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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1998)
wmamsmm,- i Jay Saunders No madness to be found at Nebraska Kansas fans had a lot to cheer about this weekend. It had nothing to do with the Jayhawks’ 41-0'loss to Nebraska. What KU fans were excited about was the opening of the doors at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. At the stroke of midnight last Saturday morning, college basket ball season officially began. So Friday night, students and other Jayhawk faithful lined up out side Allen Fieldhouse for several hours. They weren’t crazy. They were mad - midnight mad. The midnight practices have turned into fanfare more than an actual drill session. Schools pro mote the event by giving out prizes, and ESPN usually stops by to tele vise live from some of the schools. At Kansas, the students call it “Late Night with Roy Williams.” But KU isn’t alone. This year, Duke had a midnight practice. So did Kentucky. Several Big 12 schools also opened the doors at midnight. Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor all had similar events. But at midnight Saturday morn ing, the Bob Devaney Sports Center was silent. The doors were locked. No one was practicing. It has been four years since the Huskers put on the jerseys for a midnight run. But why not this year? The Huskers actually have something going for them. NU made it to the NCAA tournament last year, and one preseason magazine has the Huskers third in the Big 12. Besides that, last weekend was homecoming. Alumni from all over the country were in Lincoln to pro mote Husker spirit. The athletic department could have turned it into a three-sport pep rally. In addition to introducing the men's and women's basketball teams, a 14,000-person crowd could have ignited a Husker foot ball team. But it didn't happen, and that makes a horrible statement. It's saying these Nee troops aren't worthy of the excitement of a midnight hoopla at the Devaney. But even Xavier, a small private school in the Atlantic 10, had a mid night practice. But maybe the statement rings true. This is the same team that has sold fewer than 400 student season tickets. This is the same team who only sold out one game last year. On the flip side, Kansas sold out their first practice of the season. A lack of a midnight practice is telling the rest of the country that Nebrasketball is a symbol of medi ocrity. Saunders is a sophomore broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraskan staff writer. Solich’s preparation avoids The Play By Jay Saunders Staff writer No matter where they turn, peo ple involved with Nebraska or Missouri football can’t escape ques tions about The Play - that Scott Frost to Shevin Wiggins to Matt Davison thing. Well, forget about it. NU Coach Frank Solich has. Solich said Tuesday that play won’t have anything to do with this year's rematch of a 45-38 NU over time win. “I don’t dwell on it,” Solich said. “In my mind that doesn't have any thing to do with the upcoming game.” What Solich said is important for the No. 7 Huskers (6-1 overall and 2 1 in the Big 12 Conference) is to continue to achieve success after the Texas A&M loss. The No. 18 Tigers (5-1 and 3-0) will be the first ranked team NU will play since the trip to College Station, Texas, and the first home game against a ranked team since the 55-7 win over then-No.8 Washington. “You need your team to move forward,” Solich said. “All we can do is correct the mistakes that we made. We’ve moved on.” One of the mistakes Solich said the Huskers are starting to rectify is a struggling running game. Against Kansas, NU racked up 466 rushing yards. That included a 133-yard performance by sopho more Correll Buckhalter, who filled in for injured I-Back DeAngelo Evans. Evans is doubtful for Saturday’s game, but Solich said Buckhalter and the other backs are filling in well in the Huskers’ rushing attack. “Anytime you try to run a power offense,” Solich said, “you need to up the field runners. We pride our selves in having that style of runners in our program.” I he Missouri running game also is a concern for Solich. Last season, the NU defense held the Tigers to 153 yards on the ground. But this year, MU has not had a problem rushing with senior Devin West. West is averaging 175.2 yards per game - second in the nation. Another weapon is MU quarter back Corby Jones. The senior picked apart the Huskers’ secondary last season for 233 yards. Even though Jones might not be at 100 percent for tomorrow’s game, rush end Mike Rucker said Jones is a player the Huskers must contain. “If he doesn’t have a receiver down field, he will just take off run ning,” Rucker said. “He is like Football Starters * & u ._L- . ._ JUSS* TV; Chan. 9 KPTM Nebraska starters Rad° 41° 1290 am 90.3 KRNU Offense Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. ,Wt. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. QB 12 Bobby Newcombe 6-0 195 LR 57 CbadKelsay 6-3 250 IB 36 Correll Buckhalter 6-0 225 NT 96 Steve Warren 6-1 305 FB 45 Joel Makovicka 5-11 240 DT 91 Lorart Kaiser 6-5 280 WB 5 Shevin Wiggins 5-11 200 RR 84 Mike Rucker 6-6 260 SE 3 Matt Davison 6-0 180 SLB 37 Tony Ortiz 6-0 215 TE 88 Sheldon Jackson 6-4 245 MLB 44 Jay Foreman 6-1 240 LT 69 AdamJulch 6-5 315 WLB 27 Eric Johnson 6-1 205 LG 63 James Sherman 6-2 295 LCB 16 Erwin Swiney 6-0 185 C 59 JoshHeskew 6-3 290 FS 19 Clint Finley 5-11 200 RG 72 BenGessford 6-2 290 ROV 21 Mike Brown 5-10 205 RT 85 Jason Schwab 6-1 300 RCB 22 Ralph Brown 5-9 180 PK 35 Kris Brown 5-10 205 P 23 Bill Lafleur 5-11 200 Missouri starters Offense Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. X-WR 6 KareemWise 6-3 216 OLB 9 Marquis Gibson 6-2 225 LT 64 Chris Meredith 6-5 296 G 90 Justin Wyatt 6-4 275 LG 70 Cliff Smith 6-5 284 NOSE 93 JeffMarriot 6-5 288 C 76 Rob Riti 6-3 285 T 94 Steve Erickson 6-4 280 RG 57 Craig Heimburer 6-3 313 E 96 Justin Smith 6-5 267 RT 69 Todd Neimeyer 6-5 310 SAM 48 Al Sterling 5-11 246 TE 88 Jake Stueve 6-3 252 WILL 39 BarryOdom 6-0 219 QB 7 Corby Jones 6-1 222 SS 1 Caldrinoff Easter 5-10 188 TB 32 Devin West 6-2 225 HB 5 Carlos Posey 6-0 202 FB 30 Rob West 6-0 240 FS 2 Harold Piersey 6-2 202 Z-WR84 Kent Layman 5-11 187 - CB 22 Wade Perkns 6-1 189 another (running) back back there.” With a lot of the emphasis this week on last season’s game and the loss to A&M two weeks ago, Solich said team morale has been high so far this week. “I like the attitude and spirit of our players right now,” Solich said. “We’ll play a very physical football game against Missouri.” Ortiz content as linebacker for Cornhuskers By Darren Ivy Staff writer The hunter or the hunted? That's the question Tony Ortiz had to ask himself when he was being recruited as a running back and line backer at Crosby High School in Waterbury, Conn. There was Penn State, just four hours from his home. Or there was Nebraska, fresh off its third national championship but nearly halfway across the country. Penn State had plenty to offer: A spot as a running back, and the oppor tunity to be named among Nittany Lion backs Lydell Mitchell, Franco Harris, Curt Warner, John Cappelletti, Ki-Jana Carter, Lenny Moore, Matt Suhey and Blair Thomas. A long list, indeed. Or he could go to Nebraska, where he would be a linebacker. “Penn State told me Cordell Mitchell and 1 were the only two run ning backs who were being recruit ed,” Ortiz said. Mitchell now starts for the Nittany Lions. He has rushed 84 Please see ORTIZ on 11 Heather Glenbost/DN NEBRASKA LINEBACKER TONY ORTIZ decided to play defense for the Huskers instead of offense for Penn State. It’s paid off so far, as Ortiz has a national championship to his name and a starting spot in the NU defense. Davison hopes to make more memories By Shannon Heffelfinger Senior staff writer The Play has a spot on most col lege football highlight reels. The sequence - Nebraska receiver Matt Davison diving for a touchdown pass deflected off Shevin Wiggins’ leg and pushing the Cornhuskers to an eventual overtime victory against Missouri - even won NU a 1997 ESPY award for best college football play of the year. But as many times as he has seen The Play, Davison remembers few details about the actual catch that made him a household name among Nebraska Missouri i Nebraska football fans. “I just know that I was in the right place at the right time,” Davison told a room full of reporters on Tuesday. “I knew I had to make a great effort to get the ball before it hit the ground. I felt the grass in between my fingers a little bit. I guess that’s when my instincts just took over. “I’ve made better catches. It’s just that the tim ing was so good for that one. If that play had been against Akron, I wouldn’t be sit ting here today.” Davison is doing much to ensure that fans remember him for more than just one play. He has established himself as one of the Huskers’ best posses sion receivers in his second season at NU. The Tecumseh native caught 10 passes for a school-record 167 yards (( I ve made better catches. It s just that the timing was so good for that one.1’ Matt Davison NU receiver against Texas A&M on Oct. 10. And with 25 catches for 321 yards this season, Davison has already eclipsed his 1997 total of 232 receiving yards. i* Please see THE PLAY on 11
