V
■
Mike Muck
Need a new foe?
bring on UNLY
Hastings, Wayne
There’s a huge concern grow
ing in the South Stadium football
offices: Who will Nebraska play
next season?
Just a few months ago, that was
just a joke. But with Northern Illi
nois backing out of its contract two
Months ago and Arkansas State also
canceling its deal to come to Lin
coln, Nebraska now has just one
nonconference opponent scheduled
for the 1997 season.
The problem with schedules has
become so serious that Nebraska
Coach Tom Osborne said he has al
most had to resort to bribery in or
der to fill out the Husker schedule.
Nebraska Athletic Director Bill
Byrne has been aggressively look
ing for future sacrifices — I mean
opponents — but somehow when
you win two straight national titles,
people don’t want to play you.
With the severity of the prob
lem, Osborne said Monday that
Nebraska may play next August in
the Pigskin Classic. That is if NU
can find an opponent.
A Pigskin Classic clash would
leave the football team practicing
in July. ■
Now I know many Husker fans
would like the season to last almost
six months, but we are forgetting
that the players are here for educa
tional purposes.
I have some ideas to help NU
fill its schedule.
When you’re making a sched
ule, it is good to play a team with a
direction in its name. For example,
North Texas dots the schedules of
Arizona State and Texas A&M.
Better yet, NU should schedule
a team with two directions in its
name. The ever-powerful South
west Louisiana gets to play Florida
and Texas A&M.
The next problem: Many teams
want a home game in return for
their trip to Memorial Stadium.
Since Nebraska played at Michigan
State last year, the Spartans had to
come to Lincoln this year.
This is a good scheduling de
vice. Nebraska could schedule Ken
tucky at Memorial Stadium, and
then to return the favor in Decem
ber, the Huskers could send the bas
ketball team to Lexington, Ky.
Or maybe the Huskers should
schedule Nevada-Las Vegas, which
played Tennessee two weeks ago.
I, for one, would like to travel to
that road game every other season.
Finally, Nebraska should sched
ule as many in-state schools as pos
sible. Since the Oklahoma rivalry
appears headed down the drain, NU
needs natural rivals t— like Hastings
College (Osborne’s alma mater),
UNO or Wayne State.
If they’re good enough few the
baseball team, why not the football
team?
Kluck is a graduate student in
journalism and a Daily Nebras
• ltan senior reporter.
No. 12 NN begins homestand
Huskers plat host to
ORU in first of 10
straight home games.
By Vince D’Adamo
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska soccer team begins
a stretch of 10 straight home games
tonight at the Abbott Sports Complex.
The Comhuskers play host to Oral
Roberts at 7. Both the Golden Eagles
and Nebraska are unbeaten at 3-0. The
Oral Roberts matchup is followed by
a l .p.m. contest Sunday against 1-2-1
Loyola Marymount.
The Huskers are looking to ride the
momentum of last Sunday’s 3-1 vic
tory over previously sixth-ranked
Duke on the road. That victory enabled
Nebraska to leap from 25th to No. 12
in the USA Today/Coaches poll.
Coach John Walker said that be
cause of NU’s newly found national
recognition, every opponent will now
have its calendar marked when it plays
Nebraska.
“We now have become a big game
for other people,” Walker said. “Last
year, we were the reverse. Now we
know people will be up for us.”
Oral Roberts might have an incen
tive this weekend. Despite its 3-0
record, the Golden Eagles are not
ranked. They have displayed Husker
like domination, outscoring their op
position 13-0. Nebraska beat Oral Rob
erts 2-0 in 1994 and 3-0 last season.
The Huskers have a 17-1 advantage
over their opponents. Leading the way
for Oral Roberts is freshman Heidi
Kubes, who has six goals and 13
points. Oral Roberts defeated NU’s Big
12 rival Kansas 2-0 earlier this season.
Walker said the Golden Eagles and
Loyola Marymount figure to give his
squad all it can handle.
“We know Oral Roberts is a decent
team, and they’re very physical,”
Walker said. “There’s so much parity
that I don’t think anyone can relax.”
Loyola Marymount’s lone victory
was a 3-0 shutout over Arizona State.
The Lions played to a 1-1 tie against
Califomia-Irvine. Heather Farr leads
JASON PETER (left) helps anchor Nebraska’s four-man defensive front line. Sc0Tr Bruhn/dn
role
NlPs junior defen
sive tackle aspires to
reach the playing
level of his brother.
ByAntone Oseka
Senior Editor
Last season Nebraska defensive
tackle Jason Peter was content to
let brother Christian stand alone in
the spotlight, even though at times
the spotlight wasn’t good.
“He got most of the spotlight,
and that’s all right by me,” Jason
Peter said.
This~year, Jason, a junior, is
ready to move into his new role as
a leader on the defensive line, while
remembering his brother’s legacy.
Jason gave up his number, 95,
to wear Christian’s former number, >
55.
“Ever since I got here, Chris
tian helped me on and off the field,”
Peter said. “It’s kind of my way of
letting him know that his work here
hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Jason said although he admired
the way Christian played on the
field, their techniques differ.
“We’re different players, and I
don’t have to play a certain style
like him,” Jason said.
One thing Jason said he would *
take from his brother is work ethic,
but he wouldn’t want to copy it
exactly.
“You take some bits and pieces
of his work ethic and his leader
ship,” Jason said. “You try to fol
low that and pass it off to the other
guys.”
And though Jason said he is
ready to step into the spotlight, he
doesn’t feel like he has to fill
Christian’s role.
This year’s role for the 6-foot
4, 285-pounder is one of impor
tance. Along with 6-6, 300-pound
Jeff Ogard, Peter anchors a defen
sive line featuring two of the best
rush ends in the nation, Grant
Wistrom and Jared Tomich.
Peter and defensive line team
mates have built a rivalry among
themselves this season.
“I wonder when Tomich is ac
tually going to get a tackle?” Peter
said.
After Tuesday’s practice free
safety Eric Stokes was running a
drill when he sailed headfirst into
the back of Peter. Stokes strained
Please see PETER on 10
I_I
Loyola Marymount with five points
and two goals.
The Huskers have made a habit of
breaking games open in the second half
this season. Walker and sophomore
striker Kristen Gay said the turn
Please see SOCCER on 11
Fatigued NU
to face Duke,
N. Carolina
By Jay Saunders
Staff Reporter
The Nebraska volleyball team
heads to the East Coast this weekend
to play a pair of Atlantic Coast Con
ference teams.
The fourth-ranked Comhuskers (5
1) travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to play
North Carolina tonight at 5. The match
at Carmichael Auditorium is a part of
the Triangle Classic, which also in
cludes Wisconsin and Duke.
Nebraska will head down Tobacco
Road to play Duke Saturday at 6:30
p.m. at Cameron Indoor Arena.
Nebraska will not play Wisconsin.
Duke (2-2) lost to No. 7 Florida in
Please see N.C. on 11
II
Pettit hurt
jogging, Noth
takes control
By Trevor Parks
Senior Reporter
Nebraska Volleyball Coach Terry
Pettit suffered a serious knee injury
while jogging Thursday morning and
did not travel with the No: 4
Comhuskers to Noth Carolina.
Assistant coach Cathy Noth, who
will assume command of the team this
weekend, said Thursday afternoon
from Chapel Hill, N.C., that she is
ready to fill in.
“I didn’t want it this way,” Noth
said. “I’ve been here eight years, and
I’ve had a good role model. So I’m
ready.”
The Comhuskers are scheduled to
play North Carolina tonight and Duke
on Saturday.
Pettit hurt his knee early Thursday
and entered Saint Elizabeth Hospital
Please see PETTIT on 10