Sports
DN file photo
Nebraska l-back Calvin Jones eludes Washington’s Paxton Tailele in last year’s 36-21 Husky win at Memorial
Wyoming
has eyes
on berth
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter
Forget that it’s only September —
the Wyoming volleyball team is look
ing to use its two weekend show- ^
downs against No. 6 Nebraska as a
steppingstone to the NCAA tourna
ment.
The Cowgirls arc off to a 6-1 start
this season and will face the
Comhuskers twice on Friday and Sat
urday.
The first match will be in North
Platte at the Mid-Plains Coliseum.
Saturday’s match will be in Lincoln at
the NU Coliseum.
Wyoming coach Mike English has
his eyes on a possible NCAA tourna
ment berth.
ft
“Being able to play a top-ranked
team is important as far as seeding,”
English said. “We always have our
eyes on going to the big dance, and
that’s part of the ticket.”
Wyoming won the Spokane
Spikeoff last weekend by beating
Oregon, Boise Slate and Gon/.aga.
Earlier in the week, the Cowgirls had
losla five-game match at home to No.
16 Colorado.
“The Colorado match was impor
tant for us to push us and raise our
level of play,” he said. “Other than a
couple late errors in the fi fth game, we
had a chance to win the match.”
This year’s team, English said, was
similar to last year’s team that lost to
Nebraska in four games.
“We have three different starters;”
he said. “We’re going to be scrappy
defensively, and we’ll be a pretty fair
blocking team.”
English said playing in North Platte
would be an opportunity to showcase
volleyball to other parts of the state.
“It’s a nice opportunity for Ne
braska to promote their program,” he
said. “Since we’ve had a good con
nection in Nebraska, we hope to turn
a few fans’ heads.”
English said his team would have
to be at its best if it were to beat the
Huskers.
“We’re concerned about Stephanie
Thaler, but who’s not?” he said. “But
our concern should not just be with
Stephanie_They’re going to come
at us with more than just Stephanie
Thaler.”
English said his team was looking
forward to playing Nebraska..
“It’s always an honor to play a
quality program like Nebraska,” he
said. “1 have a tremendous amount of
respect for them.”
Huskies anticipate ground war
It’s a whole new ball game,
Washington’s Hoffman says
By Tim Pearson
Staff Reporter
Last year doesn’t matter to
Washington linebacker Dave
Hoffman.
All that matters is this year and
this Saturday’s showdown against
No. 12 Nebraska.
The Huskies took home a share
of the national championship last
year with an undefeated record, but
Hoffman said 1992 was a new sea
son.
Hoffman led the H uskics in tack
les last year for the second straight
year with 71 stops. When Hoffman
was named an All-American last
year, he became the first Washing
ton linebacker to receive that honor
since 1982.
Although the Huskies came out
of Memorial Stadium with a 36-21
win last season, Hoffman said that
ihc Husky defense “gave up some
big plays.”
Hoffman scaled the victory
against the Huskcrs with a fourth
quarter interception which slopped
a final Nebraska threat to score. He
also picked up eight tackles in the
win.
Hoffman said he was hoping for
a repeat performance against Nc
-f*
/ know it’s going to
go a hard four quar
ters. We’re just ex
pecting good, old,
hard-nosed football.
—Hoffman
Washington linebacker
-44
braska this year, minus the big plays.
“Hopefully, both teams won’t
run up the field and pul points on
the board. I know it’s going to go a
hard four quarters,” he said. “We’re
justexpccling good, old, hard-nosed
football.”
Nebraska’s offensive potential
— especially defending the option
— is a specific concern, Hoffman
said.
“We have been working on the
option,” he said. “They ’ vc got great
athletes. They can throw the ball,
and they can catch it, loo.”
Washington enters Saturday’s
contest with victories over Arizona
State and Wisconsin. Although the
Huskies arc 2-0, Hoffman said the
defense needed to get better.
NU’s rushing game worries
Washington, lineman says
By Phil Carter
Staff Reporter
Whai’s it like trying to fill the
shoes of an All-American, an Out
land Trophy winner, a Lombardi
Trophy winner and No. 1 draft
pick?
Just ask Washington junior de
fensive tackle D’Marco Farr, who
has the difficult task of trying to
replace former Husky standout
Steve Emtman as defensive middle
guard.
“After losing a lot from last
year’s defense across the line, we
definitely need to tighten down up
front,” Farr said. “Especially this
week against Nebraska.”
The No. 2 Huskies enter this
week’s showdown with the
Comhuskers trying to answer sev
eral of their own questions after
giving up more than 300 yards rush
ing in their season opener against
Arizona State two weeks ago.
“We really need to focus on the
run this week,” Farr said.
“(Nebraska’s) big, strong and they
come at you every play. We need to
be wary of the situations they throw
at us.”
Farr, 6-foot-1 and 265 pounds,
is a smaller version of Emtman,
who was ihc first pick of the entire
NFL draft last spring. Despite the
size differential, Farr said he was
not concerned about being too
small.
“As long as I get in there and
make the plays, that’s what I’m
worried about,” he said. “If I’m
double-teamed, that means 600
pounds coming down on me, but it
also means I’m doing my job.”
The game, which will be tele
vised by ESPN, is receiving a lotof
attention from both Husky fans and
players.
“I know how big this game is,”
Farr said. “This is the game of the
year for this team. After Nebraska,
we’ll start to focus on our confer
ence race, and re-establish our goals
for a tough USC team.” .
Farr, who graduated from
Kennedy High School in San Pablo,
Calif., will face Husker running
back Derek Brown — a La Habra,
Calif., native — for the first lime
since a high school all-star game
four years ago.
“I remember him well. He
gained 148 yards in that game,”
Farr said. “On the first play, he
blew right by me.”
Trick plays, dry weather needed for Husker victory
Thiriy-iwo years and counting.
That’show long it’s been since the
Nebraska football team went on the
road and beat a higher-ranked team,
and it’s a streak that will continue
unless the Comhuskers can shock the
college football world with a victory
Saturday against second-ranked
Washington.
Back in 1960, the Huskers traveled
to Austin, Texas, and defeated the No.
4 Texas Longhorns to highlight a
dismal 4-6 season.
But since then, futility has reigned
when Nebraska has pul on its white
road jerseys to play as an underdog in
an opponent’s stadium.
In order for the streak to be broken
this weekend, the Huskers are going
to have to play a near-perfect game
this Saturday in Seattle.
Can the streak be broken? Yes.
Will it be broken? Doubtful.
But if the streak is to come to an
end in Husky Stadium, then the Husk
ers will need to accomplish the fol
lowing five things to try to kennel the
Huskies:
1. On offense: Utilize fullback
Lance Lewis. With so much attention
being given to Nebraska 1-backs De
rek Brown and Calvin Jones, the Husk
ers will need, to take advantage of
Lewis’ abilities throughout the game.
With teams focusing on the Ne
braska 1-backs so far this season, Lewis
has been able to score on touchdown
runs of 57 and 42 yards, and has a total
of 144 yards* in his first two games,
while only netting 196 yards all of last
year.
And if Nebraska football coach
Tom Osborne uses Lewis properly,
Lance jusl might end up looking like
Carl Lewis on Saturday night.
2. On defense: Force Washing
ton to run the ball. The Huskerscan’t
let the Huskies talented quarterback
duo of Billy Joe Hobcrt and Mark
Brunei! get on track, otherwise the
celebrations in the Pacific Northwest
will be starling early.
The Huskies arc led by overrated
sophomore running back Napoleon
Kaufman, and his 159-yard rushing
game against Arizona State a couple
of weeks ago was in Hated.
The Sun Devils’ defense is so bad
that half of Nebraska’s high school
running backs could run for over 100
yards against Arizona Slate, and that
includes the eight-man and six-man
players as well.
3. On special teams: Dust off the
trick plays. This is where the typi
cally-conscrvative Osborne has to
loosen up and utilize the trick plays in
his playbook.
With Nebraska All-American can
didate Mike Stigge punting, Wash
ington will probably be setting up for
punt returns in Puget Sound, therefore
giving the Huskers the opportunity to
run whatcver’s up the 55-year-old
Osborne’s sleeves.
4. Crowd control: Keep the
84,000 Husky fans out of the game.
Nebraska can’t allow the Huskies to
lake an early lead, otherwise the crowd
noise in Husky Stadium will become
deafening.
This week,a Husky fan told Wash
ington football coach Don James that
the Husky faithful were saving their
voices for this week’s game. But who
can blame them, since with the
Seahawks, Supersonicsand Mariners
playing in Seattle, the only thing
people in Washington have to cheer
for is for the five days of the year that
the sun comes out in the Pac i fic North -
west.
5. Pray for dry weather: Keep
the Huskies out of their natural
See SINGER on 21
