Old criticisms of T.O. won’t do
In “CaddyshackTy Webb/Chevy
Chase says, “In one physical model
of the universe, the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line
— in the opposite direction.”
The best way for Nebraska to
improve — the shortest distance be
tween Nebraska's status as perennial
Paul
Domeier
tease to status as possible juggernaut
— is to diversify the offense and
allow more emotion in the big games.
Well, Nebraska is doing that. In an
effort to get better, the Huskers have
shown more emotion this season, and
Friday against Oklahoma the Husk
ers passed more — ar.d headed in the
opposite direction.
More passing and more emotion
(early in the season) didn’t keep
Oklahoma from winning 45-10 in one
of the most pathetic games of Tom
Osborne’s tenure.
The Huskers tried the right things.
That doesn’t mean life is peachy in
Huskerland, since from every per
spective, Nebraska lost by 35 points.
What it does mean is that if you
want to say, “T.O. must go!” you
can’t use the old reasons:
1. Osborne must change the of
fense. Pass more and run up the middle
less!
Nebraska’s basic I and I bone of
fensive structure can’t be too bad.
Colorado and Oklahoma have copied
it directly.
In one rough play count, Nebraska
passed 25 times against Oklahoma
and called two other pass plays that
turned into runs. Fifteen of those came
in the first half; the Huskers weren’t
just throwing out of desperation.
Three plays were reverses or some
type of trick play. Of the 33 conven
tional runs, 12 went up the middle.
Twice as many passes as middle
runs; 43 percent of the plays called as
passes. The “run left, run right, run up
the middle, punt” stereotype didn’t
apply to the Oklahoma game.
Opening up the game gave Ne
braska’s its only chance to stretch the
Oklahoma defense and win. The strat
egy backfired with seven turnovers
leading to 31 easy points. Conserva
tive running could have held down
the score, but Nebraska couldn ’t have
won.
2. Nebraska can’t stop runs up the
middle.
Defensive coordinator Charlie
McBride couldn’t find a way to stop
or even slow down Colorado’s Eric
Bicniemy, but the Huskers did slow
down Oklahoma’s backs. Oklahoma’s
tailbacks gained 40 yards on 12 tries
up the middle, 3.3 yards a carry.
On 16 of the Sooner fullbacks’
carries, they gained 62 yards, 3.9 yards
a carry. The other fullback run was
the 48-yard touchdown busted by Mike
McKinley, the one of eight Sooner
gains of 15 or more yards to come up
the middle.
3. Osborne can’t get the Huskers
fired up for any game.
Well, he isn’t very good at it, but
that didn’t keep the Huskers from
being emotional in earlier games this
year.
A hard tackle this year cams the
tackier a head-shattering left hook to
the helmet from Kenny Walker or Pat
Tyrance. This is the way psychopaths
and defensive players show happi
ness, especially when the categories
overlap.
On offense, Mickey Joseph is
downright flamboyant on the field
and tight end Johnny Mitchell has
shown a variety of end zone dances.
In the Colorado game, Joseph ran
for an apparent touchdown early in
the second half. The Husker sideline
exploded before the official i uled that
Joseph had grazed the sideline.
Later, when Mitchell scored a
touchdown and Nebraska led 12-0,
the Huskers were penalized 15 yards
for celebrating too wildly. This team
is too lame?_
But in the fourth quarter of the
Colorado game, the Buffaloes de
stroyed the emotion and momentum
for the entire season. That 27-point
fourth quarter broke Nebraska.
Friday, the Huskers were all but
comatose. But this wasn’t Nebraska’s
normal flat loss, like Iowa 1981,
Syracuse 1984, Colorado 1986 or
numerous Oklahoma defeats, where
being neither too hot nor too cold
wasn’t just right. Nebraska was fro
zen, mentally numb.
For die first time in years, Ne
braska fans have seen the Huskers
have an emotional letdown against a
good team, and nobody knows how to
react.
Go ahead and verbally abuse
Osborne if you want, but come up
with new criticisms. The strategies,
though they failed, were correct.
The Huskers didn’t look dazed as
they walked into their locker-room
after the game. They almost looked
like they didn t care.
Of course they cared, terribly so,
in their heads, and in years to come
they will care even more. They couldn’t
care in their hearts, though, because
they left their hearts behind Nov. 3.
Losing to Colorado was no reason
for the Huskers to hang their heads in
shame, so they weren’t playing a
“pride” game. Pride comes into play
in the bowl game against Georgia
Tech. Now the Huskers have the crush
ing loss to goad them.
If Nebraska goes to the Citrus Bowl
still in a funk and throwing intercep
tions, that’s bad. It’s even worse if the
Huskers come out emotionless and
conservative on offense.
This is the deal: If Osborne is to
liven up the Huskers, the team will
risk a few humiliating losses. In ex
change for making the team competi
tive for the national title, every once
in a while Nebraska will go in the
opposite direction.
For which every fan will say,
“Thank you very little.”
Domcicr is a senior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan sports reporter and
columnist.
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Nebraska’s Kristi Dahn and James Madison Univer
sity’s Emily McCracken fight for a loose ball during the
Wimmer’s Invitational on Saturday. The Cornhuskers
will play Robert Morris College today and will compete
in the Ohio State Invitational this weekend.
Beck
Continued from Page 13
naie this team if we put the ball where
it needs to be,” she said.
More importantly the Huskers will
have to continue to hold their oppo
nents to47.5 points a game and a 23.7
shot percentage from the floor, Beck
said.
Beck said Nebraska’s combina
tion of size and speed will help them
throughout the season.
“We’re going to match up with a
lot of people because we have pretty
good size and an up-tempo offense,”
Beck said.
The Huskers will be led by junior
Sue Hesch, who was named the tour
nament Most Valuable Performer after
scoring 25 points, shooting 91 per
cent, and pulling down a team-high
22 rebounds in the two games. Sopho
more Karen Jennings was also named
to the All-Tournament team, after
racking up 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite coming off the bench to
relieve Hesch, senior Ann Halsnc is
the the team’s leading scorer averag
ing 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per
game. Halsne’s performance, how
ever, was looked over in the voting
for the select team.
The game against Robert Morris
was scheduled to let the team get
some experience on the road before
they head into the tourney, Beck said.
“Our first game will maybe be one
that we can handle a little bit better,”
she said. “We’ll go into the tourna
ment with one road game under our
belt.”
Nebraska plays Houston m the
opening round Saturday at 1 p.m.
Ohio State meets Pittsburgh at 3 p.m.
with the championship Sunday at 3
p.m.
In Monday’s women’s basketball
AP Top 20 the Huskers received two
votes, an honor Beck said she didn’t
expect.
Beck said she has also been im
pressed with the leadership of seniors
Kristi Dahn and Ann Halsnc whose
half-time speech helped spark the
Huskers turn a 24-24 halftime tie into
a 68-44 win over James Madison in
last weekend’s championship game.
“We finally have some seniors to
lean on,” Beck said. “We haven’t had
thatkindof leadership in a long umc.”
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