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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1994)
Sports Friday, October 21,1994 Page 8 NU defense hopes to cage Tigers’ passing 1 By Mitch Sharman Senior Reporter Two weeks ago, the Nebraska de fense had taken enough heat. Following Wyoming’s 32-point outburst, the Blackshirts were sur rounded by question marks and un sat isfactwy reviews. The Huskcrs surrendered 344 yards passing to a freshman quarter back, and the defense’s pride had been bruised. “You can only take so much criti cism,” All-Big Eight corncrback Barron Miles said. “1 think our de fense had enough, and we were out to prove everybody wrong.” Since the Wyoming game, Nebraska’s defense has allowed only nine points and 382 yards in two games, including only 33 yards rush ing. On paper. Saturday’s 1:08 p.m. kickoff at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo., against 2-4 (1-1 in the Big Eight) Missouri, is a matchup of two defenses playing on different levels. No. 3 Nebraska, 7-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, ranks first or second in the Big Eight in every de fensive category, while Missouri is seventh or eighth on each chart. But Miles, named the national defensive player of the week by Athlon Sports for his efforts against Kansas State, said he wasn't worried about about how the Huskers stacked up to the Tigers' defensive attack. He’s concerning himself with Missouri’s receivers. At 5-feet-8-inches and 165 pounds. Miles, an All-Big Eight se lection a year ago, does not have a height advantage over too many re ceivers. But he is able to make up for that with his athletic ability, shown by his school-record six pass break ups against Kansas State last week. Before this year, the school record for pass breakups in a season was six. Miles has nine this season. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said the Huskers would have to once again rely on Miles, along with the rest of the secondary, to stop Missouri’s passing game, which is averaging 199.2 yards per game this year. “Jeff Handy is a really good auar terback,” Osborne said. “I think he throws well, and I think they’ve tried to develop a tougher running game than what they’ve had in the past.” Osborne said he was impressed with the way Missouri played against No. 2 Colorado on Oct. 8. The Ti gers lost 38-23 in Columbia, but Osborne said Missouri had shown quite a bit of improvement since the beginning of the year. “They are certainly a much better football team than they were four, five, six weeks ago,” Osborne said. “Colorado got off to a two-touchdown lead early in the game and then after that, it was an even ballgame. Osborne said the improvement was a credit to first-year coach Larry Smith, who took over for Bob Stull in the spring. “There is always an adjustment period when you have a new coach ing staff come in,” he said. Things also have fallen into place for the Nebraska defense during con ference play, Osborne said. And one person partially responsible is true freshman Grant Wistrom. Wistrom, one of only three Husk ers from Missouri, has played about half of Nebraska’s snaps, backing up outside linebacker Donta Jones. See TIGERS on 9 Tigers’ QB is more than meets the eye By Mitch firman Senior Reporter Jeff Handy is not as well known as Kordell Stewart. He’s not as recognizable as Tommie Frazier or Chad May. He hasn’t graced the cover of national magazines, and he hasn’t been mentioned in the same sentence as Heisman Trophy or first round draft pick. But quietly. Missouri's senior quarterback is creating a list of accomplishments that will be remembered just as long as the marks of the Big Eight’s other premiere quarterbacks. The 6-foot-3-inch. 202-pound Handy, a three-year starter from Blue Springs. Mo , burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 1992. In Handy’s first start, he completed 43 of 73 passes for 480 yards against Oklahoma State. He followed that performance with a record setting day against Nebraska, in which he threw for 424 yards against the Cornhuskers in a 34-24 loss. That was the last time Nebraska played in Columbia, Mo. Until Saturday. Handy said he would like to have just as good a passing day on Saturday, but more im portantly, he would like the Tigers to register a victory over Nebraska — something they haven’t done since 1978. “Every team we play, we get up for,” Handy said. “But when you go up against a team like Nebraska, it’s a little different." Handy didn’t perform as well against Ne braska the second time around last year in Lin coln. but he said he was confident the Tiger offense would be able to move the ball Satur day. In Missouri’s last two games. Handy said the Tigers may have turned the comer after a dismal start. The Tigers stayed within 15 points of No. 2 Colorado two weeks ago and beat Oklahoma State 24-15 on the road last Satur day. A major reason for the team's turnaround, Handy said, has been the players’ acceptance of the new system installed by first-year coach Larry Smith, who took over for Bob Stull last Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field Columbia, Mo. Saturday, 1:08 p.m. Missouri QB 18 Brook Berringer 6-4 210 FB 40 Cory Schlesinaer 6-0 230 IB 1 Lawrence Phillips 6-0 200 SE 7 Reggie Baul 5-8 170 WB 27 Abdul Muhammad 5-9 160 RT 72 Zach Wiegert 6-5 300 LT 56 Rob Zatechka 6-5 315 RG 55 Brenden Stai 6-4 300 LG 76 Joel Wilks 6-3 280 C 54 Aaron Graham 6-3 280 TE 85 Matt Shaw 6-3 235 PK 6 Darin Erstad 6-2 195 QB 11 Jeff Handy 6-3 202 RB 1 Joe Freeman 5-1 180 AB 24 Greg Smith 0 211 WR 7 Brian Sallee 6-0 195 WR 2 Rahsetnu Jenkins 6-3 170 RT 85 Bill Lingerfelt 6-2 240 LT 71 Chris Buck 6-4 305 RG 75 Trey O'Neil 6-6 290 LG 74 Rate Parsons 6-5 320 C 77 Matt Dowil 6-6 272 TE 50 Russ Appel 6-3 246 PK 19 Kyle Pooler 6-0 193 LOLB 86 Dwayne Harris 6-2 225 DT 55 Christian Peter 6-2 285 NT 99 Terry Conneafy 6-5 275 ROLB 84 Donta Jones 6-2 220 SAM 4 Troy Dumas 6-4 220 MIKE 48 DougColman 6-3 240 WILL 32 Ed Stewart 6-1 215 LCB 14 Barron Miles 5-8 165 RCB 8 Tyrone Williams 6-0 165 ROV 29 KareemMoss 5-10190 FS 9 Tony Veland 6-2 200 P 6 Dann Erstad 6-2 195 LT 8 Detrick Wells 6-0 226 DE 98 Steve Martin 6-5 284 RT 87 Matt Murray 6-5 284 DE 92 Damon Simon 6-5 250 SI LB 47 Chris Singletary 6-2 205 WILB 43 Darryl Chatman 6-1 226 MLB 39 Travis McDonald 6-2 225 LCB 9 Percell Gaskins 6-1 215 RCB 26 Clayton Baker 5-10174 SS 4 Bo Adams 6-0 201 FS 21 Andre White 6-1 194 P 19 Kyle Pooler 6-0 193 spring. “Everybody is now starting to get used to it,” he said. “When he came in, there were some changes. Coach Smith runs a system where if you don’t give 110 percent, there’s going to be another guy right there to replace you. Now that Smith, who has coached at Tulanc, Arizona and USC, has been on the sidelines DN graphic for almost two months. Handy said the Tigers were starting to enjoy the games more. Handy, Missouri’s career and single-season passing-yardage record holder, can pass Cale Gundy to become the Big Eight’s fifth all-time leading passer if he throws for 184 yards on Saturday. “It helps eveiybody’s confidence if we play well against Nebraska,” he said. Cyclones aim to get revenge against Huskers Py Clay Phtt Staff Reporter Last Saturday, Iowa State won one game from 18-0 Nebraska. This Saturday, the Cyclones are aim ing for more. The Cyclones are hoping for a little revenge on the Comhuskers’ home court, the NU Coliseum, in a 7:30 p.m. volley ball match Saturday. Iowa State is 1S-S overall and 4-2 in the Big Eight, with one of those losses • coming against the Huskers. But Cyclone coach Jackie Nunez said a win at Nebraska would be a tough task. “When you play a team like Nebraska, everybody has to show up to play; not everybody did (last Saturday),” Cyclone coach Jackie Nunez said. “Some of them did play very well, but a couple of our important positions didn’t show.” Iowa State is third in the Big Eight, behind Colorado and Nebraska. A win this weekend would put the Cyclones in the Big Eight title hunt. However, the Cyclones could be walk ing into an ambush this weekend. Not only are the Huskers 18-0, but they also have won their last 33 matches in the Coliseum, dating back to their 1992 home opener against New Mexico. “Nebraska draws a very impressive crowd for every match at home,” Nunez said. “The atmosphere isn’t hostile, but it is definitely a challenge to go into their homecourt and give them their first loss of the year. “Hopefully we will play up to it.” Nunez is not counting her team out of the Big Eight race, but she admitted See CYCLONES on 9 «