Shaun Sarttn/DaHy Nebraskan
l-back Derek Brown signs autographs at Nebraska
photo day. Brown entered fall practice at the top of the
depth chart ahead of veterans Scott Baldwin and George
Achola
Sophomores to play big roles
on 1991 Cornhusker football
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Editor
While it may be customary for
younger players to look to the older
ones for leadership, this season
could be different for the Nebraska
football team.
Two of the players who will
play big roles on the team this
season are just sophomores.
Last season, as freshmen, tight
end Johnny Mitchell and I-back
Derek Brown put up big numbers
for the Comhusker offense, whet
ting the appetites of Husker fans
for what may come this season.
Both Mitchell and Brown said
high fan expectations haven’t put
any pressure on them.
“I feel no pressure at all,” Mitch
ell said. “All I can do is play the
best I can.”
Brown said he feels anxious to
get the season started instead of
pressure.
“I don’t feel any sort of pres
sure,” he said. “I feel ready. I want
to get out and play.”
Based on last season’s statis
tics, fans’ high expectations of the
two — evidenced by swarms of
autograph-seekers at Photo Day
on Aug. 14 — are understandable.
Mitchell caught 11 passes last
season for 282 yards and seven
touchdowns. His 25.6 average
yards-per-reception was a school
record. And he set a Nebraska bowl
record with 138 yards receiving in
the Florida Citrus Bowl against
national co-champion Georgia Tech.
Brown averaged 6.4 yards per rush,
gaining 375 yards on 59 carries and
five touchdowns. Brown put himseli
in the running for this year’s starting
I-back job by rushing for 99 yards on
11 carries, including a 50-yard sprint
for a touchdown, in the Citrus Bowl
last season.
Neither player let last year s suc
cess lull them into a belief that they
had no improvements to make during
the off-season. Both said they worked
hard over the summer and that they
are now better players.
“I had a great summer,” Brown
said. “I worked on everything in my
game and made a lot of overall im
provement.”
Mitchell said he also worked on
his overall game, but paid extra atten
tion to his catching and blocking skills.
“I caught 200 to 300 passes every
day this summer,” he said.
Even though Mitchell and Brown
may be the stars at their positions,
neither will be able to relax with the
abundance of talent at both positions.
Scott Baldwin and George Achola,
along with rcdshirt freshman Calvin
Jones, will challenge Brown for play
ing time.
' “It hasn’t really hitmethatl’m the
No. 1 I-back,” he said. “We’re all
excited about the season and we still
have the depth.”
Brown said he likes the competi
tion for playing time because “it pushes
you to work harder in practice.”
Mitchell entered fall practice listed
second on the depth chart behind Daryl
Leise. «e win aiso nave 10 cattle
Chris GarreU and William Wash
ington for playing time. Garrett
started the first four games last
season before breaking his ankle
against Oregon State.
Both players could have a
chance to better last season’s per
formances if Coach Tom Osborne
backs up his promise of opening
up the offense with some new
pass plays that were tried out in
the spring game.
Neither Brown nor Mitchell had
any complaints about the possi
bility of more passing.
“I think we need to balance the
offense more,” Mitchell said. “1
think we should have a great time
if we do.”
Brown’s face lit up when the
topic was discussed.
‘‘I hope we pass a lot more
because it will open up the run
ning game,” he said. ‘‘They might
only give me the ball once or
twice in nine or 10 plays, but if I
touch it those two times, I ’ m going
to score a touchdown.”
Following the unity theme of
this year’s team, neither player
would discuss individual goals,
preferring to discuss the impor
tance of doing whatever it takes in
order for the team to do well.
Mitchell, however, did offer
one prediction.
‘‘If I stay healthy,” he said,
‘‘You’ll see a lot of wonderful
things from me this year."
Puffs
Continued from Page 21
other two non-conference games,
against Wyoming at home and at
Stanford, don’t look too taxing either.
That leads one to believe that
Nebraska, having played the toughest
non-conference schedule, may have
the experience and seasoning needed
to make a run at Colorado and Okla
homa, no matter what the preseason
polls are saying.
Beating them both would almost
be like throwing the cream puffs right
back in their faces.
Adkisson is a junior news-editorial major
and a Daily Nebraskan reporter and colum
nist.
Season's defensive backfield
crammed with inexperience;
only one starter to return
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Editor_
| ■
One word describes this season’s
defensive backfield: Inexperienced.
Last season, the Comhusker foot
ball team returned all four starters
and was deep at all four positions.
This season, only one starter returns.
Gone are NFL draftees Bruce Pick
ens (third overall by Atlanta) and
Tahaun Lewis (ninth round by the
Los Angeles Rams). And Reggie
Cooper signed a free agent contract
with Dallas.
With so many experienced players
gone, defensive backfield coach
George Darlington might enter the
season with a less-than-optimistic
outlook.
That is not the case.
“When you graduate people, the
younger people have an opportunity
to compete for positions, and they
work hard to win one,” Darlington
said. “We have a number of talented
athletes with potential.”
Tyrone Byrd, a junior from Chan
dler, Ariz., and tne lone returning
starter from last season’s defensive
backfield, echoed that statement.
“Last year a lot of guys didn’t
know where they stood in the depth
chart after the starter and maybe
wouldn’t work as hard,” he said.
“This year everyone knows where
they stand and is working hard to win
a spot.” — -
Curtis Cotton, a senior from Omaha
who saw a lot of action last season,
said be sees the lack of experience as
a negative.
“A lot of guys haven’t played and
lack experience,” he said. “We do
have a lot of talent, though.”
Colton has made the switch from
strong safety to left comerback and is
the starter at that position. He will be
backed up by junior Kenny Wilhite,
who is switching from wingback, and
redshirt freshman Sedric Collins.
The Huskers’ Tyrone Legette, a
part-time starter last season, is back
at right comerback. Behind him are
Mike Heins and Vernon Powell, an
other wingback making the switch to
comerback.
At strong safety, Steve Carmer has
filled the top spot. He is backed up by
Ernie Beler and Brian Pollard.
Byrd returns at his free safety
position and is followed by John Reece,
who saw a lot of action two years ago
as a freshman. A knee injury forced
him to sit out last season, and Dar
lington said Reece’s knee is about 95
percent healthy. Jamie Weyers also
will battle for playing time at that
position.
The knock on past Nebraska de
fensive backs is that they couldn’t
stop the pass. Byrd said some of that
might have had to do with former
players.
“Last year we had a lot of talent,
but some of the guys had attitudes,”
he said. “Against a lot of passing
teams, guys haven’t tried as hard.
We’re going to play with heart this
year.”
Cotton said fan criticism isn’teasy
to ignore.
‘rWe can’t ignorp past perform
ances against passing teams, he said.
“It remains to be seen how we per
form this year.”
Coach: Success centers on Engelbert
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Editor
At middle guard, Pal Engelbert is
ihe center of the defensive line. But
iie last thing he wants to be is the
:enter of attention.
“I really don’t have any personal
goals, as long as the team does well,”
Engelbert, a senior on the Cornhusker
football team, said.
‘‘I do hope we can prove the critics
wrong and prove we can win the big
game and a bowl game. If I have one
goal, 1 guess that’s for us to win the
Big Eight championship. We haven’t
won one in three years.”
Charlie McBride, the defensive
coordinator, said this attitude is typi
cal of Engelbert.
“I think he gets more enjoyment
from team success than individual
success,” he said. “He’s a real family
man type of guy.”
As the only returning starter on a
youthful defensive line, Engelbert said
he is ready to assume a leadership
position.
“We’ve all worked together since
the spring,” he said. “Brian Brown
and myself arc the only two seniors
on the line, and I think it’s natural for
seniors to be leaders.”
Coach Tom Osborne has compared
Engelbert to former Husker All
American Danny Noonan, who now
plays for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Engelbert prefers to ignore any
comparisons.
“Those arc things you try to set
aside,” he said. “When you worry
about things like that, it lakes away
from your motivation in practice and
in games. I don’t even look at that
kind of stuff.”
McBride said Engelbert is hard to
compare to former Husker middle
guards.
“Pat’s not as big as some nose
guards we’ve had in the past,” he
said. “But his quickness, athleticism
and knowledge of the defense make
him one of the best. He’s very instinc
tive where Noonan relied more on
muscle and power to get the job done.”
Engelbert has All-American po
tential, McBride said, but his size will
probably keep him off those lists.
Engelbert weighs 250 pounds.
McBride said the people who pick the
All-American teams usually pay more
attention to the players who weigh
closer to 300 pounds.
But Engelbert certainly is deserv
Courtesy of Big Eight media services
Senior middle guard Pat Engelbert in action last season.
Engelbert is the lone starter returning In a young defensive
line.
mg, McBride said.
“Pal hasn’t been given enough
credit,” he said. “He played the last
four games last season with a shoul
der injury and had great games.”
Last season, Engelbert did earn
postseason honors because of his stud
ies. He was a second-team academic
All-American, carrying a 3.587 grade
point average in civil engineering.
McBride expects him to make the
first team this season and said his
academic success will be a guide for
his future.
“He has the talent to play profes
sionally, but I don’t thin* he’s really
interested because of his success in
school ” he said.
r
V'
After a strong season last year,
opposing offensive coordi nators win
have to pay extra attention to stop
ping Engelbert.
"it will be impossible for them to
ignore him when they see the films,
McBride said. .
Engelbert said his success last
season puts some pressure on him
raise his performance level.
“Once you do make a name tor
yourself, you’re under the microscope.,
he said. “Other teams remember wnat
you did against them.
“But I don’t see other teams chang
ing their offenses trying to figure out
a way to stop me. I’m just the guy
the middle.