Sports
Thursday, September 14, 1995 Page 9
Trevor Parks
Huskers face
tough challenge
against Devils
Does anybody in Nebraska know
that there is a Comhusker football
game Saturday?
Last time I looked on the sched
ule, there was a game against Ari
zona State, and with the way things
have gone this week in Huskerland,
don’t be surprised ifthe Sun Devils
are hell for Nebraska.
With all the off-the-field inci
dents, the situation reminds me of
last year.
The Huskers played host to a
Wyoming team that everyone
thought Nebraska would walk over.
But the week of the game, all of the
attention was thrust upon the sta
tus of quarterback Tommie Frazier,
who was suffering from a blood
clot.
Frazier was released from the
hospital Sept. 28 and didn’t play in
the game, but the effect he had on
the team that weekend was preva
lent. The Huskers were sluggish,
Brook Berringer put in a gutty
performance playing with a col
lapsed lung and the Nebraska de
fense was ripped apart, giving up
344 passing yards.
Nebraska barely won 42-32. But
the Cowboys had a shot to tie or
beat the Huskers, but with the score
35-32, Je’Ney Johnson fumbled a
punt at the Wyoming 8-yard line
with 5:32 remaining. The Huskers
recovered and scored on the next
play to seal the tough victory.
This week a similar scenario
has come up. A star player is gone
from the team; another might play
hurt. A pass-happy team comes to
Lincoln, but still everyone thinks
Nebraska will walk over the Sun
Devils.
Not so. I don’t know what the
players think because they are not
talking to the media this week, but
if Saturday is anything like last
year, hold on to your hats Husker
fans.
Coach Tom Osborne, who
spends at least half of his weekly
press conferences talking about the
opposition, spoke about the Sun
Devils for just one minute, and no
one asked Osborne any questions
about Arizona State.
“We’ll probably have to work
awfully hard to get our yards on
Saturday,” Osborne said during his
minute of reflection on the Sun
Devils. “I expect a very tough game,
and we’ll have to be ready to play.”
Osborne stressed that his team
needed to keep a good attitude dur
ing this time, and I guess last year
they stayed focused against the
Cowboys, but just barely.
After the Wyoming game, Ne
braska settled down and adapted to
the loss of a big-time player. But
you won’t know what happens this
year until Saturday.
There’s no question that the
Huskers are ripe for an upset or at
least a major scare like they re
ceived last year.
This game truly could be the
turning point of Nebraska’s sea
son.
Giant Zatechka
iravisneying/UN
Rob Zatechka, not Zatecha, a former Nebraska offensive lineman, is adjusting to professional football as a rookie
with the New York Giants.
Former Husker thinks back, looks forward
By Mike Kluck
Staff Reporter
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The
night of Aug. 31 was difficult for
Rob Zatechka.
Zatechka was sitting at his home
in New Jersey preparing to watch
Nebraska play Oklahoma State on
television, when something oc
curred to him.
Zatechka said it was then he
realized he was no longer a college
player, but was now a professional "
athlete preparing for his first game
on a new team, the New York
Giants.
A former Nebraska All-Big
Eight selection and the 128th se
lection in this past National Foot
ball League draft, Zatechka said
the realization of no longer play
ing college football surprised him.
“I sat there and watched it and
said,' Wait a minute there’s a bunch
of kids out there,”’ Zatechka said.
“It kind of sneaked up on me be
cause I really never thought about
it much before that moment. It’s a
weird feeling to just not be there.”
But Zatechka is not sitting back
and reminiscing on his playing
days at Nebraska; instead he is
concentrating on his career with
the Giants.
Zatechka impressed the Giant
coaches enough at the training
camp at Fairleigh-Dickinson in
Florham Park, N.J. to earn him a
spot on the 53-member roster. Be
cause of injuries to the offensive
line, Zatechka started the Giants’
final preseason game against the
Carolina Panthers on Aug. 26.
Since the season started, how
ever, Zatechka has been limited to
playing time only on kickoffs and
special teams. Even though the
Giants are 0-2, Zatechka said he
had not been surprised by his lack
of playing time.
“Actually I think the offensive
line is doing a good job,” Zatechka
said. “Overall it’s a great experi
ence; I’ve had a blast since I been
here. I’m really thankful for the
opportunity the Giants gave me.”
Giants’ offensive line coach Pete
Mangurian said it was difficult for
any rookie player in the NFL to
step into a starting position.
Mangurian was the offensive line
coach at Louisiana State Univer
sity from 1984-87. The
Comhuskers defeated LSU 28-10
in the 1985 Sugar Bowl.
See ZATECHKA on 10
Nee happy with schedule;
seven games to broadcast
From Staff Reports
Seven Nebraska basketball games
are scheduled to be televised during
the upcoming season.
Five of those games will be broad
cast by Creative Sports Marketing.
The Comhuskers’ game against Kan
sas at the Bob Devaney Sports Center
on Jan. 28 will be shown on CBS, and
a Feb. 19 game against the Jayhawks
in Lawrence, Kan., will be shown on
ESPN’s Big Monday.
The Nebraska schedule also fea
tures 17 home games, including the
Ameritas Classic on Dec. 1-2. The
Huskers will play in two other tourna
ments before beginning conference
action against Colorado on Jan. 10 at
the Dievaney Center.
From Nov. 25-27, Nebraska will
open the season by taking part in the
Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Ha
waii. The Huskers also will play in
the Far West Classic in Portland,
Ore., on Dec. 29-30.
“ Overall, it’s one of the
best schedules we’ve had
since I’ve been here. ”
DANNY NEE
Nebraska basketball Coach
“I feel it’s a quality schedule and
one that will prepare us for the Big
Eight,” Nebraska coach Danny Nee
said. “The extra games in Hawaii will
also be of benefit to our team. Overall,
it’s one of the best schedules we’ve
had since I’ve been here.”
The Huskers, who begin practic
ing next month, Open their preseason
schedule on Nov. 8 at the Devaney
Center against Spalding Americas.
Season ticket applications are
available at the ticket office at Memo
rial Stadium.
t _—
1995 Husker
men’s basketball
schedule
Date Opponent
Nov. 8 Spalding Americas
Nov. 16 Team Pella
Big Island Invitational at Hilo, Hawaii
Nov. 25-27 Toledo/TBA
Ameritas Classic
Dec. 1 Georgia Southern
Dec. 2 Consolation/Championship
Dec. 6 at Creighton
Dec. 9 at Minnesota
Dec 16 Northern Iowa
Dec. 18 Northeastern Illinois
Dec. 21 Delaware State
Far West Classic at Portland, Ore.
Dec. 29 Oregon
Dec. 30 Consolation/Championship
Jan. 3 Texas
Jan. 6 Long Beach State
Date Opponent
Jan. 10 Colorado
Jan. 13 at Oklahoma
Jan. 17 Missouri-Kansas City
Jan. 20 at Oklahoma State
Jan. 24 Missouri
Jan. 28 Kansas
Jan. 31 at Kansas State
Feb. 3 Iowa State
Feb. 7 at Missouri
Feb. 10 at Iowa State
Feb. 17 Oklahoma State
Feb. 19 at Kansas
Feb. 25 Oklahoma
Feb. 28 at Colorado
March 3 Kansas State
March 8 Big Eight Tournament
in Kansas City
