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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1990)
Sports Quarterback question remains By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Reporter The Nebraska football team is four games into the season and Coach Tom Osborne still doesn’t have all the answers. “I think offensively we still have a few question marks and we may never get them all resolved,” Osborne said at Tuesday’s weekly press confer ence. The biggest problem, Osborne said, continues to be at quarterback. ‘‘I think we need to get stabilized a little bit at quarterback,” he said. * ‘ I don’t necessarily believe we have to have one quarterback. ‘ ‘ I think what we have to do is kind of figure out how everything fits to gether.” So far this season little has fit together. Mike Grant, who started the season opener, has missed two games with a sprained knee, and although he started Saturday’s game against Ore gon Stale he is still less than 100 percent. “I thought last Saturday he was really very tentative and not very effective early in the game,” Osborne said.4 4 He got better as the game went along. “I think Mickey Joseph has done a reasonably good job. He made a couple of mistakes Saturday.” In Grant’s absence, Joseph led the Huskers to wins over Northern Illi nois and Minnesota, but Osborne said it would be unfair to compare the two because of Grant’s injury. “The thing that has been difficult there is that Mike Grant really didn’t play football for a month,” he said. ‘‘He played against Baylor, but even then his performance was hampered somewhat by the fact that he was playing hurt.” Grant struggled early Saturday against the Beavers, but in the second half he completed 3 of 4 passes for 63 yards, and gained 33 yards on six carries. Osborne says he has no intention of rushing the decision to pick a per manent starter at quarterback. “I do have a feeling that we will continue to use them both some dur ing the season,” he said. ‘‘I don’t envision right now going with one quarterback exclusively, although it could move in that direction, and maybe by the end of the season end up that way.” Nebraska’s defense has responded to some early doubts and continues to improve on the field and on paper, Osborne said. “Early on we were a little con cerned about giving up some yards rushing,” he said, “but we played two teams in Baylor and Northern Illinois that tried to run at us almost exclusively. We gave up a few yards, but overall the defense has been good. “If you go by statistics it was very good.” The Huskers lead the nation in rushing offense (383.5 yards a game), total defense (174.5 yards a game) and scoring defense (5.3 points per game). Overall the team’s injury situation has improved, but the Huskers lost junior tight end Chris Garrett proba bly for the remainder of the regular season when he broke his ankle late in the first quarter Saturday. “Certainly losing Chris Garrett hurt a good deal because we run two tight ends 40 percent of the time,’ ’ Osborne said. “With Chris and William Wash ington we had two big guys that were experienced and really knew what they were doing and now we’re taken out of that.” Nebraska’s depth chart % . .I SE Jon Bostick 6-2 185 Jr Dan Pleasant 5-9 175 Jr. Mark Dowse 6-0 180 Jr. LT Tom Punt 6-6 285 Sr. Steve Engstrom 6-5 290 Sr. ijipWftSJdK; 6-1 265 Sr. LG JlmWanek 6-2 245 Sr. Jeff Chaney 6-4 250 Jr. Chris 2yzda 6-2 255 So. Q-; David Edeal 6-5 260 Sr. iji^pilHZiegelbaum 6-1 240 Jr. Terris Chomey 6-4 250 So. m Erik Wiegert 6-2 270 Jr. WHI Shields 6-2 260 So. Dave Jensen 6-5 275 So. RT Brian Boerboom 6-3 285 Jr. ilipteve Engstrom 6-5 290 Sr. ^ ftay Riefenrath 6-3 290 Jr. TE William Washington e-2 245 So. Daryi Lelse 6-2 230 Jr. Johnny MfteheH 6-5 250 Pr. | OB Mike Grant 6-2 210 Jr. Mickey Joseph 5-11 180 Jr, Tom Haase 6-0 180 Jr. FS OmarSptD 5-11 220 Jr. Lance Lewis 6-0 225 So. TimJohnk 5-10 215 Jr. IB Leodis Flowers 5 11 200 Jr. Scott Baldwin 6-1 200 So, Derek Brown 5-10 175 Fr. WB Nate Turner 6-2 225 Jr. Tyrone Hughes 5-9 175 So. __BradDevail54_ibo Sr. LOLB Travis Hid 62 225 So. David White 62 225 So. Dan Svehla 6-0 230 |fe.M LT JoeSims 63 280 Sr. Le Andre Anderson 64 260 Sr. Paul Brungardt 6-7 270 Sr. MG PatEngettrert 62 250 Jr. Greg Koellner 63 280 Jr. Mike Jerterson 62 280 Fr. RT Kenny Walker 64 240 Sr. Brian Brown 66 260 Jr. David Noonan 63 265 Fr. ROLB Mike Croei 63 225 Sr. Dan Svehla 60 230 Sr. Trev Alberts 64 220 Ft. si SLB MikePetko 62 230 Jr. Matt Penland 6-0 220 So. Troy Branch 62 220 Fr. WLB PatTyrance 62 240 Sr. Mike Anderson 61 230 Fr PaulWlghtman 61 220 So. LOB Bruce Pickens 611 190 Sr. Crippen 610 170 Sr. ■pobert Hicks 610 183 Sr. RCB Tahaun Lewis 611 170 Sr. Tyrone Legette 69 180 Jr. Eric Anderson 68 175 Sr. SS Reggie Cooper 63 210 Sr. Curtis Cotton 61 210 Jr, Brian Poilard 610 190 So. FS Tyrone Byrd 611 165 So. Steve Carmer 61 205 So. ; Will Thomas 60 175 Jr. John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan ‘Old Man Makeir takes jokes in stride... By Sara Bauder Schott Senior Reporter Talk about a tough interview. It’s not that Nebraska split end Keith Makell doesn’t want to talk, and it’s not that he has nothing to say. It’s all the interruptions. “Hey, Grandpa!” “Look at the Old Man!” “Gramps!” Nearly every one of Makell’s team mates, as they stream by during the interview, manages to razz the 31 year-old Makell about his age. Makell takes it all with a little giggle. The razzing used to come just from the other Huskcr receivers, but now, Makell says, the whole team gets into the act. The 5-fool-10, 165-pound Makell said he doesn’t think making the lootball team was all that unusual, even though he is a decade older than most of his teammates. “I do the same things they do,” Makell said. “I’d been working out for a number of years. It’s just that l liked sports and I wouldn’t let anyone tell me ‘You can’t do this or that.’” Not only did Makell make the ... and has time to cut some hair Not only is Keith Makell a “Grandpa” to many of his team mates, but he’s also a barber. Some of the Husker heads Makell cuts include Mike Grant and William Washington, and former Husker Morgan Gregory, At the Orange Bowl last year, Makell even gave Nebraska receivers coach Ron Brown a haircut. Makell said he learned to cut hair by doing his own, “in front of the mirror in the bathroom.” He said he doesn’t think he’s ever nicked himself while cut ting his hair. If he sees a style he likes in a maga/inc, he grows his hair to the length required and then copies the style. Cornhusker football team, but he has been running with the track team, too. This year will be the first that he can See MAKELL on 8 —--—- ' Shaun Sartin/ It’s not every day one gets to see a wide receiver giving his quarterback a haircut. Quarterback Mike Grant seems to be enjoying this trim up by Keith Makell. Big Eight title defense begins with KU nSSlea ijjj S1"" H 15 Long Beach MSSSm&K 16 P ^ iiiwi.■ 11■ i■ .Viii.iijimini., iimim, '■" . r*"" John Broce/Dally Nebraskan By John Adkisson Staff Reporter The Nebraska volleyball team is eager to enter familiar territory. The No. 1 Comhuskcrs will launch their Big Eight title defense for the 14th consecutive year in a match against the Kansas Jayhawks tonight in Lawrence, Kan. Nebraska assistant coach John Cook said that alter 13 non-conference games, the 12-1 Huskcrs arc looking forward to facing the Big Eightsched ulc. “Playing Big Eight teams gives us a chance to open up our offense,” Cook said. “And usually the matches are exciting because the fans are familiar with Big Eight schools.’ Nebraska has won every league championship since conference play began in 1976, and Cook said other teams in the league gel especially motivated to play the Huskcrs. “Everybody’s coming after us because of the siring we have,” Cook said. “But we’ve just got to go into every match and play our game.” Kansas, 9-3 and 1-0 in the Big Eight, returns three starters from last year’s team, which finished fifth in the conference. Cook said Kansas is the most improved team in the Big Eight, and said that the Jay hawks have been impressive early this sea son. “They’ve beaten some good teams already," Cook said. “And they hauled us extremely well in a spring game earlier in the year.’’ Kansas won its first conference game of the season by sweeping Oklahoma on Saturday. The Jayhawks arc led by junior outside hitter Adrian Powell, who has recorded 207 digs this season and posted a 5.3 digs-pcr gamc average. Cook said that Powell is an outstanding player, and is the focal point of the offense. She secs the ball a lot, he said. Nebraska won three matches at last weekend’s FirsTicr Invitational, including a four-set victory over No. 12 Brigham Young. Cook said Ne braska raised its emotional level after losing its first game against Brigham Young. “We told the players that we’ve got to start playing for ourselves, improving every game,” Cook said. He also said Nebraska upped its de fensive play throughout the tourna ment. “We set a goal of only letting the defense score 100 points in the tour nament,” Cook said. “And they scored 99.” Walker teaches freshman By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Reporter Rcdshirt freshman Trev Alberts knows he is playing second fiddle to a superstar. ‘4 Kenny Walker is the best pass rusher in the nation,” Alberts said. 4‘To go in for him is unbeliev able.” Alberts goes in for Walker in the Comhusker defense’s dime package, and he found himself playing a lot Saturday against Oregon State. 4‘I was really pleased to play that much,” Alberts said. 44I just thought I’d get in. “And when I come off, Kenny tells me what I’m doing wrong. I’m learning from the best and I’ve got a long way to go, believe me.” And “the best” knows he can be an influence to younger players like Alberts. “We talk about a lot of things on the sideline, because I’m a sen ior and maybe a role model,” Walker said. “I appreciate the opportunity to help him, and help him understand what’s going on in the game. “If I get hurt, then he can be the hero for me. Oregon State's mostly passing offense gave Alberts a chance to play something more than the mop up role at his usual position, out side linebacker. He used the chance to record only his third career tackle, and first for a loss. “I’ve always been on No. 2 dime,” he said. “We just haven’t played a team that passed that much. They (Oregon Slate) were spread ing the field on every down. That’s why we were dime almost every play.” Saturday’s increase in action, however, also was a chance for him to miss an open field tackle. In the second half, Oregon State tail back Reggie Pitchford ran around the left end. Alberts managed to chase him down behind the line, but Pitchford slipped away for a six-yard gain. But Walker informed him of his mistake so it doesn’t happen again. “I came off and Kenny told me what I did wrong,” Alberts said. “1 took the wrong angle.” Alberts said the chance to play See TREV on 8
