Sports
Coaches agree showdown significant
Huskers’hopes
rest in defense
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
'Nebraska football coach Tom
Osborne isn’t one to live in the past.
Osborne said he had not used last
season’s 36-21 loss to Washington to
motivate his No. 12 Cornhuskcrs for
this season’s meeting.
“I haven’t mentioned last year’s
game to themhe said. “We don’t do
that very much. We tend to focus on
this week, this team.
“I think you play belter than to
dwell on what happened in the past.
We don’t ever try to use revenge as a
motive. We just try to play well.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.
at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The game
will be televised by ESPN,channel 23
on Lincoln CablcVision. Both teams
are 2-0.
When discussing this season’s
Washington team, Osborne did al I ude
to last year’s team, which finished 12
0 and won a share of the national
championship.
“I’m sure they’re somewhat dif
ferent from last year because they
have some personnel changes,
Osborne said. “But I can’t sec any
obvious changes. They seem to have
great team speed again which they
had last year. They’re very quick,
very aggressive.”
The No. 2 Huskies arc led on of
fense by quarterback Billy Joe Hobcrt.
Last season Hobcrt riddled thcHuskcr
defense for 283 yards passing and one
touchdown. He also ran for two. And
if something should happen to Hobcrt,
Mark Bruncll, who was the Huskies’
starter two years ago, would be a
capable replacement, Osborne said.
“At quarterback they’re probably
sjaboul as strong as any team in the
country right now with both Hobcrt3
and Bruncll,” Osborne said. “Both of
them have shown the ability to take a
team to the Rose Bowl and win it.
Very few people ever have that luxury
of having two players with that kind
of talent.”
Washington also isdeepat tailback,
Erik Unger/DN
Nebraska’s Calvin Jones (44) eludes the grasp of Middle Tennessee State’s Sean Luckett. The
Cornhuskers will face No. 2 Washington on Saturday in Seattle.
where Jay Barry, Napoleon Kaufman
and Beno Bryant will split lime.
Up front, 6-foot-7, 325-pound of
fensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy will
" try to keep Husker defenders out of
the Husky backficld.
Osborne said he hoped the experi
ence of the Husker defense would be
able to neutralize Washington’s of
fense.
“I think we’re a little more experi
enced on defense,” Osborne said.
“Wc’rc hoping ihc experience factor
will help out.”
Husker I-back Derek Brown also
said experience would help Nebraska.
“There is a lot more experience,”
Brown said. “We feel a lot more
stable, more comfortable with each
other and what wc’rc doing rightnow.”
Brown will be running against a
defense that lost Outland Trophy and
Lombardi Award winner Steve
Emtman. But All-America candidate
Dave Hoffmann at linebacker,
D’Marco Farr at tackle and Walter
Bailey atcomcrback give the Huskies
a solid defense that Brown said is
impressive.
“Their aggressiveness is what im
presses me,” Brown said. “Not just
nine players fly to the ball, but all 11.
They really attack the ball well.”
Nebraska quarterback Mike Grant
See HUSKERS on 9
Huskies expect
tough matchup
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
If the Washington football team is
to repeat this year as national champi
ons, they will need to get by this
weekend’s obstacle, Nebraska.
But Washington football coach Don
James isn’t taking anything for granted
when his Huskies battle the
ComhuskcYs at 8:45 p.Yn. CDT Satur
day at Husky Stadium.
James said Saturday’s game might
be the toughest hurdle the Huskies
would have to face all season.
“We’re going to be tested this
week,” James said. “Nebraska is the
most talented team on our schedule;
they will definitely give our defense
all we can handle.”
The two teams met in Memorial
Stadium last season, with the Huskies
rebounding from a 21-9 deficit to win
36-21.
James said lhaiallhough Washing
ton will be playing at home this week
end, it doesn’t mean his team would
have an easy time with the Huskers.
“You get to sleep in your own bed
and have your own fans cheering for
you, but that doesn’t mean that you ’re
automatically going to win,” James
said.
The second-ranked Huskicsopcncd
their season two weeks ago with a 31 -
7 win over Arizona Stale and fol
lowed that effort with a 27-10 victory
over Wisconsin in Washington’s home
opener last weekend.
The Huskies have been led by the
quarterback duo of Billy Joe Hobcrt
and Mark Bruncll. Hobcrt completed
23 of 40 passes for 283 yards and one
touchdown in last year’s win over
Nebraska, while finishing the season
with 177 completions in 291 attempts
for 2,312 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Brunei! was hampered last season
with a knee injury but came back to
sec playing time near the end of the
season.
James said that although he had
See HUSKIES on 9
Husky offense should be
ready for NU, QB says
By Nick Hytrek
Senior Reporter
Billy Joe Hobcrt’s memory isn’t
the best.
Last year the Washington quarter
back completed 23 of 40 passes for
283 yards and a touchdown in the
Huskies' 36-21 win over Nebraska.
But that game didn’t leave a last
ing impression on Hobcrt.
“I don’t really remember last year’s
game,” Hobcrt said. “I don’t really
know what we did that was loo special
except throw a lot and execute.”
But Hobcrt docs remember the first
two games the No. 2 Huskies have
played this season. He has heard the
complaints of fans who say
Washington’s 31-7 and 27-10 wins
over Arizona State and Wisconsin
respectively, were not big enough.
That criticism wasn’t totally un
warranted, Hobert said.
“I think we’re pretty comfortable
with how we’ve moved the ball,” he
said. “We haven’t scored as much as
we’d liked to have.
“If we don’t score more this week,
we’ll get kicked in the face.”
Hobert said the Huskies needed to
be sharp on offense this week against
Nebraska’s defense.
“We’ve watched a lot of their de
fense,” he said. “We know their per
sonnel pretty well. Hopefully Ne
braska won’t give us something we
can’t handle.”
Any hopes for a national title for
cither team hinge on this game, Hobert
said.
“This game is very important to
us,” he said. “A loss knocks us out of
the race for the national champion
ship and it docs for them, loo.
“We both need this game.”
SE 2. Corey Dixon 5 8 155 Jr. LOLB 93 Travis Hill 6 2 240 Sr
LT 77 Lanoe Lundberg 6-4 300 Jr. LT 92 John Parrella 6 5 290 Sr.
LG 62 Ken Mehlin 6 0 265 Jr NG 73 David Noonan 6 3 275 Jr
C 51 Jim Scott 6-2 265 Sr RT 70 Jamie Liewer 6-4 270 Sr.
RG 75 Will Shields 6-1 305 Sr ROLB 34 Trev Alberts 6-4 230 Jr
RT 72 Zach Wiegert 6-6 310 So SLB 48 Mike Andtttbn 6 2 236 Jr.
TE 89 William Washington 6-2 260 Sr. WLB 32 Ed Stewart 6 0 205 So
QB 1 Mike Grant 6 3 205 Sr LCB 19 Kenny WRhito 5 8 175 Sr
FB 26 Lance Lewis 6-0 225 Sr RCB 6 John Reece 6-0 200 Jr.
IB 21 Derek Brown 6 9 185 Jr SS 31 Steve Carmer 6-2 210 8r
WB 38 Vinoent Hawkins 5 11 210 Sr FS 8 Tyrone Byrd 6-0 180 Sr
PK 13 Byron Bennett 6-1 160 Jr P 47 1*088990 6-2 190 Sr
SE 6 Damon Mack 6 0 182 Sr. OLB 13 Andy Mason 6-2 238 Jr.
WT 75 Uftooln Kennedy 6 7 325 Sr QE 47 Jamal Fountame6 3 230 Jr.
WG 60 Andrew Peterson 6 5 290 So. DT 75 D'Maroo Farr 6 1 265 Jr
C 52 Jim Neva* 6-2 265 Jr NT 74 MikeLustyk 6 3 270 Sr
SG 65 Frank Garcia *6-1 283 So ILB 54 Dave Hoffmann 6-2 225 Sr.
ST 66 Tom Qafaoher lift 6-6 200 Jr. ILB 63 James Clifford 6 2 230 Sr.
TE 85 Mark Bruener 6 5 230 So OLB 3 Jaime Fields 6 0 230 Sr
OB 12 fifty Joe Hobart 6-3 226 Jr ROV 20 Tommie Smith 6-2 212 Sr
FB 31 Darius Turner 6-0 235 Sr CB 23 Walter Bailey 6-11 190 Sr.
TB 42 Jay Barry - 6-11 100 Sr CBl 7 JeahMoaraST' 6-1 190 So
FL 9 Joe Kralik 5-10 185 Jr FS 21 Shane Pahukoa 6 3 202 Sr
K 4 Travis Hanson 641 166 Jr. pMl 16 John Werdai i 6-2i 188 JrJ
Scott Maurer/DN
INI U volleyball team taking break from rated competition
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter_
Alter competing against five
ranked teams in its first five matches,
tie Nebraska volleyball team will fi
rally see an unranked opponent this
weekend against Wyoming.
B u l N ebraska isn’t over look i ng the
Cowgirls, who arc off to one of their
l»cst starts with a 6-1 record.
The No. 6Comhuskcrs, who arc 3
2 after last weekend’s split in the Big
Eight-Big 10 Challenge, will play
Wyoming twice this weekend.
The first match will be 7:30 p.m.
tonight in North Plattoand the second
match will be played at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday at the NU Coliseum.
Nebraska volleyball coach Terry
Pettit said the Cowgirls can’t be over
looked.
“The reason we’ve been so suc
cessful is because we don’t take any
body lightly,” said Pettit, whose teams
have won 16 consecutive Big Eight
titles. “Looking at their slats, they’re
very good, and they usually play us
hard.”
Wyoming forced a four-game
match from last year’s 27-5 Husker
team, as Nebraska prevailed against
the Cowgirls 15-8,15^12,10-15 and
15-4 in Lincoln.
Tonight’s match at Mid-Plains
Community College is also a home
coming of sorts for Nebraska special
ist Tami Thompson, who is from
nearby Sutherland.
The 5-foot-8 sophomore said she
was looking forward to playing in
North Platte.
“It will be great just to be around
my family, because a lot of people
don ’ t gel to make i t do wn here for a lot
of games,” she said.
She said tonight’s match would be
good for promotional purposes in
western Nebraska.
“Nebraska volleyball is pretty much
on this end of the stale, so this will
help promote it out west,” Thompson
said. “It will let the younger kids get
to see players like (Nebraska middle
blocker) Stephanie Thaler to look up
to.”
Pettit agreed with Thompson.
“We’re doing this so people in the
western part of the state can see the
Nebraska team play; it’s good for
public relations,” Pettit said.
Thompson, who came off the bench
last weekend to score an ace with her
jump serve and helped the Huskers to
a three-game sweep of Ohio Slate,
said Nebraska was starting to get into
mid season form.
“We’re improving every game,”
Thompson said. “Just because you
knock us do\yn once doesn’t mean
we’re not going to come back.”
Pettit said he had also seen im
provement in his squad, as the Hunk
ers have rebounded twice from open
ing-match losses in their first two
tournaments to register wins against
high-ranked opponents the next night.
“Whether we’re 5-0 or 1-4, the
question is how hard you’ve played
and are you improving,” he said. “And
we arc improving.”
