Sports
Grant emerges as No. 1 quarterback
Confidence is key
to team’s success
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
Saturday’s scrimmage marked the end of
two-a-days for the Nebraska football team. It
also marked the emergence of Mike Grant as
the man to beat in the starting quarterback race.
Grantcntcrcd fall practice listed at the top of
the depth chart with redshirl freshman Tony
Vcland. But after two scrimmages, Nebraska
coach Tom Osborne said Grant had established
himself as the lop quarterback.
“If we had to play tomorrow, M ike would be
the guy,” Osborne said. “I haven*t really seen
anyone else step up real solidly.”
A redshiri last season, Grant said coni i
dcncc had been the big difference for him this
season,
“I’m capable of playing and doing the job
right now,” Grant said. “1 think I’m gaining
confidence. What I’m really trying to do is
build confidence of my teammates in me and
also build confidence in the coaching staff that
I can do the job.”
The desire to be the starter has also inspired
him to improve his game, he said.
”1 want to be the guy,” he said. “1 don’t want
to do it on merit. I want to do it on perform
ance.”
Grant completed 2 of 7 passes for 19 yards
Saturday and threw one interception. He also
had 36 yards rushing. His main competitor for
the starting job, Tony Vcland, was 1 for 7
passing for three yards.
See GRANT on 14
■ - - - -.- -- -. * - -. 1
Kiley Timpertey/DN
Nebraska quarterback Mike Grant, right, is pursued by defensive tackle Kevin Raamaekers in a scrimmage Saturday
afternoon. Grant has moved into the lead in the race to become the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback for the Sept. 5 opener
against Utah.
TEAM RECORD Pts. Prv.
1. Miami (40) 1240 1,511 1
2. Washington (12) 1240 1,453 2
3. Notre Dame (6) 10-34) 1,405 13
4. Florida 10-24) 1,252 7
5. Florida State 11-2-0 1,239 4
6. Michigan (1) 10-2-0 1,236 6
7. Texas MM (1) 10-2-0 1,135 12
8. Penn State 11-2-0 1,122 3
9. Alabama (1) 11-1-0 1,093 5
Defense outshines offense in scrimmage;
Osborne satisfied with team progress
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
After Saturday’s scrimmage,
Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne
was disappointed.
But at the same lime, he was also
happy with what he had just seen.
Osborne had watched the lop two
defensive units hold the lop two of
fenses to only two touchdowns, and
the defense’s performance pleased him,
he said.
“I think our defense is better by
quite a bit at this stage than they were
last year,” he said. “I think they arc
more experienced and the secondary
played very well today.
“Overall, I thought our first de
fense did pretty well.”
-u
I would have liked to see a little more pizazz of
fensively today than what we saw. We’ve got the
elements of a good offense and I think we’ll get it
put together.
— Osborne
NU football coach
--- it -
And despite the lack of offense,
Osborne remained optimistic.
“I thought our first offense, if you
just pul the regular guys in there —
the ones with experience — they could
probably move the ball pretty well,”
he said. ‘‘But we had a tough time
after that. We played a lot of people.
w w
a lot of quaricrbacks. Wc tried togivc
everybody a chance.”
Jon McMillcn led all quaricrbacks
with 62 yards on 6 of 12 passing.
Mike Grant was 2 of 7 for 19 yards
and Tony Vcland finished with three
yards on a 1 for 7 performance. Grant
threw one interception.
Osborne said the scrimmage showed
that the team still has a lot of work to
do before the season opener, Sept. 5,
at home against Utah.
“We still have some confusion,
but we’ve got two weeks to hopefully
gel some of it straightened out,” he
said.
The defense kept the offense score
less until the fifth possession, when
Derek Brown scored a touchdown
from a yard out. The only other scores
by the lop two units were a four-yard
touchdown run by fullback Corey
Schlcsinger and Tom Siclcr’s 32-yard
field goal.
Brown and Marvin Sims were the
leading rushers in the scrimmage. Both
See SCRIMMAGE on 12
10 Iowa 101-1 594 10
17. Staiford 044) 543 22
18. UCLA 9-34) 527 19
19. Ohio State 044) 415 -
20. Cafifociia 1024) 377 8
21. TeMessee 034) 283 14
22. MBstssMi State 7-54) 239 •
23. Geoigia Tech. SMI 17S •
24. Brigkan Tong 8-32 141 23
25. taas SMI 140 •
‘ Scott Maurer/DNl
Cross country teams seek successful year
by busie Ann
Senior Reporter ___
As he enters his tenth season,
Nebraska cross country coach Jay
Dirkson has his hands full with con
trasting teams.
On one hand, the Nebraska women’s
team is loaded with talent and experi
ence. On the other hand, the men arc
inexperienced and young.
The women have nine returning
Ictlcrwinncrs to lead the squad. The
men’s team consists of 10 freshmen
and sophomores.
Yet Dirksen, whose teams begin
practice today, is looking for success
out of both squads.
“The women arc just tremendous,”
he said. “It’s a team with unusual
depth and great talent.” «
The Comhuskcrs lost only three
members from last year’s women’s
Big Eight Championship team.
“I don’t think we’ll miss them loo
much,” he said.
Dirksen is expecting senior Fran
ten Bcnscl, last year’s conference
champion, to lead his women’s team
to a Big Eight Championship.
“She’s a hard worker and very
talented on top of that,” he said.
I-1
I 1
i-m—
LaSt year, ten Bcnscl became th
first Husker — man or woman — I
win an individual conference title sine
1970.
Dirksen is also counting on junie
Julicannc Campbell and sophomore
Theresa Stelling and Michele Schacfi
to make his team the best in the Bi
Eighty „
Schaefer's 14th-placc finish la:
season at the Big Eight meet was th
c highest of any freshman in thcconfcr
o cnee.
c Stclling and Schaefer, he said, have
the ability to run with the best in the
conference.
As for any conference opposition,
* Dirksen said he expected the greatest
threats to come from Kansas and
k Kansas State.
“Kansas could be a challenge,” he
it said, “but I think we will be favored to
c win the Big Eight.”
Dirkscn said the men’s team had a
few more question marks entering the
season.
“They’re quite young and I’m not
sure what I can expect from them,’’ he
said.
The team, he said, will be led by
senior Kevin Clark and junior David
Iteffa.
Dirkscn said he expected Iteffa,
who finished 10th in the Big Eight
conference meet last season, to be
one of the top runners in the league
again this season.
“He’s had some really good per
formances in the past and his poten
tial is just awesome,” Dirkscn said.
Clark, a junior from Auburn, fin
ished 28th at the Big Eight confer
ence meet last season.
Sophomores Kevin Miller and
Renier Henning will also have the
chance to contribute to »hc team.
Both runners, he said, arc ready to
compete at a higher level.
Dirkscn said he hoped to see the
men continue to improve throughout
the season.
“By the end of the year,” he said,
“I think we’ll be in the lop half of the
conference.”
Huskers 11th
in AP poll
From Staff Reports
Nebraska led all Big Eight teams
in the first Associated Press Top 25
poll of the season, but the Comhuskers
still couldn’t crack the Top 10.
The Huskers pulled in 820 points
in the voting system, which awards
25 points for a first-place vote. Colo
rado is 12lh with 737 points and
Oklahoma 15lh with 662 points.
Washington, Nebraska’s third
opponent of the season, is ranked
second behind Miami.
