Sports
Blue Raiderskeep realistic view of game
I Team must face mismatches
By Peter Theoharis
StaffReporter___
Size, strength and depth.
Those three things separate NCAA
Division I Nebraska from Division I
AA Middle Tennessee State, Blue
Raider comerback Jamie Redmond
said.
The 5-foot-9, 178-pound senior
comerback from Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
said that for the Blue Raiders to be
successful against the Comhuskers,
they must work around the mis
matches, such as the one on the line of
.scrimmage.
“(The line) is going to be the differ
ence,” Redmond said. “They own the
size up front, but hopefully we can
cause some problems with our speed.
“As far as skilled positions, we
have some of the top players in the
country.”
Redmond, a four-year starter, is
one of those players. He has pulled
down six interceptions in the last three
seasons with 24 pass breakups and
107 tackles — 74 unassisted.
Nebraska’s speed at wide receiver
is not an area lhaiRedmond, who runs
a 4.36 second 40-yard dash, is worried
about.
“As far as receivers go, I’m not too
worried,” Redmond said. “I have gone
against a lot of good receivers, and 1
get some good work against our top
two receivers.
“So when I go into a game, I am
pretty confident.”
Redmond said one point of con
cern for himself and his Blue Raider
teammates was depth. Middle Ten
nessee State learned last season when
they played well early, but lost to top
ranked Florida Slate 39-10.
“Florida State would run two plays
and bring in a fresh line,” Redmond
said. “We used the same line the
whole game.
“It’sa physical test. Against Florida
State, we played real well in the first
half and ran out of gas in the second.”
Redmond said he was also worried
about the mental lapses MTSU’s de
fense experienced in its season opener
— a 35-31 win over Tennessee State
—and said he hoped the Huskers gave
the Blue Raiders enough incentive to
1991 record: 9-4
Starters returning: 14
Defense: Wide-tackle six
Record: 95-68 (13 years)
improve.
“We made a lot of mistakes,”
Redmond said. “I hope the game pulls
us together as a team. The intensity is
higher when we play a team like
Nebraska, and Nebraska is a good
game to try and pull the team to
gether. We are really going to learn
quick on what we have. ”
QB aims to prove l-AA mettle
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter _
Middle Tennessee Slate quarter
back Kelly Holcomb is keeping a re
alistic view of Saturday’s game with
the Huskers.
“We’ve got to keep our mind right
or w&’ll get beat bad,” he said. “The
wholelteam needs to get up and we’ll
be OK]”
The Blue Raiders, aDivision I-AA
team, will be playing their toughest
opponent of the year in Nebraska.
Last season, Middle Tennessee lost to
lop-ranked Florida State 39-10.
“We wanted to really show people
what Division I-A A was all about,” he
said. “A lot of times we do (get over
looked). Some people think that Divi
sion I-AA players might not be quite
as good, but we’ve got good players
here.”
Holcomb posted some impressive
freshman numbers, connecting on 130
of 209 passes for 1,763 yards and four
interceptions last season. The sopho
more also set a new scnoui iccuiu
when he completed 15 consecutive
passes, 14 against Florida State.
“We had a good offensive line last
year, but now we’ve got four new
starters,” Holcomb said.
The inexperience in the offensive
line showed last week in the 35-31
victory over Tennessee State as
Holcomb was sacked six times for 43
yards.
“We weren’t as prepared as we
should have been and they stuck it to
us for three and a half quarters,” he
said.
The Blue Raiders are coming off a
9-4 season and a Division I-AA
quarterfinal playoff loss to Eastern
Kentucky, where Holcombcomplctcd
25 passes.
But Holcomb said that last year is
over, and the Blue Raiders must now
focus on the No. 11 Cornhuskers.
“They’rc big and strong and quick,”
he said. “1 can’t sec any weaknesses
when 1 look at them on film.
“I think that it’s important we try to
run against them.”
i ' L 111111
^ Jett Haller/DN
Nebraska fullback Lance Lewis is brought down in Saturday’s game against Utah. The
Huskers wiH face Middle Tennessee State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
I Injuries set back two players
By Phil Carter
Staff Reporter
Two members of Nebraska’s
secondary will likely miss this
Saturday's game against Middle
’ Tennessee Stale, Comhusker coach
Tom Osborne said Wednesday.
Comcrback Kenny Wilhite and
strong safety Ernie Belcr missed
most of the team’s two-hour work
out at Memorial Stadium.
Wilhite, who started for the
Huskers against Utah last Satur
day, pulled his hamstring during
Tuesday’s practice and was limited
to jogging on Wednesday.
Beler, who has been hampered
by a sprained ankle during most of
fall practice, worked out with the
defense sparingly on Wednesday.
“Beler, 1 don’t think did very
much," Osborne said. “I noticed
during the last half of practice he
was just watching. I’d say he’s
doubtful for this week.”
The Husker defensive line re
ceived some relief when noseguard
Terry Connealy returned to prac
tice after missing Monday and Tues
day workouts because ot back
spasms.
Despite a showdown in Seattle
with No. 2 Washington in less than
two weeks, Osborne said the play
ers needed to be focused for
Saturday’s game with Middle Ten
nessee State if the Huskers want to J
improve on their performance
against Utah last weekend.
“I hope they understand they’ve
got to play a football game,”
Osborne said. “And they nave to
play well.”
Huskers challenge
old foe, new rival
in weekend match
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter_
Fresh off a victory over fourth -
ranked Pacific last weekend, the Ne
braska volleyball team will look for
continued success in the Big Ten-Big
Eight Challenge this weekend.
To do it, they will have to go
through an old nemesis and a new
rival.
Both Ohio Stale and Illinois will be
looking to upset the No. 5 Comhuskers
when Nebraska travels toChampaign,
III., for the four-team tournament this
weekend. No. 16 Colorado is also in
the field.
After losing theiropening match to
New Mexico, Nebraska rebounded
with a straight-game win over Pitts
burgh and the four-game victory over
Pacific.
Nebraska will start the tournament
Friday with a match against the Buck
eyes, and then will face the III ini in the
tournament finale Saturday.
Illinois coach Mike Hebert, whose
team lost to Nebraska twice last sea
son, said he expected theComhuskers
to be tough again.
“They lost two key players in Janet
(Kruse) and Cris (Hall),” Herbert said.
“That will affect them in terms of
chemistry and confidence.
“I know Nebraska will adjust to the
absence of those two very reliable
players.”
Last year, Nebraska knocked Illi
nois out of the NCAA Tournament.
Four years ago, Illinois defeated Ne
braska to earn a trip to the NCAA
Final Four.
Hebert said his team, off to a 5-1
start, was stronger than last year’s 19
10 squad.
“Our confidence is higher; we’re
hitting the ball belter this year,” he
said. “Our overall game is much bet
ter.”
The Fighting I Uini also field a rela
tively young squad, with only one
senior, outside hitter Lorna
Henderson. _
“Last year we had to rely on one or
two people,” Hebert said. “This year
no one really stands out from the
rest,”
The Buckeyes,4-0and ranked 14th,
came into Lincoln last year and upset
the Huskers in four games in the NCAA
Mideast Regional Championship.
Coach Jim Stone, in his 11th year
at Ohio State, guided the Buckeyes lo
the NCAA national semifinals for the
First time last season.
Ohio State is led by three sopho
mores. Setter Laura Davis and outside
hitters Gabriele Jobst and Carrie
Leonard anchor the Buckeyes, while
setter Tracy Endecavegh is the lone
senior on the team.
Four Buckeye freshmen also have
seen extensive playing time this sea
son. Middle blocker Jenny Jackson
started off the season with a school
record .900 hitting efficiency in the
Buckeyes’ opening match against
Cincinnati.
Middle blocker Caroline Hill and
outside hitters Ashley Mullis and
Kirstine Jensen have also played key
roles in the Buckeyes’ success this
season.
rHibner achievements parallel Devaney legend
If Nebraska athletic director Bob
Devaney is the “Bob-father,” then she
roust be the “Barb-mother.”
But unlike her male counterpart,
she hasn’t received quite the amount
of recognition for her involvement in
Nebraska athletics.
Yet her achievements parallel the
Comhusker legend.
She is Barbara Hibner, assistant to
the athletic director in charge of ~
woman’s sports.
In other words, she is a female
version of Devaney. She’s not quite
as famous as he, but she’s just as
important to the success of Nebraska
athletics.
Hibncr, who is entering her 14th
year at Nebraska, works primarily
with women’s athletics and has trans
formed Comhusker women’s sports
into one of the best female athletic
programs in the nation.
But has anybody noticed?
The women’s athletic program at
the University of Nebraska doesn’t
receive the recognition it should, but
since 1978, Hibner has helped close
the gender gap between men’s am
women’s sports in the Husker pro
gram.
She has helped Nebraska women’:
_1. -j
athletic teamswin71 Big Eight cham
pionships. And if anyone’s counting,
that’s 45 titles ahead of second-place
Oklahoma State.
She has helped the women’s ath
letic department’s budget grow from
approximately $75,000 14 years ago
to about $1.2 million today.
And just as Devaney was instru
1 mental in gelling Memorial Stadium
I expanded in 1972 and having the Bob
Devaney Sports Center built in 1976,
Hibner was the key to the recent reno
; vations of the NU Coliseum, making
it one of the best volleyball facilities
in the nation.
But has anybody noticed?
Hibner, a native of Gettysburg,
Pa., is no stranger to highly touted
accolades. She is a member of the
National Association for Collegiate
Directors of Athletics, the Council of
Collegiate Women’s Athletic Admin
istrators and the National Association
of Athletic Marketing and Develop
ment.
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