Signs of the season '
Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne autographs a helmet at the Cornhuskers’
annual Photo Day Aug. 12. Osborne, who is entering his 20th year as head coach, has
compiled a 186-43-3 record at Nebraska and is the nation’s winningest active coach.
Osborne not
focusing on
national title
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
For now, Nebraska football coach
Tom Osborne would prefer to
deal with reality.
He’d rather not hear anything about
winning the “mythical” national title,
a fantasy in college football since it’s
determined on a vote by sportswr iters
and broadcasters.
Instead,Osbomc’sphilosophy this
season is to play hard and let the chips
fall where they may.
“You can’t go out and win a na
tional championship — you have to
have a national championship voted
to you, Osborne said. “1 just want us
to play as well as we can and we’ 11 see
how the votes come out in the end.”
Osborne, who enters his 20th sea
son at Nebraska as the nation’s most
winning coach, didn’t have the votes
go his way last season as the 9-2-1
Huskers were ranked 15th and 16th in
the major polls following Nebraska’s
22-0 loss in the Orange Bowl to even
tual co-national champion Miami.
Osborne said the Huskers should
have the talent to contend for a na
tional title this year.
“We’re looking forward to the
season,” Osborne said. “Its been one
of our better preparation periods, so
we think we’re going to have a good
football team this year.”
The problem for the Huskers,
Osborne said, is that Big Eight rivals
Colorado, Oklahoma and an improved
Kansas team will also have talented
teams in 1992.
“We’ve got good athletes, but
(Colorado coach) Bill McCartney will
say the same thing, (Oklahoma coach)
Gary Gibbs will be able to say the
same thing and (Kansas coach) Glen
Mason will say the same thing,”
Osborne said.
But don’t pity Osborne loo much.
He has 13 starters reluming, in
cluding six players on offense and
seven on defense.
The six reluming offensive start
ers helped contribute to the Huskers’
lead in the conference in total offense
last season with an average of 506.5
yards per game.
I-back Derek Brown, who earned
All-Big Eight honors last year by
rushing for 1,313 yards, heads the list
of returnees on offense.
umers returning to icau me musk
ers’ offensive charge include full
back Lance Lewis, tight end William
Washington, guard Will Shields, tackle
Lance Lundberg and center J im Scott.
On defense, Butkus Award candi
date Travis Hill heads the linebacker
corps, which is responsible for three
of the seven defensive starters return
ing from last season.
Mike Anderson and David White
round out the returning linebackers,
as Kevin Ramackcrs and John Par
rclla come back at defensive tackle
and Steve Carmcr and Tyrone Byrd
return at the safety positions.
Punier Mike Sliggc and placc-kicker .
Byron Bennett also return to their
specialist positions.
One newcomer to the starting lineup
will be at quarterback. Fifth-year senior
Mike Grant, who sal out last year as a
redshirt, will compete with redshirl
freshman Tony Vcland to replace last
year’s All-Big Eight performer Kei
See FOOTBALL on 8
Quarterback race adds familiarity to fall camp
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
If nothing else looks familiar in
the Nebraska football camp this
fall, at least one mainstay is slick
ing around:
The quarterback question.
For the fourth straight year, the
Comhuskers entered fall practice
without a clear-cut choice as the lop
signal caller.
This year, two candidates for the
^ob entered practice as No. 1 on the
depth chart: senior Mike Grant and
redshirt freshman Tony Vcland.
Grant, a Fifth-year senior and a
native of Tampa, Fla., said he ex
pected this year’s quarterback race to
be close.
“It’s going to be tight,’’Grant said.
“I feel that any one of the quarter
backs can fulfill the job, and Coach
Osborne won’t pul anyone on the
field who’s not ready.’1
Grant sal out last season as a re
dshirt, as seniors Kcilhcn McCant,
Mickey Joseph and Tom Haase com
peted for last year’s starting spot.
Grant said that just because he was
the most experienced of this year’s
candidates, he shouldn’t automatically
be the starter.
“If you gel the job because you’re
I
a senior, you’re going lo gel a bitter
taste in your mouth,” he said.
Vcland ux>k over for Grant in spring
practice when Grant suffered a bro
ken collarbone, and the Omaha na
tive pushed himself into a lie for the
top position with a good spring.
“There’s a lot of competition and
we have a lot of talent,” Veland said.
“Nothing is set and anything can
happen, so it’s kind of up in the air
right now.”
Vcland said all he can do is per
form his best and sec where he ends
up.
“I’m going to try my best, and if
Coach Osborne thinks I’m the man,
then I’ll be in there,” he said.
Osborne said he didn’t sec an
advantage for cither quarterback.
“Vcland had the best spring, partly
because Grant was hurt,” Osborne
said. “Grant worked hard in the sum
mer and did the best he’s ever done to
prepare himself; so right now they’re
dead even.”
Joel Cornwell, a senior from Car
rollton, Mo., is listed third on the
depth chart. Behind Cornwell is re
dshirt freshman Brook Bcrringer and
senior Jon McMillen.
A pair of 1992 recruits could also
challenge the top two quarterback
spots. Tommie Frazier and Ben Ruiz,
both highly touted coming out of high
school, have drawn Osborne’s praise.
“The two freshmen quarterbacks
arc excellent players — they throw
well and run well; we’ve been very
pleased with what we’ve seen,”
Osborne said. “Whether they can
compete in the lop two, 1 don’t know.”
Two 1990 recruits transferred
during the summer. Todd Gragnano,
a sophomore, transferred to Louis
ville and Malt Jones, a junior, trans
ferred to Southern Illinois.
Poll predicts tight racefor Big Eight title <
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reportwr______
If the prescason Big Eight football poll is
any indication of what the actual race will
be like, the Orange Bowl welcoming com
mittee won’t be able to extend its hospitality
until Dec. 5.
By that time, Nebraska will have played
. Kansas Slate in the last game of the conference
schedule and the final Big Eight standings will
fall into place.
In the closest ballot in the history of the poll,
released last week, Colorado received one jx>int
more than Nebraska to lake the top spot. Okla
homa was third.
The close margin of the balloting reflects
the wide open conference race, Big Eight foot
ball writers said.
“I sec Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma in
a dead heat — one of those should win,” said
Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman.
“I lean toward Colorado,” he said. “They’ve
had two good recruiting classes.”
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star said he
also favored Colorado.
“It will come down to the Ncbraska-Colo
rado game,” he said.
Dutton also picked Colorado to win the
conference.
“Colorado has shown they can win the big
games,” he said.
Butch Brooks of the Rocky Mountain News
said he favored Nebraska.
“I pick Nebraska,” he said, “basing that on
three things: the running game they’ve got
coming back, a bcttcr-than-avcragc line and
the fact they’re playing Colorado in Lincoln.
“I think it’s their turn to beat Colorado.”
But question marks on each team makes any
prediction difficult, Brooks said.
At Colorado, it’s a new offense installed
before last season’s Blockbuster Bowl.
“The big question mark for Colorado is
going lo be ihc offense,” Brooks said. “Their
defense will keep them in a loi of games.”
Dullon said Nebraska also had many holes
lo fill. All three agreed that Oklahoma, with
only three starters returning on defense, will
have a hard time competing with Colorado and
Nebraska.
Possibly sneaking into the Orange Bowl
picture is Kansas, Brooks said.
“This may be the breakthrough year for
Kansas,” he said.
Baldwin agreed.
“If any team is a sleeper, it’s Kansas,” he
said.
But don’t look for the Orange Bowl to have
major national championship implications,
Baldwin said. In his opinion, the Big Eight is
not on the same level as the lop teams in the
country.
“I’d be very surprised if any of the top three
(in the Big Eight) are in the top five (nationally) .
at the end of the year," he said.
Colorado edged Nebraska 639-638
in a poll of writers from around the
Big Eight. A look at the complete
results of the poll.
1st 2nd 3rd total
Colorado3^^^39
Oklahoma 26 27 31 619
Iowa State - - • 214
Scott Maurer/DN
/I ' •