14B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY,AUG.20,2001
BIG 12 FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Friends compete for tailback job
Two Tigers players say their friendship has not suffered despite rivalry
The Associated Press
MEXICO, Mo. — It would fit that soon after arriving at Missouri, Zack Abron would find Jain Gilmore.
Both football players, both tailbacks, both blessed with a name that starts with every kid's favorite letter. They ended up the best of friends almost right away.
"Off the field, he's been home with me," Gilmore said of their spring vacation to Tampa, Fla. "We just chilled out. Went on the beach, went to the clubs. Just had fun."
Gilmore insisted it's no different now, as the pair are practicing and admittedly competing this week at the Tigers preseason camp for the starting tailback job in the Missouri backfield.
"We really haven't talked to the coaches about it," Abron, a sophomore from St. Louis, said Tuesday, adding that his friend was a strong player.
Gilmore, a senior, said, "We know we're competing against each other, but we're not letting that affect our friendship. That never comes up in our conversations."
Both are different physically compared to last season, when they combined to run for 1,134 yards and 12 touchdowns. Gilmore dropped almost 20 pounds before this year's spring practice began, while Abron has slimmed down to 220 pounds.
Both said their weight loss had had different effects on the field.
Gilmore, a former Mr. Football in Florida, arrived as a heralded recruit in 1998 and isn't worried about making defenders miss as much as just running through them.
"I'm just faster and quicker on my feet," Abron said. "I can read the defense much better than I
"We know we're competing against each other, but we're not letting that affect our friendship."
Zain Gilmore Missouri senior tailback
could last year and that helps me out with my runs, to know where I need to make my cuts at."
Beyond the speed, his weight loss means Abron enters the season in probably the best shape of his life, said first-year coach Gary Pinkel.
Only a sophomore, Abron has three years left at Missouri and came out of spring practice listed ahead of his friend on the depth chart.
Pinkel, however, isn't about to pick between the two at this point.
"The players will determine by the way they practice if they are ready to play at this level," he said. "If they are, we'll work out a substitution plan for a player. They have to prove to us and prove to the team that they deserve to play."
Gilmore, the team's top returning rusher and scorer, is fully aware this is his last preseason camp, with his final season of college football just a few weeks away.
Pinkel's arrival meant that Gilmore, like a fair number of the Missouri veterans, needed to learn a new offensive system for the third time in as many years.
But that, Gilmore said, made his final year at Missouri exciting.
"I have the ultimate goal. I want to get to the next level," he said. "I know it's here now and if I want to make it happen, I've got to have a great season this year."
Ankle injury could hamper Buffaloes' marquee player
Colorado's star rusher might miss opener
The Associated Press
BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado's leading rusher in each of the past two seasons could miss this year's opening game because of an ankle injury suffered in an Aug. 11 scrimmage, team doctors said.
Cortlen Johnson, who has been plagued by minor injuries for the past two years, sprained his ankle.
Athletic department spokesman Dave Plati said Johnson's ankle may heal early enough for him to play the Aug. 26 home game against Fresno State.
An MRI showed the sprain was lower in the ankle than originally thought. Plati said sprains were less severe if they were
lower.
rest of the season. Still, he managed to rush for 155 yards to close the season at Nebraska, the fourth-highest total by a rusher visiting the Cornhuskers.
Johnson, the Big 12's third-leading rusher in1999,rushed for 121 yards in a season-opening loss to Colorado State last year, but sustained a turf toe injury that hampered him the
With Marcus Houston missing practice last week with a groin injury and Vince Reed out with an ankle injury, sophomore transfer Chris Brown could see increased playing time. He was listed at the top of CU's depth chart with Bobby Purify second.
Nebraska rebuilding after last year's losses
Fourth-ranked team will depend on young talent
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — Last season was supposed to be Nebraska's time to climb back on top of college football.
The Cornhuskers opened the season at No. 1 and were favorites to become just the second team to go wire-to-wire to a national title.
Instead, the Huskers sputtered in their two biggest games
of the year losing at Oklahoma and Kansas State within a three-week span late in the season
"It's kind of been a bitter taste the last two or three years," senior quarterback Eric Crouch said. "We've got a great home schedule set up and we've got a great team this year."
and ended with a forgettable 66-17 blowout of Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl.
There is reason to be positive at Nebraska, which starts this season ranked fourth. Crouch is healthy after offseason shoulder surgery for the second straight year and the Huskers play eight of their 12 games at home, including their biggest challenges.
But there are major concerns. Only five starters are back on offense and seven on a defense that struggled last year.
All-American center Dominic Raiola and linebacker Carlos Polk are gone, along with All-Big 12 rush end Kyle Vanden Bosch and I-backs Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter.
Still, coach Frank Solich said he felt Nebraska had enough quality young players to regroup and make a run this year as long as they improved and played consistently.
"If that doesn't get done, we won't run for any Big 12 championship or any national championship. We'll be an also-ran." Solich said. "We're hoping to be a better football team."
The Huskers had potential last season, but fizzled in losses at Oklahoma (31-14) and Kansas State (29-28) that left them out of the hunt for a second straight Big 12 title. The Huskers — who won national crowns in 1994 and 1995 and split the title with Michigan in 1997 — ended up 10-2 and ranked No. 8 in the final AP Top 25.
"There were things last year that stood out and hurt us a lot," Crouch said. "Things we believe that are traditional in Nebraska football weren't there for us last year."
Both the Sooners and Wildcats have to come through Lincoln this year, a big reason why the Huskers are the favorites to win the Big 12 North, even with
out some key players from last year.
Junior John Garrison (6-foot-3, 300 pounds) is the front runner to replace Raiola at center, but the Huskers still need to fill in holes at right guard and tackle. Jon Rutherford (6-3, 300) can play anywhere on the line and has healed from a torn knee ligament suffered last November, leaving just one spot open.
Tackle Dave Volk (6-5, 300) and guard Toniu Fonoti (6-4, 340) will continue to anchor the left side.
Buckhalter and Alexander, who shared the backfield the past two seasons, are in the NFL, leaving the 1-back position to junior Dahran Diedrick.
Solich describes Diedrick, a 6-foot, 225-pound junior, as a back who can run 30-35 times a game and still be strong. Diedrick played in 11 games last season with 6.4 yards per carry (212 yards) and three touchdowns.
All-Big 12 tight end Tracey Wistrom (19 catches, 314 yards, 5 TDs) is back for his senior season, but Wilson Thomas is the only wide receiver with any career receptions — he has one — and will take over for Matt Davison. John Gibson will likely replace Bobby Newcombe at wingback.
Defensively, the Huskers lose their top three tacklers in Polk (90), Randy Stella (58) and Vanden Bosch (56). Stella, who would have been a senior linebacker, was kicked off the team for violating undisclosed team rules.
"There were things last year that stood out and hurt us a lot. Things we believe that are traditional in Nebraska football weren't there for us last year."
Eric Crouch Nebraska senior quaterback
The Huskers do have depth and experience at rush end with Chris Kelsay and Demoine Adams and tackle with Jeremy Slechta, Jason Lohr, Casey Nelson, Patrick Kabongo and Jon Clanton.
The secondary remains mostly intact and Solich is confident in his linebackers despite losing starters Polk and Stella. Jamie Burrow takes over for Polk and Mark Vedral and Scott Shanle will start on the outside.
"I was pleased with how far they came," Solich said. "I like the fact that it will be an aggressive defensive football team. They will get after you."
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