Sports Opinion
Mike Kluck
Nebraska looks
for another win
at Kansas State
The following are some thoughts
and comments leading up to
Nebraska’s next “biggest game of
the season” against Kansas State
Saturday.
Oh, wait a minute. Because of
the Arizona State loss, I guess it’s
the Comhuskers’ second biggest
game of the year. Now hold on one
minute, NU still has to play Colo
rado. So I guess this is Nebraska’s
third biggest game of the season.
Dam, I forgot about the Big 12
championship game (if the Huskers
make it), so the Wildcats are the
lourth most important opponent.
Oh, forget it. No matter how in
tense Kansas State wants to make
this game, it will never be the Husk
ers’ biggest game.
But maybe this game is big for
NU. Nebraska has designated KSU
as its official “Big 12 rival” this
year. Next year, how about Mis
souri? ...
Pretenders versus contenders.
The Wildcats are pretending
they can actually compete with the
Cornhuskers. NU usually abuses the
Cats like a scratching post.
But at least the past five games
have been entertaining. In the
1980s, Nebraska fans spent many a
Saturday afternoon napping as the
Huskers drubbed the Wildcats. In
those 10 meetings, Nebraska
outscored KSU 500-79.
Since 1990, Nebraska has only
beaten Kansas State by a combined
score of 232-122....
If you lode up the word commit
ment in Webster’s Dictionary, you
probably won’t see Kansas State in
the definition.
But if you are trying to explain
what commitment is to your signifi
cant other, use what KSU has done
as an example (especially if he or
she is a college football fan).
Before Wildcat Coach Bill
Snyder’s arrival in 1989, Kansas
State was going through head
coaches fester than the UNL Park
ing Services responds to an expired
meter.
But with Snyder at the helm,
Kansas State has made a commit
ment to upgrade its facilities and the
KSU Athletic Department has made
sure Snyder will not leave the “Little
Apple” with a nice financial pack
age.’
With that backing, the Wildcats
have responded with one of the best
turnarounds in college football his
tory. ...
Thlk about turnarounds, check
out the Oklahoma Sooners. In three
years, the Sooners have gone
through three coaches and wel
comed new Coach John Blake with
an 0-3 record.
With eight games left—includ
ing seven games against 1995 bowl
teams and a trip to Oklahoma State
—Blake may have to wait another
year for his first win.
Kluck is a journalism gradu
ate student and a Daily Nebras
kan senior reporter.
Scott Bruhn/DN
SCOTT FROST, Nebraska’s junior quarterback, will face a Kansas
State defense that ranks No. 8 nationally.
Nebraska expects a
fired up KSU squad
Saturday.
By Tbevob Pares
Senior Reporter
Kansas State enters Saturday’s foot
ball game against Nebraska with some
thing to prove to the college football
world.
The Wildcats (4-0 and 1-0 in the
Big 12) want to show the nation they
can finally beat the 2-1 Comhuskers, a
team that has beaten KSU 27 straight
times.
The problem for 16th-ranked Kan
sas State — which enters a Nebraska
game for the first time since 1961 with
a higher winning percentage than NU
—is that No. 6 Nebraska is also out to
prove something.
One team will answer a lot of ques
tions about what it can accomplish this
season when the Huskers and Wildcats
meet Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at KSU Sta
dium in Manhattan, Kan.
“We have to prove to ourselves that
we have the team we thought we had
at the beginning of the season,” NU
defensive tackle Jason Peter said. “We
need to have a good showing Saturday
and show people that we haven’t fallen
off the face of the planet.”
An NU loss will not only end
dreams of a third national title, but it
will a put a serious dent in the Husk
ers’ chances to win the Big 12 North
Division title and earn a spot in the
league championship game, Dec. 7 in
St. Louis.
KSU has had a week off to prepare
for the Huskers, while NU recovered
from a 19-0 loss to Arizona State with
a 65-9 whipping of Colorado State last
Saturday.
In four games this season, Kansas
State has outscored its opponents 149
21, but games against Indiana State,
Cincinnati and Rice have likely done
little to prepare KSU for the Big 12.
NU quarterback Scott Frost, whose
Huskers are averaging 62 points in
their two victories this season, said his
confidence has improved after a 13
for-18,143-yard passing performance
that including two touchdowns against
CSU.
The Wildcats rank third nationally
in scoring defense and No. 8 in total
defense.
“We understand they’ve been fo
cused,on this game for a while and
they’ve had two weeks to prepare,”
Frost said. “Obviously they are going
to want to beat Nebraska.”
Rush end Grant Wistrom said the
Huskers are not treating this as the
game of the season.
“A lot of schools have marked our
game and said if we can beat Nebraska,
that will put us in the next echelon,”
Wistrom said. “To us, it’s just another
football game.”
Please see KSU on 8
faces Tulsa, Tide
Bt Vince PAdamo
StaffReporter
The sixth-ranked Nebraska soc
cer team achieved its biggest tri
umph in school history last Sunday,
blanking . > r
Texas A&M 1-0.
Now the Comhuskers must put
that win behind them. Nebraska (9
0) looks to continue its winning
ways, playing host to Thlsa and Ala
bama this weekend at the Abbott
Sports Complex.
The Huskers play the Golden
Hurricane tonight at 7 and the Crim
son Tide Sunday at 1 pm.
Tulsa (6-3) is ranked eighth in
the Central Region.
“They’re a very experienced
team,” NU Coach John Walker said.
“After Duke and Texas A&M,
they’ll probably be our toughest
game.”
Alabama (4-5-1) started the sea
son 2-0 before hitting the skids,
winning one of its last seven
matches. Alabama’s offense has
been dormant lately, scoring four
goals in its last five games.
“We have been struggling a bit
offensively,” Alabama Coach Don
Staley said.
“We have to play a consistent
Thlsa, today, 7 p.m.
Soccer
schedule against top teams if we
want to get back into the national
picture.**
After Sunday’s physical contest
against the Aggies, Walker does not
expect a letdown from the Huskers.
“They’ve handled it prettw
well,” Walker said. “We recogni
it was a good win, but we’ve
move on.”
Midfielder Kari Uppingho
just two points shy of breaking the
Huskers regular-season scoring
record of 26 points set by Danielle
Boswell in 1994.
The Huskers, ranked first in'
NSCAA Central Region, are within
reach of their first appearance in the
NCAA Tournament. The region’s
top two teams at the end of the sea
son will earn automatic bids to the
32-team tournament.
By Shannon Heffelfinger
fotdf j Reporter *
Alter opening Big 12 Conference
action with two victories at home last
weekend,1he Nebraska volleyball team
{days its first-ever Big 12 road matches
today and Saturday.
The No. 6 Comhuskers (10-2 and
2-0 in the league) will face Iowa State
(4-10and 0-2) tonight at 7:30 in Ames
and Missouri (0-10 and 0-2) Saturday
atY?SO ’ Columbia, Mo.
low , which made its first
ever NCAA Tbumament appearance
last year, is off to a slow start this sea
son. After tying for second in the Big
Eight last year, die Cyclones began Big
12 play with a five-game loss to Baylor
and was swept by Texas Tech.
“I’ve seen the match scores,” NU
Coach Terry Pettit said, “and Iowa
State seems to be stifling.”
The Cyclones, who in 48 meetings
have never beaten Nebraska, are led
by senior Rachelle Van Helden. The
6-foot-3 outside hitter leads the team
with 4.04 kills per game, and she is
hitting .160 on the season.
The last time the Huskers faced
Iowa State was in the Big Eight Tour
nament championship match last No
vember. NU posted a three-game
_ sweep of the Cyclones, who sewed
Vollevball
at lows St, today, 7:30 pjn.
only 10 poiotsin the match.
Missouri has also been weak this
season. -
The Tigers, who have won eight
games and no matches this year, have
eight new scholarship players on their
roster-The last time the two teams met,
the Huskers swept Missouri, allowing
the Tigers only six points. The six
points tied a NU school record for few
est allowed in a three-game match.
Jodi Maune, one of five returning
starters from last year's 6-25 team, has
for MU. Maune
tame. |
Missouri and
Iowa State have been playing, Pettit
said, his main concern is that the Husk
ers continue to improve every match.
“These two.teams are probably at
the bottom of the Big 12,” Pettit said.
“As evidenced by the match in North
Carolina, ifwe don't play well and play
hard, we can make any match interest
ing.”