NU walk-ons climb the ladder to success
Wingback Vedral’s
complete package
invaluable to team
By David Wilson
Staff Reporter
Nebraska wingback Jon Vedral has worked
hard this season to make a name for himself not
only as a wingback, but on special teams as
well.
“He has really been one of the most valuable
wingbacks that we’ve had over the years. He’s
a great special teams player too,” Nebraska
receivers coach Ron Brown said. “He’s just a
complete football player.”
Although Vedral has emerged as a leading
Comhusker receiver this season, catching 14
passes for 272 yards, two of Vedral’s biggest
plays didn’t involve catching the ball.
Instead they involved falling on the ball.
Vedral recovered fumbles in the end zone for
touchdowns against Kansas and Kansas State.
“A lot of it has to do with just hustling on
every play,” Vedral said. “Good things happen
when you just hustle around. I try to give 100
percent on every play.”
Vedral, who leads the Huskers with five
touchdown receptions this season, said he was
satisfied with his performance, but he was
always looking to improve.
“I’m a competitor,” Vedral said. “I want to
get better each day. I’m going to go out there
each practice and try to get better as a player.”
Vedral’s hard work and determination
helped him at Nebraska. Although he received
scholarship offers to play football at Division
II and Division-Ill schools, Vedral chose to
follow in his brother’s footsteps and try to walk
on at Nebraska.
Vedral said his brother Mike, who was a
tight end for the Huskers from 1990-92, played
a big role in his coming to Nebraska.
“I look up to hima lot,” Vedral said. “He had
a lot of guts to come down here on his own from
South Dakota and try to walk on. I admire him
for that.”
Vedral redshirted in 1992 after walking on
as a freshman. Although he played in only
three games as a reserve wingback in 1993,
Vedral did not catch a pass. In 1994, Vedral
served primarily as Nebraska’s holder on ex
tra-point attempts and field goal attempts.
“I feel that the special teams is just as
important as the offense and the defense,”
Vedral said. “It’s a third aspect ofthe game that
a lot of the fans don’t realize. It’s something
that you have to take a lot of pride in and really
concentrate on.”
As a backup wingback last season, he caught
only one pass for a seven-yard gain. He did
complete two passes during the season.
After a bad snap on an extra-point attempt
in the third quarter against Oklahoma State, he
completed a pass to kicker Darin Erstad for a
two-point conversion. In the fourth quarter of
the same game, Vedral completed a five-yard
pass to Jeff Makovicka on a fake field goal
attempt.
Brown said Vedral had become a valuable
blocker and an excellent receiver.
“He’s a prime-time wingback,” Brown said.
“We’re a different offense,” when Vedral or
Clester Johnson aren’t in there.
Brown said Vedral would be the front
runner for the starting wingback position next
season.
Vrzal proves ability;
waits his opportunity
at starting position
By Mike Kluck
Staff Reporter
All Matt Vrzal has ever wanted was a shot
to play football at Nebraska.
The former USA Today honorable mention
All-American and all-state offensive guard
from Grand Island passed up scholarship of
fers from Wyoming, Colorado State and Iowa
State to walk on at Nebraska.
“I wanted to come here and prove I could
play,” Vrzal said. “To a point I already have,
but I still have a long way to go.
“It’s a challenge I felt personally, I needed
to try. I needed to go to Nebraska and see if I
could play and hold my own and just compete
at this level of competition. It’s kind of a
personal thing for me.”
For the last three seasons Vrzal has proved
he can play for the Comhuskers by playing in
three games during the 1993 season and five
games last season. So far this season Vrzal has
seen action in 10 of the Huskers’ 11 games.
During those three seasons Vrzal has moved
into the No. 2 center spot behind All-Big Eight
and All-American center Aaron Graham. But
Vrzal knows his turn to start will be here soon.
“You can’t think of it as filling his shoes,”
Vrzal said. “You just have to play to the best of
your ability, and if that’s good enough, so be it
and if not, somebody will have to replace you
when you’re not doing your job.”
Vrzal said he already had proved that he was
ready to start — including against Arizona
State.
In the first quarter Nebraska led 7-0, but
Graham’s helmet broke and Vrzal was sent in.
The first play called was the direct snap to
Ahman Green, the I-back, in the shotgun.
“He (Tommie Frazier) came into the huddle
and looked down, and I think he expected to see
Aaron and he looked and saw me,” Vrzal said.
“He kind of looked at me with this real confi
dent look and called the play.”
Vrzal said the play was one of the tougher
plays the center had to run because he must
worry about getting the snap right and making
the block so the I-back can run through his
hole.
“(Graham) was kind of upset his helmet
broke because he likes that play,” Vrzal said.
“That play shows some of the talent he has
because he does such a good job of snapping in
the shotgun. He congratulated me when I came
off.”
Vrzal said he had enjoyed learning the
offense from Graham.
“Playing behind Aaron, he’s a great player
and just a great leader,” Vrzal said. “His pres
ence on the field is amazing. I’m just trying to
learn from him and feed off of him from what
he does both on and off the field.”
Vrzal said his commitment to earn a start
ing spot had helped build his character as a
lineman.
“People who walk on on the line have a
strong character and strong sense of being,” ‘
Vrzal said. “They (the coaches) see a work
ethic in you, they see it in a kid who can push
himself and try to make himself better.
“As a lineman you have to be satisfied in the
end product of the touchdown. You can ’ t worry
about the interviews and the TV camera. You
just have to be satisfied in knowing that you
were part of the line that got the touchdown.”
Seniors
Continued from Page 9
that have gone undefeated through
the regular season for three straight
years. That’s quite an accomplish
ment. A lot of these guys that were
seniors have been a significant part of
that.”
Safety Tony Veland said the se
niors’ accomplishments were no sur
prise to them.
“We all got here as freshmen and
set our goals,” he said. “People might
not think that’s realistic as freshmen,
but we put it all together and went out
and did it. It was just hard work and
dedication.”
Osborne said he was very im
pressed with the team unity, which
the seniors helped pull together.
“This year’s team is one that I’ll
remember for many reasons,” he said.
“I’ve been very satisfied by the way
they’ve been able to focus and pull
together. They’ve been a team in the
true sense of the word. They don’t
have any one specific area that’s over
whelming, but they complement each
other.”
But most of the players agreed that
they treated their last game like any
other.
“I was feeling kind of sorry for
myself because it was my last home
game,” quarterback Tommie Frazier
said. “But I tried to put that out of my
mind. The task at hand was Okla
homa. I couldn’t really worry about
this being my last game at Nebraska.”
Center Aaron Graham agreed that
he wanted to keep his emotions in
check.
“It probably really hasn’t hit me
yet,” he said. “I’m sure it will later.
But we had to try to keep that stuff out
of our mind and go out there and give
our best effort.”
It was a bittersweet ending for
fullback Jeff Makovicka, who played
only one series in the second half
because of a possible bruised or frac
tured fibula.
“It was something I never tried not
to think about all week,” Makovicka
said. “Now, it’s kind of hit me. I
didn’t get to play very much, and it
turned out to be an emotional game.
Down the road, after the Fiesta Bowl,
I’m sure all of us seniors will look
back at it a lot more.”
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