Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1999)
..v < # - .. r. X .* hi '*• ‘ A \ Page 8_Friday, September 3,1999 - \ Matt Miller/DN NEBRASKA HEAD COACH Frank Solich will begin his second season at the helm of the Husker squad Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes will play host to NU at 11 a.m. in Kinnick Stadium. ,i_" •? Solich ready for ‘next go around’ ■ Despite first four-loss season since 1968, NU remains optimistic. AdamKlinker Staff writer Walk into the Nebraska football offices in South Stadium during a regular week and there are a great many things to tempt the eye and stir within, even the most austere football fan, a sense of profound majesty. It is legend embodied in Tom Osborne, as he walks down the hall, greets the secretaries and makes his way to his mid-morning class, his tie not yet knotted around his neck and his gray sport coat tucked under one arm. It is the sanctity, the peculiar serenity of hazy October photographs of Bob Devaney in a red Kennedy-era hat, frozen in the moment of snap ping commands at his squad on the field. Osborne pauses at the desk to skim the front page of the newspaper, he looks across the lobby at the draped glass room that was once his office, now the seat of his successor, Frank Solich. He makes eye contact with a player sitting in the lobby, palmly examining notes in an open book. “Hello.” “Hi, Coach.” It is in the icons- the three crystal footballs sitting atop polished ebony pedestals with the engravings going down the line: The National Champion, University of Nebraska 1994,1995,1997. And you can hear it emanating from the Nebraska football war room, where preparation has been continuing for many months, and the wistful whispers of last season can barely be heard above the din of excit ed voices. Then Solich walks out of the room. Osborne is already down the hall and into the classroom. It is almost like a strange changing of the guard as Solich steps out, turns and walks into his office - the one that used to be Osborne’s. A tough season Yes, Solich’s first year marked the first time since Devaney’s 1968 cam paign that the Huskers lost four games. And yes, NU missed out on another Big 12 Championship. And yes, it seemed like a tragedy of end less injuries as Nebraska stumbled through the 9-4 season. None of those things escape Solich, but none of it vexes him either. It was what it was, he says, a turning point in some respects. “It was a very tough season for all of us,” he said. “This was a team that faced a lot of adversity, especially in terms of injuries. But never was there any finger pointing among players or coaches. We hung together very, very well. When you have a team like that, that fights through the adversity, there is a strong bond made - a strong feeling of attachment to the team con cept.” It is that cohesiveness which ear marked what Defensive Coordinator Charlie McBride said was one of the best-coached seasons in his memory. “In all the years I’ve coached, it’s Please see SOLICH on 9 _- _• Cornhuskers fired up’ about season onener ■ Healthy team confident about offensive capability i— ■—--— -—— -, Darren Ivy Senior staff writer Last year, it was Louisiana Tech that was doing the guessing as to what Nebraska Coach Frank Solich would run. It was nearly a year ago last month when Solich joked that he would call a long pass on his first play from scrim mage. This time around, as Solich begins his second season, it’s his opponent that boasts a new coach. With 13 games dnder his belt, Solich said he was more prepared for this year’s 11 a.m. opener with the Hawkeyes and already had plays scripted out for the first three series. “The way I have it drawn up, we score on all three,” Solich joked. The No. 5 Cornhuskers are expected to show some new offensive wrinkles this year, and it has even been hinted that quarterbacks Bobby Newcombe and Eric Crouch could be in the baekfield at the same time. The Huskers also will have healthy 1-back DeAngelo Evans and Newcombe for the first time since the Washington game in 1998. With everyone healthy, Saturday’s game could prove to be a big offensive explosion for the Huskers. Last sea son, the Hawkeye defense surren dered more than 40 points in each of its final four games. But junior split end Matt Davison doesn’t put much stock in that. r “As with our offense, they have a different defense this year,” Davison Football Starters SSL. Nebraska starters 90.3 KRNU iffiisi Defense Pos. No. Name Ht Wt. Pos. No. Name Hi Wt. SE 5 Matt Davison 6-1 180 tR 81 Aaron Wills 6-2 250 LT 69 Adam Julch 6-5 320 NT 96 Steve Warren 6-2 315 LG 63 James Sherman 64 296 DT 91 Loran Kaiser 64 290 C 54 Dominic Raiola 6-2 295 RR 83 Kyle Vanden Bosch 64 270 RG 55 Russ Hochstein 6-3 280 SIS 46 Brian Stew 6-1 220 RT 58 Dave Volk 6-5 295 MLB 13 Carlos Polk 6-2 250 TE 85 T.J. DeBates 6-3 250 WLB 27 Eric Johnson 6-1 205 QB 12 Bobby Newcombe 6-0 195 LC 3 KeyuoCraver 5-10 190 WB 82 Sean Applegate 5-9 186 ROV 21 MikeBrowh 5-10 205 IB 4 DeAngelo Evans 5-9 215 FS 19 Clint Finely 6-0 205 FB 15 WHtle MiHer ; 6-1 240 RC 22 Ralph Brown 5-10 180 K 26 Josh Brown 6-2 185 P 17 Dan Hadenfeldt 5-11 195 Iowa starters IHIainw UTI6II6 Poo. No. Name Ht Wt. Pot. No. Name HL Wt BE 5 Bashir Yamini 64 190 L£ 99 Anthony Heron 6-5 270 LT 72 Bruce Nelson 64 270 LT 91 Jerry Montgomery 6-3 290 LG 63 Jay Bickford 64 285 RT 96 Corey Brawn 6-2 290 C 52 A.J.BJazek 6-2 275 RE 98 EdSaidat 6-7 271 RG 67 Chad Deal 64 285 OLB 97 LeVar Woods 63 240 RT 74 Alonzo Cunningham 64 295 IB 37 Derrick Davison 6-2 235 TE 80 ZeronFlemieter 6*5 240 LB 54 Aaron Kanttman 64 245 QB 4 , Kyle McCann 6-5 19Q LC 11 JoeS&leiy 6-0 187 91ft 87 Kevin Kasper 6-1 190 SS 9 Matt Browen 6-3 196 RB 46 Ladell Bets 5-11 206 FS 21 Matt Stockdaie 5-11 186 PG 31 Rob Them 46 230 RC 2 46 196 K 17 Tan Douglas 5-11 195 P 7 Jason Baker 6-1 195 said. “You can’t look at statistics from last year and expect it to be the same. We know we have to go in there and play the game hard. Showing up isn’t going to get it done. We want to put a lot of points on the board and hold them to very few points. I think our affense is looking to have a huge day." The last time Iowa and NU met in 1982, the Huskers prevailed with a Melanie Falk/DN 42-7 victory led 4>y quarterback Turner Gill. ' It has been 17 years since the neighboring-state institutions met, but throughout the years, NU has list ed many Iowans on its roster. This year there are six players-Dan Hadenfelt, Brad Hamik, Jamie Please see HAWKEYE on 9