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11
from _ I
ASU shutout
shocks Husker
faithful in Tempe
By Trevor Parks
Senior Reporter
TEMPE, Ariz. — Nebraska football fans
who watched the Comhuskers lose 19-0 to Ari
zona State were just as dismayed as the team
Saturday night.
But after watching the game, NU fans said
the Huskers were dominated by a better team.
“They were hot,” said Danny Leggiardo, 50, «
who flew to the game from Lincoln. “They came
to play, and they beat us. What can you say?
They beat us with their offense and their de
fense completely stymied us.”
The loss dropped the Huskers (1-1) to No. 8
in The Associated Press Top 25, while the Sun
Devils (3-0) vaulted from 17th to sixth. ASU
received one first-place vote.
Most of the blame for Nebraska’s poor per
formance was based on the lack of offense and
quarterback Scott Frost’s inability to sustain a
drive.
Dana Wecker, 33, of O’Neill, said he was
frustrated that NU Coach Tom Osborne didn’t
remove Frost for senior Matt Turman.
“Send Scott back to Stanford and bring Matt
in,” Wecker said. “You can see what happened.
We don’t have a quarterback this year. That’s
the bottom line.”
Will Grietens, 40, from Atkinson, said the
offense “stunk” Saturday with Frost at the helm.
“I think Turman ought to get a chance,”
Grietens said. “It should have read 13:40 in
stead of 3:40 when they put him in.
“Give the kid a chance. Shoot, I was watch
ing him the whole second half. He was just sit
ting there on the bench with his head hanging.”
Turman, a former walk-on, entered the game
in die final minutes and led Nebraska on its
longest drive of the game, 67 yards, before
Ahman Green lost a fumble at the ASU 4-yard
line.
Leggiardo disagreed with the Frost-bashers.
“If you’ve got a quarterback who can throw
the ball and you’re, behind, you stay with the
quarterback who can throw the ball,” Leggiardo
said. “It’s unfair to blame it on one person, and
that’s what the fans are going to do. They are
going to blame it on Frost. It’s not fair.
“You can’t second guess Osborne.”
But one NU fan who lives in Phoenix said
there was more to ASU’s victory than an inept
quarterback.
Cindy Schwarz, 37, of Phoenix, is originally
from Colbertson. She said the Phoenix area has
been primed for the Nebraska game for the last
two weeks.
“I think (the Huskers) were a little overcon
JonWaller/DN
ARIZONA STATE FANS celebrate after defeating Nebraska, 19-0. At the end of the game, joyous fans rushed the field tearing down
both goal posts and a field goal net. The loss on Saturday was Nebraska’s first loss in 27 games:
___
fident, and then ASU was so hyped for the
game,” Schwarz said. “If you’d been here the
last 10 days, all it’s been is ASU, ASU.”
Greg Dennis, 28, an ASU graduate who lives
in Mesa, Ariz., said beating Nebraska was the
greatest triumph in Sun Devil sports history.
“This is huge,” Dennis said. “This is like a
Sports Illustrated cover-type of win.”
Despite watching their team lose for the first
time in 27 games, Husker fans said they would
back their team for the remainder of the season.
“I’ll wear my red home, and I’ll suffer right
through it,” Grietens said.
Mike Ludemann, 35, of O’Neill said if he
could say something to the NU players, he
Please see FANS on 7
Game coverage on
pages 8,9,10 and 11
3 Jon Walleb/DN
MIDDLE LINEBACKER, Jay Foreman, sits and reflects on the game during the fourth
quarter of Nebraska's loss.