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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1996)
- Tv >. » Sports Monday, April 8, 1996 Page 7 Mitch Sherman Heart keeps beating for NU’s Turman Matt Turman leaned against the fence behind the west sidelines of Memorial Stadium on Saturday af ternoon, talking to his younger brother, Seth. A senior at Wahoo Neumann High School, Seth gives up four years but little athletic ability to his older brother, who, as strange as it looks, is competing for the'No. 1 quarterback spot on the Nebraska football team. Seth stands a good three inches taller than Matt, can run faster, jump higher and throw farther than Nebraska’s lone returning quarter back with any speakable experi ence. If Seth, a track star and standout quarterback, has the heart of his older brother, someday Seth will be a great college football player. Matt Turman is never going to be a great college football player. His career stats— 116 yards rush ing and 11 pass completions for 169 yards—are a decent game for Tommie Frazier. But it is unfair to compare Turman to Frazier. For that matter, it’s unfair to compare Turman to Scott Frost, the man with whom Turman is compet ing for the No. 1 quarterback job. Frost is 3 1/2 inches taller and 32 pounds heavier than Turman. “Size I don’t think is a real big advantage,” Turman said. “There's a lot more to it, like experience and knowing what to do in certain situ ations. Heart plays a big part in that, loo.” Turman’shcartisbig.Ifit wasn’t, he wouldn’t be Nebraska’s co-No. 1 quarterback. If Turman's heart wasn't big, he wouldn't be Nebraska’s co-No. 5 quarterback. He wouldn’t even be on the Ne braska football team. In four years, Turman has been banged around, knocked on his head and slammed to the turf dozens of times, all while managing to earn a scholarship. So far this spring, the Wahoo Wonder has completed only 8 of 24 passcs.Yet he continues to trudge along. “I’m just having fun,” he said Saturday. “I’m excited today be cause we are scrimmaging, and I can’t wait until next Saturday when we get to do it again.” Of all Nebraska’s quarterbacks, Turman is the most comfortable under center and makes the fewest mistakes, but next fall, he probably won’t start. He will, however, be a valuable reserve off the bench and a team leader. When Turman lines up behind Nebraska’s 1,500-pound offensive line, he has the unmistakable look of a small child climbing into the saddle ofan 18-wheeler semi-truck about to embark on a wild journey across the plains. Somehow, Turman always finds a way to stay on the road. Sherman Is a junior news-editorial major and the Daily Nebraskan sports editor. Frost pulls ahead in QB race By Trevor Parks Senior Reporter Halfway through spring practice, a once murky quarterback picture is fi nally coming into focus for the Ne braska football team. Afler the second major scrimmage of the spring season Saturday, Coach Tom Osborne said Scott Frost had emerged as the Cornhuskcrs’ top quar terback. “We’ll just have to see how it all shapes out,” Osborne said. “Scott’s the most talented right now, but he has a little bit left to learn about the of fense.” No. 1 I-back Ahman Green said Frost had showed his potential after two weeks of practice. “He’s really stepped up in spring ball, and it’s still going to be an inter “He’s getting to where everybody knows he is in control and he knows what he’s doing. ” AMMAN GREEN Nebraska l-back esting battle between those guys,” Green said. “So far he has done a good job. “He’s getting to where everybody knows he is in control and he knows what he’s doing.” At the beginning of Saturday’s scrimmage, Frost looked as if he could have a bright future as the Husker signal caller. On the first drive, the 6-foot-3,215 pound transfer from Stanford com pleted two passes while leading the first-team ofTense against the third team defense. His first completion was a 32-yard strike to wingback Jon Vedral, and the second was a 34-yard screen pass to fullback Brian Schuster that went for a touchdown. After sitting out a scries, Frost re turned. This time, he overthrew a wide open Brendan Holbein, who would have scored easily on a 70-yard recep tion. Two plays later, on a third-down and-7 play from the 33-yard line, Frost hit Vcdral again for 34 yards. Alter those three big completions, the junior-to-be completed only one more pass, finishing the scrimmage 4 of 12 for 111 yards, with two intercep tions and one touchdown. He also had 37 yards rushing on four carries. For the spring, Frost has hit 10 of24 passes for 200 yards. No. 4 quarterback Jeff Perino, a redshirt freshman operating against backup defensive units, led all quar terbacks by completing 8 of 11 passes for 154 yards. Senior co-No. 1 quar terback Matt Turman was 6 of 11 for 75 yards, and sophomore Monte Christo completed 5 of 9 passes for 76 yards. Osborne said he expected the of fense to have trouble moving the ball, but he was pleased with its progress. See FROST on 8 Matt Miller/DN Nebraska quarterback Matt Turman is chased by Jon Hesse (right) and Jared Tomich on Saturday during Nebraska’s second scrimmage of the spring. Turman has fallen behind Scott Frost in the Huskers’ quarterback race. Huskers defeat Kansas twice From Staff Reports The 17th-ranked Nebraska soil ball team took two of three games from Big 12 rival Kansas at the NU Softball Complex on Saturday and Sunday. The Comhuskers, 25-12 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, beat the Jayhawks (22-13 and 4-3) 6-4 in nine innings Sunday behind a strong pitching performance from Angela Blackwood, who improved her record to 10-3. The sophomore from Broken Arrow, Okla., threw six innings Sunday, allowing six hits and one unearned run. Stacie Stafford pitched the final three innings. After Kansas look a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning, the Huskers scored three in the bottom of the inning to send the game into extra frames. Senior Karla Kniccly, facing Beth Robinson in the bottom ofthc ninth, pounded the first home run ofher career to win the game for Nebraska. Kniccly provided the Huskers with offense all day, finishing the game 4 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored. - On Saturday, Kansas beat Ne braska 3-2 in the first game of a doublcheadcr, and the Huskers came back to win the second game 15-11. Nebraska left fielder Jenny Smith paced the Huskers in their win Saturday. The sophomore from Fort Collins, Colo., went 4 for 4 with a home run, seven RBI and a run scored. Stafford, 11-8, started the game for Nebraska, pitched 3 2/3 innings and picked up the win. Blackwood relieved her in the fourth and was tagged for nine runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. Nebraska scored four runs in the first, third and fifih in nings and added one in the seventh to ice the win. In Saturday’s first game, the Jayhawks used a two-run fourth inning to beat the Huskcrs 3-2. Stafford pitched a complete game and took the loss. NU needs extra inning for sweep By Nikki Markota Staff Reporter The Nebraska baseball team swept a three-game sericxthis weekend from Oral Roberts, capped off by a dramatic 10-910-inning win in the final game of the series Sunday at Buck Beltzcr Field. The Huskers (14-18-1) arc now riding a four-game winning streak, but Coach John Sanders said the team couldn’t relax after the recent wins, See SWEEP on 8
