Nebraskan
WodnMday. September 1,1983
SPORTS
Osborne looks for opening-game answers
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter
With Nebraska’s opener against North Tex
as less than four days away, coach Tom Osborne
still has some unanswered questions.
Osborne said at his weekly press conference
Tuesday that the season opener was the most
difficult game to get ready for, even though the
Huskers have had three weeks of preparation.
“I suspect this is going to be a difficult game
to enter Decause we don’t know a whole lot
about this team,” Osborne said.
“We can look at what they did last year, but
in the first game, you don’t have a very good
read of what the opponent is going to do.”
Osborne said the coaches did not have a sol id
read on who would be the Huskers’ backups at
I-back and quarterback.
The leading candidates for I-back Calvin
Jones’ backup include Damon Benning, Cl inton
Childs and Lawrence Phillips, Osborne said.
“In terms of personnel, we’re really unset
tled at the backup I-back position,” Osborne
said. “There are about three or four guys with a
chance at it.
“Wedon’tknow if anyone isgoingtoredshirt.
We talked with Lawrence Phillips and Clinton
Childs about that, but they weren’t terribly
excited. So if they want to use a year of their
eligibility, I guess that’s what we’ll do.”
At quarterback, the No. 2 position behind
sophomore starter Tommie Frazier is between
sophomores Brook Berringer and Tony Veland.
“The No. 2 quarterback spot is about like the
I-back,” Osborne said. “Veland and Berringer
are pretty close. Berringer is probably ahead
because he hasn’t had the injuries Tony has, but
they’re close.”
Osborne said he didn’t have to make any
decisions on those races until Big Eight play
began Oct. 7 at Oklahoma State.
“Right now, we’re just hoping to get the
guys playing time in ball games to see how they
rank, he said.
Osborne said he was pleased with how his
players were holding up.
“The general health is very good,” he said.
“I’m very pleased with fall camp and the amount
of contact we had and having very few inju
ries.”
The only player questionable for Saturday’s
game is guard Joel Wilks, who has a pulled calf
muscle, Osborne said.
While Osbourne is anxious to see how his
team performs, he said he does not get very
anxious for seasons to begin.
“People tell me that they can’t wait, and to
be real honest with you, I can wait,” he said.
“The thing about when the season starts is
you’re moving into a tunnel and it is going to be
awhile before you can come up for air.
“Pm always interested in how we’re going
to do,” Osborne said. “As far as getting butter
-44
People tell me that they
can’t wait, and to be real
honest with you, I can wait.
—Osborne
Nebraska coach
-tt -
flies and getting excited for Saturday, I really
don’t too much. I can always take one more
fishing trip.”
Although Osborne thinks his team is ready,
he warned the public about having high expec
tations.
“Overall, the attitude and effort is real good,”
Osborne said. “I think people are expecting an
awful lot in terms of performance on Saturday
and 1 hope they get it; but I don’t know how
we’re going to do.”
Two starters injured
for first NU match
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
If the Nebraska volleyball team
is going to start out the season with
a win, it will have to do it without
two starters from last year’s Big
Eight championship team.
Coach Terry Pettit said senior
outside hitter Laura Luther would
not play in tonight’s 7:30 game
against Iowa at the NU Coliseum.
Junior middle blocker Kim
Tonniges will suit up but probably
won’t play against the Hawkeyes.
The Huskers also lost All-Amer
ican Stephanie Thater and All-Big
Eight player Eileen Shannon to
graduation, to v -’.n- c.
Both Luther and Tonniges are
recovering from off-season shoul
der surgery.
’’Laura hasn’t got any better
since the alumni game,” Pettit said.
Luther was fourth on the team
last year in kills, and Tonniges
played in all 28 matches last sea
son.
Nebraska will start two fresh
men in their place against the
Hawkeyes, Pettit said.
Maria Hedbeck, an outside hit
ter from Sweden, and middle
blocker Jen McFadden, from
Dubuque, 1A, both will make their
first starts at Nebraska.
The Huskers are coming off a
15-9, 15-13, 15-12,13-15 victory
over Husker alumnae last Saturday
night. McFadden recorded 13 kills,
and Hedbeck had seven kills against
the alumnae.
Pettit said the Huskers had im
proved in their two days of practice
since the game against the alum
nae.
“We made improvements in
practice this week,” he said. “We
learned some things in the alumni
game, and we’ve hopefully im
proved on those things.”
The Hawkeyes, who finished
13-19 and fifth in the Big Ten last
season under second-year coach
Linda Schoemstedt, return five start
ers from last season’s team.
The Huskers have won each of
Nebraska \ s.
7:30 Tonight
NU Coliseum
Nebraska's probable starters
Pos._Name.Htm Yr.
S NHdd Strieker 5-10 Sr.
the 10 previous meetings against
Iowa. The last time the teams
squared off was Sept. 2, 1989, in
Lincoln, when the Huskers swept
the Hawkeyes in three games.
Pettit said he didn’t know much
about the Hawkeye team that will
come into Lincoln tonight.
“I know very little about them,”
he said. “I know they’ve had a good
program in the past. They’ve been
in the NCAA tournament before,
and I think they return five starters
from last year.
“I haven’t seen any film of them,
but we’re expecting and preparing
for a tough match, Pettit said.
Pettit said his team wanted to do
well before the home crowd. The
Huskers are 15-2 in season open
ers, and they have the same mark in
home openers. Their last home
opening loss came last year at the
hands of New Mexico.
Pettit said it was important to
start off the season on the winning
track.
“The issue is that we want to
win, and the other issue is that we
want to play harder and more con
sistently than we did last Saturday
night,” he said.
Outside hitter Billie Winsett sets the ball during a match with alumnae.
Shaun Sartin/DN
Bring on the Huskers, the offense
the opponents?
The wait is almost over.
Comhusker fans will not have to
spend another Saturday without some
sign of their beloved Big Red.
The college football season arrived
last Saturday as preseason No. 1 Flor
ida State greeted not-quite-good
enough-to-be-ranked Kansas with a
friendly 42-0 shellacking in the Kick
off Classic at the Meadowlands.
While the Jayhawks were being
run into the ground at the Meadow
lands by the Seminoles, a handful of
die-hard Husker fans sat in the rain at
Memorial Stadium watching Nebras
ka’s final preseason scrimmage.
For the fans, this Saturday means
they can stop drool ing over preseason
polls, new depth charts and the latest
news on Husker practices.
For the players, it means no more
two-a-days, no more letting up on the
big hit, no more ‘‘Mr. Nice Guy” on
defense.
The excitement is building.
The hype is everywhere. Calvin
Jones's image is plastered on maga
zines and television screens as he
pursues a Heisman Trophy.
Linebackers Trev Alberts and Mike
Anderson are both Butkus Award can
didates.
And the Comhusker passing game
actually flew by its running game in
Jeff
Griesch
the final scrimmage to give fans a hint
of a balanced and deadly offensive
attack.
Lee Corso, ESPN college football
analyst, has even picked the Huskers
to steal a national title from the front
runners.
Enough build-up already. Bring on
the big boys of college football so we
can see how tough the Huskers are.
Let’s see some smash-mouth, hard
hitting, non-stop excitement.
Somebody give me a schedule. No
better yet, give me a media guide so I
can read all about these big boys the
Huskers are going to be beating on
this season.
Let’s see who the first victim is
going to be.
Ah, here it is, page 125. 1 can’t
wait, bring ‘em on.
Bring on—North Texas?
Huh? Come again. North Texas?
What about the hype? What about
the build-up? What about the excite
mcnt?
What a disappointment.
I thought we were going to see
some real football.
No more scrimmages. No more '
guys with dupl icate numbers. No more
losing interest after the first IS min
utes of the game.
Why don’t they just have another
scrimmage on Saturday? At least we
know that the guys on the other side of
the ball during practice are Division I
opponents.
Wait a second. Maybe I’m being
too harsh. Maybe Nebraska had no
See GRIESCH on 8