MikeKluck
Huskers find
respect, look
Miami-bound!
SEATTLE - With Saturday’s 27- |
14 victory over previously No. 2
Washington, Nebraska has gone from j
salmon to stone crab, dishing out a lit- j
tie crow on the side.
The Huskers traveled to the
Pacific Northwest, a place that is ;
known more for its salmon fishing
and cuisine than its football, to regain
their respect.
In front of a regional television
audience and a sometimes-boisterous j
crowd of 74,023, including approxi
mately 10,000 Nebraska fans at
Husky Stadium, one voice stood out
above all the rest.
Nebraska senior captain and
defensive tackle Jason Peter spent a
few minutes before the game remind
ing the Huskers of who they were.
“I told them when the team came
together out there on the field and then
in the locker room,' Don’t forget we’re
Nebraska,’” Peter said. “We’re the j
back-to-back national champions;
we’re the ones that have dominated
college football in the 1990s, and
don’t you forget that. (Washington)
has to prove it to us.”
Washington didn’t, and the
Huskers appear on their way back to
Miami and the home of stone crabs,
the Orange Bowl and this year’s
national championship game.
But more important than the vic
tory itself, Nebraska appeared to have
eliminated the doubters, including
myself, and the booers from last
Saturday’s win over Central Florida.
“It doesn’t matter what other peo
ple think about us,” Nebraska junior
fullback Joel Makovicka said.
Makovicka rushed for a career-best
l/y yards against the Huskies.
“We have a lot of confidence in
the guys on the team, and everybody
knows we’re a good football team.”
And fans are beginning to have
confidence in Nebraska quarterback
Scott Frost. After Saturday’s game,
before Frost headed up the tunnel to
the locker room, he walked over to the
2,000 NU fans in the southwest comer
of Husky Stadium.
It was different from last week,
when Frost was booed at Memorial
Stadium. !
“I’m happy for the fans who have
supported us through everything,”
Frost said. “Those are the true fans,
and they deserve this win as much as
we do.”
With a remaining schedule that
doesn’t feature a team in the top 15 or
one that is still undefeated, it appears
stone crabs will soon be a part of the
Husker diet.
The biggest concern for the
Huskers would appear to be making j
sure they don’t serve up an appetizer
of foot-in-the-mouth, and trip up with j
a loss similar to 1992’s defeat to Iowa
State.
Kluck is a journalism graduate
student and the Daily Nebraskan
sports editor.
Penn State rips Huskers
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
MADISON, Wis. — Two of the top
teams in the nation squared off at the
Big Ten-Big 12 Challenge, with No. 1
Penn State defeating Nebraska 16-14,
15-12, 16-14, at the Wisconsin Field
House Friday.
The match, played before a crowd
of 1,726, marked the f rst time the fifth
ranked Cornhuskers were swept in
three games since August 24, 1996,
against then-No. 1 Hawaii.
The Huskers, who improved to 9-2
after Saturday’s win bver host
Wisconsin, had a chance to change
momentum early in the match by win
ning the first game, but NU failed to
i
convert on four game-point opportuni
ties.
“The key was the first game,”
Nebraska coach Terry Pettit said. “We
needed to win the game, but I think this
is a match we can build on.”
The Nittany Lions (11 -0) jumped to
a 13-10 lead before NU scored four
straight points to take a 14-13 lead. But
the Lions were able to fight off
Nebraska to win the game 16-14.
Please see LIONS on 10
NU downs Wisconsin
By Andrew Strnad
Staff Reporter
MADISON, WIS. — Coming
off a tough three-game loss on
Friday night to Penn State, Husker
setter Fiona Nepo said she wanted
to play with the same mentality
against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Nepo and the Huskers did just
that by defeating No. 12
Wisconsin 15-10, 15-9, 15-12 in
front of 5,553 fans at the
_
.
Wisconsin Field House. It was the
fourth-largest crowd in Wisconsin
history.
“I thought we played great
tonight, just like I thought we
played great Friday.” Nepo said.
“We knew they were going to push
us, and we had to push back hard
er.”
Despite being outhit by the
Badgers in the first game .209
.136, the Huskers took advantage
Please see BADGERS on 10
„.. ..... . . Sandy Summers/DN
NEBRASKA MIDFIELDER Tanya Wright protects the ball from Arkansas’ Clare McKenna Sunday at the Abbott
Sports Complex in the Huskers’ 8-0 win.
Soccer team drills 2 foes
By Jay Saunders
Assignment Reporter
The team was different, but the
result was nearly the same.
A crowd of 665 at Abbott
Sports Complex watched the
Nebraska soccer team follow a 7-0
win Thursday night over Iowa State
with an 8-0 victory against
Arkansas on Sunday, improving to
6-2 on the season.
Nebraska senior goalkeeper
Rebecca Hombacher teamed with
Karina LeBlanc and Jackie
Erdkamp in facing only one shot on
goal as the Huskers recorded their
second straight shutout.
Nebraska blasted Arkansas
goalkeepers Jessica Shoffner and
Kati Adams with 17 shots on goal.
NU wasted no time in attacking
the Lady ‘Backs net shooting five
shots on goal in the first five min
utes.
Nebraska coach John Walker
said the Huskers continued to
improve on offensive pressure and
finishing scoring opportunities.
Five different players scored for the
Huskers, who also got a goal from
Arkansas.
“I didn’t envision us winning by
eight goals,” Walker said. “Any
time we can pressure we will create
scoring opportunities. That just sets
the tone and gets us going.”
Senior Kari Uppinghouse
opened the scoring with a goal at
the 1:53 mark in the first half. The
goal, with an assist from sopho
more Isabelle Morneau, was the
quickest goal in Husker history.
But midway through the first
half Uppinghouse went down with
an ankle injury and because of a
rule stipulation, was not able to
return until the second half. She
did, and had two assists.
Please see SOCCER on 10
leam score
concern of
NU golfers
■ Coach Larry Romjue
said his team must be
more consistent than it was
in the first tournament.
By Sam McKewon
Staff Reporter
A few things need to change, and
few things need to stay the same
when the Nebraska men’s golf team
defends its title at the Kansas
Invitational in Lawrence, Kan., today
and Tuesday.
One of the changes needs to
come in the form of the Huskers’
team score.
In the ralcon/Cross Creek
Invitational, Sept. 12-14*NU shot an
875, and earned fifth place. The
Huskers finished 10 strokes behind
tournament champion California, but
faltered in the last nine holes of the
tournament.
NU also had a poor showing from
its three-through-five golfers, who
failed to take advantage of Nebraska
having the individual champion and
seventh-place finisher.
Nebraska coach Larry Romjue
said the Huskers must be more con
sistent than they were in the first
tournament.
“We let some things happen that
really shouldn’t,” he said. “We made
some mental errors that I don’t
expect we’ll make again. Still, we
have to eliminate bad holes if we
want to win.”
The thing that needs to stay the
same is the play of Husker juniors
Jamie Rogers and Josh Madden.
Rogers tied a tournament record in
winning the individual title at the
Falcon/Cross Creek Invitational,
while Madden finished seventh.
Romjue said Rogers will again be
among the favorites to win this week
in Lawrence.
“Jaime certainly has the talent to
be in every tournament he plays,”
Romjue said. “As long as he plays
well, he’s going to be one of the guys
to beat up there.”
Rogers said he also likes his
chances in the 54-hole tournament.
“I’m feeling confident right now,
definitely,” Rogers said. “I feel like if
I don’t make any big mistakes, I can
play with a lot of people.”
