Shannon Heffe Winger
Edwards
makes NU
into believers
You had to wonder what was
going through Troy Edwards’ mind
last week before the unranked
Louisiana Tech football team pre
pared for its season-opener against
No. 3 Nebraska on Saturday.
Actually, forget what was going
through his mind. Was there any
thing in it?
Edwards flapped his mouth and
said a few choice comments that
offended the Blackshirts on
Tuesday. This would not seem like a
smart thing to do - especially when
you consider that NU’s defense
returned 10 starters, including three
in the secondary.
The best of Edwards’ pre-game
thoughts:
ncuiasr.a just uoesn i ueienu
the pass well,” Edwards told Daily
Nebraskan senior staff writer Dave
Wilson on Tuesday. “I’ve studied
their players ... but I think I’m just a
better player than they are.”
Naturally, this annoyed the
Huskers and provided them with
some bulletin board material.
Most Husker fans thought
Edwards was an idiot. What was he
doing? Setting himself up to get
pulverized by the Blackshirts?
But as it turned out, Edwards
knew what he was talking about.
The Nebraska secondary couldn’t
contain him. They couldn’t even
keep up with him. And neither will
any other secondary he faces this
season.
The senior wide receiver burned
NU’s defensive backs for an
NCAA-record 405 yards receiving
on 21 receptions. Both were school
records against Nebraska. His 94
yard touchdown marked the first
time since 1976 that an opponent
has completed a 90-plus yard pass
against NU.
Edwards taunted the Blackshirts
throughout the game, which the
Bulldogs lost 56-27. Edwards told
reporters after the contest that he
couldn’t believe NU used man cov
erage against him.
“T 4-1__1.4. 4.1__
x luuugin IU
wake up after the first half,”
Edwards said.
Edwards was far from gracious,
but it doesn’t really matter when
you’re that good. “Good sport” is
not a qualification for a Heisman
contender. And Edwards proved he
is a strong one Saturday.
Edwards made first-team All
Big 12 comerback Ralph Brown a
believer.
“In all my days, I have never
seen a person do what (Edwards)
did to us today,” said Brown. “That
is the most impressive performance
I have even seen in my life.”
Turns out Edwards is a pretty
smart guy after all.
Heffelfinger is a junior news
editorial major and a Daily
Nebraska senior staff writer.
Gill: If needed, Crouch is ready
By David Wilson
Senior staff writer
Nebraska quarterback Bobby
Newcombe suffered a knee injury in
the third quarter Saturday that could
keep him on the
sidelines next
week when the
Comhuskers play
host to Alabama
Birmingham.
NU Quarter
backs Coach
Turner Gill said
Sunday that
Newcombe expe
rienced pain after
hitting the turf on
a pitch play with two minutes, 59 sec
onds left in the period. I-back Dan
Alexander scored on the play to give
the Huskers a 42-21 lead.
Despite the pain, Newcombe
played the next two series before
freshman quarterback Eric Crouch
entered the game with 6:38 remain
ing.
Gill said Crouch would likely
have played regardless of
Newcombe’s injury.
An MRI performed Saturday
evening revealed a slight tear in the
posterior cruciate ligament in
Newcombe’s left knee.
Gill said he would probably know
more about the seriousness of the
injury today.
“We’re definitely saddened by it,
because he had an excellent ball
game,” Gill said.
In his first ever start Saturday,
Newcombe completed 9 of 10 passes
u
Its one ballgame, but I’m veryy very
happy. I feel that they re going to get better
and better each and every week.”
Turner Gill
NU quarterbacks coach
for 168 yards as Nebraska rolled to a
56-27 victory over Louisiana Tech.
The sophomore also ran 12 times for
12 yards.
Crouch, who played in NU’s final
two series, completed 1 of 3 passes
for five yards and ran once for six
yards.
If Newcombe is unable to play
Saturday, Gill said he would not be
worried about starting Crouch.
“I feel very, very comfortable if
we have to go with Eric Crouch,” Gill
said. “Bobby was our Number One
guy, but there’s not much difference
in speed, quickness, throwing ability,
knowing the offense and all those
things. They’re very, very close.”
Please see INJURY on 11
Alumni lose
4 out of 5
in exhibition
By Andrew Strnad
Staff writer
The Nebraska volleyball team mixed business
with pleasure Saturday night as they took on
Comhusker stars of days past in the annual Alumni
Match.
While everyone involved had a good time, the
current NU squad won the match 15-3, 15-1,5-15,
15-8,15-5 in front of an estimated crowd of2,000 at
the NU Coliseum.
The alumni squad featured some of the Huskers
all-time greats like three-time All-American Lisa
Reitsma and also included players from Nebraska’s
1986 NCAA Final Four team, including Karen
Dahlgren, Tisha Delaney, and Enid Schonweise.
A 1 : • • • . ' a ,-k.TTT
jwilling nit aiuiiini wtit iwu tuiicm i>u
assistant coaches, Cathy Noth and Nikki Best.
“It’s always fun to bring back everybody and play
this match,” Noth said. “ Plus, it’s good for them to
play in a game-like atmosphere before the season.”
For the Huskers, every player was in uniform
except for senior outside hitter Jaime Krondak.
Krondak injured her left foot Aug. 24 during
practice, but will participate in a limited practice later
today.
The game itself saw the Huskers dominate the
first two games before a sluggish third game.
NU Head Coach Terry Pettit said he was fairly
pleased with the first two games, but was disappoint
ed with what he saw in the final three games.
“I wasn’t real pleased with our ball handling, and
I wasn’t really happy with our communication,” Pettit
said.
Senior middle blocker Megan Korver said it
appeared the team may have lost focus after the sec
ond game.
“I think mentally we let up,” Korver said. “We
need to have that determination, where right from the
beginning to the end we hit it hard.”
The Huskers did hit it hard in those first two
games as they raced out to big leads before the alum
ni could even get warmed up.
The quickness gap between the Huskers and
alumni was quite apparent in those first two games,
but didn’t make much difference in the third game as
Noth and the alumni got hot.
“When I play against them I know their strengths
and weaknesses,” Noth said. “We started to serve the
ball and they were a little disoiganized.”
With four matches in the next week, it’s impor
tant the Huskers get oiganized, as a trip to San Diego
and a match with No. 4 Stanford are slated for next
weekend.
“Four games in a week is a lot, but it’s good to
play them now instead of two months down the line.”
Pettit said.
Before NU travels to the West Coast, the fifth
ranked Huskers will play host to Creighton on
Sandy Summers/DN
KIM BEHRENDS, a UNL sophomore, gets under the ball during their match against UNL alumni vol
leyball players Saturday night.
’86 squad started Huskers’ dynasty
By James Nicas
Staff writer
Every great team always has a defining year
that begins a tradition.
It took Bob Devaney nine years to help
Nebraska win a national
championship in 1970.
Michael Jordan needed
seven seasons to reach the
NBA finals in 1991.
The 1986 Nebraska vol
leyball team also can be
remembered as a team that
started a tradition.
Saturday evening, the
1986 team was saluted for its
season as the former
Comhusker players faced the
current Nebraska team in an exhibition at the
tt
Nebraska volleyball has
always been great. We were
just the first team to break
the barrier.”
Tisha Delaney
NU setter (’86)
NU Coliseum.
After reaching the NCAA tournament the
previous four years, the 1986 Huskers reached
the NCAA finals, cementing the Huskers’ posi
tion in the national spotlight.
Please see ALUMNI on 11
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