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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1999)
CROUCH from page 10 probably should have picked up. Those are all things that maybe I wasn’t ready for.” By all accounts, Crouch is ready for them now. **♦ “Nothing has changed,” Quarterbacks Coach Turner Gill said of his relationship with Crouch since the sophomore took over the No. 1 slot. “He comes up on his own, asks questions, does things of that nature, but not anymore than it was before. “He prepares himself very well, and we go through scenarios. But the system hasn’t changed.” Know mg Gill, that makes sense. Crouch’s responsibilities in running the offense - and Gill’s responsibili ties in teaching him the nuances of that offense - shouldn’t change. It isn’t as if the Millard North High School grad suddenly got initiated into the secret NU quarterback club, complete with a brand new play book. It just seems that way sometimes, especially when looking at Crouch from 1998 and Crouch today. His execution of the option has been lauded by teammates and coaches - he has developed a deadly pitch fake, which freezes defenders like former option wizard Dari an Hagan used to at Colorado. Crouch also employs the late pitch, flipping the bail to Correll Buckhalter when he’s down field. It has opened the option game for big plays. Crouch leads the Big 12 in pass efficiency, and, considering his posi tion, there may be no runner more feared in the league. Although he got a late start, he has a shot at catching Applewhite for first-team all-confer ence honors, provided NU wins Saturday. For Crouch, his increased output boils down to one thing: experience. “You don’t come out with every thing,” Crouch said. “It takes time to gain that chemistry and consistency.” Junior wide receiver Matt Davison said Crouch has both in full. The two developed that chemistry last year. “If I’m man-to-man downfield, he’ll throw it up knowing where I can go get the ball,” Davison said. But Crouch has it with the entire offense now, he said. . After a year of learning, Davison holds Crouch’s leadership ability with that of Scott Frost, whom Davison played with during NU’s national championship season in 1997. Frost was the first and only Husker to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in a season. “I’m getting that feeling,” Davison said of the leadership com parison. “Everybody knows that he’s the man out there. If you’re going to lead, you’d better know where you’re going. Eric knows where he’s going, so we all want to let him lead us. “He doesn’t say a whole lot. When he does talk, everybody lis tens. He’s always a pick-me-up type of guy. He’s never negative. He keeps the mood light. He doesn’t get ner vous, never uptight. “So he feels loose and confident, and it trickles down to the rest of us. It makes the whole offense go.” *** That type of leadership may be put to the test this weekend in a pres sure situation against the Longhorns as the game might test the only aspect of Crouch’s game where he has not yet fully succeeded: the two minute drill. In the three losses he was directly involved in, Crouch had last minute shots to win all of them, and each failed in their own way. His third and fourth-down passes sailed high Football Starters m m. _ _ _ _ Austin, Texas Nebraska Starters Daryt K. Royal/Memorial Stadium Pos. No. Name HL WL Poa. No. Name HL WL OB 7 ErfcCtouch 0,1 165 IR* 81 Aaron VttHs 6-2 250 I 4 Oan Alexander 6-0 245 NT 96 Steve Warren 6-2 305 FB 15 mmm* 3t m DT it Loran Kaiser 64 295 WB 82 Sean Applegate 5-9 185 RR 83 Kyle Vanden Bosch 64 270 SE 3 Matt Davison 04 165 SLB 37 TfinyOtfe 6-1 220 TE 85 UDeBates 33 250 MLB 13 CartoePbtk 32 250 17 69 AdamJuteh 35 320 WLB 50 Julius Jackson 6-1 240 LG 63 James Sherman 64 295 LCB 3 KeyuoCraver 5-10 190 G 64 DomMc Ratdta 32 295 FS 19 Clrt Pinley 30 205 RG 55 Russ Hochstein 64 290 ROV 21 Mike Brown 310 205 RT 56 Dave Volk 6*5 300 ROB 22 RatphBrown 310 180 PK 26 Josh Brown 32 185 P 17 Dan Hadenfeldt 311 195 Tens Starters Poe. No. Name HL Wt Poe. No. Name HL WL Ft 9 Kwame Cavil 6-2 2D5 LE 49 Aaron Humphrey 6-3 260 LT 70 Leonard Davis 6-6 367 LT 64 Casey Hampton 6-1 305 LG 72 Roger Roaster W 315 RT 73 SfettnRogers 54 315 C 62 Matt Anderson 64 310 RE 50 Cedric Woodard 6-3 295 RG 78 AritwanKkk-Hughnes6-3 320 SLB 38 Aaron Babtno 6-1 235 RT 66 Cory Quye 6-6 325 MLB 4 De’Andre Lewis 6-1 238 TE 81 Mice Jones 64 260 WL8 2 EverickRawis 6-1 230 QB 11 Major Applewhite 6-1 205 LCB 5 Ahmad Brooks 5-8 182 m 3 Hodges Mitchell 5-7 190 FS 24 G£g Brown 6-2 200 .fiSLM. Rjcky ftown 64) 225 SS 23 Lee Jackson 6-3 205 SE 22 Ryan Nunez 6-9 185 RGB 1 EnnsWII 5-9 182 PK 13 Kris Stockton 5-9 195 P 33 Ryan Long 6-1 190 and wide agaiiist Texas, a blown facemask call doomed the Huskers at K-State and an interception ended NU’s chances vs. Arizona. “There were passes that I could have completed last year,” Crouch said of late-game failures. “Three or four passes that were my fault all the way. “If it came down to it this week, we’d be able to execute a lot better. We’ve been able to run those hurry up offenses a couple times a week.” If it did come down to a come back, and Crouch was able to rescue the Huskers from defeat, or even if Nebraska just wins, there will be a sense of closure for the quarterback as he exorcises one of his past demons. Make no mistake: While Crouch doesn’t say the words “redemption,” there’s a bit of that wrapped in Saturday’s game, as the quarterback who has already dodged many obsta cles tries to clear another one. “Up to this point, it will be the most important game to me,” Crouch said. “Those other games and what I’ve done is behind us.” He brings up the fumble one more time for emphasis. And what he should have done instead. “That option play, it would have been a touchdown,” Crouch said. “But those are different things I think about this year - a different thing I would do this year. I’d do it different ly.” He’ll have that chance. NU ready forUT TEXAS from page 10 receiver Bryan White on separate fourth-quarter drives in last year’s upset that set up the Longhorns’ game-tying field goal and game-win ning touchdown. “Last year, it was the big play that was killing us,” NU defensive coordi nator Charlie McBride said. “There’s no question we’re better (at prevent ing the big play this year). “When you put the ball in the air, there’s three things that can happen, and two of them are bad. If we can shut down the running game and dic tate what they’re going to have to do to win, then we feel a lot better about ourselves defensively.” Offensively, the Huskers will try to continue to bring out the firepower - both on the ground and in the air - that has shown more signs of bril liance each week. After anemic early-season rush ing outputs against California (119 yards) and Southern Mississippi (114 yards), NU has used quarterback Eric Crouch’s passing threat to open up the ground attack. The result has been a running game reminiscent of past dominant NU teams - averaging 337 yards in victories over Missouri, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. That might provide a lofty chal lenge to a Texas defense that Solich called the most dangerous Nebraska has faced so far. Apparently, it’s too lofty, according to NU wingback Bobby Newcombe. “We can go deep any time we want to,” Newcombe said. “People always try to stop our run, but you’re going to have to stop our pass, too. We can run the ball on anybody. It’s almost impossible to stop us from doing what we want to do offensive ly” Unco(n’t newest, hfrh-ener*v dance club! WWii 141N. 9th Street-Downstairs in the Holiday Inn “ wr' ^ / 4J Wednesday-Saturday 730 - MX) 4750011 ^ r,in ■ ,iThursday: UneSUi. . . College nightl 19 4 over the . pen i v all ladies 21 <& over! Shark Cage" $2 cover. BIG A - BUSCH LIGHT DRAWS contest $2 margaritas *1>5° AU: from 9:00 - midnight. 214 over $100 cover / under 21 $3.00 cover Y2K Calender Contest!! Betwe^p now and December 8th. 1st place prize $100! A. I A II • .is . Saturday, October 30,1999^ 2nd a 3rd place prizes will be announced. 11B Grand prize ($500!!) to be awarded on No c December 15.1999. t? c?*er fo' beil y f 1 cover for those of you ver! Prizes to be awarded for the best costume.... 1st $200, 2nd place $100, 3rd place $50 • . -• £$ ■'■ ' ' ' . $ • Free pizza and $.75 BIG A-BUSCH LIGHT DRAWS 7:30 - 10:00pm