Give thanks
for football’s
final days
As we enter that period where it
seems like every person at the Daily
Nebraskan is thankful for something
because it's Thanksgiv ing, 1 thought I'd
get in on the act.
The one main thing I'm thankful
for'.' That this mess of a college football
season is almost over, because I'm sick
01 It.
I'm sick of the game. I' m sick of the
wrong teams winning. I'm sick of the
fact that the three of the four undefeated
teams Tennessee. UCLA and Kansas
State - couldn't hang two quarters w ith
the previous five national champions.
I'm sick of the Big 10 and its ndicu
lous Rose Bowl selection of a
Wisconsin team that hasn't beaten one
good team this y ear. No. worthless Penn
State doesn't count.
I "m sick of Bill Sny der. w he'd
apparently be happier if the media
never covered him. Fine. Bill, there's a
team in Siberia that's got your name on
it. You can play the Red Army of Russia
12 times a year. It fits in with your reg
ular nonconference schedule the Red
Army s never played football before,
either.
I'm really sick of the Bowl
Championship Series, which isn't
going to solve a damn thing. College
football's foolproof sy stem is a couple
of wins aw ay from being fooled.
I'm sick of John Cooper, coach of
Ohio State. Pie's the worst big-game
coach in America. Why doesn't he just
stay home on gameday so his team can
win the national championship like it
ought to ?
I'm sick of ABC. Really, truly. 1
wonder if those folks could cough up a
game or two to ESPN so we could ALL
watch Flonda-Flonda State or. maybe,
just get rid of the regional broadcast.
I'm not using the pay-per-view thing,
either, especially w hen one of the
games on it is the one I'm already
watching.
I'm sick of Lee Corso. Have been
for years.
I’m sick of Lou Holtz. See Lee
Corso.
I'm sick of the people in Nebraska
dying over a three-loss season for NU.
Memo to all those calling for Frank
Solich's head: He’s human. You're
human. Leave him alone.
I'm sick of HuskerVision. Most of
the people I talk to are. Hey Bill Byrne,
why don't you tone that operation down
a little bit for next year0
Most of all. I'm sick of commer
cialization of football: too many spon
sors, too many games, too many gim
micks and not enough real football. 1
watched Auburn-Alabama on Saturday.
Now that game transcends gimmicks.
So does Army-Navy But anymore, few
do. College football now ranks second
to college basketball for sheer tradition
and fun.
And thankfully, college basketball
is just starting.
Sam McKewon is junior political
science and news-editorial major
and Daily Nebraskan senior editor.
NU looks to extend win streak
to seven vs. bewitched Colorado
By Sam McKewon
Senior editor
It started with a 52-7 pasting in
1992. It continued through the Kordell
Stewart and Rashaan Salaam days. It
survived the Buffaloes' walk through
the stands at Folsom Field, with CU
pounding on drums and screaming
"Wartime!”
It's Nebraska's six-game winning
streak ov er Colorado. And no matter
what the Buffaloes have done or what
talent they've had (and
there's been plenty of
both). CU hasn't been
able
to beat the team former Coach Bill
McCartney designated the Buffs' rival
since 1990.
And it's starting to get to them.
“It's an issue of playing a complete
game," Colorado offensiv e coordinator
Carl Dorrell said. “Boy, we've had
some opportunities to make things hap
pen, and obviously, we fell short on
that everv time."
Colorado established what
McCartney thought to be a rivalry
w hen CU upset then-No. 3 Nebraska
20-10 in 1986. The Huskers then
dropped games in 1989 and 1990 to the
Buffs by scores of 27-21 and
27-12. CU’s rain-soaked
win in 1990 propelled
the Buffs to a share
of the national
il title.
After a 19-19 tie in 1991, Nebraska
started its streak. In 1992-94, the
Huskers preyed on quarterback
Stewart, now a starter for the Pittsburgh
Steelers in the NFL. NU won all three
games by pressuring Stewart into mis
takes.
When Coach Rick Neuheisel took
over, the streak continued. NU beat
Colorado 44-21 in 1995. But the last
two seasons have been tight, with NU
escaping 17-12 and 27-24.
Neuheisel said the game has
changed little in importance over the
last six years.
"It's our biggest game of the year,
no question." Neuheisel said. “We've
had a rough time trying to get over that
hump in trying to win that game. It's
been tough."
CU has had its problems in the past,
NU rush end Chad Kelsay said, but the
psychological advantage the Huskers
have enjoyed in recent years may be
lessened this year, courtesy of a three
loss season.
“You're used to walking in with a
swagger." Kelsay said. “You pound at
teams for a couple quarters, and they
give up. Three losses takes that fear
way from them."
If the fear returns, Kelsay said, the
NU defense probably will have some
thing to do w ith it. hi the six-game win
ning streak. NU has sacked C'U 21
times and picked off 1 1 passes. The
Buffs haven't scored more than 24 and
have scored under 15 three times.
Kelsay said the key to NU's win
ning streak was those defensive perfor
mances.
“Look at 1994. when Colorado
came in here with Kordell Stewart."
Kelsay said. "The defense just shut
them down. In 1996. w;e shut them
down. We have to go out there and do
that again Friday afternoon."
Junior cornerback Ralph Brown
added one thing that might be impor
tant Friday that Nebraska has an adv an
tage in: heart. Brown said NU hasn’t
always been the better team in the
game, but has always played harder.
"They've had more talent than us a
couple of times." Brown said. "But
we're just giv ing ev ery thing
we have. That's why
we're winning
these games."
Seniors proud of legacy
established in the 1990s
Women get
23rd place in
NCAA meet
ByLisaVonnahme
Staff writer
For Nebraska Cross Country Coach
Jay Dirksen, the NU women’s cross
country season ended Monday “the
best way it possibly could.”
The Comhuskers concluded their
season at the NCAA Championships in
Lawrence, Kan., with a 23rd-place
showing in the 31 -team field. Villanova
won the women’s team title with 106
nnints
Dirksen said he was pleased with
NU’s finish, as it exceeded the expecta
tions of most coaches and competitors
at the meet.
“This was a great way for us to sal
vage our year,” Dirksen said. “It has
been a disappointing and frustrating
season. We just weren't able to get
everything together.”
NU pulled together during
Monday's 5.000-meter race with fresh
man Jeannette Zimmer and sophomore
Amy Wiseman leading the way.
Please see NCAA on 8
By David Wilson
Senior staff writer
It's probably not often a 6-foot-3,
290-pound offensive lineman calls
home because he’s scared.
For Nebraska senior center Josh
- — Heskew, the
realization that
he will be play
ing his final
game at
Memorial
Stadium Friday
prompted a dis
tress call to
Mustang, Okla.,
HPckPw on Sunday night.
HesKew „Thls could
be it,” said Heskew, who will graduate
in December. “I’ve been playing this
sport since second grade. I might be
done and then 1 have to go out into
the real world. That scares me to
death."
He's not alone.
“1 try not to think about it as much
Please see SENIORS on 8
football Starters ^ gg;,l
Nebraska starters S^mam
90,3 KRNU
Offense Defense
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt.
QB 7 Eric Crouch 6-0 200 LR 57 Chad Kelsay 6-3 250
IB 36 Correll Buckhalter 6-2 220 NT 99 Jason Wiltz 6-4 310
FB 45 Joel Makovicka 5-11 240 DT 91 Loran Kaiser 6-5 280
WB 5 Shevin Wiggins 5-11 200 RR 84 Mike Rucker 6-6 260
SE 6 Kenny Cheatham 6-4 210 SLB 37 Tony Ortiz 6-0 215
TE 88 Sheldon Jackson 6-4 245 MLB 44 Jay Foreman 6-1 240
LT 69 Adam Julch 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 55 Russ Hochstein 6-3 280 ROV 21 Mike Brown 5-10 205
RT 65 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
Colorado starters
Offense Defense
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt.
QB 4 Mike Moschetti 6-0 195 DE 13 Fred Jones 6-3 245
WR 19 Javon Green 6-2 190 DT 90 Aaron Marshall 6-4 280
WR 6 Darrin Chiaverini 6-2 210 DT 97 Justin Bannan 5-10 235
LT 72 Shane Cook 6-7 305 DE 82 Brady McDonnell 6-4 265
LG 76 Brad Bedell 6-5 295 WLB 8 Hannibal Navies 6-3 245
C 58 Ryan Johanningmeier 6-7 295 MLB 66 Brandon Southward6-4 240
RG 70 Ben Nichols 6-6 300 SLB 21 Albus Brooks 6-0 205
RT 71 Victor Rogers 6-7 310 LCB 2 Damen Wheeler 5-10 175
TE 87 Tom Ashworth 6-5 265 SS 15 Michael Lewis 6-2 195
WR 2 Marcus Stiggers 5-7 180 FS 37 Marcus Washington6-3 215
TB 9 Marlon Barnes 5-11 210 RCB 1 Ben Kelly 5-10 185 |
FB 42 Marcques Spivey 6-3 215 P 47 Nick Pietsch 6-0 170 |
Jon Frank DN !
