Husker line prepares
for KSU ground game
K-State still has bite after losses
WILDCATS from page 12
teams in the nation, that if you
couldn’t get some emotion and
enthusiasm and excitement for
that, we probably better get you
over to the doctor and get you
checked out. You’ve got some
problems.”
K-State fans need only
remember the scene of excite
ment in Manhattan two years
ago, when national title hopeful
KSU killed the Husker ghosts
that had haunted them for 29
years.
Thousands of raging fans
and students reveled in a sea of
purple to storm the field and
tear down the goal posts in cele
bration of the greatest win in
program history.
Not even the horror of NU’s
dominating 41-15 revenge in
Lincoln last year - which ended
KSU’s conference and national
title hopes - can stop the
Wildcats from looking to the ’98
game for inspiration.
"You could definitely feel the
emotion,” KSU junior offensive
guard Andy Eby said as his face
fit up.
“I lost my voice that game, I
was screaming so loud. That was
one of the most exciting ball
games I’ve ever been a part of -
coming back like we did.”
Said Leber: "It was electric. It
was unbelievable. The excite
ment around the game was
huge. No one really thought that
we could win. To prove everyone
wrong and to prove to ourselves
that we were for real, that was
huge.”
Of course, the always down
playing Snyder, whose team lost
its last two games and the dri
ver’s seat to the national title
shortly after the victory, hopes
memories won’t cloud his play
ers’ minds as they prepare for
this year’s game.
“My approach, and the way
I’d like to approach it to my play
ers, is last year’s ball game really
had no impact on our players,”
Snyder said. “And really, when
you get down to it, '98 doesn’t
either. If we believe what we
preach, then its all in our prepa
ration - how we manage our
business.”
Obviously, K-State is a differ
ent team in 2000. And with the
exception of the eagerness of
beating the bullies north of the
border, it is in a vastly different
situation from either of the last
two years.
The Midcats are not unde
feated, not ranked in the top five
and in serious danger of playing
in a lackluster bowl game.
But they recovered from the
A&M loss with a mammoth 56
10 win over a 6-3 Iowa State
squad last week in Manhattan.
And they would have the inside
track for a berth in the Big 12
championship game on Dec. 2
with a win over NU.
* For now, Saturday is K
“If we lose this game,
there goes the Big 12
championship. This is
a huge one. But at
this point in the
season, this is a make
or break game for us.
Ben Leber
Kansas State linebacker
State’s championship game.
“We’re disappointed
because we won’t reach every
goal we set this season,” Leber
said. “We wanted to go unde
feated and win the national
championship.
“But at this point in the sea
son, this is a make or break game
for us. If we lose this game, there
goes the Big 12 championship.
This is a huge one.”
NU wrestlers begin new era
■ New Nebraska Wrestling Coach Mark Manning
starts the season tonight with the No. 6 Huskers
facing Drexel.
BY VWfcE KUPPtG
The Nebraska wrestling program starts a new
era tonight when Mark Manning coaches his first
meet as a Cornhusker, a dual with Drexel in
Philadelphia.
“It seems like I’ve been here a lot longer than I
have,” Manning said. "I’m ready for it to get going
and see where our team is.”
Manning begins his Nebraska career after three
seasons at Northern Iowa. There he led a resur
gence that brought UNI back to the status of a top
notch wrestling program.
Northern Iowa finished in 11th place nationally
last year, 30 places higher than the year before
Manning’s arrival.
NU's new coach doesn’t have a similar rebuild
ing job this year. Nebraska enters the season
ranked No. 6 by Amateur Wrestling News.
NU’s first opponent is unranked and over
matched on paper. Drexel returns seven starters
from a team that finished with a 9-11 record last
year.
Manning said it was important for the team to
maintain focus and not overlook Drexel.
"I want our guys to wrestle to their potential,
not to the opponent’s,” he said. “Our guys under
stand that if you take anybody Rightly, they can
jump up and beat you.”
After Drexel, the Huskers stay in Philadelphia
to face Rider on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Rider finished 8-8 last year with a No. 21 dual
ranking. Nine starters return, including 184
pound All-American Shawn Scannell.
Nebraska will be led by All-Americans Todd
Beckerman at 133 pounds, Bryan Snyder at 157
and Brad Vering at 197.
While he’s not worried about the Husker trio of
All-Americans, Manning said these two dual meets
should provide competitive experience for the
freshmen.
“We want to get out and see some of our
younger guys step up,” Manning said. “We want to
see how they’ve come in (practice) and where they
are from a competitive side. This will help us learn
where we are at right now.”
The two dual meets are extra special for Snyder,
a junior from Easton, Pa. Snyder said his friends
and family will be there to cheer him on.
“It's always good to go back East and wrestle,”
Snyder said. “I haven’t seen my family for a while.
It’s pretty close to home, so it will be good to go
home and see them.”
Being the first meet of the year, Snyder said the
team wants to make a statement to the rest of the
country that it is going to come out fighting.
"We going to be scrapping,” Snyder said.
“There’s not going to be any holes. We’re going to
feed off each other. We're going to keep coming and
coming.
"This is going to be a new team with a new atti
tude. It’s going to be a battle out there. We're going
to give it everything we got.”
Huskers
survive
Aggies
VOLLEYBALL from page 12
After two hours of play, the
Huskers went into its fourth and
final game of the night. NU came
out with a strong message, open
ing up an early lead. A&M
returned the call by going on a
five-point run leaving them only
two points behind the Huskers.
But NU was done messing
with the Aggies. With the help of
Senior Kim Berhends' five kills
and Holmquists career-high total
of 26 match kills, Nebraska went
on to win 15-9.
“We battled it out tonight and
hung in there,” Cook said. “ We
had to maintain focus tonight.
Mentally, the team took a step
tonight”
Nebraska will look to improve
its 23-0 record next Wednesday as
they take on Iowa State at home.
“We’re a young team and we
need to work on maturing and
becoming more efficient” Cook
said.
TACKLESfrom page 12
Jonathan Beasley and options.
On tape, Slechta said, KSU's
front six rival Notre Dame’s in
terms of strength and agility. For
some years, the Wildcats have
boasted one of the largest offen
sive lines in college football. In
several previous matchups, ,
including last season's 41-15
blowout in Lincoln, that line
wasn’t quick enough to stuff the
smaller, speedier Husker
defense.
“But they look more agile this
year, at least on tape,” Lohr said.
“They look pretty good.”
Said Sledita: “1116/11 get into
you. They can move you around.
The/re die best line we’ve prob
ably faced so far this season.”
And while Beasley has taken
his share of public beatings by
the media and KSU fans alike,
■■ ■■ ■■ M M ■■ ■
both Huskers said he poses
problems similar to the Irish’s
Arnaz Battle, another average
throwing, fleet-footed signal
caller.
“You get out of your lane, and
a guy like Beasley can get out a
scramble,” Slechta said. “He's got
a little better arm than Battle did,
too."
Lohr said he doesn’t expect
K-State to reach that sort of
advantage.
Even with the injuries,
Nebraska’s healthier than it has
been, save Slechta's claw, in
some time.
It sets up to be a game decid
ed by the big bodies, rather than
the skill positions of the
Oklahoma matchup.
“It’s all going to come down
to a battle in the trenches,” Lohr
said. “Kansas State doesn’t play
soft, and neither do we.”
J ^4CoaponGootf^ ,
: ONE HUE WASH:
1340 N. 27th »
1 block So. of 27th & Holdrege
56th & Holdrege
46th & Old Cheney
21st& J
Not good v/ any other offer. One per
paraon or houaahold. Maximum valuaoi $1.00
Expires 11/16/00
Tonight!
I Magic Slim
one night on!')
I
Magic Slim Friday
and Magic Slim’s
son, lil Slim & the
Back Alley Blues
Band Fri. & Sat.
M
Friday &
Saturday
Lil Slim
agic Slim’s Son
Make it
a point
to follow
the fever.
It's everything Huskers!
The essential source for
Nebraska Football is now clicks
away. The Big Red Page has the
season's most up-to-date
information on statistics, schedules
and stories. There's even a place
to share your comments.
Think of it as the ultimate
cure for Husker fever.
Play the
Kansas St
game on
Husker Heaven
Big Red Cyber Coach!
Recycle your
Nebraskan
.or else.
1 with purchase
• when you bring in this coupon
Lincoln’s Best Authentic
Italiano Ristorante!
1 j Tues-Thurs 5-9pm !
! | Fri&Sat 5-10pm j
• Sunday 4-9pm
i —.'
i Beautiful Skyline View
i 1 min from downtown - 1 blk N. of Big John’s
• Free Parking
500 Sun Valley Boulevard
Call for Reservations
j_ 476-1212
|Yes yon are seeing double|
/, TASTY TWO-FORS!
<■' (V'
OFFER GOOD ALL DAY SATURDAYS
rflSka November 11, if you don't have tickets, stop by the Union to watch the Huskers
»«« hit K-State, White the Wildcats are seeing double, youll be enjoying double by
picking up 2 delicious flame-broiled burgers and 2 hot crispy fries for only $2.22.
OFFER GOOD ONLY ATTHE BURGER KING* LOCATED IN THE UNL STUDENT UNION BETWEEN 4-CLOSE, MO^mT
_ Expires 11/21/00
