Nebraskan
Thursday, July 28,1994
SPORTS
Smith hopes to start MU on long road to respectability
Courtesy of the Big 8 Conference
Larry Smith is Missouri’s
first-year football coach.
By Derek Samson
Staff Reporter _
Bill McCartney was able to do it
with Colorado and Bill Snyder is well
on his way to similar accomplish
ments at Kansas State.
But those success stories doesn’t
make it any easier for Larry Sm ith and
his attempt to break Missouri into the
elite of Big Eight football, which has
been dominated by Nebraska and
Oklahoma for the past few decades.
When Smith was hired last De
cember to replace Bob Stull as head
coach, he knew a long road was ahead
of him.
But with fall practice less than a
month away, the picture is more clear
for Smith to reach the goal of rebuild
ing the Tigers’ football program.
“If there is one thing that needs to
be instilled here, it is the altitude of
winning,” Smith said. “One big thing
is to improve technique and funda
mentals, but the bottom line is the
attitude. We have to make these play
ers believers in their ability.”
Smith brings a 110-80-6 career
head coaching record into Missouri
with his latest job being a six-year
stint as coach of Southern California.
He said coaching in an improved
Big Eight conference wouldn’t make
the rebuilding process any easier.
“From what I see, the Big Eight
could be the strongest it has been in a
very long time from top to bottom,”
Smith said. “Nebraska and Colorado
are definitely top 10 and maybe top
five. That alone makes it a tough
conference. But then you have Okla
homa, Kansas State and Kansas in
there.”
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne
agreed that parity in recent years —
particularly last year when four teams
went to bowl games — has given the
Big Eight more respect.
“In the last three years, from top to
bottom, this conference is as about as
strong as I’ve ever seen it,” Osborne
said. “Teams like Kansas and Kansas
State are about three or four touch
downs better than in the past. I think
it will be a very competitive league
this year.”
Because of cities like Kansas City
and St. Louis,Osborne said Missouri
may have the least difficulty of any
school in the conference to rebuild.
“I don’t think Missouri has really
ever had a bad program,” he said.
“Because oftheirpopulation.ofall the
Big Eight states, they come the closest
to the best recruits. They can get 20 to
25 players from their own state.
“I think Larry has a lot to work w ith
at Missouri. I think it’s a relatively
lucrative recruiting area and they have
the past tradition to build on.”
Presently, Smith is hoping to start
his rebuilding on the first day of fall
practice, which means it is up to the
players to take care of their summer
obligation.
“What 1 expect to happen is for all
the players to show up in good shape
this fall,” he said. “We have a lot of
work to do here and the players know
they must use the month of July to get
in shape during the summer workouts
so we don’ t havc to worry about that in
August.
“Being a new coach, I really want
to work on the technique and funda
mental aspects right away. They know
they have to get in shape now so we
can work on things like blocking once
fall practices begin. There is a lot of
work to be done in August and I’m
anxious to get started.”
Selection of Alberts
will pay off for Colts
The Indianapolis Colts made Trev Alberts
a rich man Monday.
But it will be thcColts who will cash in for
selecting Alberts as the fifth pick overall in
last April’s draft and then signing him to a
reported six-year deal worth $8.15 million
and a signing bonus worth $3,275 million.
After Alberts signed Monday, the Colts
had all their draft picks signed, including
former San Diego State running back
Marshall Faulk, who signed a seven-year
deal worth nearly $17.2 million.
Toss in the Colts’ second-round selec
tion, guard Eric Mahoum of California, and
free agent linebacker Tony Bennett, former
ly a Green Bay Packer, and the Colts have
done some damage to their own pockctbook
that should payoff in the i " |
long run.
There is only one key
position that may keep
Indianapolis from being
a contender — quarter
back.
Apparently, the Col is
consider Jim Harbaugh
a franchise player. If
that’s true, then sign me
up as his backup.
Alberts
It was for this reason that alI the 11 reworks
were set off during the NFL draft when Indy
opted to pass up Fresno State quarterback
Trent Dilfer for Alberts with its fifth pick.
But Alberts was a pick the Colts couldn’t
afford to pass up, especially after picking up
Bennett. The Colts may have one of the best
linebacker duos in the NFL.
Where the Colts went wrong was not
going after one of the quarterbacks available
in the free agent market like Warren Moon,
Scott Mitchell or even Erik Kramer.
But they stuck with Harbaugh, who
couldn’t even be a starter in arena football.
The Colts did the best they could with the
second and fifth overall picks in the draft—
Derek
Samson
even though it put them in a light financial
situation.
Alberts said last week from his home in
Cedar Falls, Iowa, that he knew the Colts
were in for long negotiations with their top
two picks.
“They (Indianapolis) are in a lough posi
tion right now,” Alberts said. “Not only with
Marshall and myself, but they got a high
second-rounder named Eric Mahoum and
we’re all three penciled in as starters as of
now. It makes it hard to sign three players
like that right away.”
Indianapolis was feeling a bit squeezed
with Alberts and Faulk, Colts General Man
ager Jim Irsay told the Associated Press.
“The important thing was for us to lock up
these two draft picks so there was no possi
bility of losing both as free agents in the same
year,” Irsay said.
And now that the Colts have locked their
players up, it’s time for them to reap the
benefits.
At least they hope so.
But Alberts will prove himself to be a
good investment.
“My position all along is that I’m not out
looking for a contract that is more than what
I should be paid, but I want a fair deal,”
Alberts said before the signing.
Forthe Colts, Monday’ssigningof Alberts
was the finish to a productive off-season.
For Alberts, it was a figure he now has to
earn.
Samson li a junior news-editorial major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist. - -.
DN File Photo
Trev Alberts was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the fifth pick in April’s
NFL draft. He is shown after recording a sack in the 1994 Orange Bowl,