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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1993)
Daily Nebraskan Thursday, November 4,1993 Injuries have kept Jayhawks grounded in ‘93 By Jeff Griesch S&nbr Reporter_ Since the Jayhawks’ sea son-opening loss to Florida State, Kansas coach Glen Mason has had to worry more about Find ing 22 healthy Mason starters tnan na tional rankings and bowl bids. That’s tough medicine for Mason to take, especially when the 4-5 Jayhawks had high hopes for build ing on their impressive 8-4 season last year. “We just go from day-to-day around here because of the way things have been going for us,” Mason said. “We haven’t known who are starters were going to be until game time.” Mason has watched 20 Jayhawks miss at least one game because of injuries this season, including 11 players who have started. Eleven of the wounded have been lost for the season. Kansas has started 41 different players — the most in Mason’s ca reer—this season, including 17 play ers who have made their first career starts. No position has been safe from the rash of injuries. Consider: •Two quarterbacks, three offen sive linemen and two wide receivers have made their first career starts this season. •The Jayhawks have started nine different defensive linemen, includ ing Brent Willeford, who started the season as a tight end. •The backfield has seen three dif ferent starting tailbacks. Freshman June Henley, the second leading rush er in the Big Eight, is the current starter. Despite the injuries. Mason said, his team has continued to work hard to prepare for opponents. “This is the best bunch of guys we have had here as far as their work ethic and the attention'they give to detail,” Mason said. “No one has giv en up.” Mason said it seemed like no one around him was safe from the injury plague. “The injuries have even hit my family,” Mason said. “My son, Pat Mason, tore an anterior^ruciate liga ment in his knee during a junior var sity game for Lawrence High School and is out for his season.” Mason said the injuries had be come so contagious that he was be ing extra cautious. “I have been looking three or four times before crossing the street and holding the railings when I walk down the stairs,” Mason said. “No one is safe~around here.” Men’s basketball preseason poll has Huskers 4th From Staff Reports Led by 1992-93 Big Eight Player of the Year Bryant Reeves, Oklaho ma State was picked to win the Big Eight men’s basketball title in the annual preseason media poll. Nebraska, which placed guard Erik Piatkowski on the conference’s preseason first team, was picked to finish fourth behind No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri. Reeves was the overwhelming fa vorite to repeat as Big Eight Player of the Year, receiving 51 out of 59 first-place votes. Missouri sophomore guard Julian Winfield was picked to win the con ference’s newcomer-of-the-year hon ors. Kansas guard Jacque Vaughn was the favorite to win freshman-of-the year honors. Nebraska guard Jamar Johnson was an honorable-mention All-Big Eight selection. men's preseason basketball poll total Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th points Oklahoma State 46 9 2 1 455 Kansas 7 35 12 4 401 Missouri 2 13 22 10 332 Nebraska 2 2 14 19 282 Oklahoma 1 - 5 17 240 Iowa State 1 - 2 4 196 Kansas State - 1 3 5 180 Colorado 1 - - *_ 76 Player-of-the-Year C Bryant Reeves, Oklahoma State Preseason 1st team All-Big Eight (votes) C Bryant Reeves, Oklahoma State (58) G Steve Wood berry, Kansas (50) G Eric Piatkowski, Nebraska (48) G Donnie Boyce, Colorado (34) F Jeff Webster, Oklahoma (24) ON graphic SHARPEN YOUR COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH AIR FORCE ROtC. w ' No mailer whal area you've chosen for your ^^S|H^^collegc major, you can enhance your competi live strengths now. Join Air Force ROTC, and you'll begin the first steps toward becoming an Air Force pilot, navigator, engineer, manager- a range of different disciplines. Most important: your skills and managerial expertise will be built on the solid foundations of leadership that are critical to career success, call: CAPTAIN NICK MOORE 472-2473/ RM 209, M&N BLDG KOIC" J1 1' - _, Leadership Excellence Starts Here_ The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration presents the 15th annual E.J. Faulkner Lecture delivered by Willis D. Gradison President Health Insurance Association of America "Capital requirements of U.S. Health Insurers: The Implications of Universal Coverage" Friday, Nov. 5,1993 10:30 a.m. Nebraska Union 14th and R streets University of Nebraska-Lincoln The public is invited to this free lecture sponsored by Woodmen Accident and Life Company Orange Bowl Continued from Page 7 said, but they also hope Alabama doesn’t catch the Huskers in the coa lition bowl rankings. The Crimson' Tide gained 38 points on Nebraska in this week’s poll and is only 56 points behind the Huskers. “We want a national champion ship game, and we want to see Ne braska in there,” Epling said. “The system we have now is a workable system. The coaches vote and the sportswriters vote, so it’s out of my hands.” Jayhawk Continued from Page 7 Powell spending most of his time blocking for tailback June Henley. Powell, however, scored the only touchdown in the Jayhawks 13-6 win over Oklahoma State last week, which boosted Kansas to 2-2 in con ference play. “We think we can move the ball on anybody,” Powell said. “Last year we moved the ball on everybody but Nebraska. We hope that isn’t the case again this year.” However, Powell said, he still sees the one constant on Nebraska’s de fense between last year and this year — outside linebacker Trev Alberts. “Their defense is extremely tough,” he said. “Trev Alberts has all of our respect here in Kansas and he deserves it. To us, it is a personal goal going against one of the best in the country.” Cooper Continued from Page 7 Ask Com Stock and he’ll tell you why Tommie Frazier means more to Nebraska than any other Husker. “Our offense hinges on Tommie,” he says. “No one brings more confi dence to the team than Tommie. When he came back in against Colo rado, we knew the game was over.” Ask Com Stock and he’ll tell you why the Frazier-led Cornhuskers de serve to be among the top four teams in the nation. “Alabama, who’s ranked ahead of us, has played one Top 25 team and tied ‘em. Yet when we beat Colo rado, we lose points in both polls. “Kansas State is a Top 20 team and UCLA should be at least a Top 7 team. We held them to 14 points Safety Continued from Page 7 Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said he did not think Cornhusker fans would create a similar frenzy even after a big win. He said Wisconsin’s win over Michigan was especially sweet because it was the Badgers’ first victory over the Big Ten power house since 1981. If that type of melee happened at Nebraska, Osborne said, he’d “be right in the middle of them” trying to stop it. “I think people here get excited about a win,” he said, “but I don’t think that you’re going to see a mob scene here after you win a game. It could happen, but you sure hope it doesn’t.” In order to prepare for the rush of Husker fans last year following the Colorado game, Caublc said, securi ty officers stepped up their efforts to restrict UNL students to their assigned seats. Cauble said too many students crowded one area of the Wisconsin stadium, contributing to the disaster. “Part of the problem at Wisconsin was the overloaded student section,” he said. “When there’s a restriction of movement is when you get your problem. The ones further back push and then you get people pinned up against the gates.” During a rush of the field, keeping fans from piling up is the most im portant job for the security, Cauble said. But postgame security, he said, is a potential problem. Cauble said 75 officers worked security during games at Memorial Stadium. However, once the game ends, 45 officers leave to help con trol traffic. “That’s when it gets a little diffi cult,” Cauble said. Despite the incident at Wiscon sin, Cauble said, he thinks the behav ior of fans at all schools will remain the same. But Cauble said he didn’t think a disaster could happen at Nebraska. “I don’t foressee it happening, but it’s not impossible,” he said. “We would like, obviously, everyone’s cooperation in not doing that. “But the fans here, I think, are a little bit above that.” ototO Nebraska's team vCilvUI I w (fl 19 leaders after eight games. RUSHING Games/ Net Yards/ Starting ATT yards Game TD Calvin Jones 6/6 105 558 93.0 9 Tommie Frazier 8/8 89 507 63.4 5 Lawrence Plullips 7/0 80 457 65.3 5 Damon Bowing 7/2 44 257 36.7 3 PASS RECEIVING Games/ ___________ Starting No. Yards Longest TDs Abdul Muhammad 8/5 20 335 4? 2 Corey Dixon 8/7 16 304 60 2 Trumanc Bell 8/4 10 151 33 l| Reggie Baul 8/1 7 116 42 0 PASSING Games/ Comp - Comp - Starting Alt Pet. Int Yds. TDs Tommie Frazier 8/8 64-128 .500 3 1003 8 TACKLES Games/ Starting, Unassisted Assists Total Toby Wrijht 8/8 34 24 58 Ed Stewart 8/8 20 33 53 Ernie Beler 8/7 15 25 40 1 John Reece 8/8 20 18 38 Mike Anderson 8/7 15 23 38 INTERCEPTIONS Avg. Games No. Ret yards TD Toby Wright 8 2 33.5 2 Kareem Mott 8 1 42 0 __ ON graphic while Arizona, with the No. 1 de fense in the land, couldn’t stop ’em.” Sound just a bit like Osborne? That’s not because almost every Western Nebraskan seems to live a football’s throw from the coach’s hometown of Hastings. “It’s because that’s all we hear about,” Com Stock says. “And we listen to him. Tom Osborne is a good, honest Christian man. And win or lose, we respect him.” But what if the Huskers don’t win the national championship, like, for instance, during every season since Osborne took over? “Oh, we’ll win it," Com Stock says. “This is our year.” Ah, the deadly statement that al ways leaves Dusker Ians with red on their face. Why does he and the rest ofoutstatc Nebraska continually mut ter those words? “Because Notre Dame will beat Florida State,” he says. “And Ne braska can beat a team like Notre Dame. And besides, someone has to believe it.” Com Stock’s one of ‘em. “I’ve always been a ‘This will be the year’ person,” Com Stock says. “And this WILL be the year.’” He has certainly said stranger things. And stranger things have hap pened. Cooper la a tea lor aew»-editorial aid po litical acleace major aad la tbo Dally Nobraa kaa aporta editor.
