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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2001)
tlsH'- _ _ ___ BY DAVID DEHL After going 1-2 this past weekend against an upstart Missouri dub, lS^-ranked Nebraska knew that a little more would be demanded of it in its dou bleheader against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wfednesday. After putting up just four runs in its two losses to T7■. ■ ■.—r-r—j dose the Mizzou series, the nvmi 16 Comhusker bats responded to torch UWM 2 eight UWM pitchers for 32 runs in the - Husker sweep. Nebraska 16 Nebraska (19-7) used a seven-run UWM 10 second inning in the opener with the Panthers (9-7) to Witz UWM 16-2. In the nightcap, NU limped toal6-10victory after build ing an early 10-run lead. Since NU dropped its last two games against Missouri, Nebraska Coach Dave Van Horn said he had talked a little to his players about how important it was to respond against the Panthers, which came into the day nding a nine-game winning streak. “I was very concerned about this doubleheader,” Van Horn said NU freshman pitcher Jason Burch started NU off on the right foot in the second game by tossing four scoreless innings, allowing NUa KM) lead Then in the sixth, with NU leading 10-1, UWM dropped in six runs on the Papillion-LaVista graduate, only two earned to dose the gap to 10-7. Afterward, Van Horn admitted he may have left Burch in an inning too long but only did so because of NU’s large cushion. Overall, Van Horn said he was pleased with Burch (1-0), who picked up his first career win, pitching five and two-thirds innings and striking out six. “I thought he did a great job,” Van Horn said “He was around the plate and had a lot of movement on his pitches.” Please see BASEBALL on 9 David Chstn/DN Adam Stem tries to steal a base during the sec ond game of a doubteheader withWisconsm Mdwaukeeon Wednesday. Stem was tagged out on the play. UU s best lifter wants to see field BYJ0HNQA3MN8 Ryon Bingham wanted to get a leg up on his peers on the foot ball fiekL He figured the best way to do that was get stronger. And so he did. Using his foot ball genetics and encouragement from his father, a former defen sive end at Weber State, and prod ding from his older brother, who is now a defensive end at Southern Utah, Bingham worked himself to the bone. He hit the weights, hard. He wrestled with his brother con stantly. He started working his body to Hulkamaiyac propor tions. And that was just when he was in the sixth grade. Tve always prided myself on outworking everybody else,” Bingham said. The hard work paid off so well that Bingham earned Comhusker football scholarship. Even at Nebraska, where strength coach Boyd Epley has turned body budding in football into the stan dard, Bingham’s Atlas-like physique opened plenty of eyes and sparked oohs and aahs. Coach Frank Sowell's pants could fit snugly around his neck. At 6-foot-3,275 pounds and carrying virtually zero body fat, it is no secret why Bingham was a finalist for last year’s Powerlifter of the Year award and why his pres ence makes a strong first impres sion. “He is Ml Weight Room,” said fellow nose tackle Ion Clanton, who, as one of the Huskers’ Performance Index champions of 2001, is no physical slouch him self Except when compared to Bingham “He takes everything so seri ously,” said danton. “I just kind of eat whatever, you know. I’m fat He doesn't eat anything with any fat It's aD nutrition crap.” He doesn't eat anything with any fat. • It’s all nutrition crap.” Job Claatoa NU nose tackle on Ryon Bingham “You don’t find too many peo ple, if any, working in the weight room harder than he does. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team.” But lately, work has never been so hard for Bingham. Ahigh ly-touted recruit from Sandy, Utah, who said he was “within seconds” several times in his red shirt year of 1999 from seeing game action, Bingham was limit ed to doing just about anything * football-related last season with a stress fracture in his foot That included playing, run ning and lifting in his lower body. The result from all this was that Bingham, who was whis pered to be good enough to be that rare true freshman to earn a Blackshirt, never got the chance to move up the depth chart He returns this spring as the No. 4 nose tackle, behind senior Jason Lohr, junior Clanton and fellow sophomore Junior Tfigoa’i. For someone who has quietly and persistently labored since the sixth grade to get where he’s at the lack of action didn't sit well. Already known as someone whose personality wasn’t nearly as imposing as his size and foot ball ability, Bingham went into an even deeper shdL “He was really depressed all year,” Clanton said. “He got real quiet. He kept to himself. You could tell it pained him because you knew he wanted to be out there so bad. He didn’t say much.” Bingham said he was most Please see BINGHAM on 9 David Cbsen/DN Like he did in buhfing his imposing physique, nose tackle Ryon Bingham is working hard to battle back from last year* season ending foot mjury. Vaunted NU opponents gearing up during spring Fighting Irish quarterback spot up for grabs BY JOSHUA CAMEN3ND Players on the Notre Dame football team are placed under one of the biggest microscopes around when it comes to on- and off-the-field activity. The attention increases twofold if a player is fortunate enough to become the starting quarterback of die Fighting Irish. Welcome to the world of sophomore-to-be Matt LoVecdno. All the freshman did last sea son was step in the for the injured Amaz Battle after the Nebraska game and [day a big part in guid ing the Irish to a berth in the Fiesta BowL hi the eyes of many, that was n't good enough. Notre Dame got waxed by Oregon State 41-9 in the BCS bowl, and'Bob Davie’s team was left struggling to explain a 9-3 finish. But Davie contends that type of experience was good for his team and for LoVecehio. “Part of becoming a success ful team or successful quarter back is to get your butt kicked a little bit,” Davie said. “Certainly we had it, and he had it in the Fiesta BowL That’s got to be worth DN fife Photo Notre Danw^/fenaz tattle, last yeart starting quartabackbefcreawristi^ioy ended his season, is one ot tire fim Irish qoarteft»dcs not batting for the starting job this year. something. It is in my mind” Still, Davie has left the quar terback position open this spring, hoping LoVecchio or Mow soph omores Carlyle Holiday and Jared . Clark will step up and take the job. Battle won’t be competing for the spot - last year's starter has been moved to wide receiver: ND’s early road schedule, which includes a road opener at Nebraska and later dates at Purdue and Texas A&M in the first four weeks of the season, makes Please see NOTRE DAME on 9 j Coming off title, Oklahoma looking to sustain success BY DIRK CHATELAIN “Sooner Magic” is officially back. And the momentum from last year’s national championship joy ride isn’t fading. Following die2000dream sea son that saw Oklahoma dominate Big 12 powerhouses Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska, Bob Stoops’ Sooners shut down high-powered Florida State in the Orange BowL • ButOU didn’t stop there. Somewhere between a Sears Ttophy presentation and a White House visit, the Sooners managed to rack up a top-five recruiting class. With spring practice starting Wednesday, the excitement sur rounding Sooner football is the highest it's been in at least a * decade. “There are a lot of Oklahoma football fans right now,” said Stoops, who was named AP Coach of the Year in2000. With the resurrection comes expectations that OU hasn’t seen since a guy named Barry Switzer stormed the sidelines. Stoops said he welcomes the pressure. “We’ll expect to be in a posi tion to challenge for a Big 12 championship and national championship,” Stoops said. “After winning both last year, it would be a step backwards to expect anything else” In order to repeat, a replace ment for Heisman Ttophy runner up Josh Heupel must hie found. The most prolific passer in Sooners’ history, Heupel was per haps the biggest key to the OU turnaround. Just two seasons ago, Oklahoma was a mediocre 5-6. The leading candidate to suc ceed Heupel is Georgia transfer Nate Hybl. After sitting out last season, the strong-armed junior is expected to step into the starting spot for the season opener against North Carolina. Stoops noted that while Heupel may be the “most notice able vacancy,” finding new bddies to fill infer Orange Bowl MVP line backer Torrance Marshall and All Please see OKLAHOMA on9 Golf team finally gets outdoors ■While the lack of outdoor practice isn't a major concern, top golfer Sarah Sasse's back is. BY UNCOLN ARNEAL At long last, this week marked the end of the women's golf team’s extended hiberna tion. For the first time this season, , the Huskers emerged from their indoor practice facility at die Bob Devaney Sports Center to work in the warmer spring tempera tures. Dwelling indoors hasn't hurt the team as much as top golfer Sarah Sasse expected. “With what “With we’ve been able whnt to do without outside practice, VVeVe it is kind of been amazing,” the , , junior said. “We tWlB tO shot our second do best score of the year last week. It Without can only get bet- OUtSide ‘"'ihe Huskers P^CtlCe will see if the it is kind outdoor practice of will pay off in the 1 four-day Liz UmUZinQ. Mu'phy* shot Invitational starting today in Athens, Ga. SCCOnd Sasse said it had been best refreshing to get SCOKC of outside to play in tup vt>nr elements that , yfUd can't be simulate lUSt ed indoors, such week. It as wind. After one of CQfl Only the longest win- g£f ters in recent times, Coach t/eiier. Robin Krapfl said the delay Sarah Sasse will help the NU golfer Huskers in the ————— long run. “Not being outside will help with freshness,” she said. “We won't have those long practices, and come the Big 12 regionals and national championships, we wiH be fresh and working hard." However ready they are come May, NU's amount of suc cess will still fall on Sasse's back, literally. Sasse has been fighting prob lems with her back for several weeks. Although her condition has improved with treatment, she has yet to test it by carrying a golf bag for 18 holes. “I am anxious to see how it goes,” Sasse said. “I have never had an injury in my career, so I don't know how it will respond.” While Sasse said her back hasn't bothered her in the first day of multiple-day tourna ments, the pain has flared in the latter stages of those tourna ments. She was in fourth place at the Midwest Classic but dropped to 14th in the last round. In the Betsy Rawls Invitational, she fell from first to a tie for forth after shooting a 78 following her score of 70 in die second round. Krapfl said she thinks the team will be able to have success if Sasse doesn't perform at her top level “We don’t have to count on our number one player," she said. “I think we have enough depth to counter.”