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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1998)
NU maintains focus for OSU Sam McKewon ‘Selling’ of home game hurts OSU You can't help but like Oklahoma State Coach Bob Simmons. He's one of us. By “us" 1 mean he’s a coach out of the Nebraska mold. He likes running the football. He likes the option. He's got a punishing defense that loves to hit. He’s a guy worth rooting for. Simmons has done a lot of things right in his tenure at OSU. Given the fact he lost more than 10 players for academic reasons at the beginning of 1997, the former Colorado defensive coordinator has been pretty damn good at pulling his team from the fire. But he made one big mistake before this season. He sent his team straight up the river this weekend in Kansas City, Mo., when it plays Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium instead of at home in Stillwater, Okla. They're getting paid to do it. fiscally, it may have been the smart thing to do. The Cowboys will get a lit tle money for playing away from home. As a little bonus, all those orange-clad fans get to travel 600 miles to see their team get beat. Some home game that is. Simmons said Monday he's got plenty to worry about without thinking where the game is. “We're going to run into (a team) that's normally ready to play, in terms of their opponents," Simmons said. You bet Nebraska's ready. Ready to play in front of 50,000 of its own fans. Ready to make a shorter trip than Oklahoma State has to make to the game. Ready to have a little home away-from-home game for a change. What was Oklahoma State think ing? In Stillwater, they may have had a good chance of staying with Nebraska. At least a shot to make a run at it. Now, Oklahoma State loses that crowd and that chance. In a season where NU isn’t invincible, a win over the Huskers - the first since 1961 - would mean more to OSU than a cou ple of bucks. Wouldn’t it? As it is, the Cowboys have the deck stacked against them. Fewer fans. Lesser team. Instead of getting to stay at home, they have to stay in a hotel. And who sleeps well in those motel beds, anyway? Not I. Simmons let the boys m the athlet ic department more or less give up a win for the almighty dollar. In that sense, Simmons is not like a Nebraska coach. While the Huskers pull in plen ty of coin for each home game, I don’t see Tom Osborne or Frank Solich scooting down to the Astrodome in Houston to play Texas or Texas A&M. It’s about winning games, not winning over boosters who want to have a hot night out on the town. I like Bob Simmons. But he and the athletic department screwed up. On Saturday, he and the rest of his team will find out just how much the home field cost OSU. Sam McKewon is a junior news editorial and political science major and the Daily Nebraskan sports edi tor. By David Wilson Senior staff writer Business as usual. Or at least, that’s how Nebraska I-back De Angelo Evans describes it. Just three days after thrash ing the No. 8 team in the nation 55-7, the Cornhuskers aren’t basking in the glory of one big win. They’re getting ready for their next game - this week it’s Oklahoma State. “That’s the way we feel,” Evans said. “One game at a Solich time. Destination: Tempe.” Tempe, as in Tempe, Anz., home of the Fiesta Bowl and this season’s national championship game. Evans wasn't the only Husker to talk about Tempe at Tuesday’s weekly press conference, and he wasn't the only player to discuss avoiding complacency after NU’s win over Washington last week. “Any time you win a big game, you can’t look at yourself as being, ‘Oh, we’re there already. We’re the best team,’” Nebraska quarterback Bobby Newcombe said. “You have to continue to improve every' single weekend. “The coaches do a great job here at Nebraska. They always make sure that their players realize that they have to prepare well for every game. They can’t settle for one big win.” vs. _Oklahoma St In the last four seasons, the Huskers are 16-1 against ranked opponents. The one loss, against 17th ranked Arizona State in 1996, was followed by seven consecutive wins. After beating a ranked opponent, the Huskers haven't lost a following regular-season game since 1992, when they lost to unranked Iowa State 19-10 after defeating No. 13 Kansas 49-7 in Lincoln. “It's somethuig where, if you look back over the years, we haven't been complacent very often,” Nebraska senior fullback Joel Makovicka said. “That's why we've been able to continue winning. 1 don't think this team will get complacent. We know we have to focus for each game.” Anti Newcombe said, the Huskers know what would happen if they lost to a team ilic> were expect ed to beat. “If we would have lost to Alabama-Birmmgham, people would have been talking about that right now,” Newcombe said. Nebraska (4-0) will travel to Kansas City, Mo., this weekend to face Oklahoma State (2-1) at Arrowhead Stadium. The Cowboys, coming off a 42-23 win over Mississippi State Sept. 19, haven't defeated the Huskers since 1960 and 1961 - the teams' first two meetings. “1 think they're looking forward to playing us - No letdown here... ,^y The last five regular-season losses by the Nebraska football team after defeating a ranked team. Year Lost to Score Ranked team Opp. Rank beat/ Score 1997 Texas 37-27 Colorado/17-12 5 1992 Iowa St. 19-10 Kansas/49-7 13 1984 Syracuse 17-9 UCLA/ 42-3 8 1981 Penn St.(3) 30-24 Florida St./34-14 19 1980 Florida St.(16) 18-14 Penn St./ 21-7 11 Jon Frank/DN looking to see if they can knock off the No. 2 team in the nation - and thinking we might be complacent with our win last week,” NU senior center Josh Heskew said. “Hopefully, we’ll come in and prove them wrong.” Nebraska Coach Frank Solich said the Huskers need to have a good week of practice to be prepared for Oklahoma State. “I think our players know that we’ve never over looked anybody,” Solich said. “Basically, we’ve treat ed everybody similar in our approach. That’s what Oklahoma State wiii get. It’s very easy to see that they’re a legitimate football team.” Heskew agreed. “This is a big game even though some people might not categorize them as a great team,” he said. “They move around well on defense and have a good offense. “It’s real easy to get complacent. I think some people might, but as a captain. I’ll take it upon my shoulders to try to keep people up.” Anderson is versatile NU player ,-jt By Darren Ivy Staff writer There are only four positions on the soccer field that Nebraska fresh man Meghan Anderson hasn't played during the first eight games this sea son. Recruited as a midfield er/striker com ing out of high school, Anderson has Walker played both those positions. But Sept. 11, against then-No. 8 Clemson, she got the ultimate sur prise when Coach John Walker moved her to goalie. At the time, Anderson was play ing midfielder. But starting goalie Karina LeBlanc suffered a concus sion, and her back-up, Jackie Erdkamp, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. With no more goalies on the bench, Walker and Assistant Coach Marty Everding had to make a deci sion. “We needed someone with char acter who could handle that posi tion,” said Everding, who coaches the goalies. Anderson was the choice. “She’s someone who would say, ‘I have to play goalie, no big deal,'” Everding said. “I’m sure her heart was probably pounding, but you did n’t notice. “She took the bull by the horns and came out and got the first shot.” That’s the kind of person Anderson is. She’s a nsk-taker and not afraid of failure, Everding said. That helped her as a goalie. Anderson thought her goalie Please see SOCCER on 8