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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1998)
The Big 12 has announced the conference extended its television contract with Fox Sports Net. The deal is a 10-year contract through 2007. The package is worth an esti mated $156.2 million dollars. This week’s Fox Sports Net game will be Texas Christian at Iowa State. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.nu Saturday. The game is one of three on tele vision. The conference opener between Oklahoma State and Kansas will be the ABC regional game at 2:30 p.m. Colorado and Colorado State play will begin at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The game will be at Denver’s Mile High Stadium. Last season, Nebraska was tele vised on Fox Sports Net two times, against Kansas State and Iowa State. ■ Colorado doesn't play the only night game this week. Permanent lights have been installed at Oklahoma’s Owen Field. The Sooners are taking advan tage of the lights right away. OU opens its season with a 6 p.m. game with North Texas. “We are really excited for our night games,” Oklahoma Coach John Blake said. “It is kind of like going to the movies. It is entertainment for our fans.” The only quarterback controver sy in the conference this season was at Colorado. CU Coach Rick Neuheisel named junior college transfer Mike Moschetti as the Buffs’ starting signal caller. The announcement prompted junior Jeremy Weisinger to leave Colorado and transfer to Texas A&M. Weisinger had been the start ing quarterback in during spring football. Moschetti started out fall practice as a defensive back, but was quickly moved to quarterback. Neuheisel said he heard Weisinger may leave if he wasn’t named the starter, but that wasn’t the first thing on his mind. “I just thought Mike was better,” Neuheisel said. “(Jeremy) didn’t tell me he was going to transfer, but someone told me that would be a pos sible outcome.” ■ Moschetti won’t be the only first time quarterback in the Big 12 this season. Six teams roll out new quar terbacks when the season begins. That list includes Nebraska’s Bobby Newcombe, who was 9-10 passing for 168 yards last Saturday against Louisiana Tech. Texas Tech Coach Spike Dykes said he hopes his first-time starter, junior Rob Peters, can have the same kind of effect in the Red Raiders’ first game against Texas-El Paso. Peters is replacing three-year starter Zebbie Lethridge and has played nine positions for the Red Raiders in the past. “I didn’t think (Newcombe) was ever going to miss a pass,” Dykes said. “Rob is a guy with a big load on his shoulders. It will be interesting to see how well he does when he first steps on the field.” Big 12 Notebook compiled by staff writer Jay Saunders. Matt Miller/DN SENIOR TIGHT END Sheldon Jackson runs in the open field Saturday against Louisiana Tech. Jackson had a career-best 94 receiving yards against the Bulldogs. Jackson shines for NU By Shannon Heffelfinger Senior staff writer It was a picture even more perfect than Sheldon Jackson had ever imag ined in his daydreams of a pass-happy Nebraska football team. Jackson raced up the middle of the field at Memorial Stadium Saturday, turned and grabbed a perfectly thrown pass from quarterback Bobby Newcombe in the third quarter against Louisiana Tech. He sprinted away from the Bulldogs and toward the end zone in anticipation of his second touch down of the game. He saw nothing but a wide-open field. About six seconds later, Tech cor nerback Roderick Pernetter pulled Jackson flat to the ground. At the 1 yard line. “It almost seemed pointless to do all that running to get taken down on the 1-yard line,” Jackson joked. Hie Jackson five Sheldon Jackson’s five best receiving games as a Husker Year Opponent Rec Yards TD NU Score 1998 Louisiana Tech 2 94 1 56-27 1997 Tennessee 4 56 0 42-17 1997 Central Florida 3 61 1 38-24 1997 Iowa State 3 32 1 77-14 1996 Kansas State 2 18 0 39-3 “I honestly don’t know if I scored or not. My teammates said I did, and the fans said I did, but the men in stripes are all that matters. But I’ll work on that Monday. I can assure you it won’t happen again.” Despite his mock frustration, Jackson knows the Comhuskers’ open er may have signaled a turning point for him. With two receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown, Jackson nearly equaled his 1997 scoring total of 14 points. After notching 11 receptions as a junior and only four the year before, Jackson has grown eager to make an impact for NU. Husker tight ends Vershan Jackson and Tim Carpenter completed their eligibility in 1997, and Sheldon Jackson recognizes the oppor tunity to influence NU’s fortunes for the first time in his career. That thought weighed heavily on Jackson’s mind before Saturday’s opener, when he made the fourth start of his career as one of five Husker co captains. In his pre-game speech to the team, Please see JACKSON on 11 NU to play in-state foe Creighton By Andrew Strnad Staff writer In a world where people are less and less acquainted with their neighbors, Nebraska and Creighton will be reintro duced tonight at the NU Coliseum. The two schools will meet on the vol leyball court for the first time since Oct. 7, 1980, and for Korver only the third time ever. The fifth-ranked Cornhuskers finished last year with a 27-7 mark and were one match away from their third straight Final Four before bowing to Long Beach State. The Bluejays were a school-best 15-13 a year ago, but Coach Howard Wallace will have to find a way to replace four seniors who were lost to graduation. Junior middle hitter Shelly Kapler appears to be the player to fill the void. At 5-foot-10, Kapler leads all returning Bluejays with 283 kills and 95 blocks. But youth will dominate the Creighton roster as Wallace wel comes eight new recruits. Wallace has praise for the Huskers. “Nebraska’s ranked Number Five, but really they’re better than that,” Wallace said. “I think they’re a Final Four team right now.” Creighton, Wallace said, isn’t. And that means the Bluejays will have to play the best match of their season to knock off NU. . CU also must find some way to quiet the Husker crowd at NU Coliseum,Wallace said “We’re not going to neutralize Nebraska,” Wallace said. “But we’ve got to find a way to neutral ize that crowd. We’ve got to get Please see BLUEJAY on 11 Crouch could start against UAB By David Wilson Senior staff writer Freshman quarterback Eric Crouch said he prepares for every game like he’s going to start. His prepara tions could come in handy Saturday. Nebraska starting quarter back Bobby Newcombe didn’t practice Monday after suffering a Crouch slight tear in the posterior cruciate ligament of his left knee last week end in the Cornhuskers’ 56-27 win over Louisiana Tech. NU Coach Frank Solich said a decision would be made later this week as to whether Newcombe will start Saturday when the Huskers play host to Alabama-Birmingham at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Either way, Crouch will be ready. “I think maybe it’s an opportu nity to go out and see what I’ve been working toward all this time,” said Crouch, who saw playing time for the first time in the fourth quar ter Saturday after receiving a med ical hardship season last year. “Whatever happens, I just have to make sure I’m prepared to play.” Solich said he is confident in Crouch’s abilities. Crouch completed 1 of 3 passes for five yards in NU’s final two series against Louisiana Tech Saturday. In his first ever start at quarter back, Newcombe threw for 168 yards as the Huskers jumped out to a 35-6 lead against the Bulldogs. Most of Newcombe’s passing yards came in the first half. “Eric is very much like Bobby,” Solich said. “I would expect that Eric would step in and play the kind of game that Bobby did for us.” But Newcombe isn’t ruling out starting Saturday. “I’m feeling okay,” Newcombe said. “I can still jog on it, run on it, and cut a little bit. There’s a little bit of swelling, but not too much. “I think I could (play), but the coaches don’t want to push it. The doctors want to make sure I’m at 100 percent so I don’t reinjure it.” Though getting a chance to start as a freshman would be good expe rience for Crouch, Solich said, he hopes Newcombe will heal quickly. “I think without question, that would be a plus for Eric,” Solich said. “Myself, I’d like breaking in just one rookie quarterback per year.” Other injuries included line backer Eric Johnson, who suffered a bruise below the knee and did not practice Monday. Rush end Mike Rucker didn’t finish practice because of a groin injury he aggra vated Saturday. Wingback Lance Brown left practice early Monday with a sprained foot. Cornerback Erwin Swiney also didn’t finish practice because of a sore groin. In other football news, 70 stu dent tickets still remain for the Nebraska football season, NU tick et manager John Anderson said. The tickets are $107.50 for six games.
