Sports
Washington win could boost NU respect
Nebraska is 2-8 in it’s last
10 games against teams ranked
in me Associated Press Top 10.
A game-by-game look at those
matchups.
year Oppomt/M Outcome
1992 Miami (I) UM.22-0
1991 Washington (4) 1,36-21
1991 Georgia lech (2) GT, 45-21
1990 Colorado(9) CU, 27-12
1990 F1oridaState(5) FSU,41-17
1989 Colorado (2) CU, 27-21
1989 Miami (2) UM.23-3
1988 Oklahoma (9) NU,7-3
1988 OklahomaState(IO) NU,63-42
1988 UCLA (5) V UCLA, 41-28
Scoti Maurer/"!
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
No. 2 vs. No. 12.
Washington vs. Nebraska.
A big game.
And in Nebraska’s case, a'chance
to regain some national respect.
Cornhusker I-back Derek Brown
said a win Saturday would quiet crit
ics who said Nebraska couldn’t win
an important game.
“We have lost a lot of respect,”
Brown said. “(The national media)
say that we can’t win the big games.
It seems like we go through this same
question each year.”
Although the definition of a “big
game” is subject to one’s opinion, the
last lime Nebraska beat a Top 10 team
wasTTn^SS when the Huskcrs beat
Oklahoma 7-3. The Sooncrs were rated
No. 9 going into that game. Nebraska
was seventh.
Quarterback Mike Grant said the
team knew it was approaching a big
game. -.—
“Everyone realizes how important
this game is as far as our respect in the
polls is concerned. This will be our
check,” Grant said. “We’re trying to
take it like an everyday game, but in
reality it’s not an everyday game.
“It’s a big game for both teams.”
Brown also said that a win would
increase the team’s confidence.
“This is a big game for us and to
come out with a win here would, I
guess, build a lot of confidence in us
all,” Brown said. “I think we have the
confidence now but it could be a good
stepping stool.”
Grant said there was some pressure
involved, but he had not let it get to
him.
“Maybe in the back of my mind
(there’s pressure),” he said. “As far as
immediate pressure, 1 don’t think so.
Nebraska fullback Dave Fiala breaks loose during the fourth quarter of the Cornhuskers 48- 7
win over Middle Tennessee State last Saturday.
“I don’t think about it at practice
like ‘Wow, this pass has got to be
good, we’ve got to have this pass.’ For
me it’s an everyday occurrence of
consistency.”
Even though it’s a big game, Brown
said he would like to see Husker play
ers focus on going out and playing
their game.
“I think some of the guys view it as
a>big game,” he said. “I hope they go
ouiand treat it like any other one and
doJthc best to their ability and don’t
worry about not making mistakes be
cause when you do that, you make
mistakes.”
Big game or not, Husker coach
Tom Osborne said ilcamcdown to his
team going out and doing what it had
to in order to win._
“Wc’rc going to do the best we
can,” Osborne said. “We’ll do every
thing we can to do the job. How
crucial it is depends on the eye of the
beholder.
“1 think the national media will
focus on this game some. There’s
really nothing we can do but just play
the best you can and take your lumps
or your benefits or whatever comes.”
Husky sees role reversal
from last year for team
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
Last year, the Washington Huskies
entered Memorial Stadium fearing
the unknown and walked away with a
36-21 victory.
This year, the situation is reversed,
and Washington offensive tackle Lin
coln Kennedy doesn’t seem to mind.
“(Last year) we had one game mi
lder our belt and didn’t
know what to expect,”
Kennedy said. “We
went in and saw their
crowd and the Big Red.
Now the tables arc
lumed.”
Nebraska will play
IWashingL'n at 8:45 p.m.
Kennedy Saturday at Husky Sta
dium in Seattle.
Kennedy, a 6-foot-7, 325-pound
senior, is a front-runner for the Out
land Trophy, awarded to the best line
man in collcre football.
— 44—
(Last year), we had pne
game under out belt
and didn’t know what
to expect. We went in
and saw their crowd
and the Big Red. Now
the tables are turned.
—Kennedy
Washington offensive tackle
-ff ■
Wash ington dcfcnsi ve lacklc S tcvi
Emtman won the Outland last ycai
The last lime two players from th
same school won consecutive Out
land trophies was in 1982-83, whe
Nebraska’s Dave Rimington and Dca;
Steinkuhlcr received the award.
But Kennedy said he wouldn’t b
focusing on individual accomplish
ments when the teams face each othc
in front of a television audience.
. “This game is not as important for
an individual as it is for the team,” he
said.
“As a team, we like to focus one
game at a lime. A lot of guys arc here
from last year, but a lot have left,” he
said.
“There will be a lot of teams that
come at us. Nebraska is one of the
ones that will really come after us.
“We never overlooked a team last
year, and we have to do that again.”
Kennedy said Nebraska was the
- team that must prove itself Saturday.
“Nebraska is one of our toughest
' games, but this game is not as heavy
‘ on our minds as it is on Nebraska’s,”
he said. “We’ve had two games where
^ our opponents came at us hard.”
Kennedy predicted an exciting
game for the national audience and
2 for the fans.
“It will be really loud, on national
r television and the teams will be
pumped up,” he said.
Huskies’ loss NU’s
gain, analyst says
By Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Staff Reporter _
Nebraska’s powerful rushing
game — combined with inexperi
ence in Washington’s defensive line
— could add up to a Cornhuskcr
victory this Saturday, ESPN ana
lyst Ron Franklin said.
“I don’t feel like I’m going out
on a limb,” he said. “I like the
Huskcrs’ chances.”
Franklin, who will call play-by
play for the Cornhuskcr-Husky
matchup at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN,
said he thought No. 12 Nebraska
matched up well against No. 2
Washington.
“It just appears to me what
Washington lost on defense —
where they arc having to shore up
some holes— is where Nebraska is
strongest,” he said.
Washington will be without
three starters from last year’s de
fensive line, which helped the Hus
kies rank second in the nation in
total defense.
Donald Jones and Tyrone
Rodgers exhausted their eligibility
and junior Steve Emiman, an All
American and Oulland Trophy and
Lombardi Award winner, left the
team to enter the NFL draft.
Nebraska enters the game
ranked first nationally in both total
offense and rushing offense. The
Huskers are scoring 48.5 yards per
game.
However, those numbers have
come against Utah and Middle
Tennessee Stale — a Division I
AA team.
Washington will pose a much
greater challenge, •
Franklin said. But despite
greater challenge, Franklin said.
But despite Nebraska’s reputation
for not being able to win big games,
Franklin said he thought Nebraska
coach Tom Osborne and the Husk
ers could pull it off._
See FRANKLIN on 8
Improvements needed to pull baseball from back page
Wc need to examine what baseball
needs to do to get itself back to the
forefront of sports instead of watch
ing another year of declining atten
dance and a lackluster postseason that
could feature another Toronto-Oak -
land rematch.
There’s no reason that America’s
pastime and some of sports’ greatest
athletes should relegate themselves to
second-class status behind guys like
Tony Mandarich and the Refrigera
tor.
So, here’s an open letter to the
now-vacant commissioner’s office.
And while you’ re at it, lower the price
of nachos, will ya?
1. Shorten the regular season —
Without a doubt, baseball purists will
never let it happen. But if the season
were lo end in September, the advan
tages would be endless:
First, fans in cities like Kansas
City and Boston would be spared the
misery of watching their teams
struggle through September in ncar
empty parks.
Second, if a team like Baltimorcor
Detroit were to again make it to the
World Series, no longer would we
have to watch games played in 40
degree weather and guys dressed in
three turtlenecks trying to hitagainsi
Tom Glavinc.
Lastly, a shorter season might pre
vent the rash of big-player shi fling w<
saw before the trading deadline oi
Sept. 1. --
2. Expand the playoffs — Eigh
teams — four from each of the tw<
leagues — would have a chance a
Adkisson
postseason play.
A seeding system similar to that
used in the NBA could be used, giving
the top two teams in each league a
better chance at advancing to the
World Series.
To give an advantage to those who
posted belter records, the league could
• go to five-game scries with the first
i three being played on the better team’s
home field. That way, if a teats^rcally
i doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs,
> it can be swept out early and quickly.
3. More head-to-head battles —
Minnesota and Oakland are now play
ing their last three games against each
other this season. If the Twins were
really the better team for the past two
monthsof the season, they would only
have had three chances to do any
damage to the A’s themselves.
In the American League East, Mil
waukee is already done with Toronto.
In the National League, Pittsburgh
plays only four more games against
Montreal in two two-game series.
Baseball needs to make its sched
ule so that a team docs not play out of
its division for the entire last month of
the season. That way, a team could cut
its opponent’s throat and not sit around
wailing for a cellar-dweller to do it for
them.
4. Gel more exposure — CBS’s
showing of games has been terrible—
and Dascoaii nas surrenuereu muis
day, Saturday and Sunday nights to
football.
And last Sunday’s telecast of the
Chicago Cubs playing the St. Louis
Cardinals was hardly the stuff dreams
arc made of. ESPN locks its Sunday
night broadcasts before the season
even begins, allowing no flexibility
for a pennant race or even an indi
vidual balling title.
When CBS’s baseball contract
expires in 1994, the sport needs to see
how it can get into more homes on a
regular basis. Kids emulate who they
see on television, and there’s been a
lot more air time for Magic Johnson
and Mark Rypien this year than there
has been for Nolan Ryan and Kirby
Puckett.
Adkisson isasenior news-editorial major
and the Daily Nebraskan sports editor.