Huskers battle
with injuries
in 94 season
■ The 1998 year was
highlighted by close losses
and a transition from Tom
Osborne to current NU
Coach Frank Solich.
By Darren Ivy
Senior staff writer
After winning national champi
onships three out of the past four
years, the Nebraska football team
came into the 1998-99 campaign with
the goal of making it four out of five
years.
It didn’t seem to matter to the play
ers or fans that Tom Osborne wasn’t
the coach, Scott Frost wasn’t the quar
terback, Ahman Green wasn’t the I
back or that Grant Wistrom and Jason
Peter weren’t the captains.
This is Nebraska and the common
belief is that the Cornhuskers don’t
rebuild, they reload. That attitude was
evident by the preseason posters that
said: “NU Era, Same Dominance.”
But what happened in Coach
Frank Solich’s first season at the helm
certainly was new - four losses, no
national championship and no confer
ence crown.
jn u players naa a Hard time accept
ing that teams such as Kansas State,
Texas A&M and Texas were on a high
er level.
The disillusionbecame particular
ly evident after the KSU loss Nov. 14,
the third one of the season, when co
captain. Jay Foreman expressed his
frustration about the season.
“It was taken away from us once
again,” said Foreman, alluding to three
close defeats. “We played to win. We
didn’t crime out and just play the
game, because they’re the No. 1 team
in the nation. We played like we were
the No. 1 team in the nation, because
we know how good we are.
“When you play that hard and you
do the right things to give yourself a
shot to win a big game like tins .. . and
it’s taken away from you. It’s definitely
a hard pill to take.”
The frustration and disappoint
ment wasn’t there all season for the
Huskers, though.
Before the opening game against
Louisiana Tech on Aug. 29, NU fans
had high expectations for the Huskers.
The Huskers won the inaugural
Eddie Robinson Classic 56-27, as
first-year quarterback Bobby
Newcombe completed 9 out of 10
passes for 168 yards in his st&rting
quarterback debut.
However, in the game Newcombe
injured his posterior cruciate ligament.
“I think I could (play), but the
coaches don’t want to push it,” said
Newcombe after the game. “The doc
tors want to make sure I’m at 100 per
cent so I don’t reinjure it.”
Alabama-Birmingham was the
next nonconference foe on the sched
ule. Redshirt freshman quarterback
Eric Crouch filled in for the injured
Newcombe, and led the Huskers to a
38-7 victory. Crouch scored two
touchdowns and threw for another
one.
The California game Sept. 12
showed how much NU missed the big
play capability of Newcombe and I
back DeAngelo Evans.
Crouch was the next NU quarter
back to get hit with the injury bug.
After scoring two touchdowns in the
first half, he was forced out the second
half with a hamstring injury.
Monte Christo directed the offense >.
in the second half, putting one more
touchdown on the board.
The Blackshirts didn’t need any
more points, though, as they hog-tied
California’s rushing attack. NU gave
up just nine first downs and held the
Golden Bears to 12 total rushing
yards.
The victory over California set up
the much-anticipated matchup with
No. 9 Washington two weeks later. The
week off allowed Newcombe to heal
up enough to play.
This game also marked the return
of Evans, who had missed the previous
year while recovering from an abdom
inal injury and the first two games of
the season because of a burst bursa sac
in his knee.
In the game, Evans rushed for 146
yards and scored three touchdowns on
runs of 14, 19 and 60 yards. NU went
on to win 55-7 to improve to 4-0 on the
season.
The Huskers opened Big 12
Conference action at Arrowhead
Stadium on Oct. 3 against Oklahoma
State. It took a touchdown-saving
tackle by rush end Mike Rucker as
time expired to preserve a 24-17 win.
Joe Walker’s 73-yard punt return
midway through the fourth quarter
was the difference.
The offensive struggles continued
the next weekend as No. 2 NU came
out flat and lost to No. 18 Texas A&M
28-21.
After falling behind 28-7 in the
fourth quarter, the combination of
Newcombe and sophomore split end
Matt Davison tried to rally the
Huskers. Newcombe completed 15 of
27 passes for a career-best 204 yards
and Davison had a school-record 167
receiving yards on 10 catches. But it
was too little too late.
The loss ended the Huskers’ 19
game winning streak and 40-game
regular-season conference winning
streak.
NU responded die next week with
Mike Warren/DN
TOP: UAB QUARTERBACK Daniel
Dixnn watches his helmet fly toward
the Memorial Stadium turf after it
was ripped off of his head by NU
defensive lineman Aaron Wills.
Matt Miller/DN
ABOVE: SHELDON JACKSON’S grab
against Oklahoma Stats helped the
Huskers to a.24-17 squeaker win
over the Cowboys.
Matt Miller/DN
LEFT: IT WAS A RARE SIGHT last sea
son to see DeAngelo Evans making a
big run, like he did here against
Washington. Evans was one of the
many Injured Huskers during last
year’s 9-4 campaign.
a 41-0 victory over Kansas.
Buckhalter rushed for 138 yards and
scored three touchdowns.
As the season progressed, it
became increasing evident that
Newcombe’s posterior cruciate liga
ment was not healing.
Against Missouri on Oct. 24,
Newcome was replaced by Christo
after the Huskers had fallen behind 13
3 in the second quarter.
Christo rallied NU to a 20-13 vic
tory as he scored two touchdowns in
the second half. This game came down
Please see FOOTBALL on 8