Defense runs NU show
ISU from page 7;
rush. Against Missouri last week, NU
held die Tigers to just 47 yards on the
ground and 170 yards of total offense
in a 51-7 win.
The reason for the strong defensive
performances is the Blackshirts are
now comfortable with each other, Mike
linebacker Jon Hesse said.
“This spring,” Hesse said, “we re
ally felt like we had something special.
We felt like We had a chance to become
a great defense, and I think that has
happened this year. I think we’ve come
together as a team. We’ve got 11 guys
out there every time we play that care
about each other and really care about
our defense.”
The team atiijitdde on the field,
Hesse said, will dllow the Husker de
fense to reach its maximum potential.
The Blackshirts have been domi
nant early this season, holding Kansas
State, Baylor, Kansas and Oklahoma
to three plays and a punt on their first
possessions.
“I don’t know what it feels like to
be on the offensive side,” Hesse said,
“but when you come out, and right
away the defense is getting in your
backfield — that’s got to be frustrat
ing for them.”
51 points this season -— on seven
touchdowns and one safety — while
allowing opponents just 77 points. And
the No. 1 defensive unit has allowed
just four touchdowns, none of which
have come via the rudi.
offense has carried us for 20
u years," tackle Jason Peter said.
"So I guess it’s time for us to start pay
ing them bade.”
___ . -• _;
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By Jay Saunders
CPf-m/y i? II ■-» n ^ mm
staff Reporter v
The Nebraska women’s basket
ball team looks to fix its problems
and learn something about its place
in the Big 12 Conference at 7 to
night, all in an exhibition game
against Club Uralmash at the Bob
Devaney Cento:.
Club Uralmash, a select team
from Russia, entered a Thursday
night game against Creighton in
Omaha with a 5-1 record. TWo of
Uralmash’s wins were against Okla
homa and Missouri, both of which
NU will play later this season in the
Big 12.
Coach Angela Beck said her
team’s performance against
Uralmash should serve as ameasur
ing stick, comparingthe Huskers to
Big 12 competition.
“This is as good of a team that
we can play without it counting,”
Beck said. “I know this is boring,
but this will help tis find out where
we are at”
Beck said ClubUralmash is a of
fensive-minded team with a good
y m&:
j b
I K
: ■
transition game. Beck said Ne
braska was lacking in its transition
defense during its 84^f2j&xhibition
win over the Nebraska All-Stars last
Saturday.
“If my area will be exploited, it
win be that,” Bede said. “We have
theguys* team (in practicejfun their
break on us, and that makes the girls
sprint real hard ”
Tonight’s game will mark the
end of the Huskers’ two-game ex
hibition season. NU begins its regu
lar season Nov. 22 against Illinois
State in Normal, HI.
“It gets the jitters out,” Beck
said. “You develop chemistry and
find out what combinations work.
That is hard to do when you scrim
mage each other and the guys*
team.”
NU men favored to win
The Nebraska men’s and women's
cross country teams will travel to Peo
ria, 111., Saturday for the NCAA Dis
trict 5 Championships.
“I think we’re ready,” Coach Jay
Dirksen said. “Practice has been good,
and Jean tell that they’re ready for the
meet.”
Juniors Jonah Kiptarus and
Cleophas Boor will try to extend their
streak of finishing 1-2 in every race this
season.
Dirksen said the ninth-ranked
men’s team should be in the driver’s
seat to win the team title. The top two
teams in each of the NCAA’s eight dis
tricts will advance to the NCAA Cham
pionships, Nov. 25 in Tbscon, Ariz.
Three men’s teams and six women’s
teams will be given wild-card berths
to the championships.
The No. 23 Nebraska women will
be led by senior Christina Blackmer
and junior Nora Shepherd, both of
whan qualified for the 1995 NCAA
Championships.
- Freshman Jaime Pauli and sopho
more Melissa Wilson, who finished
22nd and 24th last week at die Big 12
Championships, should also be key
runners and finish well, Dirksen said.
Belcher ices Husker win
HOOPS from page 7
stage for Belcher’s heroics.
“1 don’t think I could have asked
for a better on-the-job training situa
tion” NU Coach Danny Nee said.
Marathon Oil is now 5-2 on its pre
season tour.
“We wanted to win this basketball
game,” Nee said. “We wanted to show
the fans that we could beat a team of
this magnitude.”
Sophomore point guard Tyronn
Lue, who fouled out with 2:07 remain
ing and NU leading 75-70, led Ne
braska with 22 points, making 10 of
13 field goals.
“That will get our confidence go
ing,” Lue said.
Confidence helped Belcher, who
played a team-high 35 minutes, to fin
ish with 21 points and hit all 3-point
shots.
‘Tonight I felt it a lot,” Belcher
said. “I just wanted to keep shooting.”
The four first-year players sewed
38 points in 86 minutes, nearly
outseoring the four veterans, who
sewed 44 points in 114 minutes.
The Huskers open the regular sea
son Nov? 23 at Tfexas.
] taxzon enjoys
bestseason
asasenior
By Thevor Pabks
Senior Reporter
Iowa State quarterback Todd
Doxzoo is well aware that he gave up
the chance to play few a two-time na
tional champion,
opting instead to
wiheight games
and lose 33 over
the past four
years, '4
But heading I
into Saturday’s 1 I , «r
p.m. game 1
against fifth- m
ranked Ne
b r a s k a , Doxzon
Doxzon’s decision does not bother
him.
“We haven’t had the wins we’d like
to have had,” Doxzon said, “but I’d like
to think we are the ones setting the
stage fertile future of Iowa State foot
ball.”
Doxzon, a graduate of Millard
North High School, was recruited by
NU in 1993 along with Comhusker
quarterback Scott Frost Frost signed
with Stanford and Doxzon chose ISU
instead of waiting to replace Tommie
Frazier.
Frost transferred to Nebraska in
1994 and Doxzon entertained thoughts
of transferring to NU as well. But he
chose to stay in Anies after Coach Dan
McCamey replaced Jim Walden in
1994.
After Doxzon went 0-10-1 as a
sophomore, he fought through an in
jury-plagued junior year, missing five
of the Cyclones’ 11 games.
Doxzon has remained healthy this
year, and he is having the best season
of his up-and-down career.
He has started every game for the
2-7 Cyclones, passing for a career-best
11 touchdowns and 1,338 yards.
Doxzon is also the team’s third-lead
ing rusher with 182 yards.
“I’m very proud of his improve
ment this year,” McCamey said. “Last
year, he was injured most of the time,
and this year he has only missed four
plays.”
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound senior
said ISU’s offense has contributed to
his improvement.
“I can use my physical skills better
in this offense,” Doxzon said, “and
since I’ve been healthy, I’ve been re
ally confident.”
Playing well against hishome-state
school during his final game in Ames,
Doxzon said, would end years of frus
tration.
“It’s a big game for our program,”
he said. “And if we wot, that would be
a huge victory—not only for me but
few everyone.”
Huskers face must-wm at K-State
KSU from page 7 >
— is still pleased with his team’s ef
fort this season. Kansas State has al
ready bettered last season’s 21-12
record.
Tonight’s 7:30 match isn't for the
league championship, but it does have
postseason implications for both teams.
Moore said defeating Nebraska could
help the No. 18 Wildcats (22-5 overall
and 10-4 in the league) gain a better
seed in the NCAA Tournament next
month. ; ^
“This is aprogram that’s trying to
build,” Moore said. “I had a strong
feeling we’d be better this year. We’re
a physically gifted team, and we’re
right where 1 thought we’d be.”
If Nebraska (21-3 and 13-1) is to
win the first Big 12 title, it needs to
beat No. 20 Kansas State tonight and
Kansas (9-19 and 3-11) Saturday at
7:30 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan., Nu
Coach Terry Pettit said.
“We are in a must-win situation if
we want to stay in the hunt for the con
ference championship,” Pettit said.
Although KSU has never defeated
Nebraska in 53 matches, Pettit said he
anticipates a hard-fought match. The
Wildcats own a four-match winning
streak and a 10-0 record at Aheara
Held House.
If the Huskers win tonight, defense
will be die keyiPettit said. The last time
the two teams met in Lincoln, Nebraska
held KSU .080 at the net, its second
lowest percentage of the season, in a
five-game Husker win on Sept 28.
“Kansas State is solid at every po
sition,” Pettit said. “But if we can de
fend at the same level we did in the
coliseum, it’s going to be a very inter
esting match.”
Kansas State is led at the net by
Kate DeClerk, who is averaging three
kills per game while hitting .371.
Pettit said the Huskers will have to
regroup quickly after Friday’s match
with KSU before traveling to
Lawrence, but he is not overly con
cerned with the Jayhawks.
“We have a history of taking care
of things,” Pettit said. “Very few times
we’ve lost to teams we were supposed
to beat.”
But the Huskers’ main focus this
weekend will be Kansas State, which
Pettit said has improved greatly since
losing in Lincoln six weeks ago.
Moore agreed and said his team is
looking forward to tonight's contest,
even if it isn’t for the conference crown.
“Before we beat Ibxas Tech two
weeks ago, l wasn’t sure that we had
improved all that much,” Moore said.
“But I feel more confident about our
chances against (NU) now.”
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