Sports
Big Eight teams
start switch to
passing offenses
Analyst says move
benefits recruiting
By Phil Carter
Staff Reporter
Throwing the football in the Big
Eight may be another passing fancy.
But with schools such as Colorado
and Oklahoma consistently taking to
^hc air, at least one national analyst
believes that traditional running teams
such as Nebraska may be left out in
the cold.
“In the past, teams like Oklahoma,
Nebraska and Colorado ran ^ic ball
because IhcBigEightwaslhaltypcof
conference,” said CNN and USA To
day football analyst Danny Sheridan.
“Now, in order to recruit lop high
school quarterbacks, they arc switch
ing to a passing attack and a more
diversified offense.”
A look at the passing statistics in
the Big Eight shows that Colorado
and Oklahoma arc on lop.
The Buffaloes have managed to
throw for 316 yards per game, while
Oklahoma is second with 261 yards a
contest.
However, neither team leads the
conference in total offense. That spot
belongs to Nebraska, which leads both
the conference and nation in yards
rushing per game with 350.
“It docsn ’l mean you have to throw
the ball regularly to have a good of
fense,” Sheridan said. “You still have
to run the ball to win the B ig Eight, but
in order to compete nationally, run
ning teams like Nebraska need to
throw the ball more successfully.”
A team must use its running game
as a foundation to win in the Big
Eight, said Iowa Stale coach Jim
Walden.
“You need to run the ball to be
good,” Walden said. “1 think if you
would lake the lop eight out of any
conference, you’d be hard-pressed to
With only Kansas State's game this
Saturday against Utah State remaining,
Big Eight schools sre a combined 20-11
against non-conference foes. A
year-by-year look at the Big Eight
against teams from outside the league:
1982 18-14-1 .561
1983 21-11-1 .632
1984 15-16-1 .484
1985 18-15-0 .545
1986 17-15-0 .531
1987 19-14-0 .571
1988 18-14-1 .561
1989 17-15*0 .531
1990 20-12-1 .621
1991 18-13*1 .578
1992 20-11-0 .645
Scot! Maurer/DN
find any belter football conference
than the Big Eight.”
The two traditional Big Eight pow
ers have struggled early. Nebraska’s
losing streak to Top 10 teams dates
back to 1988and Oklahomahas fallen
out of the Associated Press Top 25
with two losses in its last three games.
Colorado’s adjustment to the pass
this year has beensmoolher than ex
pected. The Btiffaloesarc undefeated
after five games, but Colorado coach
Bill McCartney said the conference
was just as lough as it had ever been.
“It’s going to be very competi
tive,” McCartney said. “Oklahoma’s
got tremendous young talent, and
Nebraska continues to recruit well.
“I think that Kansas could beat any
of us, if we’re not careful. They could
maybe beat a couple of us.”
See BIG EIGHT on 14
ABC or ESPN might televise
Nebraska-Colorado matchup
- - doubt we’d be interested. But we’ll
The Ncbraska-Colorado game have to sec what happens.”
scheduled for Oct. 31 likely will be Aresco said the game likely would
tclcvisal by ABC or ESPN, one offi- be played at either 2:30 p.m. on ABC
cial said. or at 3p.m. on ESPN.
Mike Aresco, program manager at ABC has first choice of which
ESPN, said the network would be game loairand then ESPN will choose
“very interested” in televising the their two games. ESPN also is plan
game, which could decide the Big ning a 6:30 p.m. game, but Aresco
Eight Championship. said the Ncbraska-Colorado game
“It’s certainly one of the big games probably would be played in the aftcr
of the day,” Aresco said. “There’s no noon.
* ' 1 ■ ■
DN file photo
Nebraska junior Nikki Strieker dives for a ball in a match last season. Strieker is the
Cornhuskers’ leading setter this year with 385 assists.
Strieker fulfills lead role
with confidence and ability
By Jeff Singer
Senior Reporter
In mosl ways, Nebraska volley
ball seller Nikki Slrickcr isn’t loo
similar to Nebraska quarterback
Mike Grant.
But both arc leaders of nation
ally ranked teams competing for
Big Eight titles.
Strieker, the starling setter on
Nebraska’s fifth-ranked volleyball
team, is leading the Huskcr offense
in its quest to win a nth-consecu
tive conference championship.
Nebraska assistant volleyball
coach Brian Bcgor said Slrickcr
and Grant had similar duties in
their respective sports.
“k’s a bit like Mike Grant,”
Bcgor said. “The setting position is
absolutely critical and is the coach
on the court.”
Strieker said just like Grant on
the football field, she had to be able
to act as a leader to her teammates.
“A coach puls the mosl trust in
the setter to lead the team,” Slrickcr
said. “If I don’t sec myself as a
leader, the team won’t go very far.”
Strieker said she had to he able
to mix in confidence with her lead
ership abilities in order to be a
successful setter.
-44
When I’m scared to
be out there, then I
shouldn’t be on the
court. ”
—Strieker
Nebraska setter
-ft -
“Setting is all mental — confi
dence is very important for a set
ter,” Strieker said. “When I’m
scared to be out there, then I
shouldn’t be on the court.”
This year’s statistics have shown
the 5-fool-10 Strieker hasn’t been
scared often. She leads the team
with 385 assists and has helped the
Huskers to a 10-2 overall record
and a 4-0 mark in Big Eight play.
She earned second-team All-Big
Eight honors last year while help
ing Nebraska to a 27-5 record and
mf
an undefeated conference mark in
1991.
Despite her accomplishments
last season, Strieker has been chal
lenged for the starling setting posi
tion this season by sophomore
Christy Johnson.
Strieker said although she’s been
pushed by Johnson, she’s happy to
have competition for the starting
role.
“I’m glad Christy’s here,”
Strieker said. “Our strengths are
very different and we’re both mak
ing each other better.”
Johnson said Strieker’s presence
has helped the younger setter be
come a better player.
“I think she makes me belter
because she’s a great setter,” John
son said. “She’s a hard worker and
she ball-handles well.”
Begor said he was pleased with
both of the Nebraska setters’ play
this season.
“I think both her and Christy are
among the best five or six setters in
the country,” Begor said. “We’re
very happy with both of their play.”
Conference winner will need rushing attack
u s ottcn been said in wartime
situations that “they who control the
skies control the war.”
This is true in military battles,
drive-by shootings and college foot
ball.
But there is one exception.
The Big Eight conference has been
trying for years to get away from its
traditional running prowess to estab
lish a passing game.
But here’s a little hint to all those
Big Eight coaches who arc attempting
to establish an air attack: Th^y who
win the ground war winahe confer-1
ence.
True, to contend for a national
itle, a team must be able to pass the
>all as weil as be able to run it. To
compete for a national championship,
t has to win the conference first. And
he only way to win the Big Eight is
vith a dominant rushing attack.
The major reason for the Big
Eight’s dependence on the run is the
weather; it’s a lot easier to rush the
ball in a blizzard than to try to throw
50-yard bombs.
This explains why Colorado and
Oklahoma have little chance of win
ning the conference.
Nebraska, which has the nation’s
lop rushing team at 350 yards per
game, will be more apt to run the ball
in the upcoming horrible Midwest
weather compared with the Buffa
loes’ miserable 129.4 rushing yards
, per-game average, which ranks 80th
in the Country.
When it comes to bowl games,
Colorado and Oklahoma will be bet
ter prepared for their opponents be
cause of expertise in the passing game,
but the problem is the Comhuskers
will be running on the turf of the
Orange Bowl while the Buffaloes and
Jeff
^ingei^
Sooncrs arc airing the ball out else
where.
If Colorado and Oklahoma con
tinue to let passing games dictate their
offenses, both schools will wind up
short of going the Orange Bowl.
Iowa Slate football coach Jim
Walden, whose team went to the run
dominated wishbone attack this year,
said the key to survival in the Big
Eight is running the ball.
“You’ve got to run the ball any
where to be good,” said Walden, who
after a 21 -32-2 record in five years at
ihc helm of the Cyclones, decided to
run. “When we struggle it’s the days
you don’t get 150 yards rushing.”
The Big Eight’s new effort of pass
ing in conference play, or lack of it,
couldn’t be better displayed than in
last week ’ s Colorado- M issouri game.
Inacold night highlighted by freez
ing rain in Columbia, Mo., the Buf
falo passing game was able to accu
mulate a total of zero touchdowns in
a big 6-0 Colorado win.
A run-oriented offense probably
would have had six points by the
game’s opening kickoff, but a pass
dominated offense in traditional Big
Eight weather barely gave the Buffa
loes a victory.
Walden said Colorado’s lack of
production against the Tigers sym
bolized the conference’s traditional
need for strong rushing teams. -
“If we have to watch any more of
those 6-0 games like we watched
Thursday night, it’ll set us all back
100 years,” Walden said.
During the game at Faurot Field,
ESPN panned the Colorado sideline
and showed a disgruntled Buffalo
Coach Bill McCartney watching his
team net a mere 123 yards on the
ground.
This is the same team that aver
aged 290 yards rushing per game over
the last three seasons, and conse
quently won or shared the conference
title in each of those three years.
If you looked closely at McCartney
as the freezing rain poured down on
him, you could almost read his lips
saying, “I wish I had my wishbone
back. .
Singer is a senior news-editorial and po
litical science m^jor and a Daily Nebraskan
sports senior reporter.
