Huskers execute
'complete game'
inroutofTexasTech
Josh Wotfe/DN
ABOVE: Senior Willie Miller is taken down by the Red Raider defense in the second
half Saturday. The Red Raiders were unable to hold the Huskers for most of the
game, allowing 30 Husker first downs.
RIGHT: Eric Crouch and Willie Miller celebrate a touchdown during the first half at
Texas Tech on Saturday. The Huskers rushed for 454 yards, and the Red Raiders
rushedfor 19.
HUSraRSfrompage12
No. 1 Nebraska, the teams that won championships in
1994, '95 and ’97, teams that dominated offensively,
defensively and on special teams, was back.
“I thought this was our most complete game of the
year,” NU Coach Frank Solich said. “The team was
ready, and showed improvements in all three phases
of the game. The players did what they were asked and
what is expected of diem.”
Plenty of blinding statistics brought back memo
ries of the good old days of domination. None of them
were misprints.
Total yards: NU 540, Tfech 200. Rushing yards: NU
442, Tech 19 (that's right 19). First downs: NU 30, Tech
11. Time of possession: NU 37 minutes and 48 sec
onds, Tfech - it was barely on the field.
So much for the Red Raiders’ second-ranked
defense and bomb-shelling passing game. The
Huskers dictated virtually every play. It took a 19-yard
Joe Walker interception return for a touchdown five
minutes into the game to light NU’s fire, and after that
it ran rampant
Quarterback Eric Crouch ran 40 yards down to the
18-yard-line to set up his 3-yard touchdown on NU’s
third offensive possession, putting the Huskers up 14
0.
On its next possession, Nebraska ground out a 16
play, 61-yard drive that spanned more than seven
minutes and ended with an 8-yard Crouch touch
down pass to senior wingback John Gibson, making
the score 21-0. The throw was deceiving -13 of NU’s
plays on the drive were rushes.
By halftime the Huskers had a 28-0 lead, had out
gained Tfech 254-85 in total yards and sent sophomore
quarterback Kliff Kingsbury - the nation’s leading
passer averaging 289 yards per game coming into the
game - into a tailspin. Kingsbury looked hurried in
throwing for just 87 yards and two interceptions by the
break.
The Red Raiders did not cross midfield until the
last play of the first half and got their only score via a
41-yard Chris Birkholtz field goal on the first posses
sion of the second half. Both accomplishments
received sarcastic eruptions from Tech fans expecting
a better fight at home against the nation's best team.
"We just blew up,” first-year Tech Coach Mike
Leach said.
Part of that had to do with the clearly improved
pass rush attack that Kingsbury and the Tech d-line
dearly weren't ready for. NU sacked Kingsbury twice
but hurried him into his worst game of the season,
forcing two interceptions on the 10th-best passing
team in the nation.
It was by far the most dominating defense the
struggling Blackshirts had thrown at an opponent all
season.
“That was the Blackshirt defense we’re used to
seeing,” senior linebacker Carios Polk said. “From the
opening play, we wanted to make a statement. We
know we had the talent and potential to play a bust
out game and leave them on their heels. Our guys had
the look in their eyes that they wouldn't be stopped.”
NU’s offense, meanwhile, kept Tech’s offense off
the field. For the first time this season it didn’t need to
resort to a multidimensional offense full of options,
passes and Eric Crouch scrambles.
Instead NU shoved the ball, and two I-backs, right
down the Raiders’ throats from the start
“We took advantage of running the ball up the
middle,” Crouch said. “When something is working,
we’re not going to go away from it”
Senior Dan Alexander posted his fourth 100-yard
game of the season by the first drive of the third quar
ter and finished with 113 yards. Fellow senior Correll
Buckhalter needed just 13 carries for his 105 yards.
A heroic effort by Crouch wasn’t needed. The jun
ior carried 12 times for 52 yards and threw 12 times for
six completions, 86 yards, one touchdown and one
interception.
The most important stat for Crouch: He got to sit
out more than a full quarter for the first time this year.
Backup Jammal Lord was inserted on NU's second
possession of the third quarter.
Possibly the most important accomplishment for
NU was the fact everyone got a chance to breathe,
dominate and enjoy a lopsided win. And the Huskers
got to do it early. Plenty of backups, third-stringers and
fourth-stringers finally saw action, while the starters
got to stand on the sidelines and swagger a little, as
opposed to stagger.
They’ll need that rest, and they’ll need that swag
ger. After taking on Baylor Saturday at 11 a.m. in
Memorial Stadium, the Huskers will face No. 3 former
arch rival Oklahoma on the road Oct. 28.
NU solidified its No. 1 ranking, capturing nearly all
of the first-place votes in the AP and coaches’ polls. It
also stayed on top of the nation’s rushing statistics.
This time, it didn't take long.
“Getting off to big leads hasn’t been a part of our
repertoire,” Solich said. “I think there was an intent
and desire to do that in this ball game. It was impor
tant to get off to a good start and play four quarters of
football.”
Critical errors doom Texas Tech
BY JASON MERRIHEW
Texas Tech wanted to prove it
belonged among the top of the ,
Big 12 by upsetting top-ranked
Nebraska
The Red Raiders came into
the showdown at Jones SBC
Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, with
a 5-1 overall record and a 1-1 Big
12 record.
Despite the winning sched
ule, critics felt the 5-1 record was
n’t battle-tested enough to label
Tech as a Big 12 title contender.
After suffering a 56-3 beating
at the hands of the Huskers, it
was clear the critics were right -
the Red Raiders weren’t a con
tender, at least not against NU.
Tech Coach Mike Leach said
that has a lot to do with his team’s
mentality against NU, not its lack
of ability.
“We wanted to be good too
badly,” Leach said. “We took our
bodies out there but didn’t take
our heads.
"There was no method to our
madness.”
Tech allowed its fans to hold
the “guns up” sign early on by
stopping the Huskers 3-and-out
on NU’s initial drive.
The pass-happy Red Raider
offense also showed signs of opti
mism as Tech quarterback Miff
Kingsbury connected on back
to-back 11 -yard passes.
Then Kingsbury tried to bum
the Nebraska secondary by
throwing a deep ball toward the
end zone. Nebraska free safety
Troy Watchorn played center
field, snagged the deep ball and
“We wanted to be
good too badly. We
took our bodies out
there but didn’t take
our heads. There was
no method to our
madness
Mike Leach
Texas Tech football coach
returned it for 16 yards.
The Comhuskers didn’t capi
talize on the mistake, as Dan
Alexander fumbled the football
on NU’s 16-yard line.
But on the next Red Raider
play, Kingsbury gift-wrapped an
interception for NU’s Joe Walker.
Walker was able to run
untouched 19 yards for a touch
down.
“They rolled into a zone cov
erage." Kingsbury said. “It was
my fault; I didn’t read it right. I
just threw it out there, and the
receiver broke his route off."
The offense wasn't alone
when it came to shooting Tech in
the foot
“I was surprised the way that
the entire team played poorly,"
Leach said. “We had a redly good
week of practice, and that's why I
am disappointed.”
The Red Raider defense,
ranked No. 2 in the country in
totd defense before the game,
allowed Nebraska 540 yards totd
offense and a season-high 56
points.
“When (Dan Alexander) gets
behind those big lineman, it is
hard to stop,” defensive lineman
Kris Kocurek said. “We didn't exe
cute, but if we would have exe
cuted, we can stop him.”
The Comhuskers also were
able to wear down the Red
Raiders defense by holding the
football for three-fourths of the
contest.
“ (The Tech defense) had a
tough time, because we kept
them on the field,” Kingsbury
said. “They gave everything they
had.”
The punting game also put a
thorn in the Raider game plan.
Sophomore punter Clinton
Greathouse made his first career
start against the Huskers.
It wasn’t a good one.
Greathouse finished the
game with a mediocre 34 yards
per punt, and he shanked a 12
yaid punt deep into his own terri
tory, giving the Huskers the ball
on Tech’s 28-yard line.
Nebraska was able to convert
the bad punt into seven points,
giving NU a 28-0 first-quarter
lead.
“As a team, we made some
critical mistakes.” Tech wide
receiver Tim Baker said. “I think
we were ready to play; we just
came out with a little too much
emotion. We were running
around with our heads cut off.”
The 56-3 bashing rates as the
worst margin of defeat in Texas
Tech school history.
“I think we are a good football
team.” Leach said. “We went out
there and tried too hard.”
3
•OR, oR filter, ap to 5 qts oR
•Lubrication of nut fittings
•Check 0 HR automatic
transmission, power
steering, washer fluid. ■
•Check ffiR tire pressure
•Check antifreeze, air filter ■
wteer hlmrirt
|
i
I
I
Tnvironuiontal Disposal Fw Included ^
Coupon iipirtt Ptcotnbor 30,2000 I
Red Raiders snap NU's game win streak but drop match
BY JOHN GASKINS_ contingency in the crowd of 1,731
Pandemonium erupted
inside United Spirit Arena in ^ The kill demented a vtetnrv
Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday. that snapped a Cornhusker 29^
1heTeTaSsaTe0h0U||m°hmnntf0r win streakand aliowed Tech to do
■ n_ :ir r^ y : j)r0' something no other team in the
gram. PapiUton, Neb nauveAnne Bi 12 ha|done t0 Nu this sea.
Romiue s ammed down one of s0* The Red Raiders ^
her 12 kills on her home-state intn
team that sent the Red Raider int° ^ locker r0°m’ whlle the
team tnat sent me Red Raider Huskers slumped into theirs
University Theatre
presents
a comedy by
William Shakespeare
tober 19.20 & 24 - 28
7:30 pun.
October 22
2:00 p.m.
Howtfl Theatre
First Floor Temple Bldg.
12tb & R Streets
Tickets: $12410*7
5-Sfcow Season Ticket: $60450430
f
Ued Center Box Office I
12th & K Streets
472-4747
0pe„ rumirt
11:00 &jn.-5:30 pan. OMUL
Mon- Fri mp
heads down in defeat.
“They were so excited, looked
and acted like they had won the
match,” NU Coach John Cook
said of the Tech players.
The problem for Tech players
was they hadn’t won the match.
They won the game - the second
game of the match. Another prob
lem: That was all they won. Tech
lost the next two games and the
match, 15-10,12-15,15-10,15-9.
Nebraska (17-0,9-0 in the Big
12 Conference) remained unde
feated in 2000 by adjusting to an
upstart Tech team (16-4,5-4) that
flirted with an upset in the first
two games and took a game from
the Huskers for the first time since
UCLA took two on Nov. 10 - a
span of 10 matches.
“Well, that’s one thing we
don’t have to worry about any
more is going through the Big 12
sweeping everyone,” Cook joked.
"We had a lack of focus (the
first two games),” Cook said, "due
to the energy in the building and
the energy Texas Tech played
with. They rattled us a bit. No one
has been with us in a ball game
since UCLA. We started playing
Texas Tech volleyball against
them.”
Fortunately, the Huskers got a
break at halftime to regain their
focus and reorganize its offense.
“That was the first time I’ve
really got on them all year,” Cook
said of his usually low-mainte
nance team.
“It was not a happy mood in
there,” said freshman Anna
Schrad, who Cook pulled off the
bench to relieve the struggling
efforts of left-side hitters Kim
Behrends and Laura Pilakowski.
,44
Sophomore
middle block
er Amber
Holmquist
powers a vol
leyball
through the
arms of a
Texas Tech
blocker
Saturday.The
Huskerslost
their first set
in Big 12 play
this season
but won in
four games:
15-10,12-15,
15-10,15-9.
The 6-foot-2 Schrad posted a
career high in kills (14) and
attacks (31) in exposing 5-5 Tech
setter Skydra Orzen and helping
the Huskers get back into rhythm.
After hitting a sub-par .223
against the most organized and
aggressive attack it had seen in
the conference, NU regrouped to
hit .393 in the final two games to
put Tech away.
The Tech offense that had
been hitting on all cylinders was
halted by a Husker defense that
finished the match with a 14-5
block advantage.
Behrends, despite her erratic
shotmaking at first, finished with
a career-high 17 digs to douse
Tech’s flames.
iVJII I1VIIV/ I/ll
Offensively, Pilakowski came
around to lead NU with 18 kills,
many coming off the pristine set
ting of sophomore Greichaly
Cepero, who posted her first
triple-double of the season with
45 assists, 13 digs, a season-best
12 kills and .524 hitting.
Raider Melissa McGehee kept
her team within striking distance
with many of her 20 kills in games
three and four, but it wasn’t
enough.
“The biggest change
(between games) was their out
side hitters,” Tech Coach Jeff
Nelson said. "Pilakowski put
some good balls away and took
some good swings. They finally
caught on to us.”