SportsTuesday
Moreto
NASCAR
than circles
For the
next three
months my
Sunday
afternoons
will De tree. |_inH«sav
No more Unasay
sitting in Grieser
front of the
TV for four hours, hissing
angrily at Rusty Wallace.
With only one week
remaining of the 2000
NASCAR season, on Sunday I
will be watching the Napa 500
in Atlanta. Although my
favorite driver, Jeff Gordon,
won't win the Winston Cup
championship this year, I will
continue to watch him with
the same enthusiasm I’ve had
since childhood.
During the past seven
years, auto racing has formed
a special bond between my
father and I. From watching
his best friend race on the
local dirt tracks to watching
Gordon on TV every Sunday
afternoon, he and I have
cheered for our favorite driv
ers together.
When I was little, every
Friday and Saturday night my
dad would go out to the races
and be a part of his friends pit
crew. I stayed awake until he
came home to ask him who
won the heats and features.
When I was 13-years-old, and
my parents divorced, our
mutual love for the sport still
brought us together.
Racing is the only sport
that presents the “players”
like approachable people.
The drivers will meet fans in
supermarkets and shake their
hands in the garage area after
a race. Racing teams respect
their fans, because they have
made NASCAR the second
highest-rated sporting event,
after NFL football, on ESPN.
The dirt tracks in
Nebraska, despite the races'
lasting only a few minutes
and not four hours, even
embrace the atmosphere of
NASCAR events. It’s all about
fans supporting a driver they
admire. Out at Eagle Raceway
and 1-80 Speedway, seeing
families cheer on a relative or
a group of fans support a
friend make the small racing
community seem like a large
family.
Before I was old enough to
go back into the pits during
races, I would watch sadly
from the grandstands and
practically press my face .
against the fence to try and
see my father working with
the pit crew. After the races
were over, I ran through the
pits feeling like a part of the
racing community.
i remem Der me aay my
father led me around to all of
the drivers who were his
friends and I collected their
autographs on the night’s
program. I still have that pro
gram
Many of those same driv
ers signed another book for
me in October 1999: my
father's funeral guestbook.
It may have been years
since my father had seen
them, but the drivers wanted
to show their appreciation for
one of racing’s greatest fans. I
don’t think I could ever repay
diem for doing what they did.
Motor sports may not
require the physical strength
of sports like running or foot
ball, but the mental strength
is the real test It is this dedi
cation and focus that I have
grown to love about auto rac
ing, and I know that is why my
father loved racing, too.
Although he is no longer
around to watch the races
with me on Sunday after
noons, I know his spirit is with
me, cheering on Gordon and
cussing Wallace.
Most people think of
NASCAR as cars going around
in circles for four hours. But
for me, racing encompasses
many more things than that. I
have experienced the close
knit community of racing in
my own life. Racing also con
nects me to my father’s spirit.
Each race I watch fuels my
desire to interview Gordon
someday. My father never
met Gordon, despite the
numerous races he attended.
As I pursue my journalism
career, I will not stop until I
have fulfilled our dreams.
Seven teams for seven bowls
■Cotton and Holiday bowl
executives are courting the
Cornhuskers for their fan base
and record.
BY SAMUEL MCKEWON
A casual observer he may
have been of Kansas State’s 29-28
victory over Nebraska Saturday
night, but John Reid couldn’t help
but see the possibilities open up.
Reid, the executive director of
the Holiday Bowl, entered the
night expecting to see the
Comhuskers crossed off the Dec.
29 bowl’s wish list by beating the
Wildcats. Instead, a pleasant sur
prise.
“You hate to see anybody
lose,” Reid said, “but yeah,
Nebraska's loss opened up an
opportunity for them to return to
San Diego.”
And that’s just fine with the
Holiday Bowl, which experi
enced its finest moment two
years ago when NU lost to
Arizona in Qualcomm Stadium
23-20. The 1998 game represent
ed the best attendance, the best
profit and the most watched bowl
game in ESPN history.
“It’s all we could have hoped
for,” Reid said. “There’d be no
problem with Nebraska coming
back to the Holiday Bowl whatso
ever.”
With the K-State win, the
bowl picture muddied for the
seven bowls' playing host to Big
12 Conference teams this holiday
season: Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday,
Alamo, insight.com,
Independence and galleryfumi
ture.com.
Had NU won, the scenario
had the Huskers and No. 1
Oklahoma likely lapping up Bowl
Championship Series bids,
regardless of the outcome of the
Big 12 Championship.
Now, with a KSU-OU
matchup on the fast track for
DN Hie Photo
NU running back Dan Alexander will try to lead 8-2 Nebraska into the Cotton Bowl
with a win over Colorado on Nov. 24.
Kansas City, Mo., the Wildcats
would need the automatic bid -
which means winning the title
game - to gain entrance to the
BCS. Otherwise, it could be a
biimpy ride for Bill Snyder’s team
down the bowl ladder-just like in
1998, when K-State came with an
overtime period of the national ■
title game and ended up in the
Alamo Bowl.
' It’s all part of Big 12 bowl soup
that includes seven eligible
teams - NU, OU, KSU, Texas
A&M, Texas, Iowa State and Texas
Tech - two Internet sites, an eeri
ly possible game between two
Top 15 teams in an afterthought
bowl, a national-championship
contender and a cash cowin red
Nebraska - that just about any
bowl executive would like to have
its hands on.
Coach Frank Solich won’t
speculate on which bowl
Nebraska may be slotted in
before beating Colorado one day
after the turkey, but that hasn’t
stopped bowl prognosticators
Please see BOWLS on 9
Cross country
gets at-large
nationals bid
BYJILLZEMAN
After a so-so performance at regionals last week,
members of the Nebraska men’s cross-country team
learned Monday that they qualified for the NCAA
championships.
Propelled by seniors Marcus Witter and Aaron
Carrizales, the Huskers were
■■■■■■■■■ awarded an at-large bid to com
“We Ve Pete among the 31 teams at the
. , championships.
eXCltea. The top two teams from each
We left of the nine districts automatically
roninnnlc qualified for nationals, and after
regiOrlalS that, 13 teams are chosen at-large.
thinking The Huskers, who finished
fifth at the regional meet, were a
e long shot to qualify.
Wouldn’t But Nebraska’s strong season
Get in ” allowed them to slip into the com
y ' petition, selected as the 30th team
. • . of31.
Jay Dirksen With the bid, the rest of the
cross country Huskers will join Carrizales, who
_coach qualified at regionals, and Witter,
who was likely to have received an
ai-ioige uiu.
Carrizales led the Huskers at regionals, finishing
sixth and automatically qualifying. Witter took sev
enth place, putting him in the running for a spot in the
national contest
Cross Country Coach Jay Dirksen said this year’s
invite will take the Huskers to nationals for the first
time since 1997.
“We’re excited,” he said. “We left regionals think
ing we wouldn’t get in.”
The team was chosen because of victories it had
over other schools who had already qualified for
nationals, he said.
Dirksen will send seven runners to the race:
Witter; Carrizales; sophomores Mike Kamm, Ian Gray
and Jed Barta; and freshmen Eric Rasmussen and
Kyle Wyatt
Team members, who train all season to be in
prime condition for nationals, have the potential to
perform well in the race, he said.
“I really feel we haven’t run our best race yet this
year,” he said. ,
Dirksen said Carrizales and Witter have the
chance to be All Americans if they finish in the Top 20.
The meet also provides a good experience for the
freshmen and sophomores.
“This really sets the stage for next year’s team,”
Dirksen said.
The team’s invite to the nationals came as a sur
prise to several of the team members, as well as
Please see NATIONALS on 9
Nil turns over a not-so-new leaf
Huskers gave the ball away
21 times in last week's loss,
BYJOSHUA
CAMENZIND
When pointing out
the needs for improve
ment from his team's
76-62 loss to Global
Sports, Nebraska
Coach Barry Collier
said taking care of the
ball on the offensive
side was right at the
top.
Collier’s troops
committed 21
turnovers in his.coach
ing debut at NU, keep
ing right with the pace
the Huskers set last
year.
“They know that it
is just learning your
strengths and under
standing that a pass
that may get through 50
percent of the time is in
effect a terrible pass,”
said Collier, who had
his players run special
passing drills devoted
to limiting turnovers.
Nebraska regularly
took itself out of games
last season because of
its average of 19.3
turnovers per game. In
16 games the Huskers
had more than 20
turnovers each time.
They had fewer than 15
turnovers only four
times.
Danny Nee’s last
squads at NU were not
the epitome of protect
ing the basketball.
Since All-Big 12
point guard and cur
rent Los Angeles Laker
Tyronn Lue’s last sea
son, the team gave it
away an average of 17.3
times per game.
That number grew
to 18.1 times with Joe
Holmes, Chad Johnson
and others’ handling
the ball in 1999.
Collier said his
Butler team averaged
only 13 turnovers per
game last season,
reaching the upper
teens only when they
played at a fast tempo.
Nebraska’s new
style of play, along with
the presence 'of two
true point guards on
the roster, bode well for
the future.
But that future is
not here yet, with trans
fer Kevin Augustine still
out with a back injury.
Augustine was shelved
earlier with a tom liga
ment in his toe.
Augustine, who has two
years of eligibility
remaining after playing
his freshman and part
of his sophomore sea
son at Southern
California, said he
hoped to see some
action by the Eastern
Illinois home opener.
Augustine said he
and New Mexico trans
fer John Robinson, who
must sit out until sec
ond semester, will pro
vide the Huskers with
the floor leadership
that has been lacking
the past couple of
years.
“It’s a thin line when
you are playing point
guard,” the junior said.
“You have to feed
everyone, but you have
to feed yourself, as
well.”
Augustine, who
averaged 3.7 assists per
game at USC, said he is
more of a true point
Please see HOOPS on 9
DNRIe Photo
Nebraska will
try to take care
of the basket
ball when it
faces Sports
Tours
International
tonight at 7. The
Huskers are try
ing to improve
on last season's
19 turnovers per
game.
Kansas State focusing on Big 12 North
BY JOSHUA CAMENZ1ND
Amid the celebration
after Kansas State’s 29-28 win
over Nebraska on Saturday,
you didn’t find Wildcat Coach
Bill Snyder whooping it up
with Wildcat players and
fans.
That’s because in a game
that was billed as the decid
ing factor for the Big 12
North, Snyder knew that was
only halfway true.
Only one team could
have locked up a berth in the
conference championship
game with a victory and
Snyder knew the Huskers
were that team. The Wildcats
have some business left to
attend to against Missouri on
Saturday.
“Our approach was that it
wasn’t for the title,” said
Snyder, who is now 2-1
against NU Coach Frank
Solich.
“It was to put us in a posi
tion to play this week against
Missouri for the title.”
Missouri Coach Larry
Smith said his team will rel
ish the spoiler role.
“From the standpoint
that we will have something
to say about who is going to
represent the North in the
conference is something that
we look at,” Smith said.
Two years ago, the
Wildcats were able to wrap
up the Big 12 North title with
their 40-30 win over
Nebraska, regardless of the
outcome the following week.
Now, in 2000, KSU finds
itself facing the same Mizzou
team that it squeaked by 31
25 in 1998 to preserve die first
undefeated regular season in
Wildcat history.
After beating NU for
arguably the biggest win in
school history KSU struggled
in its trip to Columbia, Mo.,
the following week and saw
the Tigers take a 13-10 half
time lead.
Snyder said his team was
ready to play the Tigers and
Please see KSU on 9
