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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 1996)
Ex-KSU assistant directs UF defense Spurrier surrenders total defensive control to former Wildcat mas termind. GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Football Coach Steve Spurrier knows his No. 4 Gators can’t win a national championship without a great defense. So he has given Defensive Coordi nator Bob Stoops total control. Oh, and there’s one other aspect that made Spurrier’s eyes light up Tuesday — he gets to spend even more time working on the already potent Fun ‘N’ Gun offense. “What this has done for me is it has given 'me a chance to hopefully be a better offensive coordinator,” Spurrier said. That’s the last thing Southwest Louisiana’s Nelson Stokley needs to before bringing his team to die Swamp on Saturday night. In Spurrier’s six years as head coach, the Gators have thrown for at least 300 yards 43 times. In the previ ous 83 years, they had done that just 14 times. Florida was second in the nation last year, scoring 44.5 points per game and fourth in total offense with an av erage of534.4 yards. Even more fright ening is that most of the offense returns this year, including quarterback Danny Wuerffel. But offense isn’t what has kept the Gators from a national title. They won all 12 games in the regular season be fore running into Nebraska in the Fi esta Bowl, where a 62-24 loss showed them they had plenty to learn in toms of hitting and tackling. That’s where Stoops comes in. “I have not had to devote any time ,tp .defepse,”. Spurrier said. “I’ll stiU hang around the defensive guys, pat them on the back, shake hands with them and ride the bus with them to the movies. But they’re in good hands.” Stoops was hired away from Kan sas State, where his defense led the nation last year. Spurrier has given Stoops whatever time he has requested in terms of prac tice schedule. And the most telling sign is that Spurrier has been willing to let a We were certainly bad. We were pitiful. We got clobbered. Hopefully, it was good for us.” Steve Spurrier Florida football coach tailback Terry Jackson split time at outside linebacker. “The best thing I could do for the defense is hire the best defensive coach I could find,” Spurrier said. “Bobby Stoops brought some new ideas in that we’re going to try to make happen. “I told him, 'You tell me exactly what we need to do to help make our defense the best it can be and we’ll do it.’ I’m certainly no authority on de fense, as we know.” It doesn’t take Spurrier long to come up with new plays. After watch ing Brigham Young outgun Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic, he said he might try using Jackson and Elijah Williams in the backfield together. “We think it sets up well against what they (Southwestern Louisiana) do,” Spurrier said. Florida won’t need to get too elabo rate. The Ragin’ Cajuns return only 13 starters from a team that went 6-5 a year ago. Their most impressive win was 42-3 over Pacific, a team that de cided to eliminate football this year. For Wuerffel and the rest of the re turning Gators, it will be their first game since the Fiesta Bowl blowout. Spurrier is still agitated that the first 12-0 regular season in school history is all but forgotten because of the last game. “We were certainly bad. We were pitiful. We got clobbered,” he said. “Hopefully, it was good for us. Hope fully, it prepared us for this season. I think our players are looking forward to earning some respect back that we deserved to lose. And the only way to earn it back is on the field.” Ogaflala middle blocker commits to play at NJJ By Peter Marhoefer Staff Reporter Nebraska Volleyball Coach Tory Pettit continued the NU tradition of keeping in-state talent at home. Angie Oxley, a 6-foot middle blocker from Ogallala has given the Huskers their first known verbal com mitment of the fall, accepting a schol arship for next season. Cbdey, a two-time Class B All-State selection, will likely be moved from to outside hitter in college, Ogallala Coach Steve Morgan said. “She can hit from any area and is a very good passer,” Morgan said. He described Oxley as the “quiet leader of the team.” Morgan said that Oxley has strengths at every spot on the court and that she can play a versatile role for an NU team that loses two seniors after this fall. Oxley chose NU over Stanford; Colorado State, Clemson, and Kansas, her coach said. Oxley, who recorded 169 kills as a junior, and her teammates are bidding to make their third straight appearance in the Class B state championship match. h iv; I IMPROVE YOUR GLUTEUS MAXIMUS FOR MINIMUS. 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