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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2000)
CU aims for conference-contender status By Brian Christopherson Staff writer Colorado feels a little left out, like the high school boy who just got his prom date stolen by the new kid in town - the kid ^nearing die purple tux, no less. It was just a few years back when the Buffaloes used to dance with Nebraska annually for the Big Eight and Big Twelve crowns in foot ball. Lately, the new fascination of the conference has been with the new hot item Kansas State. CU wants that to change this year, and a con ference tide is the team goal even at this point in spring ball, said defensive end Brady McDonnell. “Our goal every spring is to compete and win the conference championship,” McDonnell said. Despite the loSs of four starting offensive lineman and quarterback Mike Moschetti from last season, the Buffaloes are sky high with con fidence. • Vf ' It is a team that has every right to be, winning four of its final six games last season; one of those losses included a gut-wrenching 33-30 overtime loss to Nebraska in CU’s regular season finale. ; Colorado Coach Gary Barnett doesn’t want to equate the finish of last year’s team with his second Buffaloes team, though. “I personally believe that a team’s life is 365 days, then you start all over again,” Barnett said. Barnett has a great deal to start over with on defense, where seven starters return, including Butkus Award candidate Jashon Sykes, who is sitting out until the fall after a recent shoulder sur gery. . “Defense wins championship, and we got the attitude this year to be a great defense,” McDonnell said. The offense will carry the question mark over its head into the season, especially with a square off for the starting quarterback position taking place this spring. Sophomore Zac Colvin is being pushed by junior Bobby Pesavento for Ihe No. 1 spot. “It will take time for the offense to develop,” Barnett said. “Moschetti was such a great com petitor and could bring fire to the huddle. But I believe both these guys have that same mentality and the ability to get it done.” Barnett says his team’s success will come to depend more on foe big boys up front. “I think foe main key is to see if foe offensive line fills in good,” Barnett said. It is an offensive line that will have to develop quickly. CU opens up with one of the toughest schedules in the country, going up against Colorado State, Southern California and Washington. The Buffs then end September with a home contest against one of their conference nemeses, Kansas State. “I like to play teams that generate a nation wide interest in our program, and that’s what 8fiBC0ACH!S!?B!SrB^^n| “ RECORD: 6-5 overall, 5-3 Big 12 ^ OFFENSE: Ballcontrol/multiple DEFENSE: 4-3 OUTLOOK: Finding a quarterback is a premium. After that, CU looks solid. Come fall, the Buffs likely will start a true freshman at tailback in Marcus Houston. If he’s up to the challenge, Colorado is in the hunt. we’re doing this year,” Barnett said. But don’t be fooled. There is still one team that is marked in red letters at the bottom of that schedule. “When you’re sitting below looking up at Nebraska, it makes you want to beat them,” McDonnell said. “Nebraska is at the top of that /poll, and to be the best, you have to beat the best. It’s our biggest game of the year.” Wins a goalfor coach’s PLAYERS from 16 the coach before he was offi cially announced. Byrne delivered. : \ Collier met with the play ’ ers for an hour in the Hewitt Center and told them the direction he envisioned the program heading, and that he is in it for the long run. But much of the tearti is in it for the short run. Eight Huskers, including Bradford ■ and Ffriend, are going to be seniors next year. He isn’t coming in to feel his way around,” said Bradford of Collier. “He is coming in to win.” Bradford said Collier laid down the law on many issues, including drugs and making a family out of the team. Ffriend, who will have his fourth cor^h in four years of basketbal ' said Collier will demand a tot from the team. Bradford agreed. “He is about discipline and toughness,” he said, “especially on defense. “He don’t like zone. He likes hard-nosed defense, and if you can’t guard anybody, you are going to be sitting right next to him op the bench.” Predictions favor KSU; coach stresses team unity By Brandon Schulte Staff writer Being tabbed as a preseason football favorite is becoming commonplace for the Kansas State football program. As one of two programs to win 11 games in the past three seasons, that can happen. Still? preseason title predictions about the Wildcats still are new to many football fans. Many people remember a program that rou tinely languished at the bottom of the Big Eight conference standings and regularly sported one of the worst records in college football in the 1980s. As the Wildcats came off of an 11 -1 season it 1999 that ended in a 24-20 victory over. Washington in the Holiday Bowl, final rank ing expectations are high in Manhattan, Kan. Add to that 16 starters returning from last year’s squad, and many across the country anticipate a strong 2000 campaign for the sil ver and purple. But Coach Bill Snyder cautioned against such lofty expectations when he spoke pub licly for the first time this spring on Tuesday. “It’s easy to say that since you have starters X,Y,Z back so you should be every bit as good as you were and then some,” said Snyder, who has compiled a 88-40-1 record in 11 seasons at Kansas State. “But there is a great fallacy to thinking that It would be bad for us if anyone, whether it be players or coaches, to think that we will be good without seeing how we end up this spring.” The Wildcats should be loaded this spring on offense with the return of eight starters including quarterback Jonathan Beasley, receivers Aaron Lockett and Quincy Morgan and running back and return specialist David Allen. Joe Hall likely slips into the running-back am COACH^BUlSnyde^^^^^TB ^ RECORD: 11-1 overall, 7-1 Big 12 ^ OFFENSE: Multiple DEFENSE: 4-3 OUTLOOK: KSU has to replace a few defensive studs, but nothing keeps the Cats from competing for the Big 12 crown. Jonathan Beasley is capable, if not spectacular. ' • \ role. KSU was hit a bit harder on defense, as it lost playmakers linebacker Mark Simoneau, defensive end Darren Howard and free safety Lamar Chapman. But the team does return seven defensive starters. Special teams are also a strength as All-American Jamie Rheem returns to handle the place-kicking duties, v Despite the large number of established starters returning, Snyder said no positions are secure, and all are up for grabs. “Overall whether it be offense, defense or the kicking game, it is vital for us to create as much competition for starting positions as we can,” Snyder said. “What we don’t want is for starting posi tions to be defaulted to one guy. We want out No. 2s and No. 3s to be able to compete very well.” Along with competition and developing quality throughout the depth chart, the biggest spring goal of the team will be to establish team unity. “In a general sense, chemistry is impor tant,” Snyder said. “It’s easy to say we have a lot of people returning, but we did lose some key players, and we have to plug new guys in that will get the job done.” DN file photo KSU COACH Bill Snyder warned against high expectations dur ing spring ball. The Wildcats return eight starters this season. CU riles NU softball team I By Sean Callahan StaffWriter About 60 miles east down Interstate 80 there is another Division I softball team in Nebraska. Tonight when the Nebraska softball team travels to Omaha tb take on in state rival Creighton, it will try to extend its win streak to 16 games, one off of the school record of 17. The 27-15- Comhuskers have played two of their four scheduled games against the 19-13 Bluejays. NU took both of those games 5-0 and 3-2: Husker Coach Rhonda Revelle said she treated the Creighton games as if they were a conference series. “I think it’s a tremendous rivalry,” Revelle said. “We bothlprepare for it just like it was arty postseason contest “They are very motivated to be suc cessful against us as we are against them.” The CU program is one that has been on the rise the past couple of years. Last season Creighton made it to the NCAA tournament, and it is also the two-time defending champion of the Missouri Valley Conference. Because this has become more of a rivalry the last couple years, Revelle said it had been easy to motivate her players to play a team like CU. “We know that there is no letdown when we play Creighton,” Revelle said. . “We have a very healthy respect for them.” Junior infielder Jamie Fuente, who is filling in at second base for the injured senior Jennifer Lizama, said she and her Husker teammates take Creighton very seriously. “Creighton is definitely just like playing conference,” Fuente said. “They like to beat us, and we love to • beat them, too.” As far as the return of Lizama and , junior short-stop Leigh Suhr, Revelle * said at least not for another week. One possible move, Revelle said, would be to move Lizama to first base and Suhr to third base to lessen the \ mobility they would need to have on die field because PAUL'S not dead. dailyneb.com [ Sport Clubs Results , This Weekend at Home Rifle -hosting Jr. Sectionals this weekend at Military and Naval Science rifle range. Women’s Soccer - match vs. Hastings College, Sun. the 9th at 1:00 pm, Whittier Field. On the Road Water Polo - competing in a tournament at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Men's Rugby - traveling to South Sioux City, competing in the Great Plains Benefit Tournament, Sat. & Sun. Special Event • Pepsi One Challenge •All day April 6th • •City Union Plaza*NU Crew* Women's Ultimate - went 3-3 in the Fool’s Fest Tournament last weekend. Men's Ultimate - went 8-0, defeating Wyoming/Colorado 15-6 for the Fool’s Fest tournament championship. 3rd Annual Flatland Climbing Competition Beginning Men Beginning Women Intermediate Men 1st Ben Westenberg 1st Erin Dickey 1st Paul Addison 2nd Eric Wood 2nd Kendra Luebbers 2nd Dan Booth 3rd Mike LaVelle 3rd Denise Craig 3rd Matt Olberding Women's Rugby - placed 6th in Westerns over the past weekend, losing to Truman State 15 -12. They lost to Air Force in round one and defeated KU in overtime 2-0 in the semi-finals. «For more information regarding any of the UNL Sport Clubs events - Please contact the Office of Campus Recreation 472-3467