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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2000)
1 By David Diehl Staff Writer Had it not been for a typo in a game program, Nebraska might be without its best punter of all time this season. A misprint in a publication led punter Dan Hadenfeldt to apply for a sixth year of eligibility, granted to him Feb. 17 by the NCAA. Thanks to a mistake, NU’s gaping hole turned into a strong suit within minutes. “Coach Young told me that I was listed as a junior in some publication,” Hadenfeldt said. “I thought ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be nice if I could come back for an extra year?’ That’s when he asked me if I had taken any steps to doing that.” Thank goodness for misprints. Now the Huskers have a punter back that, in his first and only full year of competition: ! I ■ Earned second-team All-Big 12 honors by the coaches. ■ Set Nebraska season- and career-punting records with his 44.9 yard-per-punt average. ■ Set the single game record with his 57.6 yard-per-punt average vs. Colorado. Those facts aren’t lost on Kickers Coach Dan Young. “It’s a real big positive getting him back,” Young said. “Dan has the expe rience factor, he played in some big games, and that’s going to help him a lot We’re real pleased-to have a quali ty player like him back in the pro gram.” With numbers like that, coupled with the fact Texas A&M ’s punter, All American Shane Lechler, left the Aggies after graduation, Hadenfeldt looks to be the top punter in the Big 12. That possibly could be extended to include the entire nation, Young said. “He’s got an exceptionally strong leg,” Young said. “He kicks the ball fast; he understands where the ball needs to be placed. He knows how to kick away from good return people.” Even though the misprint incident didn’t occur until near the end of last season, Hadenfeldt said he still felt like he had a decent chance of receiv ing the extra year of eligibility. I felt like I had a good case,” Hadenfeldt said. “When I read through the rules, I qualified for everything. At that point, it was just a case of getting the paperwork together and getting it in on time.” Had Hadenfeldt not returned, sophomore place-kicker Josh Brown, who is listed second behind Hadenfeldt on the depth chart at kick offs and punts, most likely would have handled those duties. “That would have been a fairly rough spot for a while*”. Young said. “We got some talent, but itfmay have taken a while to establish someone. So it would have been an area that we would have been hurting in.” ,:■***:■.. P Dan Hadenfelt Sr. S-jfW;::: (44.98 yards per punt, 26 punts inside ::|iii^::' the 20,27 touch backs on kickoffs) kXJJ K Josh Brown Jr. • r ' ::::::if:|:;::: (14-20 on field goals, 46-47 on extra y-"!**":-; points; will play wingback) ■ Un ' y . No one .!!*¥*•:•. Nebraska got a gift with Hadenfelt’s return and with NU’s offensive W:' potential, Brown may not be Sv-lAl -:! attemPtin9 too many important field wSSKjy! goals. Still his foot could determine the truly big games. Just ask Byron Bennett. Hadenfelt is as good a Si?!*"'? directional kicker Nebraska has ever | ssIm ^ ~ he s*1ut out KSU’s David Allen ___ J David Jane/DN Hadenfeldt, coming off his sur prising success in 1999, competed in the Hula Bowl. Hadenfeldt said it was “in his best interest” to play in the game in case his appeal was turned down. That way he would have more exposure to scouts. The NCAA still is deciding on whether Hadenfeldt will have to sit out Nebraska’s first game because of that. “It wouldn’t be any more than one game,” Hadenfeldt said. “That’s the worst thing that could happen, if any thing. They call it an ‘eye for an eye’ rule. I played in one game so I may have to sit out one.” on new position ■ The sophomore kicker will expand his role to that of backup wingback. By David Diehl Staff Writer Last year Eric Crouch passed, ran and then caught a pass for a touchdown in the same game. Now Josh Brown wants in on some of that action. The sophomore place kicker has been working with the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive units at the wingback spot this spring. So, could Nebraska fans see Brown catch the touchdown pass and then "kick the extra point? “That’s the plan,” Brown said. And it’s not like Brown is any stranger to playing all over the field. At Foyil (Okla.) High School, Brown, while serving as the team’s punter and place kicker, also earned All-State honors as a running back and safety. The all-around ability that allowed him to win two state high jump titles and all-conference bas ketball honors also allows him to try his hand at the receiver position at NU. ■ „ “You can certainly see he has ability,” Coach Frank Solich said. “He’s got very good quickness. He has good speed and very good hands. We think as he develops that he can be a good wide receiver in the system.” i. With Brown taking time at the wingback spot, some may think that could take away from his duties kicking. Not so, according to Brown. “I still got the job,” he said. “I plan on holding it. I expect that I’m holding my spot. The day that receiving affects my ability to kick a ball, I’ll stop.” , Solich confirmed that Brown still is the team’s No. 1 kicker and he will continue to be. “If Josh is able to maintain the No. 1 kicking spot, then there’s no question that he’ll continue to be the kicker,” Solich said. “At that point, his role will be very, very, limited at wide receiver.” The Huskers signed one kicker, Sandro DeAngelis, who’ll be in camp this fall. A 5-foot-9, 200 pounder from Niagara Falls, Ontario, DeAngelis was a first-team All-State player in New York. If DeAngelis, or anyone else for that matter, manages to perform bet ter than Brown, Solich said, he could take the job and Brown would work more at receiver. But Solich said he’d have some worries about using an inexperienced kicker right away. “As many games that are won on extra points and field goals,” Solich said, “you need to make sure that you have someone that can do it under the gun.” Take this Test, Receive a $50 Certificate! 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Certificate program students are not eligible You must take retail delivery from participating dealer stock between 3/1/00 and 6/30/00 and apply to GMAC financed purchase. GMAC must approve. Length of finance contract limited Minimum amount financed required. May not be combined with other targeted offers. "GMAC” is a registered service mark of the General Motors Acceptance Corporation. tOffer good while supplies last only at participating dealers. Offer is open to students at least 18 years of age with a valid driver’s license, e-mail address and student ID or diploma since 5/98. Visit www.gmgrad.com/scr for complete GM Test Drive Certificate program rules. GMAC ISU basketball basks in glory of solid teams AMES, Iowa - (AP) Iowa State Athletic Director Gene Smith has been gushing a bit lately. With good reason. It’s not every day that Iowa State gets both its men’s and women’s bas ketball teams in the NCAA tourna ment’s round of 16. In fact, it has never happened before. “I can’t begin io explain to you how I’m feeling,” Smith said. “I can ramble, but I can’t explain it. I’m just on cloud nine for these kids.” Four other schools are experienc ing the same success. Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina and LSU also will have both teams playing this week in the regional semifinals. For them, the round of 16 is doubly sweet. “Is it nice or what to have two LSU teams in the Sweet 16,” Women’s Coach Sue Gunter said. The joint appearances are a boon for the schools in terms of exposure and revenue, though it doubles the workload for sports information staff that must prepare those voluminous postseason media guides. And it forces fans to make a choice. Which regional do they attend? Or do they just stay home and watch both teams on television? Administrators also are forced to decide which game to attend, although in Smith’s case it was easy. He won’t be going to either. Smith is a member of the men’s basketball committee and was assigned to the East Regional at Syracuse. The Iowa State men will play UCLA in the Midwest Regional at Auburn Hills, Mich., on Thursday night. The women meet Penn State in a Midwest Regional game in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday night. “It’s a great experience for me. It’s an honor to work for the member ship,” said Smith, who then added, “But it sure kills me not to see our teams.” The simultaneous success at Iowa State has been stunning. Both teams won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships and are 2-0 in NCAA play, all of which is putting a time and financial squeeze on the school’s devoted fans.