With Kansas State's 40-point
performance against Nebraska on
Saturday, the Wildcats became the
fourth Big 12 school to score 500
points or more in a season.
KSU currently has 512 points
and. through 10 games, is the 134th
highest scoring team of all time.
If it scores 86 points in the rest
of the season. Kansas State will
become the second school to reach
the 600-point plateau.
Three different Nebraska teams
have scored 600 points, led by the
1983 Husker team that scored 654
points.
■
The Big 12 offensive player of
the week is Kansas State's Michael
Bishop. The defensive honor went
to Texas A&M s Dat Nguyen.
The special teams player of the
week is Texas Tech's Chris Birkholz.
swt
Nguyen was named one of the
finalists for the Butkus Award,
which honors the nation's top line
backer.
The other finalists are Javon
Kearse of Florida and Chris
Claiborne of Southern California.
Nguyen leads all three players in
tackles and tackles for loss.
m t
Who says the Big 12 is just an
offensive conference'7 Seven teams
are in the top 25 in total yards
allowed per game.
m
Texas Tech's 42-35 win against
Texas on Saturday assured the Red
Raiders their fourth consecutive
seven-svin season.
m
Oklahoma State beat South
western Louisiana 44-20 on
Saturday, which completed the non
conference schedule for Big 12
schools.
This season, the Big 12 was 30
8 against nonconference opponents,
which beats last sear's mark of 24
14.
m
Texas A&M and Kansas State
have a chance to add to their list of
conference championships when
they play in the Big 12
Championship game.
But neither team can catch
Texas, which has the most com
bined conference titles. The
Longhorns have, won 13 champi
onships. In second place is
Nebraska, with 12.
if
The Big 12 is down to one team
in the NCAA soccer tournament.
Nebraska beat Texas A&M 7-0 in
the second round on Sunday. Baylor
fell at home 5-4 to Northwestern in
the second round.
The Cornhuskers will play at
fifth-seeded Notre Dame in the
third round.
Notebook compiled bv Staff
writer Jay Saunders
Alexander out; White could start
ByAdamKlinker
Staff writer
For Tom Osborne, it was quarter
backs who had injurv problems. For
Frank Solich. it's 1-backs.
When Nebraska takes the field
against Colorado on Nov. 27. the
Comhuskers may hav e yet another fresh
face in the backfield: Dan White.
In the much-storied Husker line of I
backs. this season has been a trial by fire
as far as injuries hav e gone. Now. Dan
Alexander has been hit with a season
ending injurv.
With DeAngelo Evans plagued by
knee and tailbone injuries and C'orrel!
Buckhalter hampered by a hip pointer.
Alexander was next in line to fill the
void.
But Alexander, NU"s starting 1-back
m the last two games, left the Kansas
State game in the Huskers' second drive
of the game after a fumble. He nev er
returned.
Monday. Coach Frank Solich dis
closed that Alexander left the game
because of injury a season-ending
knee and hamstring injury that will
require surgery, which Alexander will
undergo this afternoon.
Alexander will have the lateral col
lateral ligament and the hamstring ten
don in his right knee repaired. The
surgery is not considered major, but
Alexander will be out about three
months.
White, a redshirt freshman, is the
last fully healthy runner in the 1-back
corps. Running Backs Coach Dave
Gillespie said if Buckhalter cannot fully
recover, White could be the next choice.
Buckhalter did not practice on
Monday.
In addition to White, fullback Joel
Makov icka also tried his hand at the I
back spot in Monday's practice. Solich
said.
“Joel Makov icka has been brushing
up at 1-back." Solich said. “He has been
called upon in the past to do that and
could be asked to do that again.”
It is the second surgery Alexander
will hav e in his career at NU. During his
freshman season. Alexander tore the
anterior cruciate ligament in his right
knee and was out for five months.
"I really feel bad for Dan,” Gillespie
said. "He's gone through a lot to get
where he is. and he's worked hard to
ov ercome. He has been a major factor in
our offensive output"
In his first career start at Iowa State.
Alexander rushed 22 times for 110
yards and three touchdowns. He had
three carries for 22 yards against K.SU.
"Dan is a very mature, grounded
person.” Gillespie said. "He doesn't like
what's happening to him. but he'll come
through it, and hopefully we'll see him
in the spring."
NU’s Brown
recoups from
missed kick
■ The senior has a chance to break
the record for most extra points in a
career when the Huskers play
Colorado on Nov. 27 in Lincoln.
By Adam Klinkkr
Staff writer
For years, it has been surprising when the
Nebraska football team has lost.
Equally as surprismg is a missed extra point by
Comhusker kicker Kris Brown.
On Saturday. NU lost to Kansas State. And
improbably. Brown missed an extra point.
“He was upset,” said Kickers Coach Dan Young
of Brown after the miss. “He felt bad. especially
when the point swing was important."
As practice was winding down for the Huskers
on Monday night. Brown stood on the sideline and
watched his teammates wrap up their final drills.
Brown laughed and joked with the other kickers,
tried his hand at a few passes and talked w'ith former
NU Coach Tom Osborne.
Like most of the rest of the Husker squad. Brown
was at ease after the KSU loss.
But uncharacteristically. Brown had missed an
extra point in Saturday's game against KSU. and he
knew it would be news.
With 216 extra points after touchdown. Brown
had just missed eclipsing the 5-year-old NCAA
record for most extra pomts made by kicking.
He missed No. 217 after a fourth-quarter touch
down.
“1 just got lazy w ith it.” Brown said. “I took it for
granted. 1 didn't come through the ball the way 1
should ha\e”
Please see BROWN on page 8
Scott McClurg/DN file photo
PLACE KICKER KRIS BROWN kicks an extra point against Missouri earlier this season at Memorial
Stadium. In a 40-30 loss to Kansas State, Brown tied the NCAA record for most career extra points and
then missed the next attempt.
Husker women earn bid to NCAAs
By Lisa Vonnahme
Staff writer
Monday, Nebraska Cross Country
Coach Jay Dirksen had a surprise.
A surprise, that is, for his
women's cross
country team.
The team receiv
ed a berth in the
NCAA Cham
pionships, held
Nov. 23 in Law
rence, Kan.
Both the NC
men's and
women's teams
thought their seasons had come to a
halt after their 13th- and fourth place
finishes at the Midwest Regional
Championships on Saturday.
A top-two finish would have
secured the Cornhuskers a spot at the
NCAA Championships. An at-large
berth would have served as a qualifi
er. too.
But based on their finishes, the
Huskers left regionals Saturday in
Wichita, Kan., thinking they would
not compete at the NCAA meet.
The women thought wrong.
Dirksen’s surprise to the NU
women Monday was the announce
ment that they had earned an at-large
berth. They would be running at the
NCAAs after all.
Some of the Huskers ruined
Dirksen's surprise as a few had heard
the good news just minutes before he
was able to tell them.
"My dad called me and was like,
‘You're in!"' said an elated Amy
Wiseman. "I had like four of my
teammates in my room, and 1 dropped
the phone and just started crying.
"We all got in a big huddle, and
we all were dancing around, scream
ing, popping balloons. It was just
totally nuts."
The Cornhuskers' excitement and
enthusiasm Monday was a far cry
from how they were feeling on
Saturday, NU freshman Jeannette
Zimmer said.
“I was kind of depressed on
Saturday," Zimmer said. "I thought
our season was over."
Zimmer led NU at the regionals,
finishing in 17 minutes, 43.70 sec
onds, good for 11th place. Rasa
Michniovaite of Minnesota earned
the regional title with a time of
17:07.40, while Kansas State took the
women's team title with 92 points.
Wiseman, who battled an illness
during most of the season, placed
20th in 17:52.60 and admitted she still
was not in top racing condition. Last
year, Wiseman finished the race in
fifth place.
"I think with another week of
training. I'm just going to go nuts and
give it all I've got at NCAAs,’’
Wiseman said. "I felt really good last
week, and I think I'm going to be
ready."
Both Wiseman and Zimmer
Please see NCAA on 8