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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1990)
Sports Cowboys defense fails to lasso NU By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Reporter Oklahoma Slate’s blitzing defense has been playing “cat and mouse” with Nebraska’s of fense since 1983, Coach Pat Jones said Satur day. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they have been the mouse. Nebraska’s 31 -3 win Saturday was Jones’ seventh straight loss to the Corn huskers since taking the helm in 1984. “This has been an interesting little scenario with x’s and o’s and when and how we blitz and how they are going to try and handle it,” Jones said. “I think it’s really bothered them over the years.” It hasn’t bothered them enough. The Husk ers rolled up 317 yards of total offense Satur day, including a 39-yard touchdown run down the left sideline by quarterback Mickey Joseph. After the game Jones said that he was happy with how his team played against the No. 4 Huskcrs after the Cowboys lost to Kansas State 23-17 last weekend. “We had no false illusions about what we could do with them,” Jones said. “The game plan on this thing was to try and milk the clock, play one quarter at a time and obviously not turn the ball over. “In most areas we did what we thought we needed to do to win the ball game.” That is, everything except not turn the ball over. The Cowboys coughed it up four limes, including a fumbled kickoff early in the fourth quarter that Robert Hicks recovered in the end zone for the final score. “That broke it wide open,” Jones said. “Other than that flurry there of us fumbling the punt and that mishandled kickoff this was a heck of a football game. Anybody that thinks this was anything but an extremely hard-fought football game, they didn’t see the same ball game that I saw.” Quarterback Kenny Ford, the Cowboys’ third different starting quarterback this year, said he was pleased with the team’s performance. “We don’t have anything to hang our heads about,” Ford said. “We competed with them.” Huskers dominate Sooners By John Adkisson Staff Reporter_ Oklahoma volleyball coach Miles Pabst had seen better days against Nebraska. Pabst, who has more wins over the Corn huskers than any other Big Eight coach, saw his Sooncrs get swept 15-0, 15-9 and 15-7 Satur day at the NU Coliseum. The loss was Oklahoma’s fourth straight to Nebraska since 1988. “1 think the rivalry’s there,” Pabst said. “But it’s just down because our team’s down.” Pabst said this year’s Nebraska team is the strongest Huskcr coach Terry Pettit has ever had. “Experience and leadership are the keys for them,” Pabst said. “They’re just loaded.” For Nebraska to win a national champion ship, Pabst said, the Huskers need good play from junior Cris Hall and sophomore Stepha nie Thaler. “They arc key, key people in their lineup,” Pabst said. Nebraska has won 14 consecutive Big Eight championships since 1976, and Pabst said that he sees no signs of the Husker dominance slowing down. “I’m a realist,” Pabst said. ‘‘I know that unless three or four of Nebraska’s starters break an ankle in the first match of the year, they’re going to win the conference.” Pabst said that the lack of league competi tion could hurt Nebraska in the long run. “I think it would be better for Nebraska if we got a couple other teams that could vie for the title,” Pabsl said. ‘‘That way, they could be pushed during the year.” Pabsl, who is in his 12th season at Okla homa, said he and Pettit are good friends, and that the two root for each other. ‘‘I want him to do well, and I’m sure it’s the same the other way,” Pabst said. Nebraska’s biggest match of the year could come Nov. 3 when fourth-ranked Texas comes to town for the Run/a Invitational. Pabst’s Sooncrs have been beaten by both teams, and the coach said a Ncbraska-Texas matchup has the potential to be a classic. “Your fan s are in for a lot of fun,” Pabst said. “I’d like to come up and watch.” A prediction? “I hope Nebraska wins, and I’d have to go with them at home,” Pabst said. ‘‘But just barely.” Defense, wind factors in JV win By Todd Cooper Staff Reporter_ Defense, big plays and 40-mph winds look the sail oul of ihe Iowa Central Community College Tritons in a 31-0 loss to the Nebraska junior varsity football team Friday at Memorial Stadium. “The defense played well,” Nebraska coach Bill Weber said. “The wind was quite a factor, too . . . but our kids played well on defense, played hard, and really prevented them (the Tritons) from doing much of anything.” Nebraska’s defense limited the Tritons to 7 3 yards of total offense, for an average of 1.3 a play. The key deterrents were Cornhuskcr outside linebackers Torry Garland and Steve Grove, according to Iowa Central coach Dennis Heiman. “They had two good defensive ends,” he said. “Those kids played hard. We couldn’t gel them blocked.” Weber said Nebraska emphasized the out side rush while preparing for Iowa Central's sprint-out runs. “We got good pressure from the outside,” Weber said. “That makes it tough, contains the play and if it’s not blocked correctly, they’ll come free and maicc the play.” Middle guard Bill Humphrey also found plenty of freedom Friday. The freshman from Liberty ville. III., led the defense with six total tackles, including two for losses. “Bill’s an aggressive guy, really works hard all the time,” Weber said. “In a touch football game in the back yard, Bill Humphrey would be scrapping all over the field. He loves to play football." See HUSKERS on 11 Oklahoma’s Susan Musgrove watches as Nebraska’s Val Novak (1) and Stephanie Thater go for the block. Nebraska won 15-0, 15-9, 15-7 Saturday at the NU Coliseum. Mistakes in game disappoint coach By Cory Golden Staff Reporter Sure, it’s nice when the volleyball team wins 15-0,15-9 and 15-7 as the Cornhuskcrs did Saturday over Oklahoma. It’s good, too, that the Huskers moved to 5-0 in the Big Eight and 18-2 overall. But when the team neglects, at times, a very important detail — getting the ball in play — it can make NU volleyball coach Terry Pettit quick with the negatives during post-game interviews. “I was disappointed in some of our er rors,” said Pettit, coach of the third-ranked Huskers. “We missed 15 serves, our ball handling was not particularly good and I thought we lost our concentration. ”1 reali/.c sometimes it’s difficult to maintain it when a team comes out and you beat them 15-0, but when you’re playing in a match like this, you have to get out of it what you can.” A season-high NU Coliseum crowd of 3,944 saw Nebraska have no trouble in the first game, posting a .737 hitting percentage while holding the Sooners, to a -.200. It was the first time in team history Nebraska has blanked Oklahoma, now 10 14, but Pettit wasn’t bragging about that, cither. “We have had several shut-outs this year," he said. “Thai’s usually an indication of their play as much as it is yours. I’m just concerned that we start playing good vol Icyball.” Pcitit probably will not point to the sec ond game as an example of what the Husk ers arc capable of. The serving problems continued and the Sooners out hit Nebraska .25010.189. Three consecutive Linda Barsness kills broke a 7-7 deadlock and Nebraska eventu ally found a way to win, 15-9. Barsness finished the night with 10 kills, as did Cris Hall. All-American Janet Kruse led the team with 16 kills on 24 attacks. All-American Val Novak turned in 39 set assists on the night. Kruse pounded live kills in the opening moments of game, three as the Huskers pulled out to a 6-1 lead. Pettit then brought in reserves Sara Hesch, Laura Luther, Nikki Strieker and Valeric Vcrmuclcn with starters Hall and Kruse to finish off the Sooners 15-7. The methodical, deliberate Sooner pace may have been partially responsible for breaking the Huskers’ concentration, Pettit said. “We had a real good week of practice,” he said. “The Oklahoma tempo is just .. . very slow. It didn’t allow us to rally, some of those types of things. But their tempo cer tainly didn’t have any effect on our serving — which was horrendous.” But it wasn’t all bad. “Some things 1 thought we improved on,” Pettit said, “but we still have a lot to do before we’re where we want to be.” Getting better every week Tight end gives NU shot, catches second touchdown pass By Sara Bauder Schott Senior Reporter For one Cornhuskcr freshman, the second touchdown catch was sweeter. Freshman tight end Malt Shaw caught the second touchdown pass of his career at Nebraska against Iowa Central Junior College Friday. His first touchdown catch was in the jun ior varsity’s Sept. 7 game against Snow Junior College. “This one was better than the first,” Shaw said. “That one, I just caught it and a yard laicr 1 was in ihc end /.one. This one I got to run with it a little bit. It lasted longer.” The 47-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John McMillcn came with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter and put Nebraska ahead of Iowa Central 24-0. The Huskers won 31-0, after leading 7-0 at halftime. The Huskers “dragged quite a bit” and made a lot of mental mistakes in the game, Shaw said. He said it was a good sign that the team put it together in the second half. “Wc have two weeks to practice for each game, and it’s hard to keep your concentration for that long,” he said. “The scrimmages wc have are just not the same as a game situation.” Shaw,a walkon from Lincoln, said he was not sure if he would be able to play at Nebraska. “1 wanted to give a a shot at the Division I level,” he said. “It’s been my dream for a long time. I can al ways take a step down ” Neither stepping down to a smaller school nor moving up to the varsity and Laking a starting job is not in Shaw’s immediate plans. He said that because of Nebraska’s talent at tight end, he will have to work up the ladder gradually. “I just have to keep working and try to move my way up,” he said. “There arc a lot of good tight ends, but you lose some to graduation and hopefully I’ll keep progressing.” In high school, Shaw said, he did not play tight end much because he was not very big. He was a defensive back and wide receiver. Only some limes was he a light end. But after gaining some weight — he is now 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds — over the summer, Shaw became a full-time tight end at Nebraska. Although Shaw said he had always wanted to play for Nebraska, it did present him with some challenges. “This is a lot more challenging because I'm playing with betlcrplay ers and learning so many new thmgs,” he said. “Every week, you can see yourself getting better.”'