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__* Tuesday, September 14,1999 1 Daily Nebraskan M Page 9
Duck population up from last season
■ The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service estimates
waterfowl numbers to be
at a 40-year high.
By David Diehl
Staff writer
With duck population numbers the
highest they’ve been in more than 40
years, hunters and outdoorsmen appear
to have a grand season of waterfowl
hunting ahead of them.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
estimates this year’s fall flight of ducks
at 105 million-up 25 percent from last
year’s figure of 84 million. The total
also transcends 1997’s record mark of
92 million ducks.
Mike Vrtiska, Waterfowl Program
Manager for Nebraska Game and
Parks, said numbers that good haven’t
been around in a long time.
“That’s the best we’ve seen since
1955,” Vrtiska said.
Todd Frohloff, a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln wildlife major and
avid hunter, welcomed this year’s burst
of growth.
“I know they are increasing in
numbers,” he said. “But I didn’t know it
was that much.”
The duck season begins Oct. 2,
along with that of dark geese. Light
geese season begins a week later.
Although the Fish and Wildlife’s
assessment accounts only for ducks,
Vrtiska said the goose hunting season
should be comparable to last year.
Last winter the goose hunting was
pretty good, Vrtiska said, for both
Canadian and snow geese, with the late
winter season seeing 109,000 snow
geese harvested.
Frehloff said he had quite a bit of
success this past winter with snow
geese,
“I know last year for snow geese,
they had the highest population in cen
turies,” he said.
Vrtiska said there hasn’t been a
decrease of any kind in the goose pop
ulation and called the production of
Canadian geese “fair to very good.”
The outlook for the upland game
season that begins Oct. 30 for quail and
pheasant isn’t quite as bright.
Upland Game Director Scott
Taylor said the forecast is about the
same as last year - below average.
Taylor said the low numbers and
reproduction are in direct relation to
the weather.
“We’ve had several fairly wet
springs in a row,” Taylor said.
“Generally, wet springs aren’t too con
ducive for good reproduction.”
Vrtiska reminds people wishing to
hunt ducks, geese, dove and select
other game to register for the Game
and Parks’ Harvest Information
Program to assist the department in
calculating how many birds were killed
and making population estimates.
All hunting information can be
found at Nebraska Game and Parks’
Web site at: www.ngpc.state.ne.us.
Last-second woes
continue for Bears
--- ✓✓_
By Joshua Camenzind
Staff writer
Baylor Coach Kevin Steele
found himself in a familiar situation
as his Bears let yet another game slip
through their grasp.
BU is now 0-2 in the Steele era
and is looking for a way to win the
close game.
In their season opener against
Boston College, the Bears took the
Eagles to overtime, just to see an
extra point miss wide left for a 30-29
loss.
On Saturday, Baylor held a three
point lead with four seconds to go on
the UNLV 8-yard line. Again, the
Bears found a way to lose on the last
play of the game for the second
straight week.
Instead of kneeling down and
taking the victory, Steele decided to
run the ball with Darrell Bush and
try to score again to boost team
morale. Bush fumbled the ball and
Runnin’ Rebel defensive back Kevin
Thomas scooped it up and took it 99
yards for a touchdown and a 27-24
UNLV win.
“The point is that we are trying to
create a situation where we are get
ting more aggressive,” Steele said.
“An attitudinal thing where we know
that we can line up and score when
we need to.”
Steele, a former assistant at
Nebraska and former assistant in the
NFL with the Carolina Panthers,
brought high hopes to Waco, Texas,
when he was hired. He has the Bears
playing good football, but the 0-2
start is not reflective of that in the
world of wins and losses.
“Everybody is probably wanting
to know what I was thinking,” Steele
said. “It was a mistake, and I regret it
for Baylor and for the kids.”
The decision not to take a knee
was one of the main topics of discus
sion during the Big 12
Teleconference on Monday morn
ing.
Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops,
whose Sooners are the Bears’ next
I had one coach tell
me that I had a
better chance of
winning the Texas
lottery than I did of -
that ever happening.”
Kevin Steele
Baylor head coach
opponent, believes that it was a
tough call to make.
“Sometimes fluky things or
freaky things can happen,” Stoops
said. “Certainly I am sure people will
take notice of it and make sure they
are a little more cautious on some of
the things they do.”
Advice and calls of support were
abundant for the first-year head
coach.
“I had one coach tell me that I
had a better chance of winning the
Texas lottery than I did of that ever
happening,” Steele said. “But hind
sight is 20-20.”
The call received many different
reactions, Steele said.
“The nicest comment was, ‘I love
you’ from my wife - and I think she
is the only one that said that, too,”
Steele said. “The people that attack
you after something like that are the
same people that attacked Coach
(Tom) Osborne - when he was 12
and one - for the one he lost. People
with that kind of attitude are going to
attack anything that moves.”
But Steele said he is very confi
dent that his team will rebound from
this adversity.
“How are you as a father when
you look at your own kids and you
know what they are feeling by look
ing in their eyes and seeing their
expressions?” Steele said. “Because
I have looked them in the eyes, and 1
know what kind of people they are.”
Walker set to return
to action on Saturday
WALKER from page 8
Walker said the team had con
sidered the option of redshirting if
his rehabilitation didn’t go accord
ing to plan. The third week of the
season was to be the measuring stick
for Walker’s ability to move around
the field, he said.
So far, so good.
“I feel that tomorrow I could go
out and do everything,” Walker said.
“It’s going to take time to get back to
the top of my game, but I’m good
enough to play right now.”
While Walker has returned, left
comerback Erwin Swiney did not
work out on Monday and probably
won’t “for some time,” Solich said.
Swiney, who has been suffering a
groin injury similar to that suffered
by DeA^elo Evans in 1997, had
tried to practice last week, but did
not respond well.
Notes:
Solich deflected any questions
regarding the quarterback race, opt
ing to discuss the matter today at the
weekly press conference.
Nebraska aims for national title
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■ TT lilt a 3UUU VUI C U1
returning bowlers, the
Huskers are optimistic
about their season.
By Rob Petzold
Staff writer
As the Nebraska women’s bowl
ing team prepares to defend its nation
al title, Coach Bill Straub isn’t wor
ried.
“I feel very strongly that our team
will be in the hunt with four other
teams at the end of the season to com
pete for the national championship,”
said Straub, who is entering his 16th
year as NU’s bowling coach. “I feel
real confident about going into the
season.”
• The Comhuskers have an abun
dance of returning players, along with
a handful of talented newcomers.
NU will also have an advantage
with the conference tournament being
- ™ L ~
As a conference, the Big 12 went 9
1 last week, outscoring opponents 430
BO. Kansas and Oklahoma both beat
Division 1-AA opponents on Saturday.
Strength of schedule was one of the
main topics on the weekly Big 12
Teleconference on Monday.
Most coaches agreed that schedules
should be determined by schools only
and mandates should not be set to
schedule tougher teams.
“I think each program knows what
they feel is best for their program and
ought to be able to do that,” Oklahoma
Coach Bob Stoops said. “There are
enough restrictions within the confer
ence.”
Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder
agreed that there should not be schedule
restrictions.
“I would not be in favor,” Snyder
said, “regardless of how it was struc
tured. You know, if it said everybody had
to play kindergarten schools I would not
be in favor of the conference mandating
scheduling procedures.”
■
Nebraska climbed one spot in the
“My goal is to have our team in a
good position by Thanksgiving,”
Straub said.
The only major roster loss the
Huskers suffered was four-time All
American Jen Doherty.
This year, Straub said, Nebraska
will follow the leadership of senior
All-American Kim Claus and sopho
more Diandra Hyman.
Claus, who comes from Mesquite,
Texas, had only positive things to say
about this year’s squad.
“I definitely agree with Coach
Straub that our team will be in the
hunt to win another title,” Claus said.
“The only thing I would like to see
from our team is to win more tourna
ments and click faster then we did last
year.”
Hyman, from Dyer, Ind., is also
pumped to begin the season.
“Our team are real fighters,”
Hyman said. “Bowling was the reason
I picked Nebraska.”
Though only officially sanctioned
by the NCAA last year, the Huskers
* *r
AP Top-25 poll into a tie for No. 4 with
Florida. Other ranked Big 12 teams are
Texas A&M at No. 7 and Kansas St. at
No. 16. Texas, Oklahoma St., Kansas,
Colorado and Oklahoma all received
votes.
■
Iowa State is 2-0 for the first time
since 1985 after Saturday’s win over in
state rival Iowa. The 17-10 win marked
the second year in a row in which the
Cyclones have topped the Hawkeyes.
ISU Coach Dan McCamey is happy
with his teams’start
“I am extremely happy with the win
on Saturday over Iowa,” McCamey
said. “It is good for our team, good for
our fans. We had the largest home
crowd we have had in years and a very
positive experience for all of us here in
the football program.”
■
Kansas State defensive end Darren
Howard was named the Big 12 defen
sive player of the week. Howard led the
Wildcat defense to a 40-0 shutout of
Temple on Saturday. The senior had two
forced fumbles, a quarterback sack and
an interception, which he returned 22
yards for a touchdown.
Hole-in-one highlights day for NU
HOLE from page 8 ing five, scoring a 161.
The last 18 holes of the tournament
a lot of effort into her game, and she’s remain for today. Krapfl said to win,
made a lot of improvements.” the Huskers need to keep playing like
Roux was die second-place finish- they have been playing,
er for the Huskers, with a 149. “We just need to continue to play
“I could have played a lot better, the golf course and not worry about
but my hole-in-one helped to bring me what Oklahoma State does,” Krapfl
back into a pretty decent (first) round,” said. “I think (today’s) going to be a
Roux said. really important round for our season.
Senior Elizabeth Bahensky shot a If we can come out and play another
15 3 for third place on the Husker good round, I think it will give these
squad, followed by sophomore Carla guys the final statement that they are
Fogelberg with a 159. Freshman ready to compete with the best teams in
Amanda Krane rounded out the start- the country.”
1990s. Hyman said she was a bit dis
turbed by the lack of attention the
team has received.
“We work really hard as a team,”
Hyman said, “and along with the aca
demic load, I really feel we are not
appreciated compared to other athlet
ic programs at NU.”
According to Claus, however,
there has been some awareness of the
team’s success.
“More students have noticed our
success since we became sanctioned
by the NCAA,” Claus said.
Hyman, who was a member of the
U.S. National team, returned from the
tournament with four gold medals.
She is also an All-American Team
U.S.A. member.
But Hyman’s achievements do not
overshadow her commitment to her
teammates.
“My main purpose in competing
at NU is to do what’s best for the
team,” Hyman said. “Team accom
plishments take priority over individ
ual achievements.”
■
Colorado quarterback Mike
Moschetti was named the offensive
player of the week after leading the
Buffaloes to a 63-35 win over San Jose
State. Moschetti passed for a school
record 457 yards, completing 25 of 32
passes. He also had 499 yards of total
offense, another CU record.
Oklahoma State kicker Tim Sydnes
was named the league’s special teams
player of the week. Sydnes was 5-for-5
on extra points attempts and had field
goals of46,35 and 25 yards.
Notebook compiled by staff
writer Joshua Camenzind.