Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, November 10, 1998
Anticipation grows for Kansas State vs. Nebraska game
The Associated Press
Big 12 football coaches weren't ready yesterday to predict a winner of this week's
terday to predict a winn anticipated showdown between No. 2 Kansas State and No.11 Nebraska. However, they agree it should live up to the hype.
"I think Nebraska is still Nebraska, and Kansas State has not beaten them in some time," Colorado coach Rick Neuheil said. "So, if Nebraska goes in there with a little bit of a swagger, I think it's going to be a great ball game."
Kansas State (9-0) has rolled through the schedule this far thanks to its top-rated defense and the playmaking ability of quarterback Michael Bishop.
ous four years combined.
Nebraska, on the other hand, actually has lost two games this year, including one at home. Most universities gladly would take a two-loss season, but this is a program that had lost two games in the previ-
The Cornhuskers (8-2) have beaten Kansas State 29 straight times. There have been times in recent years when the Wildcats thought they had enough to beat Nebraska only to come up short.
But while Nebraska has history on its side. Kansas State has Bishop.
"He's a guy that can turn any play into a touchdown," said Kansas coach Terry Allen, whose team has lost to K-State and Nebraska this season.
Another coach with the same perspective is Bob Simmons of Oklahoma State. His team almost beat Nebraska and got wiped out by Kansas State on a day when Bishop threw five
287 yards on just eight completions.
"What he brings to them is the fact he's a winner," Simmons said. "He finds a way to get things done because he has been there. That's what a quarterback is supposed to do. He's supposed to win and lead his ball club."
Texas got hammered by Kansas State early in the year but later upset Nebraska in Lincoln. Coach Mack Brown said Kansas State deserved its No. 1 ranking in the coaches' poll, but he didn't seem ready to bank on a Kansas State victory this week.
"I don't know that anybody can beat Kansas State," he said. "But if anybody can beat Kansas State, Nebraska can do it because they're settled down at quarterback. Eric Crouch may wind up to be one of the best they've ever had before it's a over."
Baylor coach Dave Roberts saw Kansas State beat his team 49-6 last weekend. Last season, Baylor played Nebraska and Michigan, which went on to win a share of the national championship.
"They were all real good, and they were all real good in different ways," Roberts said. "But Kansas State is going to sit there with those guys. They're right there."
Iowa state coach Dan McMarney got a first-hand look at Nebraska last weekend in a 42-7 loss, and he said he expected the
Cornhuskers to give Kansas State a battle.
"I just think it's going to be a fantastic football game," he said. "They're going to have to do a great job from a turnover standpoint and do a good job of controlling the football. They have to somehow, some way move the ball against what I believe is the best defense in college football."
The Cornhuskers have had to work through injuries at quarterback while retooled the offensive line. He knows that the challenge will be much greater this week, but coach Frank Solich feels better after a solid performance against Iowa State.
"I know this—that our players have got confidence in themselves," he said. "We have stumbled a couple times, and there's times we have struggled, but this squad has hung together. In hanging together, I think they've shown a great deal. They're capable of playing very, very good football, and it's going to take all of that to get the job done Saturday."
e Nebraska vs. Kansas State game is
THE OTHER BIG GAME:
No 6 Texas A&M (9-1)
plays host to No. 13 Missouri. The Aggies are trv-
With quarterback Corby Jones over his
ing to win the Big 12's south division title while Missouri (7-2) is still in the hunt for the north division crown.
With quarterback Corb ankle injury, Missouri coach Larry Smith said his offense was in better shape than at any time in the past five weeks.
"I think every game, the
"I think every game, the remaining two games, are 'THE' game for us," he said. "We're not looking around, looking over our shoulder."
"It's huge for both teams. I think it will be one whale of a football game."
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Kerry Wood was narrowly voted National League Rookie of the Year yesterday, capping a season in which he struck out 20 batters.
out 20 batters in one game and helped the Chicago Cubs make the playoffs for the first time since 1989.
The 21-year-old
right-hander received 16 first-place votes and 16 second-place votes to finish with 128 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton got 15 firsts, 14 seconds and two thirds for 119 points.
"It adds confidence that people who watch the game and people who follow baseball acknowledged as good a season as I've had." Wood said.
Wood was 13-6 with a 3.40 ERA in 25 starts, striking out 233 in 166 2/3 innings. He was more impressive at Wrigley Field, going 9-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 13 starts during the regular season.
Baseball took notice of Wood on May 6 when he struck out 20 -- only Roger Clemens had done it before in a nine-inning game -- while pitching a one-hitter against Houston.
"It helped me finally realize that I was capable of pitching at that
level," Wood said. "The previous four starts before that were rocky. I had a couple of good ones and a couple of bad ones."
Wood was the odds-on favorite to win the rookie award heading into the final month of the season. But because of a dead arm, his start against Cincinnati on Aug. 31 was his last of the regular season.
Wood returned in Game 3 of the NL playoffs, allowing one run, not earned, against Atlanta as the Cubs were eliminated. His elbow will be examined again in about two weeks.
"Hopefully, in the next couple of days or so, I will start getting ready for the off season program, and we go from there." Wood said.
Helton batted .315 with 25 homers and 97 RBI, taking over at first base for the Rockies after Andres Galarraga left to sign with Atlanta following the 1997 season.
Arizona first baseman Travis Lee was third with 21 points and Atlanta closer Kerry Ligtenberg, who received the other first-place vote, was fourth with 18 points.
Lee hit .269 with 22 homers and 72 RBI. Ligtenberg replaced Mark Wohlers as the Braves' closer and finished with 30 saves.
The AL Rookie of the Year will be announced today. Oakland outfielder Ben Grieve and New York Yankees pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez are the favorites.
Kansas men ignored as top positions; injured players Hamilton, Cleaves picked
Basketball All-America team selected
By Jim O'Connell The Associated Press
Richard Hamilton of Connecticut and Matee Cleaves of Michigan State, two juniors slowed by
injuries during the summer, were the top vote-getters yesterday in The Associated Press' preseason All-America team.
Sophomore Elton Brand of Duke and Lee Nailon of Texas Christian and Andre Miller of Utah, both
seniors, also were voted to the team by the same 72-member media panel that selects the weekly college basketball poll. Hamilton, the
Big East player of the year last season, and Cleaves, who won the same honor in the Big Ten, were hurt during tryouts for the U.S. team that competed in the world championships.
Hamilton, the
Hamilton, who received 66 votes, broke his right foot and underwent surgery but has not been hampered during practice with the second-ranked Huskies.
Cleaves, who had 58 votes, sprained an ankle in the July tryouts then slightly separated a shoulder in a fall in August. He has been going full speed during the fifth-ranked Spartans' practices. Both were second-team All-Americas last season.
Brand was third in the voting with 55 votes, followed by Nailon, 50, and Miller. 44.
Seniors Trajan Langdon of Duke and Wally Szczerblak of Miami of Ohio were the next highest in the voting with 12 each. Kenny Thomas of New Mexico, also a senior, had 10 votes and was the only player in double figures.
Hamilton, a 6-foot-6 swingman, averaged 21.5 points and 4.4 rebounds last season as the conference champion Huskies went 32-5, falling one game short of the school's first Final Four appearance.
"He's got a chance to be the best ever at UConn. He's clearly heading into that class," coach Jim Calhoun said. "If you put him on the court, he's going to score - I don't care where he is. He's really special, and I think this year he wants to do even more things."
conference title and the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 assists. Like Connecticut, Michigan State has five starters back in trying to go deeper into the NCAA tournament.
"There's no doubt in my mind that Mateen will rise to the occasion," coach Tom Izzo said. "Last season proved that if Mateen is really challenged, he'll respond brilliantly."
Cleaves, a stocky 6-2 playmaker, led the Spartans to a share of the
Brand used summer international competition to show he was completely recovered from a foot injury that caused him to miss 15 games in his freshman season. He returned late in the season and averaged 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as Duke finished 32-4, losing in the finals.
The 6-8 Brand led the U.S. team to a gold medal in the Goodwill Games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds against older, more experienced players.
"The Goodwill Games was tremendous for Elton Brand," said Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of the top-ranked Blue Devils. "Everybody has said he was a great player, but he was not a great player last year. He was going to be a great player when he got hurt, and then at the end of the year, he wasn't a great player but a good player that wasn't in top condition. The Goodwill Games gave him an opportunity to know he is a great player."
ing returning scorer at 24.9 points per game, applied for the NBA draft then removed his name to return to the Horned Frogs, who went 27.6 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Nailon, who averaged 8.9 rebounds, was a co-Western Athletic Conference player of the year and was chosen third-team All-America.
The 6-9 Nailon, the nation's lead
"I don't think you're going to see a lot different Lee Nailon," coach Billy Tubbs said. "I think you're going to see a better Lee Nailon, although his stats might not show it. He's going to be better because he's worked his tail off. Does that mean he's going to score 30 points a game? Maybe not. But he's going to be better."
The 6-8 Miller, an honorable mention All-America last season, led the Utes to a 30-4 record, including 18-0 in winning the WAC, and the NCAA championship game where they lost to Kentucky. He averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 assists last season and also was a key figure on the U.S. team in the Goodwill Games, averaging 10.8 points.
"In my opinion, Andre Miller is the best returning point guard in America," coach Rick Majerus said. "There is no better competitor or as gifted a player anywhere."
Last year's preseason All-America team — Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce of Kansas, Mike Bibby and Miles Simon of Arizona and Antwau Jamison of North Carolina — also was the postseason team.
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