l-backs
could slow
NU offense
Finally, an
instance where
the Word "jug
gernaut” isn’t
hype-filled and
unfair. The 2000
Nebraska
offense makes
you want to use Mu til taw
vert* like steam- HfmwMi
roll and conjure
up imagery of
exploding scoreboards.
But there's one problem with
this point-producing machine,
and it’s in a place Nebraska £euis
never, ever have to look.
I-back.
The I-backs are the weak sis
ters of the offense. Crouch, the
wide-receiving trio, the offensive
line - all outstanding. The backs?
Not so good. That’s strange.
It's a hard sell, especially with
a depth chart loaded from top to
bottom with former heavily
recruited runners. Nebraska gets
former prep standout running
backs who become standout col
lege running backs, and some
times standout NFL running
backs.
In a given year, the Huskers
may have a secondary that gets
burnt a lot, linebackers too slow
to keep up with the Florida
schools, a quarterback that
couldn't throw a bean bag
through the clown’s mouth (see
Mickey Joseph), but never, ever, a
bad I-bacldngcrew. Right?
Well, not this year, and not
last year either. In '99, Eric
Crouch carried the ball, and the
backs, too. He was the first quar
terback to lead the Huskers in
running since a guy named Rex
Fischer in 1955.
Coach Frank Solich doesn t
want him to do it again this yean
The chances for injury are too
high. But, unless something
changes, and the I-backs stop
fumbling the football start juk
ing defenders and overall begin
to live up to their potential,
Crouch is this teamfe I-back.
Look at the alternatives.
Dan Alexander is a 150
pound chess whiz trapped in a
physically amazing body. He
sometimes runs over people, but
he isn't hard to tadde.
He rarely runs by people. He
never, ever runs around people.
He might have worse hands than
any NU bade in the last 20 years,
and Husker backs aren’t usually
renowned for their catching abil
ity.
Hefe the starter.
Correll Buckhalter would
start, but he makes cosdy mental
mistakes. He also fumbles, much
like Alexander.
Dahrran Diedrick would
start, but he has a hard time stay
ing out of trouble. He’s a fumbler,
too. That leaves everybody's
junior College All-American
Thunder Collins.
Collins could very well be the
next coming of Mike Rozier. He
also could be the next coming of
Leodis Flowers. Thing is, I don't
know. Neither do you. Neither
does Frank Solich.
Wfe all wiH Be patient.
What you shouldn’t be
patient for is for youngsters josh
Davis and DeAntae Grixby to
gain their place at the running
backs’ table. They aren’t much
worse than the trio that will play
for die Big Red. Then again, they
aren’t much better. They have
done nothing to distinguish
themselves from the pack and
earn playing time.
uoums is me omy one wim
that chance, and remember, you,
I and Frankie are all still in the
dark on that one
Don't think for a minute that
the backs, who are below average
by Husker standards (which are
admittedly high), will sabotage
the running game
In fact the rest of the offense
will do an excellent job of prop
ping them up most of the time.
This is where you start salivating
at the offensive prospects of a
mammoth line, an experienced
and potential game-changing
wide receiving trio and Crouch, a
quarterback who will garner
Heisman attention at the end of
the season.
Even last year, Alexander
averaged a gaudy 6.5 yards per
carry, with Buckhalter and
Diedrick not far behind. Don’t
think for a minute they would
gain these chunks of yardage at
some place like the University of
Kansas.
None of the three rushed for
1,000 yards or was consistently
good at the position. Alexander,
Buckhalter and Diedrick did
nothing to prove they were the
solid No. 11-back, something
Solich and his staff want very
Please see MACKS on C7
I Schwab's recovery strengthens Husker pipeline
■The offensive tackle provides experi
ence and talent to the already strong
nucleus made up of Dominic Raiola,
Russ Hochstein and Dave Volk.
BY DAVID M. DIEHL
Jason Schwab is celebrating an anniver
sary of sorts.
It’s been almost exactly a year since the
ACL and MCL in Schwab s left knee gave out
smack in the middle of fall camp. His knee
required major reconstructive knee surgery
and a senior year on the sidelines.
With the injury and its subsequent
anniversary, it's been
■D-badsJoe quite awhile since
Walker and Kevou Schwab has seen action.
NU's 23‘20 1088 t0
Arizona in the 1999
dent tnere ll be no Holiday Bowl was the last
dropoff in the NU time the 300-pounder
secondary after was down in the trench
the graduation of •*> .
.. r . That s 19 months
without live, Big Red,
Mike and Ralph smashmouth football.
Brown.CI2 Nineteen months
without a pancake block.
Nineteen months with
out a left tackle pull Nineteen months too
many.
In that time, Schwab has watched his
team leave behind its embarrassing 19989
4 record and 20th place finish. He'D play for
2000’s Comhuskers, who are ranked No. 1
in the preseason.
Now, when Sept. 2 and San Jose State
roll around, Schwab is looking to put the
ghosts of those 19 months behind him and
help back up the Husker's preseason No. 1
status.
“1998 was pathetic,” he said.
“I'll be the first one to say it Our offen
sive line didn't have it We had a lot of talent
on that team, but we just didn’t come
together like we have in the past couple of
years.
"This year, it’s unbelievable, I mean,
we’re all like brothers."
Beginning his sixth year with his NU
brothers, Schwab said the only remaining
scars from the injury are just below the
kneecap, not between his ears.
"It's something I don't think about any
more," Schwab 23, said. "Injuries are a part
of the game; it’s just unfortunate that it hap
pened to me
"Your season could be over at any sec
ond. Everybody knows that. That’s just
motivation to go out there and play harder.
Injuries are just a part of football.”
Schwab graduated in May with a com
munication studies degree and is taking 15
hours of classes on his master’s degree
He said he can’t wait to run out of the
tunnel for the first time in a long time.
"I’U be like a little kid again,” Schwab
said with a grin crossing his boyish face.
"It’ll be like I’m a freshman all over again.
It’s feoing to be exciting.”
However, Schwab would never have
had the chance to go through another
"Urnnel Walk” if it wasn’t for the NCAA’s
granting him his sixth year of eligibility.
It was just after the Fiesta Bowl last sea
son, and Schwab was back home in Egan,
Minn.
A morning phone call from Offensive
Line Coach Miltlfenopir turned out to be
the best wake-up call Schwab has ever had.
Schwab was out cold when a 9 a.m.
phone call from his coach on Jan. 5 deliv
ered the news.
“We got it buddy,” Tenopir said on the
other end of the line. "We got your sixth
year.”
“Oh, okay,” was the only reaction a half
comatose Schwab could muster.
"Then I woke up a little bit, and it hit
me," the former walk-on said. “I was like
‘Good Lord, I got my sixth year.’ I kind of
went off the hook then."
Schwab’s return to this year's offensive
HUSKEROFFENSIVETACKLE Jason Schwab stretches just before afternoon practice Monday. Schwab sat out
last season after injuring Ms left knee, but his 1998starting experience helped hbn earn his place back on
the line tilts foil*
"Having Jason back is like
gaining another starter."
MUtTenopir
offensive line coach
line nucleus of Dominic Raiola, Russ
Hochstein and Dave Volk provides the
Huskers with the experience and talent to
dominate games and control the line of
scrimmage, Schwab said.
“I can't think of another line I’d rather
run behind,” I-back Dan Alexander said.
“Having Jason back is like gaining
another starter," Tfenopir said. “We lost two
(Adam Julch and James Sherman), but we
gained back one.”
Having Alexander and the other run
ning backs run at will aver the opponent is
the ultimate goal, Tenopir said. But man
handling the defense like that isn’t entirely
in the 0-line’s hands.
“It totally depends what the other guys
throw at us,” Tenopir said.
“A lot of things are involved, more than
just fine lineman. Vfe got to have wideouts
and tight ends blocking. There are a lot of
things involved.”
Coach Frank Solich had similar
thoughts.
“There are great defensive teams out
there and many knowledgeable coaches
that won't allow you to do thart," he said Tft
always going to be a battle.
”1 like our chances in a lot of those bat
tles, howevec”
WIDE RECEIVERS
Matt Men,
f
T-»»■ --
luKSy vfDuOnl
together tank as
one of the best
catching units ia
Big Red history.
The trio combined
to catch 64 panes
in 1,106 yan
Sfilffll
I.
!
Talented NU trio a dangerous wide receiver corps-after it blocks
H Nswcofflbs
had two punt
returns for
touchdowns
last saason,
wnire i/dviiun
should finish
Nscaraaras
thasacond
loading
Comhuskar
racaivar in
LImAamj all m m
nisiory aixtr
catching 29
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saason.
Wistrom
toppadnaar
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saasonmaga
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returning
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1999saason.
BY JAMIE SUHR
Catching passes for the Nebraska football team
is like being Allen Iverson’s teammate during a two
on-two pickup basketball game - you never see the
ball.
But despite playing in a run-oriented offense,
the Cornhuskers’ best playmakers can be found
catching the ball.
Wingback Bobby Newcombe, split end Matt
Davison and tight end Tracey Wistrom rank as one
of the best pass-catching receiving corps in Big Red
history, said Ron Brown, NU receivers coach.
“They're very special, no question about it,”
Brown said. "In a running offense, these guys don’t
always get the great statistics, but they’re big-time
players.”
The trio combined to catch 64 passes for 1,108
yards last season. Davison led the way with 29
receptions.
”1 didn't come here expecting to catch 10 passes
a game,” Davison said. “Wistrom, Newcombe and
myself, we’re here to make plays.”
No college football fan can forget Davison’s div
ing catchoff of a Shevin Wiggins-kicked ball for a
touchdown against Missouri, keeping NU’s hopes
alive for a national championship.
Even with the lack of passes thrown in Davison's
direction, the senior needs just three catches to
break Guy Ingles’ record of 74 receptions by a split
end.
Without true deep speed, Davison must rely on
sharp route running and sure hands. Combined
with his football intelligence, Brown called Davison
the team’s bread-and-butter receiver.
“He’s been in a lot of clutch situations, and he
responds to the pressure well,” Brown said.
No player may better understand pressure than
Bobby Newcombe. Faced with expectations of
becoming the “next Tommie Frazier.” Newcombe
battled injuries and a quarterback controversy with
Eric Crouch before becoming a full-time wingback
last season.
Now, Newcombe gives the Huskers a threat at
the position that NU coaches haven’t seen since
Irving Fryar left campus in 1983.
With a year under his belt, Newcombe can com
pletely focus on learning die nuances of wingback,
a position Brown said the senior has adapted to
well. /
Brown said Newcombe improved a great deal in
his route-running and his blocking.
“He’s going to improve a lot,” Brown said. “He
came in as a quarterback, but he’s played a lot of
wingback. A lot of it is just fine tuning.”
With Newcombe’s speed and ability to make
defenders miss, the coaches are looking at a variety
of ways to get him the football, Brown said.
“There’s a lot of things he can do whether it is a
screen, a reverse, plays down the field or short stuff.
He’s a very versatile athlete,” Brown said.
But Newcombe might make his biggest impact
as a punt returner. During his career, he has aver
aged 19.2 yards per return and scored two touch
downs.
"I don't make big plays,” Newcombe said. “The
people around me make big plays.”
While Wistrom doesn't have Newcombe’s speed
or Davison’s ~ ght end
“In a running offense, these guys
don't always get the great statistics,
but they're big-time players
Ron Brown
receivers coach
earned All-Big 12 honors after averaging an impres
sive 26.8 yards per catch. The junior is also NU’s all
time leader in career yards per catch at 28.5 yards a
grab.
Wistrom quickly became Crouch’s favorite
downfield target after he caught a 70-yard touch
down pass in a 45-0 win over California.
“He’s a big target and a terrific athlete,” Crouch
said. “He has great instincts for playing football.
That's what sets him apart”
After playing at 215 pounds last season,
Wistrom spent most of his off-season bulking up to
improve his run blocking. After all, he’ll get plenty
of chances for a team that averaged 265.9 rushing
yards per game last season.
“I need to become more of an explosive blocker
and someone Coach Brown can rely on in any situ
ation,” Wistrom said.
And in most cases, the situation will be for
Newcombe, Davison and Wistrom to run block,
which doesn't bother the trio.
“We understand our role and just try to stay
within ourselves with the limited opportunities we
get,” Davison said.