Nickel blitz
By Brandon Schulte
Staff writer
It was the first drive of the game,
and the Iowa State football team had
driven deep into Nebraska territory.
By spreading out the Comhusker
defense, the Cyclones had methodi
cally moved down the field on
fourth-ranked Nebraska to the 19
yard line.
But following a holding penalty
that sent ISU back to the 33, NU nick
el back Joe Walker crashed through
the line on a nickel blitz to sack quar
terback Sage Rosenfels and cause
him to fumble.
While the blitz is one of many in
the Husker defensive scheme, it has
been responsible for several big
plays. On several occasions this year,
the nickel blitz, and others like it, has
enabled the NU defense to change the
momentum of games by causing
turnovers and large losses.
Linebackers Coach Craig Bohl
said the blitz has been part of the
Husker defensive package for awhile
and is having more success than in the‘
past.
“Things go in cycles,” Bohl said.
“Sometimes you have a bead on why
a certain blitz is going to come free,
but other times it is kind of the luck of
the draw.
“You never really know how an
offense is going to protect something,
and sometimes the blitzes are predi
cated on a guy screwing up.”
Two other times this season plays
by the nickel back have dealt a deci
sive blow to the offense.
It caused a defensive touchdown
later in the ISU game when Walker
caused another fumble, which was
Huskers earn third
in Big 12 coaches poll
From staff reports
Nebraska senior Nicole Kubik
headlines four returning starters for
the Cornhusker women’s basketball
team, which is the third-best tfcam in
the Big 12 Conference, according to a
preseason poll of conference coach
es.
Kubik earned first-team All-Big
12 honors in the poll. Kubik led the
conference in scoring last season at
19.8 points per game.
Nebraska returns key players
from a team that went 21-12 overall
last season and tied for fifth in the
. - > ;> ,A> ws..
Big 12.
But four returning starters were
not enough to rank the Huskers above
Iowa State. The Cyclones return their
entire starting lineup from last sea
son’s Elite Eight team and received
10 out olf 11 first-place votes.
Preseason player of the year hon
ors were also tabbed on Cyclone
senior Stacy Frese.
Kansas was sandwiched in
between Iowa State and Nebraska in
second place.
Fifth place is where defending
conference champion Texas Tech
found itself in the poll, after losing
three starters from last year’s team.
KU first, NU seventh
in.preseason rankings
From staff reports
The Big 12 coaches believe that
Kansas will regain its status as the
elite team in the conference, as the
Jayhawk basketball team edged
defending champion Texas in the pre
season conference rankings released
Thursday.
Kansas beat out Texas with six
first place votes to the Longhorns’
five. Oklahoma State picked up one
first place vote and was slotted third
in the conference.
Nebraska was picked seventh in
the poll, one point behind Iowa State.
Oklahoma came in fourth in the vot
ing; Missouri was fifth.
Colorado, Texas Tech, K-State,
Texas A&M and Baylor rounded out
the preseason conference predic
tions.
Nebraska had no players among
the All-Big 12 team.
Texas center Chris Mihm was
voted as the preseason player of the
year.
He was joined on the conference
first-team with Marcus Fi2er of Iowa
State, Kansas big man Eric
Chenowith, Oklahoma’s Eduardo
Najera and Desmond Mason of
Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawks continue to land
top prospects with the addition of
McDonald’s All-American Nick
Collison to the team.
Collison already has earned the
respect of the conference coaches, as
he was bestowed the preseason fresh
man of the year title.
Huskers look to secure
key conference victory
HUSKERS from page 10
However similar both schools may
be, theHuskers have played the role
of the evil twin of late, besting Texas
in eight of the last nine meetings.
Pettit says that Texas comes to the
dance with a better team this year,
though.
“I think (Texas Head Coach) Jim
Moore likes his team this year a lot
more than his team last year,” Pettit
said.
The Longhorns also boast the top
hitting percentage in the conference
at .254, but Nebraska is close at .250.
Texas is led by senior middle
blocker Erin Aldrich, who leads the
team-with kills and blocks and car
ries a .307 hitting percentage.
The importance of this game is
not lost on any of the Nebraska play
ers, though. Setter Jill McWilliams
was confident that Nebraska will be
ready to play well minutes after
Wednesday night’s win over
Missouri.
“We have two days to prepare for
Saturday, and we will be ready,” she
said.
Pettit said he believed his team is
blossoming with five straight wins
after a few early setbacks.
“I think we’re right where we
belong,” Pettit said, “We’re getting
better and better and better.”
returned for a score by rush end
Demoine Adams.
Against Southern Mississippi, it
accounted for the winning touch
down when nickel back Keyuo
Craver deflected Golden Eagle quar
terback Jeff Kelly’s pass into the
hands linebacker Julius Jackson, who
returned the interception for a touch
down.
“One of the things the coaches
stress on pretty much any blitz is that
if you’re coming in and have a good
shot at the quarterback to focus on an
arm swipe (to dislodge the ball) and
then focus on the tackle,” Walker
said.
Nebraska should be in a nickel
defense, which trades a linebacker for
a defensive back, often this weekend
to combat Texas formations that use
three and four receivers.
Texas sophomore quarterback
it
The key offensively is to be patient. and rv
when the chances come, fa/re them.”
Major Applewhite
Texas quarterback
Major Applewhite has thrived in the
open attack this season, scorching
opposing defenses for 2,091 yards
and 14 touchdowns, and Applewhite
said nothing will change against
Nebraska.
“This offense is definitely a little
more wide open this year,”
Applewhite said. “Last year, it didn’t
have to be because we had Ricky
(Williams).
“The key offensively is to be
patient, and when the chances come,
take them.”
And just like the Longhorns’
offense, the Nebraska defense will
continue to take risks, such as the
nickel-back blitz to cause
Applewhite to make the errors his
counterparts have made facing the
Huskers.
“I think it will be very effective
for our defense,” Walker said. “It real
ly doesn’t matter what the offensive
scheme is. If we got a blitz called, you
know we’re coming.”
NU looks for Big 12 crown
■ With expected wins
over OU and OSU,
Nebraska would wrap
up conference title.
By Brandon Schulte
Staff writer
After remaining in first place of
the Big 12 Conference standings the
entire season, the Nebraska soccer
team can officially secure its second
straight regular season conference
championship with a win this week
end.
With a victory at either
Oklahoma on Friday or at Oklahoma
State today, the Comhuskers can
clinch the Big 12 Conference title
and the No. 1 seed at the tournament
in two weeks.
The fourth-ranked Huskers, 14
1-1 overall, have breezed through
their first seven league encounters,
winning all of them by the combined
score of 30-2.
On paper its very easy to imagine
that Nebraska can add to that lop
sided figure against the Sooners and
the Cowboys. Both rate at the bottom
of the Big 12 Conference standings
with OU 1-7 in league play and OSU
just a game better at 2-6 in the confer
ence.
NU Coach John Walker said both
teams are better than their records
suggest.
“In Oklahoma’s case they have
lost eight games by one goal,” Walker
said. “They are as good as other
teams in the conference but they’ve
just had a tough time finishing teams
off. All road games are tough.”
He added that Oklahoma State
has extra incentive to defeat the
Huskers.
“(OSU) is a real physical hard
working team,” Walker said. “If they
beat us Sunday they have a shot at
making the Big 12 tournament. Last
time we went down there they gave us
a game. We have to be ready to com
pete.”
Nebraska took off an extra day of
practice this week in order for the
team to rest but will go into the
matches short-handed again as All
conference midfielder Amy Walsh is
expected to be out with an injured
ankle, sustained Oct. 10 at Colorado.
Husker midfielder Jenny Benson,
who missed practice Wednesday, is
also questionable with a groin injury
that has bothered her for several
weeks.
Senior forward Lindsay
Eddleman said more players will see
action this weekend as the team
makes sure it is healthy for the con
ference tournament.
“The coaches will probably play
more people this weekend,”
Eddleman said. “Players who need
rest will get time off because this isn’t
as big of a weekend.”
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