Husker title lacks hooplah
By Jeff Griesch
Senior Reporter
One by one, Nebraska players walked to
their seats in front of the rows of reporters,
microphones and cameras after their 49-17
win over Iowa Stale.
The Cornhuskers had clinched their third
straight Big Eight championship. The smiles
and laughter most would expect after clinch
ing a title weren’t present.
Husker after Husker methodically answered
questions and left the room quietly.
No whooping it up. No high-fives.
No respect.
Despite being undefeated, Nebraska play
ers felt slighted after being passed over bv
Miami in the coalition poll a week ago.
This week, Nebraska moved ahead of Mi
ami in the coalition poll but remained 67 points
behind No'. 2 Florida State, which lost to Notre
' Dame Saturday.
Although Nebraska will have to move into
second place in the poll in order for a national
title shot, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said
he was only concerned with winning games.
“The polls, to me, have become sort of a
humorous thing,” Osborne said. “We just hope
to play well and win one more time.”
Osborne put to rest any thoughts of Nebras
ka running up the score at the end of Satur
day’s game in order to win a higher ranking.
“I really didn’t want to do anything to of
fend Jim Walden because they beat us last
year and deserve the respect,” Osborne said.
“If people vote on points you score against
someone else, then that’s kind of sad.”
Nebraska quarterback Tommie Fra/ier said
the Huskcrs wanted to show people around the
nation that Nebraska was a team to reckon
with.
“I feel like we still have something to prove
to coaches, fans and the state of Nebraska and
other people out there that we are a good
team,” Fra/ier said. “We can’t control the way
they vote, but if we go undefeated they can’t
take that away from us.”
Fra/ier helped the Huskers remain unde
- ii
Hopefully those guys will
wake up and smell the
coffee and realize there is a
good team in the Big Eight
and that’s Nebraska.
—Ramaekers
Nebraska defensive tackle
- 99 -
fcatcd on Saturday by having a hand m four of
Nebraska's seven touchdowns.
The sophomore from Bradenton, Fla.,
rushed 13 times for 125 yards and three touch
downs. Fie also passed for 68 yards, including
a touchdown to tight end Gerald Armstrong.
Calvin Jones, who led all rushers with 208
yards and one touchdown on 26 carries, was
the other big weapon in the Nebraska's 438
yard rushing day.
Jones, who moved ahead of Ken Clark into
second place on the Nebraska all-time rushing
list with 3,071 career yards, kept his emotions
under cover.
“I'm just keeping everything in perspec
tive,'' Jones said. “We can’t really control
what the voters or anybody else does but the
one thing we can control is our own destina
tion. We want to have a chance and go down
and play fora national championship.’’
Huskerdefensive lineman Kevin Ramaekers
said he hoped Saturday’s win would help per
suade voters to rank Nebraska high.
“Hopefully those guys will wake up and
smell the coffee and realize there is a good
team in the Big Eight and that's Nebraska,”
Ramaekers said
“I don’t think it would really be fair for a
team to go undefeated and not play lor a
national championship.”
Nebraska linebacker Tre\ Alberts, w ho w as
Coalition Poll
Rankings
iin.i 1A USA Today/
Nov. 14 Ap CNN
Standings (first-place (first-place Coalition
votes) votes) Point total
1. Notre Dame 1(62) 1(60) 3,098
2. Florida State 2 3 2,900
3. Nebraska 3 2(2) 2,833
4. Miami 4 4 2,694
5. Ohio State 5 5 2,574
6. Tennessee 7 7 2,370
7. West Virginia 9 6 2,260
8. Florida 8 9 2,221
9. Texas A&M 10 8 2,129
10.Alabama 11 10 1,911
The bowl coalition will
use the combined point
totals of the Associated
Press and the CNN/USA
Today polls to rank the Top
25 teams.
DN graphic
presented the game ball by Ramackcrs, had
another big day on defense with 10 total tack
les and one quarterback sack.
Ramackcrs said Alberts, a native of Cedar
Falls. Iowa, deserved the game ball because
he had lifted the Huskers by his play and vocal
leadership.
“Trev was freaking out, he was a spa/ out
there,” Ramackcrs said. “John Reece and I
were trying to calm him down. It was a big
game for him."
Despite Alberts’ emotion on the field, he
was calm and reserved after the game.
“We arc really happy with where we are at,
but we have only accomplished one-third of
our goals,” Alberts said.
“We still want to go undefeated and win a
national championship.
Shaun Sarlin/DN
Clockwise from above: Nebraska outside linebacker Donta Jones (left) chases down Iowa State’s Jeff Soucie during
the Cornhuskers’ 49-17 win Saturday. The Cyclones Weylan Harding (right) breaks up a pass intended for Corey
Dixon during the third quarter. Cornhusker cornerback Barron Miles, who blocked a punt Saturday, trips up Iowa
State’s Calvin Branch. Nebraska’s Trev Alberts, who tallied 10 tackles Saturday, chases down Iowa State’s Bob Utter
(right). Alberts recorded his only sack of the day on the play.