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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1998)
James Nicas Fan support at MU game was pathetic As a lifelong Nebraska fan, and after almost five years of watching Comhusker football games in the stu dent section, I never thought I would ever have to say this. But after witnessing the debacle Saturday afternoon against Missouri, I have never been more disappointed as a Husker fan. It is not the team I am upset about, it’s the fans - in particular the student fans. In a nutshell, we are pathetic. I have been holding my judgment all season, hoping a close game would bring out the best in the student sec tion. However the Missouri game only furthered my belief that students have forgotten what it means to cheer at a game. At the beginning of the game, everyone gets excited when the team ...i if1 il_A._-1 vwiiivj VUl VI IUW IUUUV1 wain. However that is the loudest students get before a game. The loudest point in the game is not supposed to be before kickoff. After the Huskers entered the field, everyone sat on their hands. Where are the long chants of GOOO BinG REDDD? Besides a few crazy students’ attempts, they no longer exist Students never give a good chant of DEFENSE anymore. There was only one short stint of DEFENSE that echoed through the concrete on Memorial Stadium, and it took until the final drive to have that Why? Are students afraid of losing their voices? Speaking of the last drive, that might have been the lowest point in student section history. With four sec onds left and the Blackshirts needing one final stop, students in section 11 did die unthinkable. They sat down! Even if it was a time out, that was a time when we should have been at our most raucous. A “Go Big Red!” chant would have been nice. Anything wmilH havp hppn Ko«or down. Maybe it is not our fault. There may be too many things that distract us from the game. HuskerVision breaks up any cheering that might occur, and students are now preoccu pied with catching hot dogs from Der Viener Schlinger. On Saturday, students were so preoccupied with getting a hot dog on the final possession that many were more concerned about that than the game. Saturday night, 4,288 crazed vol leyball fans were much louder than anything in Memorial Stadium. The 12th man at Texas A&M put to shame anything we Hqskers have done. Students, we have the potential to be the great fans we once were. It is time to reclaim our stature as the best fans in America. When Texas comes, be loud the entire game. The team needs and deserves our support Please, if you don’t want to cheer, stay home. James Nicasli a senior market ing and management major and a Daily Nebraskan staff writer. Matt Miller/DN MELINDA MOHR (left), Melissa Wilson, Amie Finkner, Jeannette Zimmer, Jaime Pauli, Stephanie Stewart (standing) and the rest of the women’s cross country team hope to improve on their second-place per formance last year at the Big 12 Championships. This year the Huskers play host to the champi onship Saturday at Pioneers Park. < Huskers face tough odds at Championships ByAdamKunker Staff writer The Nebraska men’s and women’s cross country teams will be running on familiar ground this weekend as they play host to the Big 12 Conference Championship meet Saturday at Pioneers Park. However, the men’s squad will have their hands hill battling for position with two-time Big 12 champion Colorado. “Colorado’s probably just going to run away with it,” said soph&more Comhusker runner Marcus Witter. “But we think we can still be running well with the rest of the pack and come out on top there.” Since lead runner Jeroen Broekzitter was dismissed from the team last week for disciplinary reasons, Witter said, he’s seen an improvement in team morale and attitude going into the conference meet. Coach Jay Dirksen said he too has noticed a closeness among the remain ing runners. “All the guys have looked good in practice, there hasn’t been any letdown since Jeroen left,” Dirksen said. Please see INJURY on 10 Revenge no factor in preparation i V By Shannon Heffelfinger p Senior staff writer g - 1 Few Nebraska football players ^ have answered with more than a couple f of words when asked about the revenge factor for Saturday’s game with Texas, a The sting of swaggering quarter- s; back James Brown leading Texas to v 503 yards of total offense on just 57 g plays in the 1996 Big 12 a Championship game has lessened with time. is The memory of the Comhuskers’ f; letdown that allowed the Longhorns to v score two touchdowns in the final nine t< minutes and to steal the inaugural league title with a 37-27 win has faded, c And NU Coach Frank Solich is cer tain the feelings that consumed the Huskers for months after that defeat all not resurface tor Saturday s 2:35 .m. contest at Memorial Stadium. The ame pits Nebraska (7-1 overall and 4 in the Big 12 Conference) and Texas 5-2 and 3-1) against each other for the rst time since 1996. “I’ve not heard a player mention it ad I’ve not thought about it,” Solich lid. “It has not been a factor in any ray in how we’ve prepared for this ame. You try not to dwell in the past ad two years ago is a long way back.” Said Husker fullback Joel lakovicka: “There are a lot of new ices we’ll be seeing. We can’t go in 'ith a revenge factor. These are two (tally different teams.” Both programs have experienced a ansiderable amount of change. Solich Please see REVENGE on 10 V Senior walk-,on gets nod at QB By David Wilson/ v Senior staff writer " g - 1 For the first time in his five- s year career at Nebraska, walk-on 1 quarterback Monte Christo will get a chance to start Saturday when the v Cornhuskers play host to Texas;" j a / NtJ - Coach Frank Solich e announced the decision Thursday ti as former No. 1 quarterback Bobby 1; Newcombe missed his fourth con secutive practice this week. t Christo played the entire second S half last Saturday against Missouri, t replacing Newcombe, who was l slowed by a posterior cruciate liga- r ment strain he suffered in NU’s sea- d son opener. “It just probably makes sense to start Monte,” Solich said. Redshirt freshman Eric Crouch, ^ho has missed the last three ames with a hip-pointer, is also at 00 percent, Solich said, and will ee action in the first half against exas. “They both performed well this reek,” Solich said. “There was not real separation from one to the ext -Monte has just had an oppor mity to take game shaps here tete* f.” V*f > Christo scored the first two auchdowns of his career last aturday, as he helped the Huskers ) a 20-13 victory over the Tigers. Inder Christo’s direction, NU ebounded from a 13-6 halftime eficit. Please see CHRISTO on 10 Nu s Koziol finds role as defensive specialist By James Nicas Staffwriter One of the first rules of accounting is that for every debit, there is a credit. that in volleyball terms, the amount of time and energy spent in preparation should equal the it of time attention ed on the u rust glance, u would appear the rule wouldn’t apply to NU defen sive specialist get the attention many other players receive, her serving and back row play has been key to the Comhuskers’ suc cess. “I usually come in at times whett we are not doing well, and I can come and bring some life into the team,” said Koziol. “I can put us back into the game because we can sometimes get two or three points off my serve.” Koziol’s on-the-court presence was most evident in the Texas A&M match. Koziol entered in game one with NU leading 7-5. Six Koziol serves later, die Buskers led 13-5, which help set die tone for the rest of die match. Although Knziolls play isn’t often seen on the stat sheet, Husker setter Fiona Nepo said the team recognizes her contribution. “Denise is one of our great defen sive players and one ofxmr great servers,” Nepo said. “When we’re down and We need a good serve or just something different, she comes in and provides that.” There was a time when Koziol would wonder if she would ever play volleyball. After redshirting in 1995, Koziol tore the anterior cruciate liga ment m her left knee in the annual Red White game. After a year of rehabilita tion, Koziol was finally able to make her Husker debut. Playing both as a defensive special ist and as an outside hitter last year, Koziol had a career high 10 kills against Pacific. However, this year Koziol has been used primarily as a defensive specialist Koziol said although she enjoys playing at the pet, she knows her role on the team. “I’m not the type who’s going to get real excited. I come in quietly and do what I’m supposed to do,” Koziol said. “The team knows they can trust me to serve, pass, and play good defense.” This weekend Koziol will try to help serve up a couple of victories for No. 3 Nebraska, which is 19-0 overall and 10-0 in the Big 12 Conference. The Huskers will travel to Missouri on Friday night before playing at Iowa State on Saturday. Although the attention she receives may not equal the time she puts in, Koziol knows there is another rule that more adequately applies to her effort: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. “Now that I am in the back row, I know that is where I am to contribute” Koziol said. “In practice I am usually simulating the opponent, but I feel if we&n’tplfljy hard then the teamwont be able to prepare well for the oppo nent”