Losses
turn KSU
into rival
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Four
I' north end zone general admis
sion game
tickets; six
hours of frost
bite on every
extremity of
the human
Joshua
Camenzind
Doay; rronr
row view of
Nebraska’s
second
straight loss
at Kansas
State-$320.
Watching Wildcat fans storm
the field and tear down the goal
posts following a one-point win
over the Huskers to all but lock
up the Big 12 North title - worth
less.
The Kansas State-Nebraska
game itself was a beauty consid
ering the weather. Both teams
had their fair share of sloppy play
and penalties, while the Wagner
Field AstroTtirf held up about as
well as the Icebox in snowy con
ditions.
Images of Eric Crouch stum
bling around for most of the
game, Nebraska's defensive
backs flying horizontally in the
air and Quincy Morgan’s No. 5
will be embedded in Husker fans’
memories for quite some time.
Add in the face mask of’98, and it
seems that something is brewing
between NU and its nearest Big
12 neighbor.
mars right- a rivalry.
Kansas State wanted it dearly,
and now it has it. And for the
most part, it was
done the right
way - with a
combined dis>
like between the
two schools too
big for an 18
inch column.
For once,
Wildcat fans
have accom
plished some
thing besides
cheering on their
team against the
bottom-feeders
of college foot
ball. Kansas
State fans have
built a hatred for
the scarlet and
creme that
extends all the
way from the
Nebraska
Kansas border to
the southern
most parts of the
Jayhawk state.
Every
Powercat
emblem that
graces the
license plates of
three out of five Kansas residents
living within a 50-mile radius of
U.S. Highway 77 tells you that
friendly territory's in the
rearview mirror.
Once in Manhattan, the
stares and the jeers given by the
locals were about as cold as the
Manhattan air. Some joked and
some just glanced. But you could
tell they were annoyed by your
presence.
How
dare the
big, bad
Husker
fans
invade
our
quaint
little
town.
And this
is all
before
entering
KSU
stadium,
where
53,811
Cat
backers
smelled
blood.
now uare me Dig, Daa nusKer
fans invade our quaint little
town. And this is all before enter
ing KSU stadium, where 53,811
Cat backers smelled blood.
Wagner Field in all of its glory
is not a bad, little scene. Besides
the deep haze permanently
embedded over the Little Apple’s
skies, KSU fans have done well to
start catchy traditions in the little
time that they have had to cheer
for their team,
Their cheers, Willie the
Wildcat and even the school col
ors are annoying.
And that’s not including the
hour of Jock Jams early entrants
3 intothestadiumhadtoendure.lt
felt like we were getting ready for
a junior varsity basketball game.
Some things are clever and
some are just childish - all show
ing KSU’s ignorance to success.
Even a die-hard Notre Dame fan
and longtime Husker hater
cheered for NU on Saturday
because nobody with an ounce
of Comhusker blood can stand
the roar of the Powercat and the
mob of purple.
But some^SU fans have
matured in the past two years.
Those Wildcat fans who braved
blizzard-like conditions in
Waterville, Kan., to acknowledge
the Big Red caravan back to civi
Please see RIVALS on 11
NU advances with victory over Richmond
■ Nebraska scored three
goals in the second half to earn
a birth in the Sweet 16.
JAMIE SUHR
In their tournament opener,
the Comhuskers broke open a 1
0 halftime score with three goals
for a 4-0 victory over Richmond
to advance to the third round of
the NCAA Tournament.
“We knew we had to be more
competitive (than the Spiders)
coming out in the second half,”
Lauren Tatum said. "We had to
come out with energy and emo
tion and execute to try and put
them away with a goal.”
That one goal NU would
have seemed difficult when
looking down Richmond's sea
son results.
The Spiders relinquished
more than one goal just twice.
Richmond held NCAA
Tournament counterparts
Duke, Clemson, William & Mary,
Virginia and Dartmouth all to a
single goal.
But the Huskers poured on
second half goals from Tatum,
Christy Harms and Jenny
Benson, putting the game out of
reach for Richmond.
The Spiders had their
chances to narrow the gap in the
second half.
After being out-shot 16-4 in
the first half, Richmond took six
shots on goal in the second half.
“Teams like Nebraska that
attack so relentlessly are going
to give up a few chances, but I
PleaseseeNCAAonll
Steven 6ender/DN
Nebraska sophomore Kori Saunders scrambles for the ball as Richmond^ Alesha Irvin faHs.The Husker soccer team won the second-round NCAA tournament game (after a first
round bye) by a score of 4-0 on Saturday at Abbott Sports Complex.
Women's basketball lacks
spark in Aussie matchup
■ Huskers show youth and
inexperience in preseason
exhibition game.
BY LINCOLN ARNEAL
The women's basketball
team looked like a team unsure
of its identity in its game against
the Australian Institute of Sport
on Sunday.
Rotating lineups, inconsis
tent play and lack of emotion
caused NU's problems as the
Aussies handed NU an 81-58
defeat.
“We have to find our style
and find our niche,” Nebraska
Coach Paul Sanderford said.
“We have to make some adjust
ment as coaches (to improve.)”
Both teams battled it out
early in the game until the
Australians broke it open with a
16-4 run that made the score 30
13. The Cornhuskers never
recovered from the run.
The Australian team, made
up of the country’s best 17- and
18-year-olds, were almost able
to score at will because of their
quick, precision passing and
cuts to die basket.
“I thought they passed the
ball as well as any team I’ve seen
in a long time," Sanderford said.
Nebraska was hampered by
foul trouble early as Margaret
Richards and Monique
Whitfield picked up three fouls
apiece and were limited to six
minutes of playing time in the
first half.
“Defensively, we didn’t play
well in the first half,” Sanderford
said, “and they took advantage
of it. They shot 75 percent, I was
wondering if they were ever
going to miss.”
Freshman K.C. Cowgill tried
to spark a rally as she drained
two three-pointers in a row to
cut the Aussie lead to 16 with
4:41 left in the first half, but that
was as close as the Huskers got
the rest of the game.
Cowgill was one of the high
lights for the Huskers as she
scored 11 points, grabbed five
rebounds and didn't turn the
belli over in 26 minutes.
Nine of her 11 points came
on 3-7 shooting behind the
three-point line.
“(Cowgill) is one of the best
shooters you will ever see,” sen
ior Amanda Went said.
The Australians extended
their lead to as much as 32 in the
second half, but NU finished the
game with a 9-0 run.
Thirteen different Huskers
saw playing time, including five
sophomores and four freshman.
Sanderford credited some of the
miscues to the team’s youth.
“We are still very young and
very inexperienced,”
Sanderford said. “Our impa
tience was very evident in
shooting the basketball.”
Casey Leonhardt led
"We are still very
young and very
inexperienced.
Our impatience
was very evident
in shooting the
basketball."
Paul Sanderford
NU women’s basketball coach
Nebraska in scoring with 13
points in 25 minutes on the
floor.
Even though she only made
two field goals, Leonhardt had
career highs in made free throws
and attempts.
Went chipped in 10 more
points for NU.
The Huskers ended the exhi
bition season with a 1-1 record.
However, Went is not sure that
they are ready to begin the regu
lar season quite yet.
“I wish there was about a
week more or maybe another
game (before the season
starts),” Went said. "We have a
lot of little things we still need to
put in.”
Nebraska is the host of the
Time Warner Cable Classic. Its
first game is on Friday against
Oakland. Lousiville and UC
Santa Barbara play on the other
side of the bracket.
David Clasen/DN
Shannon Howell, Nebraska guard, fouls Shelly Hammonds, Australian Institute of
Sport guard, on Sunday during an exhibition game at Devaney Sports Center.
Australia won 81-58, shutting down Nebraska's offense for most of the game.
During the first 40 minutes,
the Nebraska offense had only 77
total yards.
The Comhuskers got things
back on track after trailing 23-14
late in the third quarter against
Kansas State.
On their only scoring drives
of the second half, the Huskers
combined for 127 yards on 13
plays, all on the ground, during a
mysterious seven-minute peri
od.
Nebraska I-back Dan
Alexander didn’t really have a
clear explanation of what was
wrong with the offense.
“Basically, in the fourth quar
ter, we got back to basics,” said
Alexander, who finished with 130
yards on 18 carries and scored
both of Nebraska's second-half
touchdowns. “Everything was
clicking. I’m not sure why it was
n’t like that for the rest of the day.1
***
K-State wideout Quincy
Morgan finished the game with
seven catches for 199 yards and
two touchdowns.
The 199 yards ranks as the
second-best receiving day in
Wildcat history.
Morgan also became the first
KSU receiver to break 1,000 yards
receiving in two consecutive
years.
“We didn’t want to go out
badly against Nebraska,” Morgan
said. “We knew this was a big
game. The loser goes home.”
***
The loss dropped NU Coach
Frank Solich to 0-5 on the road
against Big 12 opponents ranked
in the Top 25. Solich lost to
Kansas State twice (1998, 2000)
and to Texas (1999), Texas A&M
(1998) and Oklahoma (2000)
once.
Overall, Solich’s teams are 1-5
in road games against ranked
opponents, the lone win coming
in overtime against Notre Dame
on Sept. 9.
*#*
NU quarterback Eric Crouch
finished the day with 82 yards of
total offense. Before the game, he
was averaging 192 yards of total
offense per game.
Crouch said a lot of the
Wildcats success was being in the
right place at the right time.
“It was a guessing game,”
Crouch said. “For one quarter, we
guessed right'
***
The Nebraska defense sacked
KSU quarterback Jonathan
Beasley three times on Saturday.
Coming into Saturday’s
game, KSU had allowed only
three quarterback sacks all sea
son.
***
The win gave Kansas State
Coach Bill Snyder his 97^ victory
in 12 years. From 1954 to 1988,
Kansas State won only 97 games.
***
The Huskers managed to
slow the Wildcat passing game to
234 yards and just 12 comple
tions on 36 attempts.
“We were susceptible to that
crossing route, and we were able
to only get it going enough to
slow them down,” said Defensive
Coordinator Craig Bohl. “They
stopped converting the second
and-long and third-and-long,
but on their final drive, they got it
going with the running game,
and that's where we figure we’re
strongest.
“It was tough to take at the
end because we had started
making plays, and then we
stopped."
With a win at Missouri on
Saturday, Kansas State can clinch
a berth in the Big 12 champi
onship game in Kansas City, Mo.,
on Dec. 2.