University Daily Kansan/Wednesday, Aug, 19, 1987
7
SMU to endure season on sidelines
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Southern Methodist University begins serving the stiffest football penalty in NCAA history when the Southwest Conference opens its 73rd season in September.
The Mustangs received the NCAA's "death penalty" for requests of violations that included cash payments to players from a booster slush fund
Jack Pardee, who has coached in both the NFL and USFL, replaces Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston. Yeoman had been there 25 years.
SMU can't field a team in 1987 and won't have one in 1988 while school officials decide the future of the sport for the Mustangs.
Pardee, an All-American linebacker at Texas A&M and an All-Pro with the Washington Redskins, has installed the run-and-shoot offense to replace the run-oriented Veer.
The other eight SWC schools rushed to pad out their 11-game schedules and will continue business as usual with three new coaches.
David McWilliams got Texas Tech into a bowl game for the first time this decade then decided to jump to
his alma mater, the University of Texas, after Fred Akers was fired.
McWilliams, a former Texas player and assistant coach under Akers, inherits a 5-6 team that is shy on depth.
The Razorbacks, who haven't been to the Cotton Bowl since 1976, are the concensus favorites to snap Texas A&M's two-year hold on the title.
Arkansas has finished second to A&M the last two seasons. The Razorbacks were blown out 42-8 by Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
Spike Dykes, an assistant under McWilliams at Tech, coached the Red Raiders' 20-17 Independence Bowl loss to Mississippi. He was a defensive coordinator during the Red Raiders' 7-season.
"Our offense should be more explosive than it has been because we have so much more speed," Hatfield said. "It should be a great race. Texas A&M probably should be the favorite
even without (quarterback) Kevin Murray," who opted for the NFL draft.
Grant Teaff returns for his 16th season at Baylor, Ken Hatfield is back for his fifth season at Arkansas, Jackie Sherrill is in his sixth year at Texas A&M, Jim Wacker is in his fifth year at Texas Christian and Jerry Berndt is on hand for his second season at Rice.
The return of running back James Rouse, the SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1985, gives Arkansas horse. Rouse was injured in 1986. Halfbacks Joe Johnson and Aaron Jackson also played as does quarterback Gre Hornge.
The Hogs' defense is led by nose guard Tony Cherico, a big-play maker and leader.
Arkansas replaced SMU on its schedule with powerful independent Miami.
The Aggies have uncertainty at quarterback, although Craig Stump has some experience as a backup to Murray.
"We have the chance to be good offensively this year, but it will take some time," Sherrill said. "We hope our running game can take some heat off Stump and Lance Pavlas at quarterback."
The Aggies suffered a blow when Randy Simmons, one of the most sought-after high school running backs in the country, was injured in the Texas High School All-Star Game. It wasn't certain when he would recover from arthroscopic
The Aggies were beaten 28-12 by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
The Aggies will be tested early in consecutive games at home against LSU and Washington.
surgerv on a knee.
Baylor is in a rebuilding year, although that's when Teaff is his most dangerous. The Bears come off a 9-3 season, including a 21-9 Bluebonnet Bowl victory over Colorado.
Quarterback Bret Stafford and shifty Eric Metalfet, an excellent runner and receiver, can cause a defense anxious moments.
"Attitude is one of our biggest pluses," McWilliams said. "Many of the distractions of last year have been eliminated."
"We only return three starters on offense so we have a big job ahead," Teaff said. "There has been concern at quarterback, but Ed Lovell did a good job in the spring. If you can believe it, we return fewer starters on defense than offense — two."
Texas is not without firepower
during winning only five games a
x968, y968.
Wacker could have his best TCU team.
Nebraskans psyched for winning season Football coach assesses 1987 Cornhuskers' capabilities
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. — The rainy weather was a contrast to a bright forecast given by Coach Tom Osborne and the 140-plus Nebraska football players he greeted to begin the 1987 season.
Showers forced the annual media and fan photo day activities indoors, but Osborne indicated better days were ahead.
"The athletic talent is there. If we can avoid injury and if the attitude is right, we can have a good football team," said Osborne, whose team starts practice tomorrow.
Osborne's preseason assessment has been similar in each of his previous 14 seasons. His teams have won fewer than nine games,
The 87 Cornhuskers return five starters on offense and seven on defense, headed by All-Big Eight Conference i-back Keith Jones, quarterback Steve Taylor, all-conference defensive end Broderick Thomas and defensive tackle Neil Smith.
Jones, the fastest Cornhusker
ever with a 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash, is defending Big Eight rush champion and led the league with 14 touchdowns in 1986.
Taylor was the Sugar Bowl's most valuable player on New Year's Day, when he completed 11 of 19 passes for 110 yards and rushed for 63 more yards on 20 tries. He threw for one touchdown and rushed for another.
"The skill positions are in pretty good shape." Osborne said. He said that Taylor and backup Cletie Blakeman give the 'Huskers something they've lacked the past two years — experienced depth at quarterback.
The only offensive position of question is fullback, where projected starter Micah Hebel is threatened by a rival that threatened to sideline him.
Jones, Tyreese Knox and Terry Rodgers will provide an explosive trio at I-back, Rod Smith and Morgan Gregory offer split end speed-burners and the tight-end tandem of Todd Banderas and Todd Millikan will be among the best in the country, Osborne said.
"Neil is probably as good a player as we've ever had at defensive tackle," Osborne said. That list includes John Dutton, Larry Jacobson, Mike Fultz, Jim Skow and Chris Spachman.
He said the most interesting position could be wingback, where Dana Brinson, Hendley Hawkins, Jamie Worden and Von Sheppard will be battling for playing time.
The offensive line returns only one starter, right guard John McCormick. But it will be improved over last year once such players as Andy Keeler, Bob Sledge, John Nichols, Jake Young and Kevin Lightner become acquainted with playing together, the coach said.
Playing opposite Thomas at the right defensive end will be Jeff Jamrog, a two-year letterman senior, and sophomores Jeff Mills and Kenny Walker.
Tackles Smith and Lee Jones will play on each side of middle guard Lawrence Pete.
"Overall defensively, we have good athletic ability and speed." Osborne said. "We'll be strongest up front."
Osborne said exexperience could be a problem early for the quick and talented linebacking corps. LeRoy Ettienne and Randall Jobman will be on the strong side, while weak-side linebackers will be Steve Forsch and Dong Welniak.
Dante Wiley, a junior linebacker who also may be the team's top punter, was the only academic question for the Huskers, Osborne said. Wiley won't practice with the team until his academic status is known about the end of the week, the coach said.
Graduation took away one of the best linebacking tandems in years at Nebraska.
"We lost most of our experience with (Kevin) Parsons and (Marc) Munford." Osborne said of his graduated starters of 1868. "The athletic ability is there. LeRoy Etienne could be one of the finest linebackers we've had here."
In the secondary, Osborne said,
Brian Washington, Jeff Tomjack,
Charles Fryar, Tim Jackson and
Mark Blazek will be counted on
until depth can be developed with
converted quarterbacks Wendell
Wooten and McCathorn Clayton.
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