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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1997)
NU runs two-minute drill nearly perfectly HURRY from page 10 the ball in scoring position, we would have our chances to score.” Nebraska usually initiates the two-minute drill when it gets the ball with less than 2:30 to play in the first or second half. Cheatham said there are several variations to the two-minute offense. The clock and remaining timeouts dictate if Nebraska can use running plays or must go to an all passing attack, as it did against Missouri. No matter the time left in the game, NU Receivers Coach Ron Brown said there are two things that the coaching staff emphasizes in any two-minute situation. We want to execute in pushing the ball up the field, and we want to get the ball out of bounds as much as possible,” he said. “Any time you can do those two things, you’re going to have chance to put some points on the board.” The two-minute offense begins with Frost, who must call every play with hand signals to the wide receivers and make the read for an open receiver. Nebraska Quarterbacks Coach Turner Gill said he wants Husker quarterbacks to make good deci sions on the field. “He’s got to get the calls made very quickly, and then he’s got about three seconds to make the read,” Gill said. “If he doesn’t have the open guy, he’s got to throw the ball away.” Frost, who completed five of 10 passes on the final drive, said he felt comfortable running the Huskers’ hurry-up offense. “Once you get in a rhythm throwing the ball, you become a more effective passer,”he said. ' The result of quarterback and receiver working together can be a tough combination to stop, Brown said, because the two-minute offen sive drill can put a defense on its heels. “There is that threat of a guy getting behind you, so the corners « We want to execute in pushing the ball up the Ron Brown Nebraska receivers coach will play loose and let you hit those passes underneath the defense,” Brown said. In the first half against Missouri, the two-minute drill did n’t work out that way. Nebraska started a drive at the Missouri 40 yard line with 45 seconds remain ing but ran out of time after failing to get out of bounds and then fum bling a snap on the last play of the half. Brown said tnat tailed drive illustrated the importance of using the clock in the waning moments of the half. “You have to make sure guys get out of bounds and have good time management,” he said. “We got a little discombobulated and we did n’t score.” Another situation where the two-minute drill failed was in the 1996 Big 12 championship game against Texas. NU failed to score after the Longhorns went up 37-27. Brown said he reminded his players of that game Saturday. “We didn’t get it done against Texas, and I wanted to remind them of that,” he said. “I didn’t want to put negative rocks in their minds, but I wanted them to know they were good enough to pull this thing off against Missouri.” In the end, Brown said, there are also two intangible qualities that made that drive and any two-minute drill work. “Focus and maturity,” he said. “To score in such a short amount of time in any game takes focus and maturity.” Fremont lineman accepts NU offer By David Wilson Senior Reporter The Nebraska football team received its eighth verbal commit ment Wednesday from Wes Cody, a 6 foot-3, 265-pound lineman from Fremont Beigan. Cody helped Bergan to a 7-3 record in Class C-2 this season play ing on both sides of the ball. Nebraska coaches have been to Fremont more than once this year to see Cody play, Bergan Coach Larry Martin said, and they liked what they saw. ihey really like his aggressive ness,” Martin said. “He comes off the ball really hard. He plays the game the way you’re supposed to.” As a senior, Cody finished the season with 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 38 unassisted tack-' les. But his most impressive statistics may have come in the weight room. He benches 390 pounds, squats 540 pounds and has a 29-inch vertical jump. Cody’s work ethic, Martin said, made the difference. “He doesn’t seem to take many plays off,” Martin said. “He’s very aggressive and very strong. He’s very quick for a kid his size - especially within the first 10 yards.” Speed is not Cody’s specialty - his best electronic 40-yard-dash time is 5.28 seconds - but as a lineman, IT I quickness is important. Cody said he wasn’t sure what position he will play at Nebraska. NU Coach Tom Osborne offered Cody the scholarship Tuesday night, and after talking it over with his fami ly, Cody accepted Wednesday morn ing. He said he had hoped the offer would come and once it did, his deci sion was simple. “They’re the best,” Cody said. As long as he keeps his grade point average above a 2.5, Cody will qualify academically. He also consid ered Kansas State, Kansas, Wyoming, Michigan and New Mexico State but has not made any official recruiting visits. Though high school athletes can not sign letters of intent until the first Wednesday in February, the Huskers have also received verbal commit ments from Chris Kelsay, a 6-4, 235 pound rush end from Auburn; Nate Koltermann, a 6-4, 310-pound offen sive lineman from Seward; DeAntae Grixby, a 5-9,190-pound I-back from Omaha Central; Dahrran Diedrick, a 6-1, 210-pound I-back from Scarborough, Ontario; Aaron Golliday, a 6-5, 230-pound tight end from York; Jeremy Slechta, a 6-5,260 pound defensive lineman from Papillion-LaVista; and Jon Bowling, a 6-4,'210-pound tight end from Lincoln Southeast. >.jV •-" Victoria All-Stars outshoot NU LOSS from page 10 with Nebraska, who shot 54 percent in the first half and 31 percent in the sec ond. “If we throw the ball around the out side and shoot three’s, we don’t play well,” Molloy said. “We’ve got to make sure we can penetrate and get it into the key, and then kick it out and shoot from there. We didn’t get that done in the first half.” What Victoria didn’t do in the first half, won the game for them in the sec ond half. “We’re not totally dumbfounded about the fact that we don’t have a true point guard and that teams are still going to press us,” said NU senior guard Anna DeFoige. “We just couldn’t get the right people open, couldn’t get the right pass es, it was just unforced errors. “We were getting a lot of good shots, good looks in the first half. But we couldn’t even get the ball past half court in the second half. I think definitely the pressure was a huge difference in our second half.” « I think definitely the pressure was a huge difference in our second half ” Anna DeForge NU senior guard DeForge also thinks the absence of Brooke Schwartz added to Nebraska’s exhibition loss. Schwartz had an appen dectomy last Tuesday and should return by Friday. “Yeah, she could have helped us out tonight,” DeFoige said. “She’s got great court vision.” Nebraska came out in the fourth quarter looking like they were ready to attack Victoria’s press, but with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter, Victoria still main tained a 67-62 lead. Their lead increased as the Australian team outscored the Huskers 15-5. “I thought their coach made some great adjustments at halftime,” Sanderford said. “They went to the zone press a little too late in the first half, but then we didn’t attack it We made slug gish cuts, we should’ve taken into the double team, you’ve got to draw the dou ble team before you kick out the ball. “I thought for a little while it was going to be Anna (DeForge) versus the world.” Despite the loss DeForge still said she is ready to start regular season play and forget about the Victoria All-Stars. “This was just an exhibition game,” she said. The Huskers open their regular sea son Friday night by taking on Miami of Ohio in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Tight NU win inspires Iowa State ISU from page 10 and the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. “It was one of the best games in col lege football in 1997,” McCamey said. “Both sides had players making great plays.” But one close game doesn’t mean Nebraska is beat able, McCarney said. “It hasn’t hap pened yet,” McCarney said. McCamey “They are a super football team. I don’t see one weakness on their football team.” ISU also played a nail-biter Saturday in Ames against Colorado. The Buffaloes rallied to score 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a touch down with seven seconds remaining to down the Cyclones 43-38. “We really got after Colorado from the get go,” ISU linebacker Michael Cooper said. “But we couldn’t put them away. I think it was a tough one to swal low because we had the game won. “But I think people realize now that we can play with people. I think we’re a lot better team than our record sug gests.” Iowa State was without standout tailback Darren Davis in the second half. Davis, brother of former ISU and current New Orleans Saints tailback Troy, left with a thigh bruise after rush ing for 68 yards and one touchdown. “It was a game we had a lot of opportunities to win,” McCamey said. “We played our best half of football of the season in the first half.” After losing their first six games, the Cyclones beat Baylor 24-17, Oct. 25 in Ames. Since the win, ISU lost at Kansas, 34-24, and to CU. “I think the team we play Saturday is much improved,” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said. Iowa State was the last team to hand the Huskers a conference loss when the Cyclones upset NU 19-10 on Nov. 14, 1992, in Ames. The Cyclones have not defeated-a ranked team on the road since Oct. 20, 1990, when they beat then-1 b^-ranked Oklahoma 33-31 in Norman, Okla. Iowa State has never defeated a top-five team. Vacek hopes to end NU career with NCAA run VACEK from page 10 as the sixth-ranked team in the coun try. With a 17-3 record, the Huskers are making their second consecutive trip to the tournament. A win Sunday would more than likely send the Huskers to play at No. 2 Notre Dame. Vacek said the Huskers are not getting noticed as one of the top teams in the country. “I don’t think we’ve gotten full respect,” Vacek said. “I guess the only way to prove it is to beat some of these teams over and over again.” Nebraska as a team may not be the only one missing respect. Seven I-: Huskers were named to either the first or second all-conference teams. Vacek was not one of them. Last season, she was named to the first team. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t both er me,” Vacek said. “I thought I had a better year than I did last year. I helped the team more by improving. Besides, it’s just a name on a paper.” Even though Vacek’s stint as a Husker is hanging in the balance, she said the only thing she is focusing on is the game against Michigan. “I don’t plan to lose,” Vacek said, “but if we do it’s over. I am still going to go to practice tomorrow and do my same job.” MAh^ialtAHhd 11 GIVE IT A SHOT WNIT -First Round: NU Women vs. Miami (Ohio) Friday, November 14 @ 8:35 pm at Bob Devaney Sports Center Student-Promotion: “Huskers Authentic™ Shootout" UNL students, here’s your chance to win free apparel from Huskers Authentic™ or a leather jacket. All shootout participants get a free t-shirt from Huskers Authentic™. ■