Sam McKewon
Warfield
goes in NFL
a winner
Guess which Husker player got the
best deal of the NFL Draft?
Grant Wistrom? No. Jason Peter?
Nope. Scott Frost? Only if you like tuna.
Try Erie Warfield.
Warfield was the last Husker signed
in the draft, tucked away in the seventh
round. He won’t get a lot of coin to start
out Ins career, but he’s going to one of
the best teams in the league: the Kansas
City Chiefs.
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Oakland Raiders fan, I am obligated to
hate them. But Warfield got a sweet deal,
going to a team that needs a couple more
good safeties and is already looking at
the Super Bowl again for next season.
K.C. has seasoned veterans at cor
nerback with Dale Carter (the best ath
lete in the NFL) and James Hasty. The
safeties are young and can use a sizable
athlete like Warfield.
Even Warfield, who said he had
been on pins and needles waiting to see
where he would go, knew' he went to a
good team.
"The Chiefs are right there,”
Warfield said. "They're always one of
the best teams and have great coaches
and players."
The big signing bonus is nice, but it's
also good to be picked up by someone
who can contend. Three years ago. ki
Jana Carter was picked up by hapless
Cincinnati, w here he has floundered
That same year. Curtis Martin
scored big w ith New England. Terrel!
Davis went to Denver. One went to the
Super Bowl, the other was its MVP.
Now shift that focus to first-round
pick Grant Wistrom. Sure, he might be
getting the big cash and post-draff inter
view. but he's going to that other team in
Missouri - St. Louis.
Wistrom is loinimi a uood defense.
as the Rams defensive corps kept them
from being the worst team in the NFL.
But it’s destined to be a long season
for the Rams and Wistrom. Grant will
play well next year, but I’m afraid los
ing could be a habit for him.
Jason Peter’s in a better situation
with Carolina. He'll be playing beside
Sean Gilbert, the NFL’s highest-paid
defender. Peter will get his knocks, but
he’ll perform and so will the Panthers.
The other three drafted: Ahman
Green, Scott Frost and Aaron Taylor
will all gets shot to play with Seattle, the
Jets and Indianapolis, respectively.
Frost’s situation is the best though: He
gets to play for the Big Tuna (Bill
Parcells).
For my money, though, Warfield
fell in with a good team and solid track
record. He may not be Rookie of the
Year next season, but he could be wear
ing a big ring with jewels on it.
Of course, Kansas City has to get by
the Raiders first. And they got Charles
Woodson.
Sam McKewon is a sophomore
news-editorial and political science
major and a Daily Nebraskan senior
reporter.
3 battle
for QB
position
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
When asked how bad he wanted
the starting quarterback job,
Nebraska sophomore Bobby
Newcombe looked down and took a
moment to measure his words.
His answer showed his want for
the job and his commitment to the
position.
“1 wouldn't be competing for this
job a second time if I didn’t want it,”
Newcombe said. “I want to be the
quarterback. That’s it.”
Frankie London got the same
question. His answer was short, but
just as focused.
“I want the job bad,” London said.
“Real bad.”
Such is the race for the most visi
ble position on the Nebraska football
team.
Most recently, a third player has
been added to the chase for the quar
terback position. Redshirt freshman
Eric Crouch, who started spring as
the No. 5 quarterback, has taken
snaps with the first-team offense and
is battling Newcombe and London
for the job.
Quarterbacks Coach Turner Gill
said he had wanted to have a clear-cut
starter by the end of spring practice.
But now, as spring practice comes
to a close this week. Gill, w'ithout
revealing who's ahead said the race is
close enough to hold over until fall.
“We've got three guys who are all
ven capable." Gil! said. “We'll look
back at everx scrimmage, and hope
full} we'il ha\ e a guy going into fall.
"That's not to say that it might not
change then. You don't know who's
going to get hurt or play well."
Gill said that London came into
the spring as the leader because of
experience but that all three players
have “No. 1 quarterback ability."
It would seem Newcombe has
taken the lead in the race. Monday,
Head Coach Frank Solich said
New combe graded out the best in last
Saturday’s scrimmage.
But there's more to the quarter
back story than just w'ho gets the job.
Matt Miller/DN
THE TOP THREE contenders for the starting quarterback position are freshman Eric Crouch, above, sophomore
Bobby Newcombe, left, and junior Frankie London.
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I or one. whichever quarterback
runs the team will be inexperienced,
and more importantly, behind an inex
perienced offensive line. Several times
this spring, the quarterbacks have been
swarmed under by the NU defense.
"That's part of the game,'' Crouch
said. "Sometimes you have to throw
the ball away or take a sack.”
Switching positions is another
wrinkle. Of the two players who are
not named the starter, one of them will
likely move to another position.
Newcombe has already said he
will move back to wingback, which he
played last year, and London said he’d
be open to playing a different role.
"We want to have two of these
three guys on the field at the same time
next year if we can,” Gill said. “We're
not going to make that choice now, but
Please see RACE on 10
Ninth-inning rally helps NU avoid sweep
By Sam McKewon
Senior Reporter
Nebraska Baseball Coach Dave Van
Horn said he couldn’t have slept ifTexas
Tech had swept the Cornhuskers
Tuesday.
Thanks to two timely bunts and a
season-best performance by pitcher
Peter Lythgoe, Van Horn got to rest easy,
as NU won the second game of a twi
night doubleheader 2-1 against the No.
25 Red Raiders in front of 456 fans at
Buck Beltzer Field.
“I think we had to win the night
game,” Van Horn said. “We had played
well enough to win them both.”
In game one, NU (20-15 overall and
6-8 in the Big 12 Conference) lost in the
top of the ninth when Matt Tomlin (0-1)
threw a wild pitch, allowing a Red
Raider to score and giving Tech (33-15
and 13-9) a 6-5 win. Shane Wright (10
1) got the victory.
But game two saw a reverse in the
two teams’ late-inning execution, which
included two bunts in the bottom of the
ninth.
With the score tied 1-1, the rally start
ed with center fielder Scott Larsen’s single
to center field oflf of pitcher Cade Allison
(1 -2). Larsen was 4 for 4 in the game.
Then, Van Horn said, he “gambled”
by allowing third baseman Danny
Kimura to bunt. Kimura, not known for
his bunting, bunted back to Allison, who
was unable to throw out Larsen at sec
ond base.
“1 almost thought about not doing
it,” Van Horn said. “But I figured that if
he hits into a double play, I couldn't go
to sleep knowing that.”
Utility fielder Clifton Durham then
pinch hit for left fielder Jeff Hedman
and laid down the second straight bunt.
Miscommunication between Allison
and third baseman Keith Gmter led to a
third straight single.
Then right fielder Donny Starkins
got his third game-winning hit in two
weeks taking a fastball into center field.
“Clifton and Danny made it pretty
easy for me,” Starkins said. “I hadn’t
seen a fastball, and I knew it was com
ing so I just waited for it.”
Tevis Arnold ( 1 -1) got the win for
the Huskers, but it was Lythgoe, pitch
ing 7 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, who put
NL in a position to win.
“Overall it’s the best I’ve thrown all
year, definitely,” said Lythgoe, who
came into the game with a 6.56 earned
run average. “I had thrown well in spots,
but this game, I just let them get them
selves out.”
Van Horn said Lythgoe, who had
not been past the fifth inning this sea
son, held up well against a Texas Tech
lineup that came m hitting .332 overall.
“We were afraid he'd lose it around
the fourth or fifth,” Van Horn said. “But
he just kept going.”
The third game of the series is sched
uled for today at 1 p.m. Van Horn said the
rubber match, which represents NU’s last
game against a ranked opponent, is criti
cal to keep the Huskers in the race for the
Big 12 Conference Tournament, which
selects the top six teams.
“We’d like to have this one before
we go on the road,” Van Horn said. “We
just want to find a way into the Big 12
Tournament.”
One player who Van Horn said may
not play today is first baseman Ken
Harvey, who sat out the second game
because of a back injury .
“It’s really hurting him right now,”
Van Horn said. “It almost locked up on
him running to first base. It hurts us not
to have him.”
