Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1992)
Sports NU deserves recognition, Piatkowski says Big Eight writers and broadcasters conducted a preseason basketball poll, ranking the league's eight teams. The results of the poll: 1. Kansas 2. Oklahoma 3. Iowa State 4. Missouri 5. Nebraska 6. Oklahoma State 7. Kansas Stat 8. Colorado m " ^ a a By Jeff Singer Senior Reporter_ It’s taken a few years, but the Ne braska men’s basketball team is fi nally receiving recognition as one of the top teams in the country. Butdon'task the Big Eight’s news media to agree. The Cornhuskers have four start ers returning from last year’s team that finished 19-1 Oand earned a trip to the NCAA championship tournament. Nebraska also has a recruiting class that has received recognition as being among the nation’s best as well as being one of the top classes in school history. Bui all of this didn’t seem to im press a select group of conference media. Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Missouri were all chosen to finish above the Huskers. “In a way it’s a slap in the face to us,” said Nebraska forward Eric Piatkowski, one of 25 finalists for the John Wooden award, given annually to the nation’s best collegiate basket ball player. “We think we’re better than a fifth place team,” Piatkowski said. “They’ve overlooked us in the past.” In addition to Piatkowski, center Derrick Chandler, forward Bruce Chubick and guard Jamar Johnson make up the four starters that return from last year’s team that made school history by playing in the NCAATour namcnt in consecutive years for the first time ever. Nebraska assistant coach Gary Bargen said polls that underestimate the Buskers could be used for inspira tional purposes. “If it’s less than where we might think we’ll finish, then we can use it as a motivational tool,” Bargen said. Publications such as Sport Maga zine have been more impressed with the Buskers than the Big Eight media. Sport listed Nebraska at No. 11 among its “Sweet 16” picks, and Piaikowski said the Huskersdeserved the national recognition. “I think we’re the type of basket ball team to be in the Sweet 16,” Piatkowski said. “People like Sport Magazine have looked into it and see what we’ve got coming in.” Bargen said Sport’s high rating was a credit to Nebraska’s annual improvement. * “It’s definitely a compliment that people are recognizing that we’re re cruiting good players and building a good program,” Bargen said. t razier wins starting spot against Buffs By Nick Hytrek Senior Reporter Freshman quarterback Tommie Frazier will start Saturday’s Ncbraska-Colorado game, Comhuskcr coach Tom Osborne said Monday. “We will start Frazier ihis«wcck,” Osborne said. “We had a chance to talk with the quarter backs and go over their grades.” Senior M ike Grant, who played one scries in the Missouri game, will back up Frazier, Osborne said. “Grant had three or four plays and did well and is a guy wc have to count on to be ready to play,” Osborne said. Frazier made his first career start last Satur day against Missouri, and led a fourth-quarter drive to secure a 34-24 Nebraska victory. Nebraska quarterbacks coach Turner Gill, who as a sophomore made his first start during the Big Eight season* gave Frazier some words of encouragement when it was decided that Frazier would start against Missouri. "I just told him to relax and play, because he has the talent and he has the ability, and try not to overthink on some things,” Gill said. Frazier said Gill’s advice helped. “He just told me to go out there and play within myself and don’t try to do too much because wc have loo much talent on this team right now for me to go out and do too much,” Frazier said. For Missouri fans, Frazier did do loo much. The first true freshman to start at quarter back forCoach Tom Osborne, Frazier responded by completing 9 of 20 passes for 154 yards, rushing for 77 and scoring three touchdowns. The last of those scores, a 5-yard run with 2:09 left in the game, clinched the win. To make things easier for Frazier, thecoachcs kept the game plan simple, Gill said. “Wc tried to call some plays where he wouldn’t have to audible a whole lot, but he didn’t have to audible a whole lot,” Gill said. “He did some good jobs in those type of things.” After the game, Gill was left with a favor able impression of Frazier’s ability. “As you saw, he has great athleticism,” Gill said. “He showed tremendous poise out there. I think he’s going to be a very good quarter back.” And hopefully, Frazier said, Saturday was just the beginning of a successful career as a Husker. Y/fmt ■IWIf^V^WffMMWv.^ - - - - *_ J ^ __ • •-v Shaun Sartin/ON Nebraska l-back Calvin Jones runs in last Saturday s Cornhusker win over Missouri. Jones is the I6th-leading rusher in the country, averaging 108 yards per game. Injuries harm Buffalo offensive By Jeff Griesch Staff Reporter__ Despite Colorado’s 54-7 pummelling of Kansas State Saturday, Buffalo football coach Bill McCartney said he was con cerned about his team’s progress as they approached Saturday’s showdown in Lin coln against Nebraska. “It is true that we are playing belter, but I don’t know if we arc playing as good as we have to play to beat Nebraska,” McCartney said during the Big Eight coaches’ telecon ference on Monday. McCartney’s main concern is with the Buffalo’s execution on offense. Key Colo rado players have suffered injuries during the season, including three starters on the offensive line. “We are not where we want to be w ith the things we want to be doing offensively and that showed up against Oklahoma,” McCartney said. “We have lost three of our lop guards and we arc starting a freshman center, so we arc just not asserting ourselves up front like we need to.” Buffalo starting quarterback KordcII Stewart continues to be slowed by ankle and wrist injuries. Nebraska I-back Calvin Jones and the rest of the Huskers realize that an ailing Buffalo team will still give the Huskers all they can handle. “They arc going lo come out and give Nebraska everything they have,” Jones said. “The next two weeks arc going to be crucial for us, and we arc going to have to focus harder than we have ever done before.” It was also announced Monday that the Huskers’ Nov. 7 game against 18lh-rankcd Kansas will be televised nationally by ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. Kansas coach Glen Mason said he was optimistic about his team’s chances against the Huskers with the later starling time. “We haven’t been very successful play ing Nebraska in the light of day, so we will ^ try something different,” Mason said. Finicky fans may forget Frazier’s flawless performance The biggest mistake Tommie Frazier made Saturday against Mis souri is that he didn’t make a mistake. To the casual observer, Tommie Frazier’s performance against Mis souri was flawless, perfect. The freshman quarterback threw for 157 yards, ran for 77 and scored three touchdowns— the last of which scaled Nebraska’s 34-24 win. He threw no interceptions. He fumbled only one snap. He was in control from start to finish. Too bad, Tommie. You sec, the best thing for Frazier would have been to throw an intercep tion or two. He could have fumbled. He could have done something, any thing to make him appear human. But he didn’t. There were no Cornhusker turnovers. Game films probably will show that Fra/icr made a few minor mis takes. But those are mistakes only a coach can recognize. Things like audibling into or out of the wrong play. But fansdon’t notice those types of things. To them, Frazier was perfect. He made some big plays and stayed calm under pressure. But because Missouri was his first start, Frazier will always be remem bered for that performance. Should Frazier happen to throw an interception on the potential winning drive in the fourth quarter against Colorado this week, the same Husker fans who demanded that Frazier should be starting will be screaming for Mike Grant to replace him. It won’t matter if Frazier throws for 250 yards, runs for another KM) and scores five touchdowns. It won’t matter if that’s the only interception he throws the whole game. It won’t matter if Frazier has Nebraska in a position to win the game, and Colo rado wins anyway. But that’s the way Nebraska fans arc. Remember Steve Taylor? He had the same misfortune of playing per fectly in his first start Against Florida Slate in 1986,Tay lor, then a sophomore, led the Husk ers to a 34-17 win. Taylor ripped the Seminole defense by completing 10 of 16 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 139 and scored two more touchdowns. After that one game, Husker fans had Taylor penciled in for the Heisman Trophy and All-American honors. But none of that ever happened. Sure, Taylor wasa good, maybe great, quarterback. A look in the Husker record book will attest to that. But fans expected that kind of perfor mance every game. And when they didn’t get it, Taylor heard the boos. Maybe it’s too soon to say what will happen in Frazier’s ease. He’s been named the starter for the Colo rado game. Even if it’s the last game he starts this season, it’s probably not loo lar-fctchcd to say Frazier will be Nebraska’s starling quarterback in future seasons. But when he takes the field, no matter who the Huskers arc playing, everyone will remember a sunny October day in Columbia, Mo., when Frazier led the Huskers to vic tory. But alter that first interception in a crucial situation, Frazier won’t be a hero anymore. He will hear the fans calling for Grant, Tony Vcland, Ben Rutz or whoever is backing him up. Welcome to Nebraska, Tommie. Hytrek is a senior news-editorial major and a Daily Nebraskan senior sports reporter.