The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, November 13, 1997, Page 10, Image 10
Mike Kleck The Catch was great, but it’s over All right, enough already about The Catch. I know it’s the greatest catch in the history of football, that it will win the ESPY this year and probably next year for lack of quality competition. The play will be diagrammed, broken down and walked through until my grandchildren are playing football. Ihe Catch dominated Tuesday’s press conference. Matt Davison, Scott Frost, Tom Osborne, can you tell fne about The Catch? But then, Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter, what did you think of The Catch? Yeah, I know you weren’t on the field, but can you tell me your thoughts on The Catch? As it continued, you could hear reporters say, “Um, excuse me, I don’t know who you are, butcould you tell me about The Catch.” The person would answer, “I’m just the backup manager, and I didn’t make the trip.” The reporter presses on: “Yeah, that’s OK, what was The Catch like watching it on TV?” Enough already. It’s time to start concentrating on Iowa State. What? You laugh, even scoff at me when I say it’s time to start concentrating on the lowly 1-8 Cyclones. You tell me that I’ve been hanging around Osborne a lit tle too much when I start believing that the Cyclones can compete with the Huskers who now - after a miraculous victo ry in Missouri - must be des tined to win the national cham pionship. wnere nave i neara inis before? 1992. NU had just beaten No. 8 Colorado 52-7 and No. 13 Kansas 49-7, both of which were emotional victories, before traveling to Ames to face a 3-6 Iowa State squad. The Huskers were moving up the polls, trying to put themselves in a run for the national title after an early sea son loss to Washington. The result: a 19-10ISU vic tory that shocked Nebraska and the college football world. That could never happen, I heard before tjj£ 1992 game. All I hear about now is The Catch and nothing about Iowa State. Kluck is a journalism graduate student and Daily Nebraskan sports editor. I Victoria All-Stars outshoot NU Matt Miller/DN NU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH PAUL SANDERFORD tries to motivate the Huskers during a time out Wednesday against the Victorian Ail-Stars at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. By Sarah Dose Staff Reporter A second half full-court press by the Victoria All-Stars turned a 40-34 Nebraska halftime lead into an 82-67 loss for the NU women’s basketball team. The press created an overabundance of turnovers for the Huskers, who fin ished the game with 29. “I think we made one or two turnovers being passive, then all of a sudden, we just threw the ball all over the court,” Nebraska Coach Paul Sanderford said. NU took the lead early in the game Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in front of 1,406 fans with a 9-2 run and hung on for a 19-14 lead by the end of the first quarter. They continued their solid defense throughout the second quarter to end the half with a 40-34 lead. But halftime came and the two teams that returned for the second half were complete opposites of what they had been in the first half. Victoria added an attacking full court press that Nebraska couldn’t han dle, and the Huskers watched their lead quickly disappear halfway into the third quarter. Victoria head Coach Guy Molloy said he thought his team’s second-half press made all the difference. But he doesn’t attribute his team’s victory to defense alone. Molloy also gives Victoria credit for improving its shooting percentage from 36 percent in the first half to^? percent in the second half, practically swapping Please see LOSS on 11 Vacek hopes to end on high note ■ The Nebraska senior feels snubbed but plans to leave her frustrations on the soccer field. Jay Saunders Assignment Reporter Not too many people can tell you more about the history of Nebraska soccer than Stephanie Vacek. Vacek, a senior defender from Papillion, has been at Nebraska since the program’s inception four years ago. At the end of this season, Vacek will be the first Cornhusker to start and complete her eligibility at Nebraska. Sunday against Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, she will play the final home game of her career. She was part of the core of players that helped die Huskers grow from a first-year program to a national power. During her first two years at NU, Vacek played in the midfield. She was switched to defense her junior year. “She is someone who has improved greatly as a superb individ ual defender,” NTJ Coach John Walker said. “Her development of play mir rors the growth of our program to a point.” In her first three years, Vacek scored eight goals and had five assists. This season Vacek has five assists from the backfield. As a sweeper, Vacek is the last line of defense before the goalkeeper. If not for the encouragement of friends at Papillion-LaVista High School, Vacek may not have been a Husker. When Vacek was looking at col leges, Nebraska wasn’t even on her initial list. Vacek looked at St. Mary’s College, an NAIA school in Omaha. Her friends, and Walker, persuaded Vacek to be a Husker. “I wasn’t looking at Nebraska,” Vacek said. “I never dreamed I could play Division I ball. I talked a little with John (Walker) and decided to give it a try.” In the first year of the program, the Huskers loaded their schedule with teams such as Baker and Park College. The Huskers even beat the College of St. Mary’s 5-1. Nebraska compiled a 14-4 record during that first season. It wasn’t the stuff.postseason tournament berths are made of, but Vacek said the Huskers really didn’t care. “It was a big deal to beat a Division II school,” Vacek said. “We were just out there playing for fim. You don’t think you are going to get to the postseason.” In the second year, the Huskers built a tougher schedule and limped to a 10-8 mark but gained experience and confidence against teams like Portland and Southern Methodist, reg ulars in the NCAA tournament. When Nebraska joined the Big 12 Conference last year, Vacek and the Huskers took off. NU won its first 23 games, losing for the first time in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to Portland. “It was always a dream to get to play in the tournament,” Vacek said, “but now it’s a reality. A lot of people say, ‘Give a program five years.’ But we made it in three. That really says a lot about the girls that came here.” This season, Nebraska started off Please see VACEK on 11 Matt Miller/DN SENIOR STEPH VACEK will be the first player to start her collegiate career at Nebraska and use up her eligibility. Huskers run 2-minute drill to near perfection By Sam McKewon Staff Reporter Down 38-31 in the closing min utes of its game against Missouri . Saturday, the Nebraska football team had to turn to a part of its game it rarely needs: the two-minute drill. The Huskers responded, going 67 yards in 62 seconds, capping the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Scott Frost to freshman wide receiver Matt Davison. While the importance of the two-minute drill was only recog nized against the Tigers, the Huskers devote time to running the offense every day in practice, help ing to boost their confidence in the game. “We work on it quite a bit in practice” said split end Kenny Cheatham, who had three catches on the final drive and finished the game with five receptions for 54 yards. 4 \ \ “We knew that if we could get Please see HURRY on 11 Tight Husker win gives improving Cyclones hope By David Wilson Senior Reporter Nebraska’s narrow overtime victo ry over Missouri Saturday has served as an incentive for Iowa State this week. Missouri rushed for 153 yards and quarterback Corby Jones threw for 233, but a last-second, diving catch by NU freshman Matt Davison in the fourth quarter saved the Comhuskers, who won 45-38 in overtime. “It’s hard to find examples of foot ball teams being able to compete and play with Nebraska, Iowa State Coach Dan McCamey said. “It sure does give you hope.” Die Cyclones (1-8 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12 Conference) travel to Lincoln Saturday at 11:30 a.m. to face Nebraska (9-0 and 6-0) at Memorial Stadium. The game will be a Big 12 syndicated broadcast, televised by Channel 10-11. With their slim victory last week end, the Huskers fell from No. 1 to No. 3 in both The Associated Press poll Please see ISU on 11