Sports
Tiger offense, Husker defense to clash
Huskers anticipate passing game
By Todd Cooper
Senior Reporter
After giving up an average of 265 yards
passing a game, one wouldn’t think Nebraska’s
defense would particularly cherish facing
Missouri, the best passing team in the league.
But...
“I love it when they pass,” Comhusker out
side linebacker Trev Alberts said.
He’ll get a lot of what he loves Saturday in
Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Missouri comes to Lincoln averaging 245
passing yards a game behind junior quarter
back Phil Johnson, who leads the conference
and ranks 16th nationally in total offense.
, Meanwhile, Nebraska ranks 81 st nationally
in defense and 55th against the pass.
“I think we’re looking forward to the chal
lenge Saturday,” Alberts said. “If they’re on,
they’re going to be tough to beat.”
And Johnson will be tough to contain, Husker
Coach Tom Osborne said.
“We’ll have to work hard on containment,”
he said. “He’s a good runner and a good thrower.
He’s been able to do a lot of damage both
ways.”
The Huskers will have to find a way to get
more pressure on the quarterback, Osborne
said, adding that he is “moderately satisfied”
with the damage Nebraska’s defense has caused
by blitzing.
Middle guard Pat Engelbert said that the
pressure has been sporadic.
“We’re playing in spurts,” Engelbert said.
“We’re getting in there but we aren’t doing it
consistently.”
Defensive tackle Jamie Liewer said consis
tency will come with time and timing.
“We’ve been improving,” Liewer said. “It’s
just a matter of getting everything clicking. It’s
kind of frustrating. All we can do is keep plug
ging at it.”
The Huskers sacked Kansas State quarter
back Paul Watson nine times during Saturday’s
38-31 Nebraska victory, but Watson ended the
day 26-for-46 passing for 340 yards. He also
escaped Husker pressure for 76 yards on 16
carries, including a 26-yard run.
“From what we can see, Missouri’s better,”
Alberts said. “It just depends on what team
shows up.”
Missouri is 3-2-1 after beating Illinois,
Memphis State and Oklahoma State. The Ti
gers were crushed by Baylor, 47-21, and Colo
rado, 55-7, and tied Indiana 27-27.
“They’ve been kind of inconsistent,” Al
berts said. “But Missouri is always dangerous.
With a mobile quarterback and big offensive
line, they can hurt you.”
See HUSKERS on 8
Great plays goal of Tiger coach
By Chuck Green
Senior Editor
Missouri football coach Bob Stull isn’t sure
which team he’ll be bringing to Lincoln for
Saturday’s game against the ninth-ranked Com
huskers.
Will it be the team that suffered 26- and 48
point losses to Baylor and Colorado?
Or will it be the one that routed Illinois and
Memphis State?
Stull is hoping it will be the latter.
“This season has really been up and down
for us,” Stull said. “We’ve had success and
failure. We’ve made some great plays and
some mistakes. Hopefully on Saturday, we’ll
make more great plays than bad ones.”
Stull is counting on Tiger quarterback Phil
Johnson to make several great plays against
Nebraska.
“Phil is one of the belter players I’ve ever
seen as a coach,” Stull said. “He’s cool at all
times, no matter what’s going on. He keeps his
head and shows good poise whether we’re
winning or losing.
“We’ll need a good effort from him this
week.”
Johnson has completed 107 of 189 passes
for 1,303 yards and 11 touchdowns this season,
averaging 12.2 yards per completion. His fa
vorite target is running back Ronnell Kayhill,
who has snagged 32 passes for 269 yards and
two touchdowns this season.
Tight end Byron Chamberlain, a sopho
more, has pulled down 25 passes for 314 yards
and three touchdowns.
Last week against Oklahoma S late, Johnson
connected with wide receiver Kenny Holly for
a 51-yard pass on the game’s first play, and
Kayhill scored on the next play, giving Mis
souri its first first-quarter touchdown of the
season.
Johnson, whose passing has put Missouri
atop the Big Eight in passing offense, com
pleted 18 of 31 passes for 260 yards and a
school record-tying four touchdowns. Johnson
also ran five times for 90 yards, giving him a
career-high 350 yards of total offense.
Missouri’s defense limited the Cowboys to
261 yards of total offense and seven points and
forced five turnovers. Defensive end Stacy
Elliott led the Tigers with nine tackles, two
sacks, a broken-up pass and a forced fumble.
Missouri’s rushing attack also is solid, with
running back Mike Washington and Kayhill
leading the effort. Washington has gained 205
yards on 54 carries, while Kayhill has amassed
184 yards on 68 carries.
But Missouri’s weakness is defense, Stull
said. The Tigers rank last in the Big Eight in
See TIGERS on 8
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