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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1994)
Sports Friday, November 11,1994 Page 8 NU cautious as it enters Cyclone game By Pfk Samson Senior Reporter Despite an 0-8-1 record, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne thinks Iowa State is a much bet ter team now than the Cyclone team that opened its season with a 28-14 loss to North ern Iowa. And Osborne has the facts to back it up. The Cyclones have been averaging 422.5 yards a game, including 453 yards last week in a 38-20 loss at Kansas State. Nebraska gained 262 against Kansas State on Oct. 15 in Manhattan. The No. 1 Comhuskers will try to stop the Iowa State offense on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, at 1 p.m. Osborne said Iowa State’s offensive perfor mance against the Wildcats shouldn’t be taken lightly. “Iowa State has a good football team, and that may sound strange to say,” he said. “Of fensively, right now, 1 think they are playing very well. The thing that kind of grabbed my attention is that they had 440 (453) yards against Kansas State, and that’s almost double of what we had. “I would say there is a definite difference in their offense over the last three or four games as to what it was the first four or five games. They’re executing better.” Nebraska’s last trip to Ames two years ago resulted in Iowa State’s 19-10 upset of the sev enth-ranked Huskers — the only game Osborne has lost to a team that finished with a losing record. Osborne said the Cyclones had a recent his tory of playing Nebraska close, including last year’s 49-17 Husker win in Lincoln, and he hoped his players didn’t forget that. “Even last year we got off to a 21-7 lead, and we had a couple of turnovers, and it wasn’t Jay Caldaron/D* Nebraska l-back Lawranca Phillips divas Inta tha and zana far tha first af Ms two touchdowns against Kansas last Saturday. PMIIIps will ba going for Ms 10th straight 100-yard gams Saturday against Iowa State. decided until late in the game that we defi nitely had the thing put away,” he said. “So 1 think they’ll (players) understand that we have to play. In 1992, Iowa State was more motivated to win than the Huskers were, Osborne said. “(In 1992) We had beaten Colorado 52-7, then Kansas 49-7, and I don’t think our play ers consciously let down; I just don't think they were really ready to play,” he said. “I think Iowa State was very ready to play, and they played the game of the year.” Osborne said he knew the Cyclone players — 11 of which are Nebraska natives — would be ready for the top-ranked Huskcrs. “I’m sure that we’ll get their best effort,” he said. “They’ve got nine, 10 or 11 Nebraska players that are playing key roles for item. They’re certainly going to give us everything they’ve got; they always do. “I think Iowa State will come to play. In many respects, for a lot of those players, this will be the most important game of the year. I’m not taking anything for granted here at all." Despite waving a caution flag for his team, Osborne said that if the 10-0 Huskers played well, they should win. “I’m not trying to paint a negative picture here that we’re in big trouble and we can’t win the game,” he said. “We just have to pay at tention to business, and it may not be as quick and simple as people think.” Walden expounds on nightmare season By Tfvor Piito Staff Reporter The Iowa State football season has been filled with one nightmare after another for Coach Jim Walden. This Saturday, Walden’s nightmare season will end when the Cyclones play host to No. 1 Nebraska in Ames, Iowa. But the Cyclones have two games remain ing. The Big Eight Conference on Thursday suspended Walden from Iowa State’s final Walden game on inov. iv against Colorado. Walden announced his resignation on Nov. 3, and Saturday's game will be his last on the Iowa State side lines. Walden also was fined $5,(XX) for his com ments on the officiating af ter Iowa State's 38-20 loss to Kansas State last Satur day. Walden said Nebraska would cause his team numerous problems, but then the Cornhuskers caused problems for op ponents all year. “We’ll have the same problems the other 10 did,” Walden said. “We didn’t create their record.” However, being the opposite of Nebraska at 0-8-1, Walden said he wished things were bet ter for his program. “It’s been one of disappointment,” Walden said. “The frustration comes from not getting the team on an even keel. I feel so rotten for the players.” Injuries have hampered the Cyclones, and Walden said that was one reason why his high hopes for this season were crushed. “We’re not strong enough to lose eight or nine starters for an extended period of lime,” Walden said. “We couldn’t overcome it, and that’s a fact.” Walden said his team had done its best to make the most of the injuries. Although their record doesn't show it, the Cyclones nave improved as of late. In its last five games, the Iowa State oflcnse A#*w VAil Cyclone Stadium/Jack Trice Field G21IY1C Day U4 Ames, Iowa w Saturday, 1:00 p.m. Iowa State QB 18 Brook Berringer 6-4 210 QB 4 Todd Doxzon 6-0 170 FB 40 Cory Schlesinger 6-0 230 HB 25 Calvin Branch 5-11 189 IB 1 Lawrence Phillips 6-0 200 HB 28 Troy Davis 5-9 170 SE 7 Reggie Baul 5-8 170 FB 26 Jim Knott 6-0 210 WB 27 Abdul Muhammad 5-9 160 SE 88 Mike Horacek 6-1 196 RT 72 ZachWiegert 6-5 300 SE 86 Ivory Mhoon 5-7 172 LT 56 Rob Zatechka 6-5 315 RT 69 Brian Wilkinson 6-6 290 RG 55 BrendenStai 6-4 300 LT 77 Tim Kohn 6-5 282 LG 76 Joel Wilks 6-3 280 RG 73 Tony Booth 6-3 293 C 54 Aaron Graham 6-3 280 LG 74 Doug Ragaller 6-1 285 TE 85 Matt Shaw 6-3 235 C 58 Mike Sakalas 6-3 268 PK 6 Darin Erstad 6-2 195 PK 2 Ty Stewart 5-11 194 LOLB 86 Dwayne Harris 6-2 225 OLB 49 Marcus Allen 6-4 210 DT 55 Christian Peter 6-2 285 OLB 42 Marc Lillibridge 6-1 223 NT 99 Terry Connealy 6-5 275 OLB 38 Michael Cooper 6-0 200 ROLB 84 Donta Jones 6-2 220 LDT 98 Kevin Fleecs 6-3 244 SAM 4 Troy Dumas 6-4 220 RDT 92 Anthony Scott 6-4 253 MIKE 48 Phil Ellis 6-3 240 ILB 40 Tim Sanders 6-0 205 WILL 32 Ed Stewart 6-1 215 ILB 45 Matt Nitchie 6-2 220 LCB 14 Barron Miles 5-8 165 RCB 23 Jason Brown 5-10 181 RCB 8 Tyrone Williams 6-0 165 LCB 27 Daryl Hall 5-7 174 ROV 29 KareemMoss 5-10 190 SS 11 Matt Straight 5-11 192 FS 9 TonyVeland 6-2 200 FS 29 Cedric Linwood 5-11 194 P 6 Darin Erstad 6-2 195 P 16 Marc Harris 5-11 185 ON graphic has averaged 422.5 yards per game, primarily because of quarterback Todd Doxzon, Walden said. Walden said this game would be important not only for Doxzon but also for 14 other Cy clone players from Nebraska as well. “There isn’t one of them who wouldn’t rather be at Nebraska,” Walden said. “There is nothing they’d rather do in life. However, it’s like loving your brother. He might love you to death, but when you play golf or tennis or something, he wants to kick your ass." Walden has taken advantage of the oppor tunity he has to criticize the ofllcials, and he paid for it on Thursday. Walden said he liked the freedom, but it rarely did any good. “They'd like to strangle me if they could," Walden said. “I am just expressing my Ameri can right, but no one will argue with me.” Volleyball team keeping an eye on Big Eight By Mitch thwmni Senior Reporter The Nebraska volleyball team heads into its match against Missouri on Saturday not just hoping to win. The Comhuskers want to improve. Coach Terry Pettit said he would like to see the Huskers improve 3 to 5 percent each time they set foot on the court, even against the Big Eight’s lower echelon teams. The Tigers, who visit the NU Coliseum for a 3:30 p.m. match on Saturday, arc 9 17 overall and 0-9 in the Big Eight. Ne braska swept Missouri earlier this season in Columbia, Mo., 15-1, 15-4, 15-9. The Huskers continue to keep one eye on the present and one eye on Nov. 16, when they travel to Boulder, Colo., to play No. 14 Colorado. It is at that time, Pettit said, that Nebraska can take a major step toward accomplishing its preseason goal of regain ing the Big Eight championship. Undefeated Nebraska, 24-0 and ranked No. 1 in both polls, lost the Big Eight title to the Buffs a year ago after winning the crown for 17 consecutive seasons. “I think that, more than anything else, is our focus,” Pettit said. “We arc doing ev erything we can to take that back.” Pettit said the team hadn't changed its attitude because of the No. 1 ranking, which came as a result of previously undefeated Stanford’s loss to UCLA last week. He warned, however, that the Huskers, who have lost only five games all year, had not played a difficult schedule. “I would caution people,” he said, “when I look at who we’ve played. We’ve not played any of the other teams ranked in the top 10. We scheduled a lot of teams we thought would be in the top 10, teams like See MISSOURI on 0