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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 1992)
SPORTS Middle Tennessee shows pro prospector Talented players appeal to scouts By Nick Hytrek Senior Reporter__. Saturday might not be the last time Comhuskcr football fans sec some of Middle Tennessee State’s players. According to Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, some of those players could be playing professional football in a few years. “Middle Tennessee has some good individual players,”Osborne said.“It’s my understanding that they have somewhere between five and eight people that pro scouts feel are pro prospects.” Kickoff for Nebraska’s first-ever meeting with Middle Tennessee State is at 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Both teams are 1-0. Osborne pointed to the Blue Raid ers’ defense as a source of concern for the Huskcrs. “They play off the ball on defense, which is different than teams like Washington,” he said. “These guys arc two to three yards off the ball which is a little bit different for our offense to block somebody that far away from them and it docs present some problems.. “You’d think it would be easier and it’s not necessarily better or worse than what some of these other teams are doing, but it docs present some different concepts.” On offense, the players at the skill positions stand out, Osborne said. “Their I-back, Walter Dunson, is an outstanding player,” Osborne said. “He supposedly runtflhc 40-yard dash in under 4.3 (seconds), which is aw fully fast. I don’t know if we’ve ever had anybody around here that did that.” The Middle Tennessee mediaguide reports Dunson’s time at 4.28 sec onds. Dunson ran for 164 yards on 25 Michelle Paulman/DN Nebraska split end Trumane Bell is tackled after an incomplete pass in last weekend’s game against Utah. The Cornhuskers will play Middle Tennessee State 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. carries and two touchdowns, includ ing one of 73 yards, in the Blue Raid ers’ season-opening 35-31 win over Tennessee State last Saturday. At quarterback, sophomore Kelly Holcomb will call the signals. Last season, Holcomb completed 62 per cent of his passes for 1,763 yards and five touchdowns. But his most im pressive statistic, Osborne said, was that he threw only four interceptions, in 209 attempts. Vince Parks at split end and Steve Dark at tight end combined for 67 catches last season and arc back to lead the receiving corps for Middle Tennessee. Osborne said the fact that the Blue Raiders were aDivision I-AA team could be misleading to fans who thought the game would be easy for Nebraska. “I think this is a team that probably will be better than some others that we’ll play,” he said. ‘‘So I think it’s a case where our players can ’ t afford to notplay well and I think they will play well.” Blue Raider coach says his team to be competitive By Jeff Singer Senior Reporter Middle Tennessee Slate football coach Bools Donnelly is hoping to kick his team into high gear for this weekend’s game against Nebraska. Donnelly’s Blue Raiders, who are big underdogs for Saturday’s game against the 1 lth-rankedComhuskers, will battle Nebraska at 1 p.m. at Me morial Stadium. Donnelly, in his 14th year at the helm of the Division I-A A Blue Raid ers, said his team would compete as hard as it could against the heavily favored Huskcrs. “We approach these typesof games as an opportunity on the Division 1 AA level to sec how well our players can represent themselves and repre sent this program,” Donnelly said. ‘‘I do know this: We will come into the game and play as well as we arc capable of playing.” Donnelly said his team didn’t play up to its capabilities in last weekend’s 35-31 win over archrival Tennessee Stale. He also said Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne’s assertion that many B lue Raiders were being looked at by National Football League scouts may have been premature. “If we had eight or lONFL-calibcr players, we wouldn’t have played as poorly as we did last week,” Donnelly said. “I don’t think Coach Osborne has anything to worry about, because none of (the NFL scouts) are turning backflips after ouropening ballgame.” Sr. ROLB34 Trev Alberts 6-4 230 Jr. SLB 48 Mike Anderson6-2 235 Jr. WLB 32 Ed Stewart 6-0 205 So. Sr. LCB 19 Kenny Wilhite 5-8 175 Sr. FB 26 Sr RGB 6 John Reece 6-0 200 Jr. 31 Steve Carmer 6-2 210 Sr. 8 Tyrone Byrd 6-0 180 Sr. 47 MikeStigge 6-2 190 Sr. The Blue Raiders also competed against a nationally ranked team last season when they played a road game against then-No. 1 Florida State. Middle Tennessee State lost 39-10 to the Seminoles, and Donnelly said he saw significant differences between Florida State and the Huskers. “FloridaStatc is pure finesse, while “Nebraskacombines speed, finesse and power,” Donnelly said. “You have the choice — death by the bullet or death by the sickle.” The Blue Raiders will be compel ing in front of the largest crowd ever to see Middle Tennessee State play, as more than 76,000 fans are expected in Memorial Stadium to continue Nebraska’s NCAA-record string of consecutive sellout crowds. Donnelly said his team should be prepared to play in front of a large audience, after competing in front of 60,202 fans in Tallahassee, Fla., last year. “It didn’t overwhelm us against Florida State,” he said. “They might be shellshocked early, but they should get over it.” Volleyball tournament marks return home for NU’s Shannon By Jeff Singer Senior Reporter For one last time, Eileen Shan non is going home as aComhuskcr. S hannon and her Nebraska team - mates will be traveling to Shannon’s home state of Illinois to compete in this weekend’s Big 10-Big Eight Challenge at Champaign, III. Fourth-ranked Nebraska will open the toumamenttonighiagainst No. 17 Ohio Slate and conclude the four-team tourney Saturday against No. 14 Illinois. Colorado, ranked 15th in the latest Volleyball Monthly poll, will be the other Big Eight team competing in the chal lenge. Shannon, a 6-fool outside hitter from Elmhurst, III., said she was looking forward to the tourney for a couple of reasons. Shannon said she was anxious to compete again against her sister, Kathleen, a reserve setter for Illi nois. ‘‘I look forward to this tourna ment more than most tournaments, because my family gets to see me play as well as a lot of people who don’t get to see me play a lot,” she said. Shannon, this season’s kill leader, needs 165 more kills to catch Husker career-leader Virginia Slahr, who had 1,395 total kills „ during her All-American career from 1986-89. The Huskers defeated Illinois last October 15-7, 15-7, 15-1, and followed that effort with an 15-5, 15-8, 15-12 win over the lllini in the first round of the NCAA Tour nament. Ohio State, on the other hand, jumped into the Top 20 this week following last week’s 4-0 start. This is the first meeting between Nebraska and the Buckeyes since Ohio Stale upset the Huskcrs last year in the NCAA Mideast Re gional final. The Buckeyes won 9 15,15-9,17-16 and 15-7 over host Nebraska to advance to the Final Four in Los Angeles. Shannon said this weekend’s tourney would be a good indicator for the Huskcrs for the rest of the season. “This is a very important tour nament,” Shannon said. “It’s our first road trip and it will help us see how we play on the road.” Nebraska opened the season by winning last weekend’s FirsTier Invitational at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers went 2-1 in the Invite by losing to No. 9 New Mexico but rebounding to beat Pittsburgh and fifth-ranked Pacific. Pettit said he was looking for improved play from his squad to night and Saturday. “Illinois is playing a little better and Ohio State seems to be in a rhythm, but I think wc’U play better this weekend,” Pettit said. “We’ll need to be mentally ready.”