Sports
Friday, August 26, 1994 Page 10
NU coach predicts close Kickoff Classic
By Derek Samson
Senior Reporter
West Virginia went undefeated in
the regular season last year.
But the Mountaineers were ranked
third in the bowl coalition poll at the
end of the regular season.
The Mountaineers will start this
season in the same predicament after
being ranked 23rd in the CNN/USA
TODAY coaches’ prcscason poll and
24th in the Associated Press prescason
ratings.
But that doesn’t make Nebraska
coach Tom Osborne any more confi
dent going into Sunday’s KickoffClas
sic against West Virginia at Giants
Stadium in East Rutherford. N.J.
“I think they’ll be a very motivated
team,” Osborne said. “They play a
hard-nosed brand of football. They
look a lot like we do. They run some
option, and they run it at you.
“They send some pi ay action. They
play good defense and have good kick
ing. I think it will be a very close game
and a very competitive game.”
It will be the first time the teams
have ever met, although last year the
two teams likely could have been
matched up in the Orange Bowl for the
national title.
Asthconlytwobowl-cligiblctcams
to complete the regular season unde
feated, it looked as if it would be a
Nebraska-West Virginia matchup in
the Orange Bowl for the national cham
pionship.
However, Florida Slate was ranked
ahead of the Mountaineers in the bowl
coalition poll, and thcScminolescvcn
tually beat Nebraska for the national
title. Meanwhile, Florida defeated the
- it
/ know that
(Mountaineer coach)
Don Nehlen feels
they will be as good
or better defensively.
That concerns me,
particularly in an
early game.
— Osborne
Nil football coach
-tf
Mountaineers in the Sugar Bowl.
“Last year, 1 thought West Virginia
had a great defensive football team.”
Osborne said. “They had a lot of speed
and were a very aggressive team. I
know that (Mountaineer coach) Don
Nehlen feels they will be as good or
better defensively. That concerns me,
particularly in an early game.
“If they can play great defense and
have great kicking, which they should,
I think they should be a very strong
football team to deal with.”
But this year’s version of West
Virginia still has some unanswered
questions, mainly about the starting
quarterback job.
The Mountaineers will apparently
use two quarterbacks, Eric Boykin and
Chad Johnston, in the KickolTClassic.
Osborne said West Virginia should
be solid with cither one.
“My understanding is that physi
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Husker cornerback Barron Miles takes a water break after practice. Miles will be aoina home
to New Jersey to play in front of numerous family members and friends at the Kickoff Classic
on Sunday.
Mountaineer coach praises NU
By Mitch Sherman_
Senior Reporter
AflerlistcningtoWcslVirginiacoach
Don Nehlen talk about his team’s up
coming game against Nebraska in the
Kickoff Classic, you get the feeling that
he likes this year’s Comhuskcr team.
During the past few days, Nehlen
has come up with a variety of ways to
commend Nebraska.
“Regardless of how you cut it,”
Nehlen said, “you have to pay (Nebras
ka) the highest respect. They have the
best football program in the nation over
the last 10 to 15 years. Nobody, even
Notre Dame as good as they are, has
matched Nebraska’s consistency.
“And this yearNebraska isoncofthc
top one, two or three teams in the
nation.”
Nehlen not only praised the
Comhuskcrs but also applauded Ne
braska coach Tom Osborne.
“Tom Osborne should be an absolute
walking genius and god out there." he
said. “When you read their press guide,
it’s almost unbelievable. My hat’solTto
their program.”
Nehlen isn’t too bad of a coach
himself. In 14seasonsat West Virginia,
the nation’s 13th most winning active
coach has racked up a record of 103-56
4. He has guided the Mountaineers to
eight bowls and two undefeated regular
seasons.
Sunday’s 1 p.m. game in East
Rutherford, N J., marks the first meet
ing between No. 3 Nebraska and No. 23
- i(
Regardless of how you cut It, you have to pay
(Nebraska) the highest respect They have the
best football program in the nation over the last
10 to 15 years. Nobody, even Notre Dame as
good as they are, has matched Nebraska’s
consistency.
— Nehlen
West Virginia football coach
_____
West Virginia.
Even with all of Nebraska’s talent,
Nchlcn said, the Mountaineers arc not
intimidated by the Huskers.
“We know that Nebraska is a great
team,” Nehlen said. “And they could
beat any top team, but we never go into
a game trying to just match up. We go
in trying to win it.”
The Mountaineers did a lot of win
ning a year ago. They went 11 -0 in the
regular season before losing to Florida
41-7 in the Sugar Bowl.
Nehlen shied away from questions
about last season. Despite the fact that
many people thought Nebraska and
West Virginia should have squared off
in a national championship game last
year, Nehlen said Sunday’s game had
nothing to do with 1993.
“This isn’t last year’s game,” he
said. “We have a different team, and
they have a different team.”
However, he said Nebraska’s team
was not a whole lot different. *
“They have most of their key guys
back ” Nchlen said. “It was obvious
from looking at last year’sOrangcBowl
that Nebraska was a great team. Florida
Stale was supposed to be so much belter
than everybody else, and Nebraska was
every bit as talented as them.”
One talented player with whom the
Mountaineers will have to contend is
Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier.
Nchlen said.
Based primarily on film from the
Orange Bowl, in which the Huskers lost
to the Seminolcs 18-16, Nchlen said
Frazier was deserving of high praise.
“I see their main strength as they
have a third-year quarterback coming
back who very well couldbc the Heistnan
Trophy winner,” Nchlen said. “He’s
got it all, and he’s got a great supporting
cast.”
Alumnae match to begin season
From Staff Reports
The Nebraska volleyball team begins its 1994
season by playing some past Comhusker greats in
an al umnae match Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the NU
Coliseum.
The alumnae team, made up of 14 past Husker
players, will have five former All-Americans,
including assistant vofleyball coaches Val Novak
and Cathy Noth.
Last season the Huskers had nine All-Ameri
cans return, but this season only Eileen Shannon,
Stephanie Thater, Novak, Kathi DeBoer
(Wieskamp) and Noth will participate.
Nine other Husker players will join the five
All-Americans to help fill out the alumnae roster.
Noth said the alumnae team planned to prac
tice beforehand so it could be better prepared for
the match.
Noth, who is in charge of putting together the
alumnae team, said this season she had some
trouble getting a competitive team together.
“It was a little difficult getting people togeth
er,” Noth said. “We just hope we can have a team
that can give the Huskcrs a good run.”
Noth, who played with the Huskcrs from 1981
84, said having successful alumnae come back
and play showed the quality of the Nebraska
volleyball program.
“It’s encouraging to our players to know that
five to 10 years later, they can still play volley
ball,” she said. “It gives some idea of now we help
make Nebraska volleyball.”
NU quarterback transfers
From Staff Reports
The list of scholarship quarterbacks on the
Nebraska football team has shrunk to two after
Jon Elder transferred to Wayne Slate on Tues
day.
Wayne State coach Dennis Wagner said
Elder, a 6-foot-3,195-pound freshman from
Sioux City, Iowa, called Wagner’s home Mon
day evening and told the coach that he wanted
to leave the Comhuskers.
“I was really surprised and excited when 1
found out that Jon had called," Wagner said.
- “He asked if we were still interested m hun,and
I told him he was more than welcome here.”
Eldcrdidn’t feel comfortable with the Huskcr
offense and was having second thoughts about
wailing in line for several years to have a shot
at the starting job, Wagner said.
Wagner said he expected Elder, who mast
sit out a year, to adjast quickly to Wayne State’s
one-back, four-wide receiver offensive set.
“For Jon, I am sure he will be much more
comfortable with ouroffensc than he did with
Nebraska’s, because we run a very similar set
to what he did at Sioux City West,” Wagner
said. “Jon is a great athlete, but he just didn’t
fed comfortable running the option.”