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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 1991)
Next NU battle not ‘ j ust game ’ anymore By Todd Cooper Senior Reporter Forget about all the “just another game” comments that have echoed throughout Memorial Stadium and the South Stadium locker room for the past three months. After Friday, there isn’t “just an other” football game for No. 11 Nebraska until next year. And there isn’t one bigger than Friday’s matchup with No. 19 Okla homa, outside linebacker Travis Hill said. Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. in front of an ABC television audience. “This is the biggest game we’ll play,” Hill said. ‘This is bigger than Colorado or any of them. This is for the Big Eight Championship.” Even the less-than-flamboyant Will Shields, Nebraska’s left offensive guard, said he has been caught up, ever so slightly, in the magnitude of Friday’s game. “I just feel it’s about time for us to win the Big Eight championship,” Shields said. But Hill and Shields said the Husk ers are approaching it calmly, with out regard for the history of this heated rivalry. Oklahoma leads the 71 -game series, 39-29-3, including a 45-10 romp last year in Norman, Okla. “I’m not much for the history of the Oklahoma-Nebraska matchup,” said Shields, who was the first-ever Husker recruit out of Oklahoma. Shields, a native of Lawton, Okla., said he especially recalls the Okla homa fans’ comments during the thrashing. “After Oklahoma was up by so many points, they started yelling, ‘You should have stayed here,’ and all that,” Shields said. “I just thought it was kind of funny.’V But Shields said revenge isn’t on the Huskers’ minds this year. “It’s more or less just, ‘Don’t go out and perform like you did last year,’” Shields said. “Adi \hai stuff happened last year. This year’s dif ferent — this game is just the next game down the road — the last step toward the Big Eight Championship. If you make it anything more than that, you lose sight of what you’re doing.” Shields said Nebraska’s offense hasn’t lost its focus since an “incon sistent” performance against Wash ington Sept. 21. The Huskers led 21 9 before Washington rattled off four touchdowns in the last 17 minutes of play to win 36-21. “We’ve made some great improve ments since then,” Shields said. i “There’s been a big change—and the change is more or less attitude-wise. We’ve realized that we can’t just play good for a series and then slack off.” Nebraska gained 308 total yards against Washington, the No. 1 de fense in the nation. Since then, the Huskers have averaged 483 yards per game, including a 593-yard perform ance against Kansas’ defense (then ranked 14th). Still, Shields said Nebraska could have a tough time against Oklahoma’s 10-ranked defense. The Sooners are ranked fourth against the run, giving up an average of just 89 yards per game. “We’ve got to get their defensive line moving back rather than side ways,” Shields said. Shields said Oklahoma’s defense won’t try to trick the Huskers. “They line up and basically say, ‘If you think you can run on us, go ahead and try,”’ Shields said. Hill said Oklahoma’s offense is the same. “It’s typical Oklahoma — a lot of option, but you have to be aware of the pass,” Hill said. “With them, it’s basically a balanced attack but they will try and run at you hard.” Sooner I-back Mike Gaddis, the nation’s No. 9 rusher with 1,177 yards on 199 carries, will be one of those running at the Huskers hard, Hill said. But Hill said the Blackshirts proved their ability to stop the run against Colorado. The Huskers gave up 112 yards on 40 carries to the Buffaloes. “Colorado, basically, tried to power us,” Hill said. “And we stopped it. So we knew right then and there that we were a strong defensive team. “And it’s going to show up Friday against Oklahoma.” Hill, who recorded a career-high 11 tackles against Oklahoma last year, said he isn’t concerned with Sooner quarterback Cale Gundy’s scrambling and passing ability. Gundy*has aver aged 128 yards of total offense this year, ranking him seventh in the conference. “He’s good and he throws a lot,” Hill said, “but he’s still young and he still makes mistakes. It’s up to us to capitalize off of those mistakes.” More than anything, Shields said, Nebraska wants to capitalize on its opportunity Friday. “We want to go to Miami (and the Orange Bowl),” Shields said. “I mean, if you work that hard during the summer and all of the season, you just natu rally want to win the Big Eight. It’s a reward for all that hard work.” I RTeARK $15 FOR EACH DONATION 1ST • 15TH OF THE MONTH | • K Enjoy prompt courteous trealment from our carino staff _V ^ I I Free physical on your first donation, call for aopointmenil Expires 11 ■Jt'-t'l'J BRING THIS AD IN FOR $20 ON YOUR FIRST VISIT & IM I j $20 ON YOUR SECOND VISIT WITHIN TIVE DAYS Mi if this is your first donation, or if you have not donated in the last two months I 126 N-14,h Street, Suite #2, Ph0ne 474 2335I L Comfort \ & Joy Give year-round joy J with comfortable M Birkenstodk footwear! m Sandals, clo^s, and shoes I in a merry multitude of colors. I Gift Certificates available. if >, ' • . ¥■ .V *- * «fc. •**<» HW*1 • ,,, Nebraska (8-1-1). 8^ / j0n Bostick 6-2 190 Sr. Lance tMndberg LT 6-4 305^ SO. Brian Braunlnger LT M 279 £%., ^ uh-ZZgCI** "“JL '■mmmrtsw tG287-yfrL n CO *rJwlSeo!l *L f"? 222 \l' Randy Wallace C 6-3 278 i™* M W*" Will Shield? RG 6-1 295 Jr. I Jeff Dealer RG 6-2 ^80C^_.Jpm Brian Boerbobt^ RT 6-7 310 Sr. Brandon Houston RT fc5"'285 )Sr. F n\ Wm. Washington "TE 6-2 260 Jr. I Corey Warren si ^'5-11 203 j So. . “Vv% Keithen McCant QB 6-2 200 Sr. i Mike McKinley (f6 6-0 226 \Sr. Q 'tjMLUgB FP «*»;£. Cale Gundy Q&v 6-0 189 So. .-fDferek Brown 18 5-9 180 So. Mike Gaddis y*n A«-2 225. Sr. Iplie Turner".-" WB 6-2 220 Sr. | Scott Btafi&r"' PK W-. 2td Fr. J?|ByrooB6hnett PK 6-1 185 So. . — x :, Chris Wilson WLB 6-1 230/^r. TraVi* Hjl!_c— | Trey Tlpplns LE 6-3 236 Jr. Kevlh Ramaekers LT_A Stacey Dillard 1 'r e c y''°'r e- —•Pat Engelbert \ MG 6-2 I Proctor Land s John Parrelta^RT * ! Reggie Barnes ^ white; ROI ! Joe Bowden 7 * Ricky Wren * Darnell Walker + ,; 1 ! Terry Ray , f i | Jason Belser, | Charles Franks i i Brad Reddell I I Gibbs afraid of pendulum swing By Chuck Green Senior Editor Oklahoma football Coach Gary Gibbs still has nightmares about the last time he brought a team to Lin coln. It was 1989, and the Sooners were blasted by Ne braska 42-25. “We didn’t have anything really to play for, because we were on (NCAA) pro bation, and the game got out of hand,” Gibbs sa,J- , Gibbs Last season s game also got out of hand, only this time it was in Oklahoma’s favor. The Sooners exploded for 35 points in the second and third quarters while hold ing the Cornhuskers to a season-low 229 yards of total offense. This season, Gibbs said, the momentum is once again Nebraska’s. “They’ve been an outstanding football team throughout the season, and you kind of get the feeling that they’re just waiting to explode,” he said. The game is scheduled to begin Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium, and will be nationally tele vised by ABC. Gibbs said the Sooners have no easy task ahead of them in uying to stop Nebraska’s offense, which leads the country in rushing and is second in total offense. Oklahoma will counter with its fifth-ranked rushing defense. “We usually don’t have a lot of problems figuring out what Nebraska is going to do offensively,” Gibbs said. “They run pretty much the same plays every year. It’s stopping those plays that gives us problems.” Offensively, Oklahoma has more talent than last year’s team that scored 45 points on the Huskers. Mike Gad dis is back at tailback from a severe knee injury that kept him from play ing much of last year and the first two games this season. Gaddis has rushed for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. But the Oklahoma offense is led by sophomore quarterback Cale Gundy, who has completed 86 of 158 passes for 1,188 yards and eight touch downs this season. Defensively, the Sooners’ are not only strong against the run, but rank eighth in pass efficiency defense and have given up just 93 yards passing per game. Oklahoma’s secondary is led by Charles Franks and Jason Belser, each of whom have intercepted five passes this season. Gibbs said he hopes his team can play its game of the year against Nebraska. “It will be our toughest game of the year, no doubt about it,” Gibbs said. “Nebraska is Nebraska, just like always. They have the horses, and we have to find a way to stop them. “Playing (in Lincoln), won’t be the easiest thing in the world.” NU to face Grambling in tournament By Chris Hopfensperger Senior Editor It’s too early for Nebraska women’s basketball coach Angela Beck to know a lot about the competition in this weekend’s tournament. She still is worried about her Com huskers. On Friday, Nebraska takes on the Lady Tigers of Grambling State in the first round of the CableVision Classic at 5 p.m. at the Bob Devancy Sports Center. Oral Roberts meets Rice at 7 p.m. in the other first-round game. The consolation game Saturday will start at 1 p.m., with the champi onships game to follow at about 3 p.m. Beck said that concentrating on Nebraska before dwelling on the opponents is the key to her coaching philosophy this year. “We’ve got so many things to do ourselves,” Beck said. “I don’t know what type of teams they’ll be. “We’ve just got to get back to business to prepare for them.” Beck said Grambling will be lough despite the loss of 6-foot-4 center Tarcha Hollis, a three-time All American. Grambling, which captured sec ond place in the Southwestern Ath letic Conference last year, is picked to finish second again this season. The Lady Tigers will be led by senior Karman Paul. Paul averaged 16 points and 5.8 rebounds a game last year as a guard. This season, sophomore Arlene Locklin will take the guard position. As a freshman, Locklin scored 6.8 points and contributed 3.6 assists per game last year. f At Bob Devaney Sports Center. Students admitted free with ID Beck said she anticipated a “hcl tcr-skelterish” game from Grambling. The Lady Tigers, who played Paul Quinn College on Monday night, had to put off their season opener. Satur day’s game against Southern Univer sity-New Orleans was cancelled. Beck said Rice is the favorite to win the tournament. Last weekend the Owls won the Rice Marriott Holiday Classic, beat ing New Mexico State and Sam Houston State. There are several areas Nebraska needs to work on after Friday’s 75-73 win ov£r Creighton, Beck said. “I was disappointed in a lot of things we didn’t do well,” she said. Offensively, Beck said, the Husk ers need to be more consistent and more determined. Nebraska didn’t get the “bloody buckets” against the Blucjays, she Brian ShelllttVDN said. “Wc never got on the floor as much as wc could have,” Beck said. “We didn’t show the scrap — al though, wc did show a lot of charac ter.” The Huskers battled back from an 11-point halftime deficit, oulscoring Creighton 40-27 in the second half for the win. Last year, the Huskers started the season with a five-game win streak and two tournament championships. Nebraska finished the season tied for second in the Big Eight with a 17-11 record overall. The Creighton game, Beck said, may show the Huskers can win but must keep improving this season. “I’m hoping that game is a mes sage to everyone," she said. “Wc could have just bowed out of that game. We beat a good basketball team.”