers recovers from his injured knee and Baldwin re turns from his turf toe as expected for Saturday’s game against Ore gon State, Brown could find him self out of the rotation, having to wait his turn for playing lime. Brown, Nebraska’s leading rusher with 192 yards, said he’s not worried about that. Wins come first, he said, not carries. “If I don’t get any next game, I don’t get any,” he said.