Nebraskan
Friday, Octobar 2», ISM
Sports
NU, CU to vie for Big 8 bragging rights
Loss would be
major setback,
Buffcoach says
By Jeff Singer
Senior Editor
Colorado football coach Bill
McCartney sometimes finds it easy to
be pessimistic when thinking about
Saturday’s game against Nebraska.
While many people see the game
as a chance for the Buffaloes to take
the lead in the Big Eight, McCartney
is more worried about what would
happen with a Buffalo loss.
No. 20 Colorado is 4-2-1 follow
ing last week’s 16-16 tie with Kansas
State, and a loss to the Comhuskers
would be disastrous for the Buffaloes’
season, McCartney said.
“When it comes down to it, we re
4-2-1, and if we don’t get a victory,
then things don’t look so good when
you’re 4-3-1,” McCartney said.
Colorado is in second place in the
conference with a 2-0-1 record, a
half-game behind the 3-0 Huskers.
But it was the Buffaloes’ non-con
ference slate that was impressive, as
Colorado played Southwest Confer
ence powers Texas and Baylor as well
as ranked opponents Stanford and
Miami.
Despite going 2-2 in those games,
McCartney said playing such a diffi
cult schedule had positive effects on
his team and would help Colorado on
Saturday.
Even though Nebraska’s schedule
hasn’t been as difficult, McCartney
said, that doesn’t mean the Huskers
won't be ready for the big-game at
mosphere Saturday.
“When you’re winning like (Ne
braska) is, it really doesn’t matter that
much. Nothing breeds winning more
than winning does,” he said.
The Buffaloes have known all about
winning in recent years, as Colorado
is 27-1-3 in Big Eight play since 1989.
The one loss came in last year’s Husk
er 52-7 trouncing of the Buffaloes in
Lincoln.
McCartney said last year’s game
was still in the minds of a lot of
Colorado coaches and players.
“A year ago we got manhandled
See BUFFS on 10
William Lauer/DN
Sophomore Jeff Makovicka cuts upheld against Missouri last Saturday in the Cornhusker’s 49
7 win. Nebraska takes on Colorado in Boulder, Colo., at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Buffalo offense
is biggest worry,
Osborne says
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
Two years ago, Colorado couldn’t
throw the ball.
Last year, the Buffaloes couldn’t
run the ball.
This year, Colorado has proven
they can do both, and its offensive
balance is Nebraska coach Tom
Osborne’s primary concern.
The undefeated Comhuskers will
travel to Boulder, Colo., to challenge
the 4-2-1 and 2-0-1 Buffaloes in a
2:34 p.m. CST kickoff on Saturday.
The game will be televised regionally
by ABC.
i ney nave a very tine otiense ana
have been putting up some outstand
ing numbers,” Osborne said. “They
have done a good job of balancing
their offense, and many coaches in the
conference have said they are the best
team in the Big Eight.”
Colorado enters the game against
the Comhuskers with the sixth best
offense in the country and the leading
offense in the Big Eight.
Last season, the Buffaloes led the
Big Eight in passing but were last in
rushingv
Colorado is second in the confer
ence in both passing and rushing this
season, and Osborne said the Buffa
loes’ ability to run the ball would
make preparing for the Colorado game
more challenging.
“It is always more difficult to pre
parctotA team iUtey have
running game,” Osborne said.
The main strength on the ground
for the Buffaloes is junior tailback
Lamont Warren. Warren, who aver
ages more than 97 yards per game, is
the Big Eight’s leading rusher.
“They have made a commitment
to being able to run better,” Osborne
said. “They have more plays in their
repertoire, and they have worked on it
very hard.”
Colorado has again implemented
some of the option plays that helped
them to be one of the top rushing
teams in the country before convert
ing to a pro-style attack last season.
See HUSKERS on 10
Husker win essential
for volleyball title
By Tim Pearson
Senior Reporter
The Nebraska volleyball team’s
Big Eight title hopes will be on the
line Saturday night against first-place
Colorado.
The No. 17 Comhuskers, 16-3,
will face the No. 16 Buffaloes, 18-4,
at the NU Coliseum in a 7:30 match.
The Huskers hope to redeem them
selves against Colorado after the Buffs
defeated them in five games in Boul
der. Colo., on Oct. 13.
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said
beating Colorado was essential if the
Huskers wanted to win their 18th
straight Big Eight title.
“If we want to win the conference,
it would be a must-win,” he said. “I
don’t know of any year where we
haven’t had to beat the next-best team
at home.
“We’ie going to do everything in
our power to make it 18 straight. We
have to do it a step at a time, and the
next step is Colorado.”
Buffs coach Brad Saindon said
maintaining his team's perfect con
ference record would be a tough task.
“Has anybody had much success
-44
We have to do It a
step at a time, and
the next step Is
Colorado
—Pettit,
NU volleyball coach
-ft
playing in Lincoln?” he said. “It’s
tough for anyone to pull out a win
against them at home.”
Colorado has never defeated Ne
braska in Lincoln; since the Huskers
moved back into the Coliseum in 1990,
they are 52-3 at home.
Pettit said the match might influ
ence the outcome of the Big Eight
race, but that was not his main con
cern.
“Winning the Big Eight is only one
of five or six different goals of ours,”
he said. “Most of our goals lead to our
performance in NCAA play.”
A capacity crowd is expected in
the Coliseum, and Saindon said his
team was looking forward to playing
in front of a large crowd. He said the
Nebraska-Colorado football game
Big Eight Volleyball
Standings
Colorado
7-0,18-4
Oklahoma 5-1,13-8
Iowa State 2-4,5-14
Kansas Stats 0-7,7-15
Saturday afternoon could have an ef
fect on the match.
‘The fact that the football game is
in Boulder will affect the crowd/' he
said. “If Nebraska loses (the football
game), the fans will want revenge,
and if they win, they’ll want to rub it
in.
“Either way it’ll be a frenzied
crowd. It’ll be a factor, but I don’t
think it will be the deciding factor.”
Pettit said he was expecting “the
biggest crowd we’ve ever had here.”
They’ll be a great crowd, and
they’ll be noisy,” Pettit said. “Sooner
or later an enthusiastic crowd wears
on an opponent.”
Nsbraska
5-2,16-3
ONGraphic
Husker runners ready
for conference finals
By Tony West
Staff Reporter
Jay Dirksen, Nebraska’s cross
country coach, will spend part of
Halloween weekend in his old naunts.
But it will be new turf for members of
the Comhusker cross country teams.
Dirksen, who coached women’s
track at the University of Missouri for
the 1982-83 season, will return to
Columbia, Mo., Saturday for the Big
Eight Cross Country Championships.
“(Nebraska’s runners) have never
ran there,” Dirksen said. “But none of
the teams have ran there before.”
Dirksen said Nebraska had the en
tire season to prepare for this meet and
the championship phase of the sea
son, and that he was confident the
teams were well-prepared.
Despite not knowing what the
course holds, Dirksen said, the run
ners know what they want to accom
plish.
“Our focus is to do well in the
championship part of the season,"
Dirksen said. “I don’t think there is
anything more we can do.”
Dirksen said the Huskers should be
able to improve from last year’s per
formances.
Last year, Nebraska’s men placed
sixth, and the women finished third
after being picked to win.
“We’ve definitely made a lot of
improvements since a year ago,”
Dirksen said. “I think we have a chance
at being in the top three for men, and
I have a lot of confidence in this
women’s team. We’ve been coming
on.”
Iowa State, ranked second nation
ally, and No. 5 Colorado are expected
to top the men’s competition.
Colorado’s 1 lth-ranked women’s
team is expected to win its competi
tion. Nebraska’s women are ranked
15 th nationally.
Individually, Theresa Stelling is
expected to do well at the meet for the
women. She placed fourth at last year's
Big Eight Championships in Boulder,
Nebraska senior David Iteffa is the
retumin;; Big Eight champion,but his
chances of competing are uncertain.
Iteffa is suffering from a hamstring
strain.
But Dirksen said the teams were
ready to travel to Columbia.
“Everyone else is in good health,”
Dirksen said. “I think it will be inter
esting.”