SportsTuesday
Fewer ads,
more style
needed
on radio
Cut from it, cut, cut, cut, cut!
To the game! Warren! Warren!
One imagines this is how the
producers of Saturday’s radio
broadcast of the Nebraska*
Kansas football game must have
sounded like when the Pinnacle
Sports Network cut away from
the game for a quickie ad of
sorts-just
another _
plug smack
dab in the
middle of
pigskin fun.
It hap
pened in the g
first half, as ■
the station
tried to
stick two gg
Samuel
McKewon
15-secona
spots in an injury timeout.
Didn't work. The network came
back late as KU quarterback
Dylen Smith was completing a
first-down pass. You heard the
roar of the crowd. But no play
by-play man Warren Swain.
It’s the biggest hiccup of the
day (unless you count mispro
nunciation of jayhawk safety
Carl Nesmith's name) for Swain
and Co., which includes booth
men Adrian Fiala and Dave
Webber and sideline reporter
Gary Sharp. That’s a relative sur
prise.
Typically, one can count on
Swain for a handful of descrip
tive snafus during the course of
four quarters. Even in second
half garbage time, Swain stayed
fairly sharp. He’s come a ways
from his first year in 1996 and
his miscall of Matt Davison’s
dramatic catch in the 1997
Missouri game.
One gets the sense he might
be getting the hang of this accu
racy thing.
And yet, tor a radio network
that has to pay $10.4 million
during the next five years to the
Nebraska Athletic Department
for rights to broadcast the
games, you’d expect more.
Or maybe not. Considering
all the ads that Pinnacle runs
during the course of a game, it
must expect that price tag to
take a hefty chunk out of profits.
Still, it’s hard to imagine that
Swain, now in his fifth year,
makes Comhusker fans yearn to
turn down their televisions
(now that nine of 11 regular
season games are on television)
and drink in his over-excited,
sound-byte-like calls of the
game.
Once criticized in 1996 for
not being emotional enough in
favor of NU, Swain bathes near
ly every play in Big Red honey.
Eight-yard gains invoke his
rambling, growlish voice.
Normal conversation with
booth mates Fiala and Webber
come off in the same prepared,
phony tones. Is Warren live or
Memorex?
Then again, how much does
he have to work with? The com
mercials all three often read in
between halt the natural flow of
the broadcast.
Neither Fiala nor Webber
nor Swain seem well-versed in
the art of setting each other up.
Swain calls the play. Then
Fiala, who must know that all
these games are on television,
repeats Swain’s calls and adds a
complimentary “Good job” to
whatever Husker player
deserves it
It sounds bad to be repeti
tive, but Swain rarely offers Fiala
a natural in to add something
important
Who knows what Webber, a
television broadcaster in
Omaha, is doing in the booth.
The spot was originally offered
to former play-by-play man
Kent Pavelka, who rightly
refused to play second fiddle to
Swain.
Webber, who one might
think would be the most unbi
ased as a television journalist, is
the most so. After one of NU’s
touchdowns against Oklahoma
last week, he wasn't sure if he
“could get off the floor.”
Sharp, who replaced Gary
Java for sideline work, is the
genuine bright spot. Whereas
Java offered very little, Sharp
seems to take the role of
reporter seriously.
Please see McKEWONon9
Season over for Rutherford
■ The offensive-line backup
tore a ligament in his left knee
on Saturday.
BY DAVID DIEHL
Nebraska’s offensive line was
dealtamajor blow in its 56-17 rout
of Kansas.
While the steamrolling front
five helped Nebraska pound out
493 rushing yards on the lowly
Jayhawks, a wheel fell off the
steamroller. Another wheel may
have suffered a slight wound.
Jon Rutherford, a 6-foot-3,
300-pound junior, tore the anteri
or cruciate ligament in his left
knee while trying to make a tackle
on a Kansas defensive back who
had just made an interception.
Senior Jason Schwab also suf
fered a small foot injury in the
game and was limited to 12 snaps.
Rutherford walked gingerly off
the field after the play, and the
injury was first announced as a
bruised knee. Later, reports would
confirm that the injury was sea
son-ending.
Despite Rutherford’s having
never started a game, coaches said
the loss was a huge blow.
“He literally played every posi
tion on the line,” Offensive line
Coach Milt Tenopir said. “That
was a tough injury. He was reli
able, and you never worried about
his presence in the ball game.”
Rutherford was Mr. Utility on
Nebraska’s O-line. The Midwest
City, Okla., native was behind
Dave Volk and Jason Schwab at
both tackle spots and backed
Dominic Raiola at center.
Rutherford also knew both guard
positions well, Tenopir said
Entering the Kansas game,
Rutherford had registered 29
knockdown blocks playing in all
eight games.
Coach Frank Solich said the
loss was especially devastating
because of Rutherford’s versatility.
"You don't replace a guy that's
able to come in and give you what
The Husker offen
sive line has taken a
hit with the loss of
lineman Jon
Rutherford, who is
out for the season
with a tom ACL
Rutherford, Nlft pri
mary backup in the
line, could play ail
five offensive line
positions.
a starter is giving you at any one of
those positions,” Solich said.
“That’s a blow to us.”
Raiola said Rutherford was
equal to a starter with what he
brought to the table.
“It’s going to be tough this late
in the season to get somebody
ready to play behind die tackles,”
Raiola said. “He meant as much to
this team as every starter on this
team.”
Now instead of finding one
player to fill the void in just one
position, younger players will
need to step up at all three spots
Rutherford played.
Solich said that will be a diffi
cult task for Nebraska to tackle in
its preparations for Kansas State.
"When you lose a guy that
does what he does at all those
positions, you need a guy at both
die guard and tackle spots to really
step forward,” Solich said. “We
have some players that are playing
pretty well, but they’re going to
have to step it up a notch for this
next week.”
Tenopir said that candidates
to fill Rutherford’s shoes are Chris
Loos and Kyle Kollmorgen at tack
le and Wes Cody and Jon Dawson
at the guard spots.
Kollmorgen, a 6-foot-5,305
pound junior may be propelled
into the spotlight even further if
Schwab’s injury doesn't heal by
Saturday. He is listed as the back
ON File Photo
up to Schwab and Rutherford at
right tackle.
Schwab's injury concerned
Tenopir because its seriousness
wasn’t initially known. Schwab
was bothered by a problem in die
arch of his foot and didn’t play
after the first quarter Saturday.
The extent of the injury was
unclear, Tbnopir said.
“We’re hoping Schwab will be
back quickly,” Tenopir said. "But
you never know.”
Simmons resigns from OSU
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
Oklahoma State’s Bob
Simmons didn’t wait for the
rumors addressing his firing at
the end of the season to come
true.
Instead, the six-year OSU
football coach resigned from the
position Monday afternoon,
effective at the end of the 2000
season, which the Cowboys will
end with a losing record for the
third straight year.
“This has been a very diffi
cult decision, and it was
reached only after considerable
thought and prayer,” said
Simmons, a devout Christian. “I
truly believe we have accom
plished a number of positive
things, and I am proud of those
accomplishments.
“I am confident that the
Oklahoma State football pro
gram is in much better shape
right now than when I came
here six years ago.”
When Simmons came to
Stillwater for the 1995 season,
OSU had endured six straight
losing seasons under Pat Jones.
After a 4-8 inaugural campaign,
Simmons produced a 5-6 record
in 1996 and a breakthrough 8-4
season that saw Oklahoma State
get as high No. 12 in The
Associated Press poll in 1997.
But despite having much of
the same talent over the next
three years, Simmons failed to
produce winning seasons. In
2000, the Cowboys won opening
games against Tulsa and
Southwest Texas, but they have
lost the last six.
Simmons said the expecta
tions put upon the program
after 1997 played a large factor
in the disappointment, which
has coincided with the rise of
the once-dormant Oklahoma
program in nearby Norman.
“I recognize the expecta
tions of our fans rose dramati
cally with some of the early suc
cesses we enjoyed,” Simmons
said. “I also recognize that you
reach a point where there is a
perception that those expecta
tions are not being met. I dis
agree with the basis of that per
ception, but I understand the
reality of the situation.”
Nevertheless, OSU Athletic
Director Terry Don Phillips said,
Simmons forwarded the pro
gram in his six-year tenure.
“We have made significant
improvement since Coach
Simmons arrived,” said Phillips,
who begins the search for a suc
cessor immediately. “His efforts
have undoubtedly resulted in
the overall foundation of this
program being stronger now
than they were six years ago.”
But with the department’s
attempts to raise funds for an
Please see SIMMONS on 9
Kansas (4-5,2-4; lost 56-17 at
Nebraska; Texas)
The Jayhawks saw their hopes
of going to a bowl game slip as
they were hammered by the
Huskers. KU needs to win its final
two games against Texas and Iowa
State to get the needed six wins for
a bowl.
Kansas Coach Terry Allen said
he realizes that will be a tough task
with both the Longhorns and
Cyclones looking to solidify their
bowl positioning.
“We have our backs against
the wall as far as you can have
them,” Allen said.
Oklahoma (8-0, 5-0; beat
Baylor 56-7; at Texas A&M)
With 313 yards passing in just
one half of play against Baylor and
Virginia Tech’s loss to Miami on
Saturday, quarterback Josh
Heupel solidified his hold as the
top Heisman Trophy candidate.
« Heupel has passed every test
thrown at him with flying colors.
He’s in for another this weekend.
On Saturday, OU travels to College
Station, Texas, to face aTexas A&M
team that thrives on home-field
advantage.
But OU Coach Bob Stoops
isn’t worried about his offense
struggling with the noise at Kyle
Field.
“We are pretty efficient at die
line of scrimmage,’’ Stoops said.
“That hasn’t been a problem for
us.”
OU’s J.T. Thatcher was named
the Big 12 Special Teams Player of
the Week after scoring the
Sooners’ first touchdown against
the Bears on a 60-yard punt
return.
Please see NOTEBOOK on 9
Steven Bender/DN
Nebraska guard Adam Bohac shoots a free throw during the
Huskers'practice Monday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center
while Husker Coach Barry Collier and Assistant Coach Dave
Campbell talk nearby.
BY JOSHUA CAMENZIND
Nebraska men’s basketball fans
attending tonight’s 7:05 exhibition
game against Global Sports may do a
double take when entering the Bob
Devaney Sports Center.
Nebrasketball has been given a
facelift, and changes in the program
will be hard to miss.
Husker Coach Barry Collier will
become only the fourth coach in the
past 38 years to man the sidelines at
NU.
Collier, who brings a new philoso
phy to NU, said he has watched last
year's team in action on film, and his
players are aware that “dog won’t hunt
anymore.”
"You are going to see a different
Husker team than what you saw last
year,” guard Rodney Fields said.
Collier is emphasizing discipline
for the first game, just as he has since
taking over last year.
"Discipline branches out to differ
ent areas,” Fields said. "Discipline
equals execution, making a stand on
defense and pretty much everything
that lacked last year.”
But Fields, along with Kimani
Ffriend, will get a fan's view for the first
couple of games on the new era of
Husker basketball.
“I am going to see a lot from the
bench,” said Fields, who along with
Ffriend will start the season by serving
a three-game suspension for rules vio
lations.
With the absence of Fields and
Ffriend, both starters in 1999-2000
season, new Huskers will get a chance
to show what they can do.
Much like last season, when NU
had four fresh faces on the court,
Collier will be operating with inexperi
ence.
With the dismissal of last year’s
starting point guard Danny Walker, the
ball-handling duties will be handed
over to junior-college transfer Kevin
Augustine for the time being.
Along with Augustine, who will be
challenged for the starting job once
transfer John Robinson is eligible at
second semester, four other players
are expected to log their first minutes
wearing Husker red.
Ffriend’s absence in the middle
will open opportunities for junior-col
lege transfer Justin Boeker and red
shirt freshman Brian Conklin to see
some playing time down low.
Boeker, a 6-foot-9 junior, will see
most of his minutes at the center and
power-forward position, while the 6
you're going to see a
different Husker team this
year than what you saw
last year."
Rodney Fields
_ NU guard
foot-11 Conklin can play both forward
spots and center.
Helping ease the loss of Fields will
be 6-foot-2 junior college transfer
Kedrick Ford, who may also play point
guard, and Marques McCarty, a 6-foot
5 true freshman.
“Our absence will give other guys a
chance to step up and get some valu
able time,” Fields said.
Along with Collier and the new
players on the floor, three assistants
will be making their first appearances
on the bench.
Dave Campbell, Reggie Rankin
and Kevin Mouton bring more than 40
years of coaching experience to the
Nebraska sideline.
Global Sports, which features for
mer Iowa State point guard Michael
Nurse, beat Creighton 82-74 in over
time Sunday night in Omaha.
