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Nebraska’s Jay Foreman, Doug Colman, Phil Ellis and Ryan Terwilliger make up the core of Nebraska’s linebackers this season.
Last year’s shadow doesn’t scare defense
By Trevor Parks
Senior Reporter
Being compared to last year’s de
fense doesn’t bother Nebraska’s 1995
linebacking corps.
In fact, they welcome the challenge
of trying to live up to a defense that
gave ufr l fii5 points per game.
But in two of the three linebacking
positions, new faces will be plentiful.
One of those positions is WILL
linebacker. Senior Ryan Terwilliger
has big shoes to fill, stepping into die
spot vacated by All-American Ed
Stewart. Last season, Terwilliger
played in 12 of 13 games and recorded
19 tackles.
Terwilliger said he was looking
forward to the challenge of filling in
for Stewart and last season’s defense.
“That was a different defense, and
they were great, but we shouldn’t try to
limit ourselves by being compared to
■
what they did,” Terwilliger said. “We
would like to be a lot like last year’s
defense.”
Senior Aaron Penland should see
playing time at the WILL position.
Matt Aden and Jamel Williams also
may see playing time.
Despite die lack of experience at
die WILL position, Terwilliger said he
was confident in his teammates’ abil
ities.
“Aaron is a senior so he’s been
around,” Terwilliger said. “If I go
down or anyone else goes down, we
are three or four deep, and we wouldn’t
lose a whole lot.”
Another area filled with inexperi
ence is the SAM linebacker position
where redshirt freshman Jay Foreman
may start
Foreman said he was motivated for
the challenge of beginning his Nebras
ka career as a starter.
“When you’re a young player at a
1 ft
position where you don’t have a
blackshirt (starter) coming back, they
say you can’t live up to what they did
last year, that just made me work even
harder.”
Junior Larry Arnold also should see
playing time.
Last season, Troy Dumas finished
third on the team with 69 tackles from
the SAM position. Arnold returns the
most experience to the position with
four tackles in 10 games.
The MIKE linebacker position has
the most experience of the linebacker
spots.
Phil Ellis and Doug Colman return
after Colman started eight games and
Ellis started five.
Together, the two had 109 tackles,
while sharing playing time in 13 games.
Colman and Ellis may play in a similar
rotation again this year.
Ellis said he didn’t mind splitting
time.
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Full house in the backfield
PLAYER ATTEMPTS YARDS TDs
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Players to watch
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Ellis said. “With Doug coming in or
me coming in for him, it gives us a little
more rest, and we’re more sharp and
alert to what’s going on. I think that is
an advantage for us.”
Colman agreed.
“Being the type of player Phil is and
the type of player I am, it will work real
well,” Colman said. “It’s good be
cause we 11 always come into the games
fresh.”
Four newcomers may get chances
to fill in at linebacker.
True freshmen Tony Ortiz, Kareem
Sears and Julius Jackson will vie for
playing time, and junior college trans
fer Terrell Farley may see playing
time, too.
Quarterbacks
Continued from Page 1
“It would make anybody better
to know that they have someone
there that can come in and take your
place,” Frazier said. “You know
you have to perform your best day
in and day-out. I like competition. I
don’t want something to come easy.
If I do win the job, then I know I’ve
earned it.”
Berringer agreed.
“I’d like to diink it is making us
sharper and keeping us more fo
cused,” Berringer said. “I know it’s
not hurting us any. We know we
have to be at our best every practice
and scrimmage.”
Behind Frazier and Berringer is
Matt Turman, a junior from Wahoo,
who took over in the second half
against Oklahoma State with a 9-3
lead and sparked the offense in a 32
3 win.
Turman started the following
week against Kansas State and was
assisted by an injured Berringer in a
17-6 win.
Monte Christo, who was listed
behind Turman on the fall depth
chart, tore his anterior cruciate lig
ament during the first week of prac
tice and will redshirt.
A few candidates will fight for
the vacant fourth-team spot, but all
eyes are on who will fall in the first
and second-team slots.
Osborne said he hoped the situa
tion would be handled as most close
position competition is.
“The chemistry of the football
team will depend on how they han
dle it,” Osborne said. “Obviously,
one guy is going to be a little disap
pointed in his playing time, and ifhe
becomes disruptive, it can make
tilings unpleasant. Generally, our
players have handled things fairly
well.”
Frazier said he and Berringer
realized the impact their attitudes
would have on the team.
“If we go in with the attitude that
one of us is going to be mad because
we’re notplaying enough, it’s going
to hurt the team,” Frazier said. “We
both need to go into the season
knowing that Coach Osborne will
pick one starter and the other guy is
going to be a back-up and will have
to accept that role.” ,
Quarterbacks coach Turner Gill
said no matter how the chips fell,
Nebraska would have winners at
both the starting and back-up quar
terback positions.
“I feel real cldse to both these
guys,” Gill said.
For Berringer, his position from
one year ago has changed drastical
ly
And what he went through to get
to this point still seems like a blur.
“As I was going through it, it was
just kind of a deal when you stay
focused and don’t really think about
what’s going on,” Berringer said. “I
just stayed focused and prepared for
every game. Then when it was all
over I sat back and thought about all
the crazy things that happened on
our way to winning a national cham
pionship. It was unbelievable.”
rrazier ignores Heisman talk
Dm# HawaI# — — — **
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Senior Reporter
Tommie Frazier sat down in the
mob of reporters at media day with a
familiar smile on his face.
He was, after all, in a familiar posi
tion.
The preseason Heisman Trophy
candidate didn’tmind answering ques
tions about getting along with Brook
Berringer or fighting with Lawrence
Phillips for the right to be called the
Heisman favorite.
Frazier, who has accomplished al
most everything that was expected of
him, was relaxed.
“The only pressure that’s there is
what I put on myself,” Frazier said.
“I’m not going to let anyone put any
pressure on me. If I feel that I’m not
doing a good job, I’m going to put the
pressure on myself to do better. So the
only pressure that will be on me will be
by me.”
But pressure has never bothered
Frazier.
He began calling the signals as a
freshman in the sixth game of the
season. As a sophomore, he led Ne
braska to an undefeated regular sea
son, coming a field goal short of a
national title. _
After a blood clot sidelined him for
eight games last year, he rallied Ne
braska for two fourth-quarter touch
downs to spark the Cornhuskers’ 24
17 victory over Miami in the Orange
Bowl and a national championship.
Despite the blood clot, Frazier said,
“The only pressure that’s there is what I put on
myself. ”
■
TOMMIE FRAZIER
Nebraska quarterback
he had been fortunate during his career
at Nebraska.
“I was in the right place at the right
time,” Frazier said. “I was able to go in
my freshman year and start a couple of
games. I was able to stay in there all the
way up to last year right before the
injury. Now, I have to go out and get
the starting position by playing die
best I can.”
Turner Gill, Nebraska’s quarter
backs coach, said it had been satisfy
ing watching Frazier’s growth during
their four years together.
“I’ve seen him grow as a person,
and I’ve seen him grow as a football
player,” Gill said. “This is my fourth
year here so I started when he started
as a freshman. Now, I get to watch him
to the end. I’m excited by this, but at
the same time, I'm kind of saddened
by it”
But Gill, who compiled a 28-2
record as Nebraska’s starting quarter
back from 1981-83, didn’t want to
make comparisons about himself and
Frazier — yet.
“I’ll wait until he finishes his ca
reer,” Gill said. “He's a great player
and a great quarterback. So I’m going
to wait one more year before I make
any direct comparisons.”
With two Orange Bowl MVPs, a
national championship and three Big
Eight championships, a Heisrpan Tro
phy could be the final jewel in Frazier’s
rich career at Nebraska.
BuJ Frazier said he wouldn’t worry
about the Heisman race alter he took
the first snap this season.
“I basically just go out there and do
the best I can,” he said. “Whatever my
stats are, I really don’t care. If I’m out
there and doing the best I can and the
team is winning, that doesn’t really
matter. I don’t look at that stuff much.”
Frazier admitted that his biggest
competition for die award might be in
the same backfield with Phillips.
But he didn’t care.
“Right now, neither one of us are
talking about that,” he said. “We’re
just going to do anything to help our
team win. If he wins it, I’ll be happy
and if I win it, he’ll be happy. We both
know it will take a team effort for
either one of us to win it.”
