Wednesday, October 4, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 5
Big 12 Football Nebraska drops to second in ranking
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — The No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers know the only way to get their No.1 ranking back is to win — and win big.
Nebraska (4-0) has only really been pushed once this season, but the 'Huskers haven't really dominated in three games they were expected to. As a result, Nebraska dropped behind Florida State for the top spot in the Associated Press poll this week.
"We haven't been winning like we'd like to be winning and like a No.1 teamat home should maybe be winning," said receiver Matt Davison.
Last week, in a 42-24 win against Missouri, the 'Huskers allowed 492 yards of offense and scored one offensive touchdown in the second half.
The week before against Iowa, the Hawkeyes took the opening drive for a touchdown and were within 15 points for most of the second half, pulling away late for a 42-13 win.
The 'Huskers still hold the top spot in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, but Davison said he understood why some questioned whether Nebraska really was the best team in the nation.
"You play a team at home, you should probably put a team away a little bit better than we did," Davison said.
Notre Dame is the only opponent to Notre Nebraska with a winning record this season, and the Fighting Irish took the 'Huskers to overtime in the second week of the season.
Next up is Iowa State, which, like Nebraska, is off to a 4-0 start and is 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference.
"We're anxious to get to Ames to see how good we are." Nebraska coach Frank Solich said.
Nebraska fell from 27th nationally to 54th nationally in total defense at 289.7 yards after the Missouri game. Solich said the "Huskers need to get better on third downs, where opponents are 22-for-61.
"That's one thing that's not been great this year. It's not been a deal where it's been three-and-out," Solich said.
The 'Huskers have only recovered one fumble and have five interceptions.
While the defense stood out last week, the offense also hasn't been overwhelming with 21 offensive touchdowns. Eight have come from Eric Crouch passes and seven on Crouch runs. But after the junior quarterback, the production drops off considerably. Dan Alexander is the only other "Husker to rush for more than one touchdown with
four.
"I know we have very high potential. But more frustrating than what other people are saying about us is looking at ourselves," Alexander said. "We've got to look at ourselves and say, 'Hey, we haven't played our best game yet and we're still not living up to our potential.'"
"For me that's a lot more frustrating than the fans or any poll can say about how good of a team we are," he said.
The 'Huskers aren't going to panic as long as they still hold one No. 1 ranking and remain unbeaten. There are still seven games on the regular-season schedule and a 32nd straight bowl game seems all but assured.
Whether that is the Orange Bowl, which will decide the national championship, is up to the "Huskers. Davison said.
"As long as we keep winning games and stay undefeated I think we understand that we're going to be right where we want to be come January," he said
Undefeated Cyclones prepare for'Huskers
The Associated Press
AMES, Iowa — The marketing slogan Iowa State has built around its football team is "Not just another season."
And because the Cyclones are enjoying a season unlike any other in decades, that ad campaign appears to be dead on.
Not only are the Cyclones off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1980, but when No. 2 Nebraska visits Saturday, both teams will be undefeated, which hasn't happened in 35 years.
Seasons without a loss aren't new to the Cornhuskers, but they're rare in Ames, which is why the Cyclones — 17-point underdogs — are claiming this game as one of the program's
biggest ever.
"It's the game with the most meaning since I've been here," said Cyclones coach Dan McCarney, who is in his sixth season.
"We have an opportunity before us, an opportunity to show that we're different from
the teams in the years past," senior center Bruns said.
However, McCarney made sure to issue warnings that this game is only one of 11 on the schedule, and there's two more months of football left to play -- including six more games in the Big 12.
"This is not the end of the season if we're not able to pull off one of the greatest upsets in college football this year," he said.
"We want to try to turn this game into a good match up
The Cyclones' history against Nebraska has been terrible; the Cornhuskers own the series with a record of 77-15-3 and have won seven straight games. Since the Cyclones' 19-10 victory in 1992, Nebraska's average margin of victory is more than 40 points.
instead of a complete mismatch, which is what it's been since I've been here," McCarney said. "It's never been a four-quarter game, or a three-quarter game. Many of them have been over at half-time."
During yesterday's press conference, the Cyclones paid their respects to Nebraska's deep football tradition, but also dismissed the notion that it would affect their play.
"We don't have to beat everything about them," Rosenfels said. "We just have to beat them for 60 minutes."
"We're not playing 20 years worth of Nebraska, or 30 years, or 40 years," Bruns said. "We're playing the 2000 Nebraska Cornhuskers."
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